Hachi-ko: KOOYAMA Seijiroo’s film tells the story of the famous eponymous dog, which became the image of undying loyalty to his tutor; it is a sweetly melancholic story, and it’s efficiently told here. The lovely and lively dog became known for going daily to the train station to wait for his tutor, even years after the man’s death. The film is quite by the numbers, however, and barely develops any characters, beyond the love between man and animal. NAKADAI Tatsuya plays the professor with authority and sweetness, while YACHIGUSA Kaoru plays his wife with contained emotion. The period recreation is effectively done, and cinematographer HIMEDA Shinsaku shoots the hero with all attention, making him shine and look stunning. The odd element out is composer HAYASHI Tetsuji’s score, which feels too much like a product of the period when the film was made instead of when it is set, in particular the song that plays over the end credits.