Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutteyo is one weird artistic movie. The title character Kirishima, captain of the volleyball team and most popular dude in the school never appears but what we get are all the other characters in the school trying to deal with Kirishimas absence. He permeates every conversation in this movie but only his absence is felt.
Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutteyo is a high school movie about the various characters that we always see; the popular girls group, the athletes, the lone musician girl and the nerds. The story is also told from multiple point of views though there are not interesting revelations.
So I'm watching this movie thinking I've seen all the characters and nothing much is happening. Its cool it has multiple viewpoints but when is the payoff coming? There's a non-climatic scuffle in the end that confused the hell out of me. Have I been watching 1 1/2 hours of nothing?
Then the 'true climax' of the movie happens when the camera is pointed at the head nerd and he has an answer for why he does what he does and Kirishima's best friend runs off crying because he is living life of no meaning. He is near the top in the school hierachy yet he has no purpose. That's the only thing I got from this movie.
To summarise, there's no plot in Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutteyo. Nothing really happens that we've not seen before and it doesn't lead anywhere interesting. I'm always complaining about jdoramas telling instead of showing but this movie isn't showing me anything new or interesting about Japanese high school life. I just don't get the praise for this movie.
Like the popular girl group. You've got the Queen-bitch, Kirishima's girlfriend with her best friend who is more like a slave and the two girls who don't really like her but hang around her because she's dating Kirishima and because they don't want to be hated by other girls. Ho-hum. I've seen this so many times in other doramas already and they actually lead somewhere.
Usually for movies that I don't get like No Country for Old Men, at least I can understand what they were trying to do. With Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutteyo, I have no idea what its trying to achieve. Nice to see Ohgo Suzuka again but she doesn't get to do anything with her character.
4 comments:
I've never seen a good japanese movie minus a couple anime ones and the crappy ones I've seen this far are as you described for this movie. It makes me say what is the point, why did they waste all that time showing nothing happening ( as in wh didn't they actually accomplis shit), I feel bad for the talented actors, all the hooplah is probably written by Japanese ppl who are used to crappy japanese movies or were involved in the production of the movie. While iwas watching th trailer i did not allow all that stf abt awards wow me and i just thought this movie looks boring and its eithergoing o be really good or another shitty japanese movie. I hope to see a Japanese movie that is actually good in the future . I'm going to check out the movies that you regarded as must see movies
I know where you are coming from when it comes to "pay off".
It might be a silly question, but have you seen Ringu? I don't think anyone can accuse that movie of having no pay off.
They do horror pretty well.
^Give "Go" a go, since it just happens to be on youtube with subtitle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn-IQnQsosY
Maybe it suffers a bit of no-pay-off syndrome, but it's one more more memorable jmovies I've seen over the past 13 years.
Sorry for hijacking your post again Mike.
Um I actually quite enjoyed this movie despite its pointlessness. It was rather funny at times and although its nothing new, the ending kinda left an impression.
Jung, recommend away!
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