Oshin | 3.5/5

SINGAPORE — If, like this reviewer, you still fondly remember watching little Oshin stoically go through life’s harshest trials on television back in 1984, then prepare your tissues once more — the legendary hit serial written by Sugako Hashida is now on the big screen.

Singapore was the first country outside of Japan to broadcast the immensely popular television drama, and the story of one little girl’s unrelenting resolve and determination captured the bleeding hearts and viewership of our entire nation.

That very story is front and centre once again, this time served up on a silver screen platter 30 years since it first appeared on Japanese television.

Designed specifically to pull at your heartstrings, the movie unabashedly sticks to its successful formula and delivers exactly what fans want and expect: The same tear-jerking moments and soap opera storyline — just amplified cinematically.

Produced by Sedic International, which is known for its Academy Award-winning Departures, the movie focuses on Oshin’s childhood years during the early 19th century, instead of spanning her entire life.

Director Shin Togashi’s gorgeous, sweeping scenes of the harsh-but-beautiful natural surroundings of Yamagata Prefecture serves the story well. But that aesthetic is sorely undermined when he decides to juxtapose these with some unnecessary jerky handheld camera shots. What he does right, in terms of movie marketing, is strategically casting of current popular eye candy like Japanese singer-actress-model-radio personality Aya Ueto (as Oshin’s mother Fuji Tanimura) and J-Pop’s SMAP member Goro Inagaki (as Oshin’s father Senzo Tanimura). He also cleverly lures fans of the original series by casting Pinko Izumi (the original Fuji Tanimura, Oshin’s mother) and Ayako Kobayashi (the original young Oshin) as the matriach at Kaga-ya and her daughter-in-law, respectively.

But the jewel in the crown has to be eight-year-old Kokone Hamada, who reportedly beat 2,500 other hopefuls in an open audition to clinch the title role. Kokone’s ability to cry on cue, her cute ruddy cheeks and wonderfully soulful eyes, and a certain exuberance betray her acting inexperience. You’ll root for her even as you reach for the tissues.

(PG,109min)