When I Met You in Tokyo

When I Met You In Tokyo (東京で会ったとき) is a 2023 Philippine romance film written by Suzette Doctolero and directed by Rado Peru and Rommel Penesa. It stars Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon, both of whom were teamed up in several blockbuster films such as Tag-ulan sa Tag-Araw (1975), Sinasamba Kita (1982), Minsan Pa Nating Hagkan ang Nakaraan (1983), Imortal (1989), Dekada '70 (2002), and Mano Po III: My Love (2004).

It was released on December 25, 2023, as an official entry for the 49th Metro Manila Film Festival.

Plot
The film begins in Japan where Azon and her friends work at the Crowne Plaza Hotel as hotel servants while Joey is a farmer who works at the Japanese farm along with his Japanese friend, Akira and a single man who was recently annulled from his marriage with his estranged former wife. Azon meets Joey at the bar while she was having a party with her friends and they are scolded by Joey for causing more trouble. As soon as they get out of the bar Azon eventually punches him in the face for scolding them before her two friends dragged her out of the way. After their first encounter, this is how both had met each other in a friendly manner and they encountered again when Azon buys some vegetables from Joey when they recognized each other at the bar last night.

They also revealed the problems in their respective families in the Philippines. Azon learns that her brother Marlon is a gambling addict after being contacted by his daughter in secret, which leads her to stop giving them money as Marlon abruptly arrives at the gym and slaps his daughter for being a traitor. However, he emotionally apologizes to Azon for tricking her and promises he will change for the better after he visited the grave of both of their parents. In Joey's family, Joey is close to his daughter but was also strained to his former wife. With Akira's advice about forgiveness and looking at the sign of forgive, he learns to forgive his former wife and tells her to forget about their past mistakes.

Both Azon and Joey eventually get married and they moved to Joey's home after they had a very loving relationship but due to their retirement age, they can't consummate their love in their honeymoon. Their loving marriage had taken to six years until Azon suffers from osteoarthritis on her leg which is a challenge for Joey to look after her but he too had heart problems in secret only both him and his daughter knew of his sickness. However, Azon was mad at him for keeping his sickness to her.

After taking a walk in the snowy mountains, they rest up at home. Azon decided to serve water for them, but Joey suffers a heart attack as she leaves. She arrives with the water to see him collapsed and tells her that he loves her before dying. Both Akira and Azon are devastated over Joey's loss. Azon contacts Joey's daughter and informs her about her father's death, much to her grief. Following Joey's death, Azon had learned so much from Joey in his gardening and farming experiences and for teaching her how to cut a bonzai tree to shoe her patience. The film ends where Azon narrates about how a person meets his soulmate and they are destined to be together.

Cast

 * Vilma Santos as Azon, a feisty and bubbly woman. Santos who is returning to acting in feature film after working in the 2016 film Everything About Her, accepted the project upon learning that de Leon would be her on-screen partner. Their last film appearance together was in the 2004 film, Mano Po III: My Love
 * Christopher de Leon as Joey, a farmer who is still reeling from the aftermath of a divorce with his unfaithful ex-wife. Director Conrado Peru requested de Leon to be also an associate director and to help the production staff work with Santos.

Production
When I Met You In Tokyo was produced under JG Productions and was directed by Rado Peru and Rommel Penesa. Suzette Doctolero was the scriptwriter while Shayne Sarte was the cinematographer.

The film is about two older Overseas Filipino Workers in Japan. Around 95 percent of the principal photography took place in the East Asian country, with most of the film's story taking place in the countryside. Filming in Japan started around April 2023.

Release
When I Met You In Tokyo premiered in cinemas in the Philippines on December 25, 2023, as one of the official entries of the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival. The film was originally scheduled to be released sometime around September 2023, but JG Productions decided to postpone the release date due to the rainy season.

Critical Reception
The film received a generally positive reception from several notable reviewers according to review aggregator website Kritikultura. It garnered a score of 63/100 based on 14 reviews.

Several critics noted De Leon and Santos's performance as the film's biggest strength. Joseph L. Garcia of BusinessWorld wrote, "By all standards, the film should have been predictable and unexciting. In the hands of Mr. De Leon, and especially Ms. Santos, the film reaches a higher standard." Goldwin Reviews echoed this sentiment, stating, "Mahirap hindi kiligin sa pinaggagawa nina Vilma Santos at Christopher de Leon dito. Ang saya nilang panuorin."