First Love

"Familiar territory for Miike, but never boring (...) Welcome back to the darkly funny, ultraviolent universe of Japanese pulp auteur " 

"[It] demonstrates that [Miike's] energy and inventiveness are still intact (...) An unusually satisfying romp." 

"It is all so relentlessly, outrageously entertaining that it could represent one of the prolific Miike’s most commercial propositions in some time (...) [He] puts his foot to the pedal from the opening scenes" 

"A piece of work so feral and full of life that you’d never guess it was (at least) the 90th feature its director has made in the last 30 years (...) hasn’t lost any of his lust for life, and he still finds new ways to surprise. 

"[It] may be a fluffier, more eager-to-please bauble than Miike’s more challengingly outré titles, but (...) it is wired to explode, and it is a blast." 

"[It] is probably Miike at his most accessible. He appears to have reined in his more experimental tendencies here (hey, we all gotta pay the bills) to offer a taste of his more playful side. 

"Fans of [Miike] oeuvre may find this film a little more commercially-oriented (...) but for those who have been afraid to dip their toe into his particular brand of crazy, [it] is a very accessible place to start (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"