Sakigake!! Otokojuku (2008 film)

Infobox Film
name = Sakigake! Otokojuku


director = Tak Sakaguchi
producer = Keiko Kusakabe
Koichi Kusakabe
Toshiki Kimura
writer = Tak Sakaguchi
Akira Miyashita (original manga)
starring = Tak Sakaguchi
Shōei
Hiroyuki Onoue
Shintaro Yamada
Hideo Sakaki
Akaji Maro
Gō Ayano
Shuya Yoshimoto
Taketari no Yamaguchi
Yoshiaki Yoza
Tetsushi Tanaka
Shun Sugata
Kentarō Shimazu
cinematography = Shinichi Fujita
editing = Seiji Harimoto
music = Junichi Soga
distributor = There's Entertainment
released = flagicon|Japan January 26, 2008
runtime = 110 min.
country = Japan
language = Japanese
preceded_by =
followed_by =
imdb_id = 1091202|

nihongo|Sakigake!! Otokojuku|魁!!男塾|Charge!! Men's Private School is a 2008 Japanese film written, directed by and starring Tak Sakaguchi in his directorial debut. It is based on Akira Miyashita's manga series of the same name.

The film's subtitle, Be A Man! Samurai School, is a loose translation of the Japanese title.

The films ending theme was nihongo|Yaiba|刃|Blade by The Back Horn.

Plot Summary

The film begins Ryuuji Toramaru (Shintaro Yamada) running through the woods on his way to the Otokojuku entrance ceremony, survivng being hit by a car and well enough to flirt with the driver afterwards. Genji Togashi (Shōei) visits his brother's grave and informs him that he too will be enrolling in Otokojuku. Young yakuza successor Hidemaro Gokukouji (Hiroyuki Onoue) runs into thugs from Kanto Gogakuren while partying, but is saved by Momotaro Tsurugi (Tak Sakaguchi). When Hidemaro asks for Momo's cell number, Momo informs he has no such thing and tells him to find him at the Otokojuku entrance ceremony. As it turns out, Hidemaro's mother (Tomoko Nakajima) already plans to send him to Otokojuku in order to become a man. She tells him that if his father had only gone to Otokojuku, he'd still be with them today.

At the enrollment ceremony, Hidemaro is assaulted by head intructor Oni-Hige (Shun Sugata) for not getting in line properly. After he finds Momo and meets Togashi, Oni-Hige introduces the prinicpal, Heihachi Edajima (Akaji Maro). Edajima gives his introductory speech, "I am the Otokojuku headmaster, Heihachi Edajima!!" so loudly he shatters the windows of Otokojuku. He then says "That is all" and dismisses all the first years to clean up the glass in the hallways. Soon after, they are told to report outside to receive orientation from the 2nd years. At orientation, 1st years Tazawa (Taketori no Yamaguchi) and Matsuo (Yoshiaki Yoza) are forced by Tange and the 2nd years to perform ridiculous tasks and manly performances. Togashi and Toramaru stand up to Tange (Masaki Miura) and a brawl breaks out and Momo gets involved. The fight is interrupted by 2nd year leader Gouji Akashi (Tetsushi Tanaka), who challenges Momo to a sword fight, which itself is interrupted by Oni-Hige before a true victor can be decided.

After findng a pair of underwear, drill instructor Iron Helmet (Kentarō Shimazu) summons all the students for a uniform inspection. He informs the students that all real men wear a fundoshi and that the owner of the briefs will be punished. Togashi can see from his face that they belong to Hidemaro, so he confesses to preferring briefs. Iron Helmet decides to test Togashi's toughness by forcing him to endure one of Otokojuku's specialties, the Oil Bath. He is placed in a tub of oril with a candle on a leaf while wearing just a fundoshi. As the oil gets hotter, Togashi perseveres until the candle goes out as a message of manliness to Hidemaro. Hidemaro can't take it anymore so he runs away in the middle of the night. After words of encouragement from Shioya (Tatsuo Yamada), the last remaining member of the Gokukouji clan, he returns to Otokojuku just as Momo is being scolded by Oni-Hige for letting him escape. The two of them are placed inside twin cells, one of which has a 500 kilogram collapsable ceiling that Momo must hold up by chain in the other cell in order to keep Hidemaro from being crushed. Not long after the punishment begins, Hidemaro begins crying at his fate, and Momo tries to remind him that men don't cry. After several days, Momo's arms begin to lose their strength, so Hidemaro begs him to just let go and crush him. With this, Momo finds the strength to hold the ceiling up for the remainder of the punishment. They are released and have a newfound feeling of trust in each other.

In a side story, Togashi receives a paper airplane message during class. After reading it, Tazawa "deduces" that it is a love letter. Matsuo and Toramaru joke that any girl interested in Togashi must be a dog, but nontheless follow him (with Hidemaro) when he goes to meet her. The girl, Erika-chan (Kaoru Hirata), turns out to be a pretty high school student and Togashi is instantly smitten. He treats her to gyūdon, and although he makes a pig of himself, she seems to find it cute. However, it turns out the date was just an initiation for Erika to join a gang, and the girls laugh at Togashi for actually thinking anyone could like him. Toramaru tries to slap Erika, but Togashi stops him and instead tells her that today has been the best day of his life. Momo finds him crying and sits next to him. before Togashi can say much, Momo suggests that they return to their home at Otokojuku, and are joined along the way by the others.

One day, Otokojuku is invaded by Kanto Gogakuren, a group of delinqunets led by Omito Date (Hideo Sakaki), a former Otokojuku student who was expelled for killing an instructor for forcing him to undergo the twin solitary cells punishment. He and his two right hand me, Hien (Gō Ayano) and Gekko (Shuya Yoshimoto) defeat most of the students. Akashi challenges Date and is nearly killed before being saved by Momo. However, before things can go further, Edajima interrupts and demands they settle things in the 3 Great Astonishing Assaults tournament. Date agrees and Momo, Togashi, and Toramaru are chosen to represent Otokojuku. Togashi again visits his brother's grave when Oni-Hige suddenly appears. He tells Togashi of how his brother was a real man and gives him his brother's dosu knife. As Momo trains his sword, Toramaru wrestles a bear, and Matsu practices his ōendan, Hidemaro and Tazawa both wonder what they can do to help.

Cast

*Tak Sakaguchi as Momotaro Tsurugi
*Shōei as Genji Togashi
*Hiroyuki Onoue as Hidemaro Gokukouji
*Shintaro Yamada as Ryuuji Toramaru
*Tetsushi Tanaka as Gouji Akashi
*Akaji Maro as Heihachi Edajima
*Hideo Sakaki as Omito Date
*Gō Ayano as Hien
*Shuya Yoshimoto as Gekkou
*Taketari no Yamaguchi as Shinichiro Tazawa
*Yoshiaki Yoza as Taio Matsuo
*Shun Sugata as Oni-Hige
*Kentarō Shimazu as Tetsu Kabuto
*Tomoko Nakajima as Shinobu Gokukouji
*Tatsuo Yamada as Shioya
*Masaki Miura as Tange
*Kaoru Hirata as Erika
*Hiroshi Ryōgoku as Ryougoku
*Junkichi Orimoto as Shura
*Takashi Hamazaki as Fuukai
*HIRO as Rinkai
*Kenji Takayama as Tsubakiyama
*Shin Yazawa as Woman in car (cameo)
*Ayano Tsuji as Ukulele Girl (cameo)
*Bakko Maeda as Man at Gyudon House
*Yutaka Hiyama as Kanto Gogakuren Member
*Shigeru Chiba as Narration

Minmei Publishing

As with the original manga and anime, various Otokojuku specialties and unique techniques are explained in sidenotes by the fictional nihongo|Minmei Publishing|民明書房刊|Minmei Shoboukan.

*nihongo|Abura Buro|油風呂|Oil Bath - "Aka nihongo|Hell Boat|地獄舟|Jigoku Bune, a form of torture devise to make ruthless criminals talk. Oil is poured into a gold tub and a candle on a leaf boat is set afloat. If the criminal in the tub moves, the unstable leaf boat will turn over and the oil will be in flames. The horror and pain will last until the candle burns out." From nihongo|Oriental Punishment Illustrated|東方懲罰全図|Touhou Choubatsu Zenzu.
*nihongo|Sousei Dokkyo Bou|双生独居房|Twin Solitary Cells - "Two men are confined in adjacent cells. If one stops pulling the chains, a rock hanging in the next cell falls, and the man in that cell dies. In Medieval times when betrayal and treachery were common, this was designed to nurture unseen mutual trust and cooperation. This was a training method of Takeda Shingen." From nihongo|Universal Training Information Record|万国鍛錬見聞録|Bankoku Tanren Kenmon Roku.

Changes from original manga

*Major characters J, an American boxer from Otokojuku, and Raiden, a master of all forms of Kenpo from Gogakuren, were omitted from the film. Coincidentally, this does not prevent a possible sequel covering the Pa-Lien Seiha Arc, as J and Raiden were paired up for their battle in that story.
*Also omitted were the third Otokojuku instructor, Hikoubou (Pilot Hat), and the malicious second year Edogawa, although their absence doesn't affect the original story. Additionally, the character Tange seems to fill the role originally filled by Edogawa.
*Hidemaro was portrayed in the original manga as a supporting character and a spoiled brat rather than a second main character and an insecure young man.
*Toramaru had a habit of eventually being stripped down to his pants or fundoshi (or even less on one occasion) during his fights, however he remains fully clothed throughout the entire film.
*Tsubakiyama was a recurring minor character in the manga and a main supporting character along with Hidemaro, Tazawa, and Matsuo in the anime.
*In the manga, Togashi endures the Oil bath because visiting Hidemaro insists on seeing it and none of the other students were brave enough. This was actually Hidemaro's intrduction, and after he is enrolled the students pay him back by forcing him to endure the Oil Bath.
*The trademark muscular bodies of the manga are almost non-exsistant, most notably in the characters Edajima and Toramaru.
*Hidemaro's family, the Twin Solitary Cells, and Togashi's first date are original to the film. However, the Twin Solitary Cell is reminiscent of Toramaru's introduction in the manga, which involved him having been put in a solitary cell with a collapsable ceiling for 6 months.
*In the manga, the Gogakuren interrupts an Otokojuku school festival when they attack.

Kyoura Daisan Kyousatsu

* Because of the absence of J and Raiden, the nihongo|Kyoura Daiyon Kyousatsu|驚邏大四凶殺|Four Great Astonishing Assaults becomes the nihongo|Kyoura Daisan Kyousatsu|驚邏大三凶殺|Three Great Astonishing Assaults.
* In the original manga, Toramaru was introduced right before the Kyoura Daiyon Kyousatsu as Momo, Togashi, and J were searching for a 4th teammate.
* Toramaru and Gekko's battle takes place in a Collapsing Cave rather than the Blazing Ice Battleground.
* Toramaru and Gekko's battle takes place before Togashi and Hien's rather than after it. The outcome is slightly different as well. The manga ended with a draw as Toramaru held Gekko in a backbreaker-like hold as the arena caved in, while the film ends with Toramaru clearly defeating Gekko.
* Matsuo coughing up blood and losing consciousness while leading an ōendan occurs during Momo and Date's fight rather than Togashi and Hien's. In fact, in the manga version Matsuo's yell ends up riding the wind and carrying Togashi back up his rope after falling.
* Momo and Date's battle originally begins on the Asbestos Rope Ring, before that ring breaks and fall into the volcano below and continue on a slab of rock and surrounded by poisonous hydrogen chloride gas. Afterwards, Fuukai and Rinkai send a rope down for Momo and he tries to save Date, but when the rope almost snaps Date lets go of Momo.
* In the original manga, Momo had also carved the initials (first kanji) of his fallen comrades into his arm. He then notices Date had done the same as he is saving him.

External links

* [http://www.otokojuku-the-movie.com/ Official site]
* [http://eiga.wikia.com/wiki/Be_a_Man!_Samurai_School Eigapedia entry]