TOKYO TRIBE: Manga in the Madness

Sion Sono's Tokyo Tribe premieres tonight and it looks to be a swell affair all around--gangs, fights, musical numbers. Like West Side Story if it were set in a near future, dystopian Tokyo with by Japanese hip-hop artists like Young Dias, Simon, Y's, MC Sho, Ego and Loota instead of Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein (aka, MC Double S and DJ Lenny).

But Tokyo Tribe got its start in the silent world of manga. It's adapted from Santa Inoue's manga Tokyo Tribe 2, also called Tokyo Tribes in TokyoPop's English edition. But there is a Tokyo Tribe 1 (aka, Tokyo Tribe). It's a one volume story published in 1993. (I hope that clears up any confusion). Tokyo Tribe 2 (aka, Tokyo Tribe Deux) carries on the story of a hip-hop influenced, dystopian, gang-controlled Tokyo after riots in Shibuya. Inoue completed Tokyo Tribe 3 in 2012 so if you're just starting, there's still plenty to read. And you can read and watch in style wearing his Inoue's line of Santastic! clothes and accessories.

When you're a Hand,
You're a Hand all the way

Tokyo Tribe isn't the first live action manga adaptation to play Midnight Madness. Fudoh: The New Generation (1997) was Takashi Miike's first of many films at Midnight Madness. It was also adapted from Hitoshi Tanimura's manga Fudō: Gokudō Sengokushi. High school student Riki Fudoh (Shosuke Tanihara) is looking to avenge his brother's death with the help of his highly trained high school assassin friends.

Riki Fudoh politely asks you to help him with
his social studies homework.

There have been subsequent live action films about Riki Fudoh's high school hijinx, and by "hijinx," I mean organized crime capers and assassinations. But Miike didn't direct them.

Miike's Ichi The Killer (2001)was also adapted from Hideo Yamamoto's manga. Ichi  (Nao Ōmori) is a very talented, incredibly brutal contract killer conflicted about his desires. As so many people often do, he ends up in trouble with the Kabukicho yakuza. Ichi is pursued by yakuza lieutenant Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano) who is as masochistic as Ichi is sadistic and would very much like to know who killed his boss.

Ah, love.

(Incidentally, Miike doesn't have a film at Midnight Madness this year, but his new movie, Over Your Dead Body is playing the Vanguard program. Just sayin').


In 2008, Toshio Lee's Detroit Metal City brought the full power of Metal to Midnight Madness.  Soichi Negishi wants to play adorable Swedish-influenced pop songs, but finds fame as the front man for Death Metal band DMC, Johannes Krauser II. There are shenanigans and a music battle with Jack iLL Dark (Gene Simmons) as Negishi as comes to terms with a talent he doesn't want. Negishi is played by Kenichi Matsuyama, who also starred in live action manga adaptations including: Death Note; Gantz; and Kamui Gaiden. Detroit Metal City was adapted from Kiminori Wakasugi's story.originally serialized in the magazine, Young Animal. Go to DMC!

“And for our encore–Swedish-influenced indie pop songs!”

Shimako Sato's Wizard of Darkness /  Eko Eko Azarak played Midnight Madness way back in the Olden Times of 1995. It's based on the manga Eko Eko Azarak by Shinichi Koga. As in Fudoh, there are high school hijinx as Misa (Kimika Yoshino from Miike's Gozu) investigates mysterious happenings and tries to save herself and her classmates from ancient evil. By hijinx, I mean, graphic, horrible murders that might be human sacrifice.

Misa takes no guff from ancient evil.

Tokyo Zombie (2005) didn't play Midnight Madness, but I'm including it because I like it and it stars MM Alumni Tadanobu Asano (Ichi the Killer) and Shō Aikawa (Gozu; Zebraman) as Fumio and Mitsuo, a pair of jiujitsu afficionados in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. It's based on Yusaku Hanakuma's eponymous single volume manga.

Taking care of business in a the grocery store.

So sharpen up your evil-smiting sword, plot your revenge carefully, ready your most awesome moves and show up for the latest live action manga to enter into the Madness, Tokyo Tribe!

[Really, leave your swords at home. And please take your righteous revenge elsewhere. People are just trying to enjoy a movie here. Bring some manga to read in line instead. ~The Editor].

TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Thu. Sept. 4th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Fri. Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun. Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

And the screening times for Takashi Miike's OVER YOUR DEAD BODY:
Thurs., Sept. 11, Ryerson 6:00 PM
Fri., Sept. 12, The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema 9:00 PM
Sat., Sept. 13, TIFF Bell Lightbox 2 6:30 PM

WHY DON'T YOU PLAY IN HELL: Yakuza Movies

With the final screening of Sion Sono's yakuza film coming up, it seems like an excellent time to take a look at some classics of WTF yakuza film!

Fudoh: The New Generation (1996) directed by Takashi Miike

Takashi Miike was one of the first directors MM Programmer Colin Geddes brought to Midnight Madness. Riki Fudoh (not to be confused with Riki-Oh) takes over the action at his high school before taking over the whole island of Kyushu. His gang of adolescent assassins cut a swathe through the gangster community. But Riki isn't just looking for power, he's looking for revenge.




Branded To Kill (1967) directed by Seijun Suzuki

Jo Shishido is a very peculiar leading man. Deciding he was too blandly handsome, he got cheek implants (since removed) and his career as an antihero took off.  In Branded To Kill, Shishido plays, Goro, a hitman given a mission by a mysterious woman. Goro becomes a target when he fails to fulfill his contract. It sounds straightforward, but it's anything but, as the hitman hunting him psychologically torments him first. The mysterious woman has a thing for dead butterflies. And Goro himself has a fetish for the scent of steaming rice.  In short, Sono and Miike didn't come out of nowhere.



Tokyo Drifter (1966) directed by Seijun Suzuki

What can I say? I'm a sucker for Suzuki. Tokyo Drifter is an incredibly stylish and stylized portrayal of Tetsuya Watari as a yakuza hitman trying to leave the life. And just try to get the theme song out of your head.




Battles Without Honor Or Humanity (1973) directed by Kinji Fukasaku

Fukasaku is probably best known now for Battle Royale (2000), and he will always have a special place in my heart for The Green Slime (1968), but he sure made his mark on yakuza movies. In Battles Without Honor Or Humanity is part of a series of five films, The Yakuza Papers. Bunta Sugawara plays a veteran in Post-War Hiroshima whose loyalties are torn when his boss and his sworn brother's yakuza family feud.  and all of the films portray a brutal, highly unromantic view of the yakuza



Minbo: The Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion (1992) directed Juzo Itami

In Itami's comedy, a hotel is troubled by yakuza in their lobby, frightening off guests and generally being an intimidating nuisance. They hire Mahiru Inoue, played by Nobuko Miyamoto, who specializes in getting rid of the yakuza. But she doesn't shoot or stab them, she uses the law and yakuza tradition against them. While the film itself might be seen as mild to non-Japanese people, Itami reportedly was murdered over it.


If you are curious about real life yakuza, check out Jake Adelstein's journalism and books.

WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL Final Screening:

Saturday, Sept 14th, 3:45 PM SCOTIABANK 1

WHY DON'T YOU PLAY IN HELL Premieres Tonight!

Polish up your katana, swear your oaths of eternal loyalty, and practice all your sweetest gambling movies because Sion Sono's Why Don't You Plan In Hell? premieres at Midnight Madness tonight!

Of course, an oath of eternal loyalty might not be the best idea if playing in Hell is involved... Anyway get ready for some craziness at the Ryerson tonight!

WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL Screening Times:

Friday, Sept 13th, 11:59 PM RYERSON

Saturday, Sept 14th, 3:45 PM SCOTIABANK 1