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Love Me, Love Me Not
Movie

Love Me, Love Me Not

2020 • Unknown

Woke Score
1
out of 10

Plot

Akari is a first grade high school student. She is positive, realistic and outgoing with romance. Akari though is not good at expressing her feelings. She become friends with Yuna, who attends the same high school.

Overall Series Review

The movie is a Japanese high school romantic drama that follows a complex love polygon involving four main characters: two contrasting female friends, Akari and Yuna, and their male classmates, Rio and Kazuomi. The entire narrative focuses on their individual emotional growth, their differing views on love and romance, and the evolution of their friendships and romantic relationships. Key conflicts stem from unrequited love, self-expression difficulties, and personal family issues like Akari's step-sibling dynamic with Rio. As a traditional *shojo* (girls' romance) manga adaptation set in contemporary Japan, the film is a pure product of character-driven relationship drama. It is completely devoid of political messaging, Western-style identity politics, or civilizational commentary.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

The film is a Japanese production with an entirely Japanese cast, consistent with its cultural and geographical setting. The story concerns universal themes of friendship and love among high school students. The narrative shows no trace of Western intersectional theory, race-baiting, vilification of any demographic, or commentary on immutable characteristics. Character conflict is based purely on individual personalities, emotions, and personal choices.

Oikophobia1/10

The setting is a contemporary Japanese high school and residential area. The drama is purely personal, focusing on family and romantic relationships, with no commentary or hostility directed toward Japanese or any other civilization, culture, or ancestors. The film portrays family and friendship as crucial structures for emotional support.

Feminism2/10

The female leads, Akari and Yuna, are distinct characters with different flaws and strengths. Akari is outgoing but reserved about her feelings, while Yuna is shy and romantic but learns to be more assertive. The focus is on their emotional intelligence and ability to form healthy relationships, celebrating female friendship alongside romantic pursuits. There is no presence of a 'Girl Boss' trope, male emasculation, or anti-natal messaging; high school romance and family are central.

LGBTQ+1/10

The core plot is a traditional heterosexual love polygon among four characters. The film maintains a normative structure centered on male-female pairing. There is no overt queer theory, focus on alternative sexualities, or deconstruction of the nuclear family unit. Sexuality and gender are treated as private aspects of the high school dating life without political lecturing.

Anti-Theism1/10

The film is a secular story set in a contemporary Japanese high school environment. Religion, faith, or spiritual matters are absent from the narrative, which concentrates exclusively on romantic and familial relationships. Morality is treated as an objective, personal code of honor, loyalty, and honesty within their emotional entanglements, not as subjective 'power dynamics'.