Only few films have made me cry, but not as many times as this one , it is a really captivating story and just to know it was a real one amazes me even more. You may never find a best friend but a dog will never disappoint you nor abandon you, and this movie just proves that.

Apart from being a great story, I found the camera-work to be really good, and the scenography in some parts of the film does not get left behind.

I also found the acting fitting to what it was being presented,it was in no way overdone nor was it lacking anything, it was just normal and good acting.

I would recommend this film to everyone because it is meant for all audiences, but I can't guarantee if it will make you cry or at least feel any emotion. Most of you probably will at least feel something, though (mostly if you're fond of pets or animals in general).

Don't miss the chance to watch this.

While humans are weird on these things, dogs are companions for life. Dogs show eternal loyalty for the simplest things. Giving them food and water is enough for them to stay loyal forever, but if that includes love and attention that loyalty is taken to another degree. It is true that dogs CAN and DO chose their own masters and they are loyal to one person. It seems that, for them, life has no meaning if it's not with their first owner.

This film is very, very moving and sad, like no other I've ever seen. It tells the (real) story of Hachi, the dog that waited 10 long years for his owner after his death. Hachi kept waiting for him for the rest of his life and only didn't wait more because he died. Besides that hard reality, that dog was a victim of violence, went through a lot of pain, sorrow and even illness. It's already very depressing to imagine what the real Hachi went through and seeing what we see in this movie is so heartbreaking. It breaks my heart how much he waits for a master that won't be back anymore, the cruelty of humans towards innocent animals, the bad condition and fragile health he is after years.

The movie itself is far from being great, let alone a masterpiece. But it's unquestionably a valuable lesson about the loyalty of dogs in the highest sense and it shows that dog is definitely man's best friend, a companion for life in the good and bad moments, everything.

There are many hateful human characters and this movie is so depressing and painful that I can't even watch it anymore and I couldn't help but cry hard. Having that said, it's impossible not to love Hachi and our hearts melt over him.

This movie had an American remake with Richard Gere but it's very different. The original is a far more realistic approach to the real story, as it takes place in Japan in the 1920's/1930's - which is the place and time when this story really happened.

Dog movies are a dime a dozen, and you can probably name a few out of the USA or Japan. There are many fictional ones that some might believe did exist (not the breed of course),but here's a story of one which really did, and in its lifetime earned the admiration of people around, enough to build a statue of it too! The Hachiko Exit of Tokyo's subway Shibuya Station stands a Hachiko the dog statue, in remembrance of its unwavering loyalty to its master.

Hachiko is an Akita dog born in Odate, Akita Prefecture, and this is ample opportunity for the filmmakers to insert as many cutesy shots of puppies as possible, with their natural playfulness and inquisitive nature earning plenty of "awwws" from the audience. The birth of Hachiko and its siblings is probably one of the best I've seen - or make that the only one I've seen to date, with an actual birth sequence being captured on film - I didn't know they come out that small!

But Hachiko's life seemed destined for hardship from the start. And this somewhat serves as a warning to those in the audience with an inkling of getting themselves a puppy after watching the show. As with any pet, it comes with commitment - you commit to taking care of it, and it will more than often do the same for you too, especially when it's a dog (they aren't called Man's Best Friend) for nothing. In the beginning, a young girl promises to care for the Hachiko, but as we all learn soon enough, this is but an empty promise as she "abandons" it even before it set foot into the home, and given that nobody in the household is keen on keeping it, the responsibility laid with the head of the household.

And thus a strong relationship between owner and dog was forged, one that involved amongst others, the dog accompanying the master to the train station, and dutifully waiting for his arrival at the station after work. This probably sealed its legend as it was unwavering with the dog being there come rain, shine, or snow. But the other half of the movie centered on more melodrama, one which I thought was having almost everything except the kitchen sink thrown at the dog's direction. Abandonment is cruel, and that is chiefly what it focused on. There was a particularly powerful scene that the professor's wife (who once was jealous of the attention Hachiko got from her spouse) denied having direct ownership with Hachiko, and that really hurt. Not to mention during one of the finale shots where you see again, hypocrisy at play.

But too much of something makes it nauseatingly sick. The finale tended to drag too long, and the story was determined to drum Hachiko's sad life into you once its honeymoon years were over. And the supporting characters during this stage, were more like caricatures, popping up now and then to regurgitate the same old lines and expressions of pity. And no self respecting dog movie will be without a de-facto scene of the dog running towards the owner from afar in slow motion. There is such a scene here too, which made me roll my eyeballs.

Despite its two-part act, Hachiko is still a rather enjoyable movie about a dog who can't let go, pining for the love of its master. Loyalty, friendship, and trust are the hallmarks of such movies. Now only if the pop song played during the end credits didn't ruin it all.