Reviewed by: Hyomil Date: 04/07/2011 Reviewer Score: 10

Reviewed by: j.crawford Date: 06/07/2006 Summary: good for a rainy day. If you like these Hong Kong romantic comedies that have become so popular in the post-Handover era, this is a must-see film. Light, sweet, non-offensive stuff that puts a happy face on life, this movie is about nothing more than capturing a piece of the Japanese film market. Aaron Kwok Fu-Sing and the mighty Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi star in a film directed by Jingle Ma Choh-Shing who served as his own cinematographer. Needless to say, the movie is beautifully shot. Kwok dances quite well and Ms. Cheung carries the show. It's good for a rainy day viewing. Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Trigger Date: 03/05/2002 Summary: Odd little film... It's not really about a dance - it's a little romance flick. Aaron Kwok plays a guy who teaches dance aerobics and is colorblind. He meets this rich girl played by Cecilia and falls for her. They meet a few times in akward circumstances and then they spend a few days together and fall in love. Oh - another piece of important backstory is that Aaron Kwok's character has been cursed by one of his father's girlfriends who cursed them both by saying if they ever said "I love you" to a woman, they would go away. So Aaron is a little shy about those three little words when it comes to Cecilia. Anyway - mixed in now and then is a little choreographed dance bit - kinda like how older Michael Jackson videos used to be all this movie and then a dance number and then more movie... Well you'll start hearing pounding like Stomp and then they'll do the dance/singing thing. I don't know, there's not really enough of it to call it a musical and there's too much of it to ignore. I don't think they balanced this very well. It's kinda cute though. The plot is pretty simple and pretty much predictable, but it's still cute. It's also pretty dumb, but ignoring that - it's a fairly pleasant experience. The acting is ok - Cecilia is charming as always and she even makes a funny reference to her role in Polaris. Aaron Kwok is kinda fruity in this, but he's tolerable. The DVD is good. The production values are fine. It's just a cutesy little film. There are certainly better films out there - but this one has the dancing distinction going for it. So I guess if you're into music and dancing and you like cutesy little romantic comedies - then I'd get it. It's not horrible. I have to give this two scores... 7.5/10 for what it is - a cutesy little rom/com. 5/10 as a movie - it just isn't for everyone. My overall feeling on it would be somewhere in the 6.5 range. Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 01/14/2002 Summary: Not great I don’t want to sound biased, but I have never liked musical films anyway, so please forgive me if you think I’m being ignorant. This is not helped by a soppy love feeling in it. Aaron Kwok is beyond help I think, I really think I can never sit and enjoy another performace from him again, acting or singing. Cecilia Cheung on the other hand is actually very good, a much stronger performance than I have seen over the past couple of years. Rating: 2/5 (This rating is based on the years release and genre, I’m not comparing it to older or newer films.)

Reviewed by: reelcool Date: 12/12/2001 Summary: NOT GOOD What is it about this film that is just no good! Confusing, silly, and just plain sucks. I really want to see a good, NEW, Hong Kong movie, and after seeing this, I feel there's no hope.

Reviewed by: zarrsadus Date: 11/12/2001 Summary: Where's the ParaPara? From the name of the movie being Para Para Sakura (though HKMDB classifies it as Sakuya, but anyways), I expected some actual Para Para dancing, and what I got instead was a weak attempt at a love story. I had seen another of the summer films a few days ago, Love on a Diet, and I liked that a whole lot more then PPS for a love story. Anyways, my two-cents on this film that it wasn't that great of a love story, though if you want to see Aaron dance here it is. The huge dance scene towards the end of the film seemed a little out of place. Also the ending was rather bland as the movie sort of went downhill in the second half when Aaron's character gets all depressed. Wrapping up this review and my random thoughts... the opening breakdance scene was awesome, the love story was nothing exciting, and they didn't do any Para Para dancing until the very very end of the film. Now I'll go watch some better films and play Para Para Paradise to get basically the same effect I was hoping for in this film. 6 out of 10. Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: Souxie Date: 10/29/2001 Summary: In defence of Sunday afternoon films... There are three kinds of films: great and rewatchable, good and have to wait a few years before appreciating them again, and then there are "Sunday afternoon" movies. Para Para falls into the last category - these are the kind of films you watch on a Sunday afternoon because they're on and you can't be arsed to get up and change channel... and you can dip in and out without spoiling the overall effect of the "plot". Hmm. Have to say I loved this film, for its two daffy leads, it's nice little jokes and "dream" sequences... I was prepared to believe that Aaron's character was completely colourblind, that she was running from a marriage she didn't actually want (although SHE knew from the start that didn't matter in the least), and all the screwy characters we meet thereafter. What I didn't enjoy was the tacked-on, done in three words ending, and it sucked. It needed just another five minutes and maybe a bout of angst with the two leads confronting each other, and then I could have swallowed it. But the outtakes were good. Watch this movie for fun, not for a serious night in. Best seen with a few beers if you're a BIG fan of either Aaron or Cecelia - or his housemate Ah Ngau - funny bloke! 7/10 (for the jokes and Aaron's inspired face-pulling) Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: angelyy_b Date: 08/10/2001 Summary: Erm... Well..first and foremost, I really have to admit that Aaron Kwok has certainly convinced me that he is the ultimate dancing performer in the HK entertainment business today! I've seen many of his music videos and concert performances and each time, I would go.."Eh!! He's not THAT good" or "You call that dancing!?"!!..Well..now I take back my words!..And this is THE movie that convinced me and made me realised that I was wrong about Mr. Kwok! It must be the bad dance choreography all the time, I guess!! :=) Anyway..seeing Aaron do the 'breakdance' in Para Para Sakuya left me in awe!!..Wow!! Can that man dance or what!!?? Ok...now the review...Ermm...the movie itself is nothing to shout about. Just like the typical Hong Kong fare you would expect nowadays. No great storyline, silly jokes, copycat (Ally Mcbeal), bad directing and acting but beautiful stars. Aaron must stop playing twenty-something and cute characters!!..I'm sorry but his age (oops!) is certainly showing. He is undoubtly a good actor and goodlooking but enough is enough. He's done doing those cutesy act (during his heydays when he was ermm...still twentysomething). If the film starred some other younger stars like Nic Tse or Edison Chen, it would at least be more bearable...but then, can they dance like him???..So I guess..we don't have other choices,huh?? Maybe we have..make his character a more matured one?? Cecelia cheung!!..Beautiful and cute!! Nothing goes wrong with her, right?? Wrong! She overdoes her cutesy act! Does a cute girl HAVE to skip, giggle and prance around all the time!!?? If she would just tone down her act. Another thing, what is this obsession with Japanese that HK has!!??..Why must Cecilia's character be Japanese??.. Now to the story...Why must Aaron's character be completely color-blind?? (err...does such disability exist? I mean total color-blindness!! Everything he sees is in black and white!!). Cecelia's character is rich and beautiful and might I add..loose too!! ...Or else, why would a nice young lady (and engaged to be married too!) go around asking complete strangers (men!) to accompany her on a trip!!??...Wow!!..Hasn't she heard of the word, RAPE!!?? Another thing that bothers me about the movie is the way it tries to be Ally Mcbeal-ish. U know..with the fantasy/thought sequences. And unlike the former, it is done in bad taste and unfunny!!... Storyline?? Not worth mentioning..Rich girl meets not-so-poor boy. Your typical soppy lurve story. Watch it only for Aaron's breakdance, beautiful Cecelia (this applies to guys only I guess) and the rave nowadays..Para Para (to learn a step or two)..otherwise stay clear of it!

Reviewed by: Demitre Date: 08/03/2001 Summary: Entertaining... I mean entertaining on the basis of watching Cecilia Chueng alone. And this is more of a sypnosis then really a review. Be warned. Aaron Kwok plays a color blind dance instructor who feels like he's never truly alive unless he is dancing. He hangs out in a bar with 3 other friends, his roommate, and 2 other girls. He complains about being alone, and appearantly, he blames it all on a woman who cursed him and his father when they were young, they whoever they love will leave them. Appearantly he is a very suppertitous person, and makes his decisions by turning on the televesion and whatever channel turns up first is his answer. His friends tell him it's not the curse, but because he's a boring fellow, which is painfully true, further racking the brain as to why Cecilia would fall for him if it wasn't in the script... Cecilia plays a young japanese heiress engaged to her boyhood friend. Before her marriage, she runs off to HK to find a well where her grandparents jumped to prove their love for each other. She is chased by bodyguards hired to protect her, chased as in she finds it exciting to try and lose them. Anyways, She meets and hires Aaron to protect her from her bodyguard. Aaron decides to do so because when he first meets her, he sees color for teh first time. He has never had this feeling. This is very nicely done by teh director because he selectively chooses the rigth momment for him to experience this sensation, and it is not overused as to defeat it's sentimentality. Cecilia is amused by his boringness or something, and falls for him, because she leaves for Japan, but comes back saying she'll cancel her marriage because she loves him. The ensuing scene is the only scene in the movie that could merit that this movie be classified as a Musical because Aaron breaks out in a dance suddenly upon hearing this news. Cecilia asks him to say he loves her, but remembering the curse he can'ts. She appearantly doesn't mind. Cecilia's mom comes to HK and offers a big reward for whoever brings her daughter back to her. Aaron and Cecilia decides to run off together and they're at the airport. Of course her mom meets up with them and she feels he betrayed her and returns to Japan. Aaron pouts around for a few days feeling sorry for himself. His friends tell him to see a pshycic who is actually an actress hired by his friends to forget abotu cecilia and that there is someone right next to him that loves him(his partner in the studio). This whole episode was pointless because prior to this, there was basicly no conversation or tension between the 2 people, and out of nowhere comes this revelation, and in teh end, that's all it is a revelation, because they never really resolved or discuss it much. Theres a few short scenes where she takes care of him and that's about it, they don't exactly do anything. There's absolutely no point to this whole deal. Reading what i wrote now, I realize the point, to provide an alternative choice of either going with someone you know you can have, or taking a chance with someone that you think you like more. This subject is so overly explorered in movies, that it becomes trite in most cases, and sometimes it would do good for the person to stick with that stable someone. Itsn't it a person's dream to be with someone who loves them more then they love the other person? It is mine anyways. Anyways, predictably, he goes to Japan on Cecilia's wedding day and interupts the ceremony and professes his love for her. He mentions this metaphor again, one used ealier in the story, about What would he choose, to be a pine tree, which is longlasting but boring, or a cherry Blossom flower, which was shortlived but beautiful. At first I thought this metaphor was stupid because I thought it was analogical of what kind of relationship he wanted, and who wants onyl a short fling. What it really stood for was about how long they've known each other. Earlier, he had the same choice of staying with that otehr girl, who he has known for a long time but who he doesnt' feel anythign with, or be with cecilia, whom he oly knows for a few days but makes him feel alive. What does Cecilia do when he tells her finally he loves her? The ending, ah the ending... I don't quite know what to make of the ending as it is as surprising as it is all BS. Very stupid ending. I've saw this movie a few days ago, I dont' remember a whole lot of it, but then this movie had nothing to say really.