Hachiko – An Undying Loyalty

I was a bit reluctant about watching the movie, Hachiko – A Dog’s Story. First of all, I tend to avoid stories featuring animals as the main characters because they usually turn out really bad or really sad. Secondly, I had read the story of Hachiko, the faithful Akita Inu, a couple of years back before my first trip to Japan so I knew that this was not going to be a happy story. But.. I watched it anyway. And thoroughly enjoyed the show (though my eyes were hurting so much from all the crying).

It’s a really simple tale, based on a true story, about a dog’s loyalty to its owner. The trainer and director did a great job in capturing the essence of Hachi’s emotions and demonstrating the beautiful bond between dog and master (played by Richard Gere). The movie was deeply touching and I was bawling my eyes out continuously for the last half hour of the film. My husband, who suggested the film solely based on the poster (and not a man to cry at the movies) was also sobbing like a baby. Ha ha.

If you have pets or are into dogs, you and your kids (it’s a family-friendly film) could do worse than to catch Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (US title). It will make you wanna hug your pets tighter and appreciate them for the companionship they’ve given you. :)