Book Review

Just finished off TokyoScope: The Japanese Cult Film Companion by Patrick Macia, which we'd picked up in L.A. While providing some good background information, particularly with regards to the Japanese film industry and the studio system, the book is more of a primer than an ultimate companion. This may be due to the fact that the book was published in 2001, right on the precipice of the JapTrash explosion that is currently happening. As a result, much of the book feels dated, although it also means that his focus isn't just on what's been released on DVD.

However, for true cult fans the book is worth reading for two reasons: an extended interview with Noboru Ando (a.k.a. The Guy With The Scar), a real life Yakuza who became a fixture in Yakuza movies in the '70's after being released from prison, usually playing a mentor figure to Bunta Sugawara. He even wrote and starred in a series of "erotic" movies based on his own fictionalized memoires.

The second thing that rules about the book is an extended profile on Tetsuro Tanba (a.k.a. That Guy From That Show). Trust me, if you've seen more than 2 Japanese movies, you've seen him in something. He has over 200 acting credits on imdb and has worked consistently in film and television for over 50 years. He has never turned down a part and has never memorized a script, facts which he declares proudly. He also started his own religion/way of looking at death and created a series of unintentionally hilarious films extolling it that I absolutely must find.

As well, there's the requisite chapters on Godzilla, Sonny Chiba, Kinji Fukusaku & Miike Takashi (who gives a priceless afterword) and profiles of the author's favourites picks for each "genre" covered. The writing style is relaxed and enthusiastic, although the editing leaves something to be desired. The little cartoons and drawings are amusing, but in most cases just seem to take up space. However, I would still recomend it for people just getting into Japanese cult film as Macias does a good job of putting things into context and touches on a few less popular films I would love to get my hands on.