Sogo Ishii - or Gakuryu Ishii for the later, overall less enjoyable portion of his career - is a director whose body of work has been defined by switching styles and paces for each new film, though all come with an experimental energy and sense of reinvention. 'Tokyo Blood' is an anthology of four shorts that came after a period of inactivity, and is a step away from the cyberpunk chaos of his Eighties work, showing a more measured and paced approach that would define the next decade of his career.
As the title suggests, these four shorts look at the beating heart of Tokyo from various angles of a megacity in decline. If his previous works had been a rebellion against the economic excesses of the bubble era, then 'Tokyo Blood' is an acceptance of the changing face of the city and a look to its future in the Lost Decades.
The first installment, 'Street Noise', is the most typical of Ishii's Eighties period and serves as a good transition point, as a typical salaryman (Tatsuo Yamada) on a night's drinking with colleagues becomes overawed with the urusai (noisy) nature of Tokyo's neon lights and constant sounds, with the rumbling under the surface needing to explode.
Seeming to combine the opening scenes to both 'Burst City' (1982) and 'The Crazy Family' (1984) - with shots seemingly straight out of the video for Manic Street Preachers' 'Motorcycle Emptiness' - this is the madness created within overworked employees, with the promise of alcohol their only escape.
Norimichi Kasamatsu's cinematography recreates the fast-paced opening of 'Burst City', but the spinning camera over backstreets and alleyways is reminiscent of Takeshi Ito's art pieces. Tokyo, namely Shibuya in this installment, is dirty and grimy after years of bad health have led its blood pressure to rise.
'Bicycle' is a change in tone, as two young women (Sumiko Ohyama and Chiemi Tachihara) meet on what appears to be the morning after the night before. Delaying going home, they talk of their parents' wealth, though the truth of what each divulges to the other is questionable. One is supposedly pregnant; the other having discovered she has AIDS, but both seem relatively upbeat in discussing these points with a complete stranger.
The light mood is reflected in the dub reggae soundtrack as the pair play around Tokyo Bay and its various rivers, showcasing some of its more unusual locations and building sites. This is a youth, and city, uncertain of its future now its parents' money has runout. A lost day of fantasy is a bright break from a more grim and dark reality. A superficial structure can only cover the weak foundations for so long.
'Hole' is the most bizarre of the four, as a man (Tomoro Taguchi) is discovered almost catatonic, only repeating the word 'ana' ('hole') over and over. Two doctors (Suzuki Matsuo and Toshiya Sakai) probe as to which hole exactly he is referring. Eventually they establish he is a construction worker who fell down a shaft. Trapped, the sounds of the city surround him, but as much as he digs, he cannot escape his prison.
Funny, though you're unsure why, the reveal shows a city whose mental health is in decline with only one inevitable consequence, though it feels a little thrown in at random. And while an entertaining little piece, it is perhaps the weakest on offer.
The last segment, 'Heart of Stone', is again a little difficult to fully decipher. A collection of shots of stones and microchips feature a narrator's (Mai Hosho) voice discussing the loss of physical form, as we move towards a more data-driven world. While some interesting ideas, this isn't much more than a collection of words and pictures that lacks any real story. As such, its short time period struggles to fully engage.
As a collective, these shorts paint a picture of a city in a state of change, with the uncertainty causing problems for its mental health. The characters are the victims of the city, overworked and in need of a rest, stressed to a tipping point. Whether running in fear, lying or losing one's mind, any way to escape the city is explored. Tokyo is a sickness.
Stylistically, the segments become more sombre as they progress, from the visceral to the introspective, slowing and quieting down. Ishii's next three films would follow suit, with a more measured pacing and mysterious atmosphere created, though four all serve as tasters for wider exploration later in his career, introducing a reinvention.
If the likes of 'Crazy Thunder Road' (1980) and 'Burst City' were influences on the likes of Shinya Tsukamoto and Takashi Miike, then 'Tokyo Blood' can be seen as an important influence on the works of Kiyoshi Kurosawa ('Tokyo Sonata' (2008)) and SABU ('Dangan Ranna' (1995)), among many others.
Inconsistent, but interesting, 'Tokyo Blood' is an interesting time capsule for a city in a state of change. It also represents the starting point of a new phase in Ishii's career as a director who may not be as renowned, but whose influence courses through Japanese cinema's veins.
Politic1983.home.blog.
As the title suggests, these four shorts look at the beating heart of Tokyo from various angles of a megacity in decline. If his previous works had been a rebellion against the economic excesses of the bubble era, then 'Tokyo Blood' is an acceptance of the changing face of the city and a look to its future in the Lost Decades.
The first installment, 'Street Noise', is the most typical of Ishii's Eighties period and serves as a good transition point, as a typical salaryman (Tatsuo Yamada) on a night's drinking with colleagues becomes overawed with the urusai (noisy) nature of Tokyo's neon lights and constant sounds, with the rumbling under the surface needing to explode.
Seeming to combine the opening scenes to both 'Burst City' (1982) and 'The Crazy Family' (1984) - with shots seemingly straight out of the video for Manic Street Preachers' 'Motorcycle Emptiness' - this is the madness created within overworked employees, with the promise of alcohol their only escape.
Norimichi Kasamatsu's cinematography recreates the fast-paced opening of 'Burst City', but the spinning camera over backstreets and alleyways is reminiscent of Takeshi Ito's art pieces. Tokyo, namely Shibuya in this installment, is dirty and grimy after years of bad health have led its blood pressure to rise.
'Bicycle' is a change in tone, as two young women (Sumiko Ohyama and Chiemi Tachihara) meet on what appears to be the morning after the night before. Delaying going home, they talk of their parents' wealth, though the truth of what each divulges to the other is questionable. One is supposedly pregnant; the other having discovered she has AIDS, but both seem relatively upbeat in discussing these points with a complete stranger.
The light mood is reflected in the dub reggae soundtrack as the pair play around Tokyo Bay and its various rivers, showcasing some of its more unusual locations and building sites. This is a youth, and city, uncertain of its future now its parents' money has runout. A lost day of fantasy is a bright break from a more grim and dark reality. A superficial structure can only cover the weak foundations for so long.
'Hole' is the most bizarre of the four, as a man (Tomoro Taguchi) is discovered almost catatonic, only repeating the word 'ana' ('hole') over and over. Two doctors (Suzuki Matsuo and Toshiya Sakai) probe as to which hole exactly he is referring. Eventually they establish he is a construction worker who fell down a shaft. Trapped, the sounds of the city surround him, but as much as he digs, he cannot escape his prison.
Funny, though you're unsure why, the reveal shows a city whose mental health is in decline with only one inevitable consequence, though it feels a little thrown in at random. And while an entertaining little piece, it is perhaps the weakest on offer.
The last segment, 'Heart of Stone', is again a little difficult to fully decipher. A collection of shots of stones and microchips feature a narrator's (Mai Hosho) voice discussing the loss of physical form, as we move towards a more data-driven world. While some interesting ideas, this isn't much more than a collection of words and pictures that lacks any real story. As such, its short time period struggles to fully engage.
As a collective, these shorts paint a picture of a city in a state of change, with the uncertainty causing problems for its mental health. The characters are the victims of the city, overworked and in need of a rest, stressed to a tipping point. Whether running in fear, lying or losing one's mind, any way to escape the city is explored. Tokyo is a sickness.
Stylistically, the segments become more sombre as they progress, from the visceral to the introspective, slowing and quieting down. Ishii's next three films would follow suit, with a more measured pacing and mysterious atmosphere created, though four all serve as tasters for wider exploration later in his career, introducing a reinvention.
If the likes of 'Crazy Thunder Road' (1980) and 'Burst City' were influences on the likes of Shinya Tsukamoto and Takashi Miike, then 'Tokyo Blood' can be seen as an important influence on the works of Kiyoshi Kurosawa ('Tokyo Sonata' (2008)) and SABU ('Dangan Ranna' (1995)), among many others.
Inconsistent, but interesting, 'Tokyo Blood' is an interesting time capsule for a city in a state of change. It also represents the starting point of a new phase in Ishii's career as a director who may not be as renowned, but whose influence courses through Japanese cinema's veins.
Politic1983.home.blog.
