Tokyo! Movie – Urban Life on Steroids

Since watching the trailer for Tokyo! in February I wrote  Tokyo! Preview post stating my aim to be able to see this film. For six months my search was futile but I finally managed to view Tokyo! in it’s entirety and it was more than worth the wait. Tokyo! is not your typical movie, it is a combination of three completely different stories by completely different directors (none of which are Japanese) all sharing Japan’s capital and the world’s biggest urban sprawl as the setting.

Of the 3 segments of this movie it was very difficult to choose a favorite. I liked weird twists and hints of reality in Interior Design. The comedy, camera work and production values of Merde was exceptional. But my favorite by a whisker is Shaking Tokyo because of how engrossing it is and the awesome ending. Buy Tokyo! on DVD or Blu-ray or watch it by any other means necessary I assure you you will not regret it.

A struggling young couple goes to the city to improve their lives

Interior Design is directed by Michel Gondry. It focuses on a young couple as arrive in Tokyo seeking a better life for themselves. The young man is an aspiring film director while his girlfriend is somewhat artsy and although supportive of her boyfriends is unable to decide what she wants to do with her own life. Not long after arriving in Tokyo the big city life takes it’s toll and the start to become sidetracked. The young lady who thinks of herself as the problem is transformed by the stress and finally feels useful and wanted.

Merde asks a pretty Japanese girl for her number

Merde is directed by Leos Carax and tells the tale of a mysterious creature who calls himself Merde. For weeks he has been terrorizing the people of Tokyo but no one knows who he is and where he is from. He is obviously a gaijin (not from Japan) though and after committing a heinous act is tracked and captured by the authorities but that’s when the real craziness begin.

Imagine living alone and never going outside for 10 years

Shaking Tokyo is directed by South Korean native Bong Joon Ho and puts a twist on a real issue in Japan. The main character hates people and the sun and for the last 10 years has been shut up in his apartment separated from the outside world. An earthquake strikes while a pizza he ordered is being delivered and pizza delivery girls feints and falls into his apartment. She recovers and leaves but not before he experiences a weird emotional attraction to the young lady that is enough to force him to leave the confines of his apartment to seek her out.

Tokyo! Official Site
Buy Tokyo! on Amazon

[shocked]