Asako in Ruby Shoes

In Asako in Ruby Shoes (original title: 순애보), directed by E J-yong and released in 2000, two isolated young individuals from different countries navigate lives marked by profound loneliness and existential drift. In South Korea, E U-in (Lee Jung-jae), a disengaged civil servant, grapples with monotony in his dead-end job and friendless existence. He indulges in voyeuristic habits, peeking at women in office bathrooms and fixating on a punkish red-haired colleague named Mia, leading to awkward stalking attempts. His nights are spent on early internet porn sites, highlighting his desperate search for connection amid personal failures like neglecting apartment maintenance, causing floods, and embarrassing public drunkenness. Meanwhile, in Japan, Asako (Misato Tachibana), a quirky young woman, openly plans her suicide by holding her breath over the International Date Line to blur the moment of death. To fund this trip and her coveted ruby shoes, she takes a job at a health club, befriends the depressed Rie—who has her own suicidal past and craves Middle-Eastern men—and eventually turns to webcam modeling under the alias Asako, donning a red wig. The film masterfully interweaves their parallel stories across Korea and Japan, exploring themes of boredom, unfulfilled desires, and fleeting hopes through an episodic structure blending deadpan humor, surreal visuals, and piano-driven melancholy. Asako's composed quirkiness contrasts U-in's buffoonish loser traits, yet both embody relatable human frailties in a modern world of disconnection, family estrangement, and elusive romance.

Asako in Ruby Shoes garners mixed critical reception, praised for its unique narrative structure and performances while critiqued for uneven pacing and problematic character portrayals. On IMDb, the film holds a 6.5/10 rating from user votes, reflecting a solid but not exceptional reception. AsianMoviePulse describes it as a film focusing on 'two young people whose life is going nowhere,' commending Lee Jung-jae's charismatic turn as the 'true loser' U-in, making him likable despite creepy actions like peeping and stalking, and Misato Tachibana's 'delightful' quirky Asako. The review highlights hilarious episodes and the clever connection between Korea and Japan settings but faults the 'intensely episodic approach' and surreal scenes as 'tiresome.' FictionMachine calls it an 'effective' parallel comedy-drama, lauding Tachibana's 'strong and varied performance' avoiding manic pixie tropes, with believable melancholy, and Lee Jung-jae's 'great and engaging' slacker, though U-in is 'too ugly a character to like,' frustrating due to spying and perversion amid romantic comedy ambitions. It notes engaging odd moments and curiosity driving viewership despite slow Korean melodrama pacing. AsianMovieWeb portrays it as a romantic drama of 'indefinite yearning,' sympathizing with 'not really sane' yet relatable protagonists, blending deadpan humor with heavy themes; Tachibana embodies 'innocence with helplessness,' evoking instant sympathy. Letterboxd users appreciate its challenge to homogeneous Korea views via globalization, with synopsis tag 'Love graphics dreamed of two cities.' DVDBeaver finds the far-fetched ending a charming 'fairy tale fantasy.' Overall, critics value the film's honest exploration of loneliness and cross-cultural links but divide on U-in's unlikability and episodic fatigue.