Could a mere song save the World? No, I don't mean the DoTheyKnowItsChristmas-BandAid-GiveUsYerFeckingMoney-BobGeldoffBankruptedHimselfTryingToFightThirdWorldHunger sense of saving the World (although that is mightily impressive), but actually save the World from utter destruction through a series of what seems to be unlinked events? This is what the movie Fish Story (フィッシュストーリー) is all about.
Based on a novel by Kotaro Isaka, Fish Story pieces together several storylines that do not appear to be connected that are taking place at different points in time over a 37-year time frame to explain how a little-known punk rock band sing a song and it can potentially save the world.
The Story begins in 1975 when an unpopular Japanese punk band called Gekirin break up soon after recording their final song called Fish Story.
Then, in 1982, a timid college student named Masashi, who gets pushed around all the time, becomes fascinated by strange rumors surrounding the song.
Following that, in 2009 a teenager named Asami falls asleep on a boat during a school field trip and she misses her stop, leaving her behind on the boat that then gets taken over by terrorists.
Finally, it all comes to a conclusion in 2012 when a huge firey ball can be seen in the sky on a collision course with Earth...it's a gigantic meteor and now there are literally hours left until the end of days...but how on Earth does a little known punk rock song connect all these events, and ultimately save the Earth?
There a lot of Japanese movies that are just odd for the sake of being...well...odd or that is how it seems (yes, yes, I know that there are directors like that all over the World, but most movies I have seen oddities from have been Japan...now this is not meant as a bad thing...odd is not always bad)...I have to admit I looked at the synopsis and did some research on the movie and wondered what I'd found, but this is awesome, and I'm glad I got to see this. It's a great story showing that every action has significance in the future. The actors were great, it has you thinking and there is never a dull moment. I also liked the way the story was housed (kind of) in a record store and someone is trying to explain the events, saying that the world will be saved and there is nothing to fear, it was a nice anchor point.
So, now I've watched the movie, let's check out the disc! A decade after their original DVD release, Third Window Films have released this Blu-Ray. The movie is sharp and the audio is good, and as always there is the option of having the English subtitles if you want/need them. But what about the extras?
There's the original Trailer, Making of, Various Q&A/Live Shows as well as deleted and extended scenes. They are in SD and some of them are a bit degraded sadly, but it is great to see them still and a great addition to the film. The only extra I would have liked on here if it was at all possible would have been a much video for Fish Story, but that aside they are some pretty cool extras.
Fish Story is a great movie to watch with these 4 storylines spanning 40 years and look like they have nothing to do with each other, but every puzzle has its pieces and gradually you see the bigger picture.
It's definitely worth a watch, it fun, it's thrilling, it's musical (but not a musical) and just generally entertaining...so if you like Japanese movies, or something a little different this is one to look out for!
Fish Story is rated 18 and will be out on Blu-Ray on 10th August from Arrow. You can pre-order by clicking HERE.
And on that note, I'm now going to go and look for a copy of the album Gekirin, I really need that for my Soundtrack collection!