Hoshifransu 0 Posted August 7, 2002 Sumo do, sumo don't available in DVD (with english subtitles) at least ! I watched it last year in original version with no subtitles and it's good to watch a japanese movie 100 percent dedicated to sumo ! Shiko Funjatta Runtime: 105 min Directed By: Masayuki Suo Cast: Akira Emoto - Anamaya Robert Hoffman - Smiley Masahiro Motoki - Shuhei Kentaro Sakai Misa Shimizu - Natsuko Hiromasa Taguchi - Tanaki Naoto Takenaka - Aoki Year of release: 1992 The Story: A university in Japan is having trouble with is Sumo Wrestling club. It seems no one is interested in Sumo Wrestling, one of the member of the faculty was the Sumo champion in his youth. He managed to convince some people to join the Sumo team just for one day to attend a tournament. After a horrible and shameful defeat the members of the team decide to stay and to train for the next competition. This movie is an hilarious and irreverent comedy from Japanese satirist, novelist and film-maker, Masayuki Suo, which became a huge box-office hit in Japan. It is a story in which two cultures of Japan, the traditional and the modern (and very Western), come face to face in a Tokyo university sumo wrestling ring. Winner of five Japanese Academy Awards including Best Film. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amanogawa 79 Posted August 8, 2002 Thanks, Hoshifransu-zeki! for introducing this fantastic film of sumo! ( wow, the English title is nice! ) Yes, this IS a great movie with a lot of laughter and gusto, and pathos, too. I heard many people speak a lot good things about this movie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hoshifransu 0 Posted August 9, 2002 For me, the two best moments in the movie are : First of one, when the fat lady who wants to support the young sumotori helping them, making the food and washing the clothes, wants to clean their mawashi and they explain her a mawashi must not be cleaned and she's scarred (and me too, because I didn't know that) Secondly, when the young team desperatly need to find a wrestler to be qualified and to compete, and the fat lady (I talked about previously) decides to compete and to make believe she's a man putting a lot of bandages on his chest and she manages to mislead everybody and she makes a great fight too (thanks to his important weight) In general, it was a very funny movie and very realistic too because nowadays it seems difficult to enrole young people in Japan ! So, if other fans watched the movie and liked or didn't like, post a message too ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kotoseiya Yuichi 3 Posted August 9, 2002 First of one, when the fat lady who wants to support the young sumotori helping them, making the food and washing the clothes, wants to clean their mawashi and they explain her a mawashi must not be cleaned and she's scarred (and me too, because I didn't know that) Washing the shimekomi (and I guess this applies to other materials than silk as well) would soften the cloth too much thus giving the opponent a good chance of getting a good grip around the belt. I think the average age for a shimekomi (sekitori's silken mawashi) is about a year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rijicho 6 Posted August 9, 2002 I moved this thread to Ozumo discussions as I felt it had no specific question. I wouldn't have really needed to but I felt like abusing my administrative powers once again. :-/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hananotaka 8 Posted August 12, 2002 How great was this movie? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Makususuchi Posted August 12, 2002 Just a day after the mention here in the forum, I by chance happened to come accross this movie on eBay in DVD format... so I could not resist buying it :) What a coincidence! The seller is a chap in Singapore, so it will take a little while for it to get to me, but I am surely looking forward to it now. Will let you all know how I find it to be! Thanks for the recommendation! :) Cheers Makususuchi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zenjimoto 40 Posted August 22, 2002 OK, I got the movie I bought on eBay a couple days ago from Singapore, and I just watched it... It is a DARLING movie. I think this is a MUST for every sumo fan to watch, not just for the great casting and story, but also because it gives a bit of a rare insight into college wrestling (at least to me that is rare, cause I bascially have seen nothing of it so far!) There are too many fabulous moments in this one to mention them. In short, it was great, and I will surely watch it many more times. Incidentally, the chap who I bought the movie from in Singapore seems to have more of them up for sale on eBay (just search for Sumo - the seller is Manchouko, or something like that) - they are actually 2 VCDs (so the quality is not DVD-like, but I found it more than pleasing), they will play on NTSC and PAL as far as I know. Don't get excited at the low bidding price, cause the shipping charge is $15, but I got it for $15.50 (incl. shipping), or something like that, and it was well worth it! It took perhaps a week or so to get to me from Singapore, not bad! The english subtitles are well done and easy to read and follow. So hurry over to eBay and get your hands on one! It sure was a great "filler" in the time between bashos, and it probably will be again! :) Cheers! Zenjimoto Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
