Hailey van Braam
Japanese content not only comes in anime but in live films as well. On Thursday 9 December, Netflix released the original movie Asakusa Kid, a 2-hour long bio-drama movie based in Tokyo, Japan.
A movie based on the real events of Takeshi Kitano, Asakusa Kid features a young comedian who starts as an apprentice to the legendary comedian Fukami of Asakusa. As Takeshi’s fame begins to rise, Fukami’s begins to dwindle.
The movie is written and created by Gekidan Hitori.
What’s The Movie’s Story?
The year is 1965. After leaving University, Takeshi Kitano joins a performance theatre, Asakusa Franceza. He begins to learn from Senzaburô Fukami, a legendary comedy artist. Senzaburô maintains that Takeshi has to be a comic not only on stage but in real life as well.
Takeshi pursues his dream of becoming a great entertainer by working with other apprentices. With the increasing popularity of TV entertainment, people become less interested in theatre. But Takeshi continues to experience an epic journey as he engages with apprentices packed with talent and unique gifts.
Cast Members
The film’s main cast includes Yûya Yagira as Takeshi Kitano, Yô Ôizumi as Senzaburo Fukami, Feodor Chin as the voice-over of Senzaburo Fukami, Hiroyuki Onoue as Hachiro Azuma, Mugi Kadowaki as Chiharu, Honami Suzuki as Mari, Morio Kazama as Jun Tayama and Nobuyuki Tsuchiya as Kiyoshi.
How Does The Movie Rate So Far?
Asakusa Kid has received a 7/10 rating on IMDb. One critic gave the film a meh review of 2/5 on rotten tomatoes, stating that it has several entertaining moments but falls short in its characterization of Takeshi.
Whatever the opinion, the movie definitely packs promise and is worth looking into.
