Director Kojiro Hashimoto
Starring Kazuhiko Kanayama, Gordon Maeda and Yuki Morinaga
Rated Unclassified 15+
Score 6/6

Life in Okinawa has never looked sweeter for four high schoolers in a pop-rock band that sings catchy songs that evoke images of love and vibrant youth. All that changes when one evening a band member is tragically killed in a hit-and-run car accident. Grief takes hold, and their dreams of making it big in Tokyo are shattered. Political tensions on the island rise when police investigations point to the presence of the U.S. military base being involved in the accident.
Meanwhile, Mai, the younger sister of the deceased band member, seeks to reconcile her grief. In a moment of courage, she takes up his guitar and revives the band with the help of Lisa, their sweet-tempered muse living on the U.S. base.

In any other circumstance there is a very real possibility that I would have given this one a wide berth simply because it’s a teen movie and there are more then a few teen movies that I have reviewed that have left me “I’m 37, why did I watch?” I’m actually glad that I watched this one. I suppose one of the reasons why I watched this was that it was a good example of how different exist with each other. The plot right after with the accident that killed the band member threw me a little bit and the story had slight surreal quality to it with several flashbacks being used.
I will admit that I loved Little Love Song’s soundtrack and I suppose the concert on the roof during the school festival could be compared to something like the 1999 movie 10 Things I Hate About You. Apparently Little Love Song was inspired by a hit song by Mongol800, Japanese three-piece punk rock band from Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan formed in 1998.
I enjoyed Hayato Sano and Anna Yamada’s performances while Yuki Morinaga just looked cool.