Educational Media Reviews Online

Tokyo Fiancée is a feature-length romantic drama that follows the adventures of Amélie, a young Belgian woman, as she returns to Japan, the country of her birth, to teach French lessons in the hopes of assimilating and becoming, in her words, “a real Japanese” and ultimately, “a venerable Japanese writer.”

Tokyo Fiancée features artistic and descriptive cinematography and a whimsical and expressive score; it moves at a relaxed pace and focuses on Amélie’s love affair with Japan, which is symbolized by her relationship with Rinri, her Francophile Japanese student. The characters move through various urban and rural Japanese settings and, as they do so, present a good overview of many aspects of Japanese culture, especially as it relates to Amélie’s expectations and European upbringing. Aspects of Samurai culture and the Yakuza film genre are depicted and discussed, but not in great detail. Scenes featuring nudity, sexual content, mild violence, and social drinking are included.

In sum, Tokyo Fiancée is an engaging, romantic film that presents within the context of its storyline numerous opportunities for college students and other adult viewers to explore and discuss topics related to the study of communication, language, and culture. Issues covered include: intercultural communication (in both personal and professional settings); varying behaviors and expectations for behavior (related to gender, culture, and age); and spoken French and Japanese (both of which are spoken during the film, which has English subtitles).