A lost robot and a lackadaisical man find each other and set off on an adventure to discover the world — and become who they were meant to be.

Cast

Kazunari Ninomiya plays Ken Kasugai and starred in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006). Mitsushima Hikari plays Emi and recently starred in First Love (2022) television series. Mikako Ichikawa plays Sakurako and recently starred in Shin Godzilla (2016). Shinya Kote plays Asuka Koto and recently starred in One Day (2023) television series and Unknown (2023) television series. Tetsuya Takeda plays Masahiko Bamba and best known for The Yellow Handkerchief (1977).

Plot

Tang, a child robot, is found by Ken, sitting by a tree. Ken tries to discard Tang, but Tang persists on following Ken whenever and wherever possible. Until Tang begins to malfunction. Then an adventure begins as Tang and Ken discover who they really are — and who they can be. This movie is based on “A Robot in the Garden” by Deborah Install.

Review

The first part of the movie where Ken and Tang meet is very awkward and a bit disjointed. Ken, an affable guy, can’t seem to get rid of Tang, the child robot. The ensuing awkwardness goes into the second part as well. The movie has elements of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty when revolving around Ken. The movie starts becoming cohesive once Ken and Tang arrive in Japan. The plot becomes clearer, and the pacing and action ramps up slightly. There are many plot twists along the way such as who the bad guys actually are and what Tang ultimately was. The finale was great and sealed the movie up nicely with Tang and Ken — and his estranged wife.

Verdict (Out of 10)

Fringe Fiction gives this movie a 6.7 out of 10. A charming if not disjointed movie.