Dive!!
Naoto Kumazawa

If boys in swimming trunks are your thing, then you need to read no further.
For those who need a less skimpy review, Dive!! is a little smarter than the usual sports drama.
At stake for the boys is the chance to represent Japan in diving in the Olympic Games. There is only one spot left and getting it would also mean saving their modest diving club.
The three archetypes of Japanese drama are all here: the conflicted one with the matinee-idol looks (Sosuke Ikematsu as Yoichi Fujitani, the coach’s son), the brooding rebellious one whose heart is in the right place (Junpei Mizobata as the wild card, Shibuki Okitsu) and the adorably earnest one (Kento Hayashi as the hardworking Tomoki Sakai).
This film is also a coming-of-age drama that covers ground such as doing things for the right reasons, young love and whether the pursuit of excellence is worth the sacrifices it entails.
The real question here, though, is who will be the one to break out as Japan’s next top idol.
(ST)