Seishun kinzoku batto

First of all, I must say that I'm not a fan of baseball and even I'm not interested in this sport. In fact, when I watched the movie I didn't know that the story has some relation with baseball. But, as it has been told in another review, baseball is more some kind of background although it's always present. For me, "Green minds, metal bats" is a story about three misfits with something in common: they love baseball. Two men and a woman. The guys, still young but old for being the sports idols that they could have been if luck would have smiled at them a decade ago. The girl, drunken and aggressive but sexy as hell and fan of baseball, also in love (in her way) with one of the guys. It is a weird kind of comedy, written and shot in a very Japanese style (including some strange situations and freak secondary characters, like the son of the mayor of the town) and slow paced. About main characters, they are not specially likable: one of the guys seems a little dumb (because a stroke he received in the head ten years ago), the another one is an insignificant but corrupt cop and impossible husband, and the girl shows an unbearable temperament specially when she drinks over the top (although she is still sexy as hell, did I say it?). But, here is the magic, we finish empathizing with them. The dumb guy is admirable in his purpose to get the "ultimate swing", the odious little cop is still able to give a chance to an old friend, and the drunken and selfish chick loves and respect her partner (but probably he never will know it, she is that kind of "bad good girl" hiding her real feelings with a bottle of whiskey and some tough manners). It is a little movie, bizarre but nice and lovely in its unconventional way. The end is optimistic and pleasant. Losers deserve to be happy too!

This is a hard film to describe except to say that it's deadpan funny, delightful and successful in it's earnest attempt to remain off-kilter. It's about two guys who are bummed out their dreams of becoming baseball stars didn't pan out, and a girl who loves baseball and baseball players. One of the guys was a pitcher, played with finely nuanced body language by Masanobu Ando, who's become a bicycle cop and hates everything except himself. He uses his position of authority to do things like get shoplifting housewives to show him the color of their underwear. The other guy is a batter (of unknown position), played by Pistol Takehara, who still wants to make it, practicing his swing a thousand times a day. He's a little numb in the noggin, having been beaned by the bicycle cop pitcher ten years ago and becomes an accomplice in love and illegal activities with a drunken, violent woman who shares his love of baseball. The show stealing woman is played way over the top by Maki Sakai, and now I'm sort of in love with her myself. I generally dislike watching actors play drunk, but with the exception of some of her stumbling, Sakai creates a believable and engaging character who's pushing forty, still hot, not so nice, but fun to have around. She had to wear prosthetics to round out her role as "the chick with a rack".

Green Mind, Metal Bats is a low-key, low budget absurd comedy with an edginess that keeps it unpredictable and unsettling. A bit part by Noriko Eguchi, as the pitcher's wife, gets this one a bonus point. Anything with Eguchi is better for it.

Review In One Breath: Probably the most unorthodox baseball movie on planet earth, this film is more concerned with psychological "dramedy" that uses the sport itself as a backdrop in daily life. The lead character (named Nanba) is a repressed former baseball player who interacts with strange individuals (a drunk lady with a penchant for violence, the rumored illegitimate Japanese son of Babe Ruth, etc.). Just when you think it can't get any better, Ando Masanobu shows up as a surly cop named Ishioka with a dysfunctional marriage. The humor is excellent and executed in vintage Japanese style with well-developed laissez-faire characters who have a restrained detestation for all of existence. Very different, but highly enjoyable.

I never get excited about baseball movies. Not only is baseball the most boring sport on planet earth (I'd rather watch the World Poker Tour than MLB), but the clichés of the genre are almost impossible to avoid. Typically, you get a protagonist player who battles against adversity to win a big game at the end of the movie. Yada yada yada. To be honest, the only reason I rented this was because of Ando Masanobu. After witnessing his powerhouse performance as Kiriyama in "Battle Royale" (2000), I've been on the lookout for his subsequent roles. Still, I wasn't exactly frothing at the mouth with this one as it creeped to the top of my rental queue.

"Green Minds, Metal Bats" shattered my expectations within the opening 15 minutes, then proceeded to beat them to a pulp for the remaining running time. The most surprising aspect is that at no point is an actual baseball game shown for any significant length of time. Two of the lead characters are former amateur players, but the flashbacks are so short that the aura of the "big game" is completely absent. Instead, the game of baseball forever lurks as a part of these people's daily lives. Nanba has his bat in hand at all times – not unlike a samurai with his sword – as he walks the streets of his neighborhood. By the way, he uses it for a lot more than baseball practice! This interesting influence of a sport on daily life is what drives the film into thoroughly unorthodox territory. The finale is of course baseball related, but even the climax is completely devoid of the "big game" feel, opting instead for a much more personal, low-key event.

Another important point to make is that this film has zero melodrama. None whatsoever. So those viewers who would rather avoid that type of emotional manipulation can safely watch "Green Minds, Metal Bats" with no worries. I would describe this film as "Train Man" (2005) meets "Adrenaline Drive" (1999). You get the introverted psychology of the former with the undercranked Bonnie and Clyde crimes of the latter. The pacing is slow, but there's a lot of attention-grabbing stuff to keep one glued to the screen.

I highly recommend this to those who want something different. God bless the Japanese for their cinematic weirdness. :)