18×2 Beyond Youthful Days Movie Story
is a melancholic and introspective romance about a lost first love, based on a true story. The narrative begins 18 years prior in Tainan, Taiwan, where Jimmy (Greg Hsu), a shy local youth, works part-time at a karaoke bar during the summer. There, he meets Ami (Kaya Kiyohara), a cheerful and artistic Japanese backpacker who stops to work to save money for her next leg of travel. Despite being four years her junior, their intense interactions throughout the summer cultivate a deep love in Jimmy's heart, a feeling that ultimately remains unsaid. Their summer bliss abruptly ends when Ami decides to return to Japan. A heartbroken and mistaken Jimmy assumes Ami is returning to a boyfriend, allowing the opportunity to confess his true feelings to slip away. Eighteen years later, Jimmy, now 36 and a successful video game developer who has just lost control of his own company, stumbles upon an old postcard from Ami. This unexpected find reignites long-dormant memories and a profound sense of unresolved regret from his past. Inspired by the remembrance, Jimmy decides to embark on a solo, aimless journey across Japan, both as an attempt to rediscover himself and, indirectly, to follow Ami's footsteps. His travel across various locations in Japan is not just a physical road trip but an emotional one, where every stop and new person he encounters (including figures from his past) serves as a poignant flashback to his youthful days with Ami. Ultimately, his journey leads him to Ami's hometown, where he finally uncovers the touching and bittersweet truth behind Ami's departure and the tragic conclusion of their first love story.
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