Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Climber's High and Robogeisha

Someone recommended to me Climber's High - a Japanese film - which supposedly has the truest depiction of a newsroom in the history of films.

I got the movie, and I have to agree. All the characters I have met are there. If you ever wondered how a newsroom works, looks like and who are the people responsible for telling the Truth in this country and perhaps the world, please watch Climber's High.

With a strong newspaper culture in Japan, as well as the world's number one newspaper in Yomiuri Shinbun (three million in circulation, daily) it is no wonder that they would come up with this idea.

The story is about the largest air crash in Japanese history happening at a small district in Japan, and how the newspapers respond to it.

I also got Robogeisha, which is in the same vein as Machine Girl. Over the top, campy and deliriously as well as deliciously stupid, Robogeisha tells of two sisters who are turned into cyborg geisha assasins by a mysterious organisations.

Amidst the breast gatling guns and armpit katanas - with asshole blades thrown in for good measure - the story never lost its heart. It is, in essence, about sibling love and rivalry and no matter how outrageous or silly the visuals got, the heart of the story remained strong.

Climber's High and Robogeisha are two films from Japan with very different philosophies. The very honest, authentic and heartbreaking Climber's High, with the silly, fun Robogeisha.