regi0n2fan

Motoki Katsuhide's "Drugstore Girl" is a light, cute, and often pathetic comedic story of a beautiful young pharmacology student who turns a group of middle-aged men into raving, lecherous gits whilst starting a new life in a new town. Obayashi Keiko (Tanaka Rena) finds her live-in boyfriend cheating on her and subsequently bolts her apartment in Shinjuku, boarding the JR and basically disembarking at a random station. She ends up in the town of Masao on the outskirts of Tokyo-to and there she begins a new life (except for the fact that she has her pharmacology classes back in the city). Whimsically letting things fall into place, she lands a job at "Hustle Drug", a new Wal-Mart sort of super store which threatens to put the local mom & pop merchants out of business. A group of middle-aged men - consisting of three of the local merchants (druggist, baker and kombini owner), a monk and Keaton-esquire homeless man - initially plan to sabotage the grand opening of Hustle Drug, but one sight of the lovely Obayashi and the old boys quickly forget about their economic agenda. When their leader Nabeshima (Emoto Akira) discovers that Obayashi plays lacrosse, the old boys set out to learn this strange new sport, complete with fishing nets and protective gear made from cardboard boxes and bamboo. Their intent, of course, is to use this as an excuse to win her favour, but she cleverly (or obliviously) decides to train them in the sport, which popularizes it immediately throughout Masao and revives the stagnant bamboo handicraft industry by turning the local craftsmen into distinctly Japanese crosse makers (no lightweight Fiberglas or Polyamide laminates here). From there, the story becomes less about the drugstore and more about the newly-formed old boys lacrosse side, and the climactic match against a side made up of (presumably) American Indian players. A bit brief and somewhat underdeveloped in parts, the story capitalises on the recurring Japanese cinematic theme of the hopeless newbie underdog taking on the big guys by means of their undying competitive spirit and instant devotion to a sport that they have only recently discovered. It works for the most part, and the movie is a delight, particularly the opening scene when Obayashi catches her boyfriend Hitoshi cheating on her. Tanaka Rena ("Tokyo Marigold", "Gangu Shuriya", "Hatsukoi") is surprisingly animated in this comedic role, and Emoto Akira ("Shall We Dance?", "Unagi", "Waterboys") is annoying yet funny as the middle-aged bosouzoku-turned-druggist. The rest of the old boys are even more annoying if not downright stupid, but Tanaka Rena's splendid performance more than makes up for it.

In "Totsunyuseyo! 'Asama Sanso' Jiken"(2002), Harada Masato offers up a picturesque account of the 1972 Karuizawa hostage incident, which took place under frigid conditions in Nagano, Japan. Based on an account penned by the main character Sassa Atsuyuki, it chronicles the ineffectiveness of coordinated law enforcement protocol when conducted in an atmosphere of petty politics, impossible restrictions, poor planning, miscommunication and over-inflated egos. Alternately titled `The Choice of Hercules', Sassa (Yakusho Koji) is a mid-level career man in the Tokyo Metro Police who is forced to bide his time until he reaches an `acceptable' age before being promoted (in itself a critique of the much-maligned system). To this end, he is assigned menial tasks in addition to being sent overseas to study law enforcement techniques in the West. As such, he is the most qualified to respond when a situation erupts for which local law enforcement is totally unprepared - the violent takeover of a mountain resort lodge in Nagano by armed Japan Red Army operatives.

His arrival on scene is the beginning of a huge red-tape battle between the local Nagano Prefectural Police and the hotshots from Tokyo, but even before he leaves, his boss in Tokyo gives him strict written orders which practically doom the rescue operation from the start. Among them are explicit orders not to kill (and thereby martyr) any of the Red Army operatives, along with orders forbidding the use of firearms without permission from Tokyo Metro Police HQ. Sufficiently handicapped as he brings his proverbial knife to a gunfight, Sassa faces the Herculean task of placating the bickering law enforcement factions, as well as enacting the non-lethal rescue capture of six very hostile perpetrators holding a single hostage.

Overall, the story is comical at times, but also sternly critical of the inefficiency that results from too much red tape and not enough common sense. In carrying out his task, Sassa is no John McLane (e.g., Bruce Willis' `Die Hard' character), and not even a Jack Ryan-variant unwilling hero. He is more of a Japanese corporate hero, because he manages to execute his orders no matter how stupid they are, while maintaining his dignity and winning the respect of others. Amidst the utter anarchy of two non-coordinated entry teams using poorly orchestrated cover fire (via an APC-mounted water cannon, a semi-functional wrecking ball, and 40mm CS rounds mistakenly fired onto the entry teams), Sassa strives to achieve the impossible.

The cinematography is most impressive, as it reminds the viewer that while the winter landscapes are breathtakingly beautiful to behold, they also bugger up the police activity outside the lodge, making it a snowy, slushy mess. Even the press conferences are shot through a thick haze of second-hand smoke - scenes you can almost smell as you watch (yuck).

I credit Harada for not oversimplifying the use of firearms in the movie, although it is conceivable that six rifle-wielding snipers could inflict much higher kill rates than portrayed in the film, particularly since the police refused to return fire. Even though Harada's characters concede that their double-walled riot shields won't stop a rifle projectile, we don't see many shields breached, and the only direct hits are on those not utilizing them. Other than that, my only real critique of the film is the fact that despite the 70's look of the police vehicles, there is little in the area of Yakusho Koji's suits, hairstyle or mannerisms that would seem out of place in 2002 (other than perhaps a blatant lack of keitai).

Given the stricter regulations placed on firearms in Asia, it is conceivable that the average Korean college coed will be about as adept with a Glock 19 as, say, a monkey with a pair of chopsticks eating Fugu and Chow Fun. This theory is proven ad nauseum in the hip chick flick `A.F.R.I.K.A.', which stars (I'm guessing) the Korean equivalent of SPEED or MAX in a `Thelma & Louise'-type road movie. In it, two young coeds from Seoul embark on a weekend getaway, unknowingly `borrowing' a car belonging to a local gangster which contains two real live handguns (Beretta 92FS Inox and a short-barreled stainless S&W or Colt D/A .357 Magnum or .38 Special revolver). Not sure what to do, they embark on an odyssey in which they unwillingly gain two more companions (a hooker and an ex-con), both of whom have their own personal agendas involving the weapons. While the two coeds first draw the weapons in self-defence (to deter over-enthusiastic males), the unstable hooker wants to steal enough money for a nose job, and the ex-con wants payback on her ex-lover who made her take the rap for funds he embezzled.

By far the worst two scenes involve the actors trying to mimic the gunplay found in HK flicks, mob movies and rap videos. One involves the `gangster' (who reminds me a bit of Japanese actor/comedian Danda Yasunori) squeezing off a series of shots with guns in both hands recoiling whether or not a shot is fired. The other involves the quartet carjacking a diplomat's car, only to find that the driver is a big fan of the girls, who have become rogue heroes of sorts. The rather confused coed holding the 92FS Inox to the driver's head has her right index finger BEHIND the trigger instead of on it. Oh well. They should've given her a 1911 so she couldn't do that.

Granted, the film would be even less realistic (if that's possible) if the coeds suddenly displayed flawless firearms handling protocol, but I must admit that watching people wave guns around carelessly makes me cringe more than even Miike Takashi's `Odishon'. Okay, maybe not, but it is really disturbing. But taken with a grain of salt, the movie itself can be entertaining at times, and while clearly not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, it - oh, who am I kidding? The plot, if any, was thin at best and the acting marginal. I don't know how accurate the English subs were, but if so, then the language (and ethics) of the girls rivals that of the gangsters. Mindless fun for the most part, but if terms like `Condition One Carry', `PASGT' and `Low Ready' mean anything to you, you should probably avoid this one. Just too painful.