The Song That Saved the World -- Thoughts on Fish Story (フィッシュストーリー)

What if I told you that a song would save the world...

In short: Fish Story will take you on a wild, improbable ride that will leave you smiling once the credits begin. It is a film that rewards multiple viewings as it will leave you thinking and desiring to watch it again almost immediately. Great acting and an incredibly well put together set of events leads to a movie that definitely should be seen. My favorite film of 2009 so far.

If you haven't seen Fish Story yet, you may want to stop reading this review after this paragraph. There aren't spoilers in my review, but it is one of those movies that is best viewed with no preconceived ideas about the plot. Watch the film and enjoy the twists and turns that the story takes. It is a ride that most will undoubtedly enjoy.

Fish Story is about a punk band named Gekirin that recorded a single called "Fish Story" in 1975, a year before the Sex Pistols popularized punk music. Despite knowing that their music won't sell, Gekirin and their supportive producer decide to record this song knowing that one day it will impact the life of at least one person. The film jumps around different time periods ranging from 1975 to 2012, where a meteor is on a collision course for Earth. Going through the movie, the viewer is shown different stories without knowing what is going on or how they factor in to the main narrative.

Each part of the film is captivating, despite the fact that we don't really know what is going on in the film as a whole. Every new story reveals a piece to the puzzle and when they all come together at the end you'll feel like jumping up, running outside, and telling everyone that they NEED to watch Fish Story. Then you'll want to watch it again. This movie has one of the most satisfying endings that I have ever experienced.

I love the cast in this film. Acting was solid, but no award-winning performances. I particularly enjoyed Omori Nao, who played the producer that discovered Gekirin as well as a music shop owner whose store is open despite the pending destruction of Earth. I also thought Kora Kengo, playing Gekirin's singer, and Moriyama Mirai, playing a guy trained since birth to be a "champion of justice" (his action sequences were really cool) stood out. Based on a novel by Isaka Kotaro and adapted by Hayashi Tamio, Fish Story has a great script. Also, the cinematography is good (though certainly not groundbreaking) as well as the directing. Music is great, especially the song "Fish Story" which was written specially for the film.

I can't really name many faults with this film other than it was a little bit draggy in some spots. Also, some may not enjoy the girl's (Tabe Mikako) overenthusiastic acting but I found that it fit her character. The film was just under two hours, but I felt that length was not a problem.

Fish Story jumps around to different genre's (thriller, martial arts action, comedy, music documentary, etc) which I think keeps the movie incredibly engaging, constantly changing up the pace. During my second viewing, I couldn't help but think that I would enjoy watching a film that just took any one of the multiple stories presented and made it feature-length. All of them are that interesting. Having each individual story in the span of a single film, though, is what helps make Fish Story a magical experience. From beginning to end, you will be engaged and entertained. I advise everyone to see Fish Story.

10/10

JDramas of '09

I'm going to start compiling "list" posts with short (or long) blurbs about stuff that I have enjoyed in the past. Since I began paying attention to Japanese media, I've encountered many stellar artists, TV shows, films, and others. I hope to give a taste of what I've personally enjoyed up to this point in time.

I'll start with some enjoyable JDramas of 2009. I didn't watch a whole lot of them last year, as I found most uninteresting. To me, 2009 was not a good year for Japanese TV. Here are three that I enjoyed.

Akai Ito (赤い糸)

Before starting this drama, I was a bit skeptical. I wondered if I could still enjoy content that dealt with junior high/high school drama. I have to say that I was immediately drawn by Akai Ito's cinematography. This drama is beautifully filmed, which was surprising as I was constantly reminding myself that this is a drama, not a film (there is a film with the same cast and production crew!). The music is beautiful and the main theme is fitting and gives a feeling of nostalgia. Actually, the whole drama gave me the feeling of nostalgia throughout. Acting is sub-par at best, which was disappointing. Both of the main actors played their parts well, but most of the time they were flat. I guess their flatness could be attributed to the characters personalities themselves, but to me it was very noticeable that they are amateur actors.

The story of Akai Ito is very depressing, dealing with suicide, drug addiction, death, and general teen drama. The romance is sweet, but frustrating. These kids seem to have so many problems to deal with; you're supposed to cry for them, but sometimes I was at the point where I thought to myself how ridiculous everything was...their lives suck! Side point: I've heard that the book is even more depressing, dealing with many more mature problems. But besides an ambiguous ending, I thought the drama was well done and had a certain draw to it. If you don't want to watch the drama, but are interested, check out the movie. It is basically the drama condensed into movie size.

Shiroi Haru (白い春)

In contrast to Akai Ito, Shiroi Haru had great overall acting, but poor directing. Abe Hiroshi is an outstanding drama actor, my favorite performance in a drama of 2009. The supporting cast was good as well, complementing Abe Hiroshi perfectly. Yoshitaka Yuriko is one of my favorite young actresses (I have to admit, I was first drawn to Shiroi Haru because of her) and she was so charismatic in her role. The story was heartwarming, and so was Ohashi Nozomi (better known as the girl who sings the Ponyo song!), who played a young girl mysteriously drawn to Abe Hiroshi's character. At times a bit too weepy when it didn't need to be, the story line remained strong throughout the drama.

Something that irked me about the drama was its sub-par cinematography (which is to be expected in a drama, but there are exceptions). Too many awkwardly angled views of Abe Hiroshi's face, and some strangely lit shots. I don't remember the music as being spectacular, but it complemented the drama quite well. This drama deserves to be watched.

Love Shuffle (ラブシャッフル)

Okay, I was pleasantly surprised by this drama. After finishing the first episode (my trial run) I wasn't too impressed, but I am glad that I continued because Love Shuffle took me on an incredibly entertaining ride. With an ensemble cast of well-known entertainers, Love Shuffle was well-acted, well-executed, and super fun to watch. I especially enjoyed the chemistry between all of the cast members, specifically that between Tamaki Hiroshi and Karina. It also didn't hurt that Yoshitaka Yuriko was a part of the cast (playing a very different character)! The story line was pretty much all over the place, but I actually enjoyed it. Every episode was fresh and new, exploring the relationships (or lack of) between the various characters.

Sometimes over-the-top, sometimes mellow, and sometimes sad, this drama impressed me. Love Shuffle was not only a fun time, it gave perspective on how chance encounters can shape lives. Imagine, one malfunctioning elevator ride can bring four complete strangers (who live on the same floor!) together and ultimately form tight bonds. Definitely recommended.

Honorable mention:

Konkatsu! ( 婚カツ！) -- I don't fully recommend this drama because it started out brilliantly but died out about halfway through. The first few episodes of Konkatsu! were unique, funny, and interesting. After these, the drama changed course and became mediocre and boring. I almost didn't finish it. I loved the filming, the random cuts, the unique transitions, and the quirkiness that the drama began with but didn't end with. Even though Ueto Aya is charming, she couldn't save Konkatsu! from its failures. It tried romance, but didn't really follow through. Overall, it was still a uniquely edited and filmed drama but it disappointed me.