Breaking Rules, Breaking Faces.

My newest addition to my Recommended Japanese Live Action Cinema page is:

Drop

Director: Shinagawa Hiroshi

Screenplay: Shinagawa Hiroshi

Based on a work by: Shinagawa Hiroshi (story) Suzuki Dai (art)

 

Drop is the first film by comedian turned manga writer, turned director Shinagawa Hiroshi. This is an autobiographical work based on Shinagawa's middle school days as a delinquent, which he had previously documented in a manga drawn by Suzuki Dai. I had to wait a couple of years for this film to get a US release after I read Mark Schilling's review in the Japan Times.
The Hiroshi of the film is portrayed as a naive fan of bad boy manga who grows up to be a self confident, if brawling and often irresponsible, teen with the help of his new delinquent friends. Much of the humor is low key and shows up in the dialogue, some of it will go over the heads of those not familiar with Japanese popular culture, however anime fans will easily catch most, if not all of the references.

 

Order Drop from The Right Stuf