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Rating:
9
Summary:
A touching film about racial tensions in Japan, mixed with lightening humor and much emotion.
Director:
Isao Yukisada
Year:
2001
Genre:
Societal Conflict
Country:
Japan
Language:
Japanese
MPAA Rating:
Unrated

I did not expect much from this film. All I knew was when I first got it I saw a scene where he beat a bunch of people up and thought at least that section would be entertaining. The fact of the matter is I ended up loving this movie.

This movie deals with a number of things, one of the main topics being racial tensions between Japanese and Koreans. Sugihara is a Japanese born Korean whose father and mother were both from North Korea.

He attends a North Korean school in Japan because apparently (I was unaware of this) Japan is quite segregated between the Koreans and Japanese. Their teacher is quite the Nazi and punishes people for speaking Japanese. One of his classmates was caught purchasing a porno magazine and asking for it in Japanese the student asks "How was I supposed to say 'I want a porno mag'?" and it is quite humorous when the teacher responds, "I would please like an adult magazine" in Korean.

One of his peers reveals that Sugihara is attending a Japanese Language school. The teacher goes to punch him and he evades it. He basically then denounces North Korea and takes up a "Life of Crime" which doesn't last long when he's caught by the police after trying to "out run a subway"? Either way this part was very entertaining. They take him back to the police station whereas when his dad comes to get him he beats the shit out of him then and there.

The tension between Sugihara and his father builds up to the point where Sugihara challenges his father to a boxing match where his father once again beats the shit out of him.

At some point, maybe earlier then this he is playing basket ball at his new Japanese school and they make fun of him for being Korean, and then using a style I've never seen before (using soft of a throw your whole body (both) feet first into their chest) he single handedly takes out the entire basketball team, and some of the teachers.

Sugihara goes to a party for his best friend, who was there for the subway out-running. At which he meats a girl with whom he falls pretty much instantly in love.

His best (and pretty much only) friend, who is somewhat of a nerd, is getting on the subway when a girl is un-wantingly being hit on, he goes and tells the guy to leave her alone and he accidentally stabs him (you'd have to see it to understand, its hard to explain how it happened) Well long story shot he dies.

Sugihara is crushed, and he seeks comfort in his newfound girl friend. They are about to do the nasty when he decides its best to be honest with her and tell her he is Korean. She gets all pissy and leaves because she does not want to do the nasty with a mud blood or something like that.

He realizes he has nothing left, he cannot go back to his family because he has shamed them, he cannot go to his friend because he is dead, and he cannot go to his girl friend because she does not want a mud blood. He walks past a police officer who wants to talk to him, and since he realizes he left his Foreigner ID (all non-Japanese, even those born in Japan are required to carry a special ID) at his girl friends house and he could be thrown in jail for not having it, he knocks out the police officer and runs away. Then feeling bad about what he has done he goes and helps the police officer up, and they talk. He apologizes to the police officer, and the police officer tells him he was just going to ask for directions.

His girl friend comes to her senses and decides to accept him even if he is Korean. He goes back to his parents and his mom hits him and his father with the broom for being so dumb.

In the end it is revealed that his father, by claiming to be of South Korean heritage instead of North Korean in order to go on vacation to Hawaii, he has lost his ability to return to North Korea and will never see his family again. This explains some of his grumpiness.





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