I watched this movie on a whim because of Sasaki Kuranosuke, and I have to say that this whim was well rewarded! The entirety of this film was an amazing feat to watch!

The amount of work that must have gone into this film, research, practice, and genuine talent for the culture, history, and creation of each artifact of the "true antique" must have been ridiculously intense. Watching Sasaki Kuranosuke make the bowl was one of my favorite parts in the entire film! The amount of devotion and immense strength and respect he put into creating such a fabulous bowl shows very well it's almost tangible. It makes the viewer(s) wonder how long he knew how or how long he was taught about the creative process. It was also interesting to watch Nakai Kiichi work with his customer(s); his buying and selling process of each item was very thorough and well instrumented with just the right amount of detail for each historical piece.

I think I would have liked to have seen a little more of the characters' relationships; not long backstories, per se, but something along those lines. This film gave a very witty, comical, honest look into the creation of the genuine artifact and its copy. Almost teaching the viewer(s) something about history, culture, and antiques while doing so; and maybe a little more historical/cultural information would have been nice, too, but I did like Tsukaji Muga as the historical/museum official and what information he gave was very telling to the story and creation of the antique in question.

This film feels like such an underrated gem to me, and because of the cast and it's unique story that made me laugh and cringe and worry and proud all at once, I really believe that more people should see this movie! And it's sequel!