This is a must-watch for anyone who liked the more recent Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes, because it scratches the same itch as a scrappy yet charming Japanese time-travel comedy. They're both different enough to work independently too, of course, with Summer Time Machine Blues having a bit of a wider scope, and also being a film that takes its time setting things up a little more than that 2020 release.
It did this to the point where the first half-hour or so was almost a little dull, because the time travel stuff doesn't really get introduced until the start of the second act. But then it becomes apparent that the slower opening act was necessary to set up much of the humour found throughout the rest of the film, and in that way, it reminded me a bit of the baffling yet necessary opening act of One Cut of the Dead.
Comparing it to those just because they came to mind while watching, I don't think Summer Time Machine Blues is quite as good as either One Cut of the Dead or Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes, but it was entertaining and charming in similar ways. It's a light and consistently fun film that has a cool approach to time travel, striking just the right balance between having genuine stakes (to some extent) and just being silly and plenty of fun. I ended up liking it quite a lot.
It did this to the point where the first half-hour or so was almost a little dull, because the time travel stuff doesn't really get introduced until the start of the second act. But then it becomes apparent that the slower opening act was necessary to set up much of the humour found throughout the rest of the film, and in that way, it reminded me a bit of the baffling yet necessary opening act of One Cut of the Dead.
Comparing it to those just because they came to mind while watching, I don't think Summer Time Machine Blues is quite as good as either One Cut of the Dead or Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes, but it was entertaining and charming in similar ways. It's a light and consistently fun film that has a cool approach to time travel, striking just the right balance between having genuine stakes (to some extent) and just being silly and plenty of fun. I ended up liking it quite a lot.