Sotsugyo ryoko: Nihon kara kimashita

Hennan is a shy college graduate who visits Thailand to see some ancient ruins, but encounters Momoyama, a strange promoter of pop singers. I call him strange because he often tears sheets from a roll of pink toilet paper attached at his waist. Momoyama makes Hennan an overnight singing sensation, but just as Hennan is getting used to the adulation, his girlfriend Reko shows up and asks him to return to Japan. The climax occurs at an outdoor concert where the Thai audience swings their arms to form the letters Y-M-C-A while Hennan sings that Village People song.

I went into this with almost no expectations and ended up stumbling upon one of my favorite Japanese movies. This movie is about a spineless college grad who decided to go on a final trip before entering the business world; however he leaves that island a megastar.

Appreciation of Japanese music will likely be a key factor in whether you 'like' or 'love' this film. Hearing the main character cover the gaudy tunes of Japan yesteryear brought a smile to my face, and even if you dont know the songs, the transformation of the meek boy to flamboyant popstar is comedy in itself.

Usually when I watch foreign films I tend to create a separate rating "system" as the difference between them and domestic films tends to be too wide to put in the same categories. However, I can say with confidence that this films stands high as one of my favorites. Definitely watch!