A Major Disappointment

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Shortly after a young man is released from prison, where he has served 18 months for assault, he is set upon by a gang of thugs who beat him up and leave him in the road. Upon awakening, the man doesn't remember anything, not even who he is - he has retrograde amnesia. He wanders the city and eventually stumbles upon an outdoor concert; without knowing why, he grabs the mic from the singer and bursts into his own rendition of a famous J-pop song. Then he passes out. Kasumi, the band's manager, takes him home and decides that she wants him to be part of the band, which the young man, nicknamed "Pooch" by Kasumi, is eager to do. But sooner or later his memory will return, and that could be dangerous for both of them....This is a strange mixture of J-pop (there's a LOT of music in it) and gangster-type violence, with funny moments and scenes of tenderness between the two leads, who you sort of hope will get together in the end. A couple of late scenes are very confusing - how could Kasumi and her grandfather know *that*? - but if you leave that confusion alone, it's a pretty enjoyable film. I liked all the J-pop, a type of music with very odd lyrics; I hated the many scenes of people eating, but that's just my neurosis. Others would also like this movie, I think, even if it is a bit confusing.