We came here to praise Japanese cinema, not to bury it, but after a long row of duds, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm going to see anything this year to get excited about. If I don't, those outside Japan may continue to believe that the likes of Battle Royale, Not Forgotten, Ring, and Dead Or Alive - the type of films that prompted us to start Midnight Eye in the first place - represent the norm as opposed to the exception to the type of local product that more typically plays the screens of Tokyo.

In fact, aside from a few industry insiders who might get handed a screener tape to pass comment on, I doubt any reader here will ever even get the chance to see it.įor this reason, I almost wasn't going to bother reviewing it, were it not for the fact that it is so indicative of the current flailing state of the Japanese film industry that I believe it is worthy of picking over the carcass. Even on a Friday night on its second week at Shibuya's independent Cine Amuse, the only venue in Tokyo it seems to be screening, there wasn't that much in the way of local turnout. It's hardly the stuff cult followings are made of either, so don't hold your breath waiting for word of mouth to spread on the underground circuit. I doubt it will play any but the most minor of international festivals - though apparently it has already won a Best Actress prize at Moscow for one of its young starlets, Mikako Ichikawa. It won't go on general release outside of Japan. Let me first start off by saying that Blue is not a particularly good film.

Blue by Kiriko Nananan