There's some IMDb trivia that claims this is the first Takeshi Kitano movie to not feature any violence, and to be fair, that is what jumps out the most. It feels like he said "and now for something completely different" and aimed to make a movie that genre-wise he'd never really done... though visually and maybe even narratively, it does feel like one of his works. It's got that detached and unique feel, the same sort of pacing I've felt from his other films, and maybe even the understated humour is comparable.
Of course, it all plays out without any gangsters or bloodshed, and if Takeshi Kitano was attempting to break his own boundaries, I'd say it was mission accomplished. It was a nice and kind of breezy watch. It's hard to call it exciting or hugely investing, but it was pleasant; it was pretty good.
Of course, it all plays out without any gangsters or bloodshed, and if Takeshi Kitano was attempting to break his own boundaries, I'd say it was mission accomplished. It was a nice and kind of breezy watch. It's hard to call it exciting or hugely investing, but it was pleasant; it was pretty good.