"Crazy Rich Asians" made headlines this summer for being the first Hollywood film in a quarter of a century to feature a main cast entirely comprised of actors of Asian heritage. The movie hits Japanese cinemas this weekend, but audiences here are obviously used to all-Asian casts.
A bigger draw may be that the film is just a really good romantic comedy. While romantics overseas may be wishing on a star that the success of "Crazy Rich Asians" — or the Netflix film "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" — might lead to a genuine rom-com boom, doe-eyed fans of the genre in Japan have plenty of films or TV series to revisit for a passion pick-me-up. Star-crossed lovers, disapproving family members, fashionable excess — some things really are universal.
While some critics may point to movies such as Hitoshi One's "Moteki" ("Love Strikes!," 2011) or even Shosuke Ono's "Densha Otoko" ("Train Man," 2005) for actual laughs, I'd recommend "Hana yori Dango: Final" ("Boys Over Flowers," 2008) to "Crazy Rich Asians" fans. Based on a TV series that was itself based on a manga, there have been multiple adaptations of the story, including a musical version, a popular South Korean drama and, more recently, a Chinese original series on Netflix titled "Meteor Garden."