Lady Snowblood 3

Volume 3 (subtitled “Retribution Pt. 1”) of this series finds us at the cliffhanger that ended Volume 2, and in retrospect, it was a somewhat odd place for a break in the story. In the end, the first chapter of Volume 3 lands a little flat, mostly due to the goofy nature of the true identity of Blackmailer Genjiro. Thankfully, it is the shortest section of the book.

I am happy to report the rest of Volume 3 doesn’t fall victim to the same issue, and the characters Syura Yuki meets, both allies and enemies, are more grounded in reality (well, except maybe the eccentric writer, Miyahara, whom we will talk more about later).

The next story, “The Unveiling of a Pretty Woman and a Strange Tale (女意和戸開帳異聞)” comes in two parts, and at almost 120 pages, is the longest and most complex story we have seen so far. Not only are we introduced to a variety of characters in this story, but we see some nice images of Yoshiwara of Asakusa, in Tokyo. A foreign gentleman is trying to build a panorama in the lowly entertainment district, but the powerful local yakuza is blocking its progress. He asks Lady Snowblood to help allow him clean up the neighborhood by adding higher quality entertainment, something besides the freak shows and fake exhibits which clog the streets. She can help by “doing something" about the yakuza tyrants, (terrific Japanese subtlety!) and from here this story bounds from episode to episode as Syura closes in on her targets, and at the same time they hunt for her, (though they mistakenly think “her” is a “him”).

The final story in Volume 3 is, again, in two parts. The title is “Master Crook, the Wanderer (長旅屋詐欺先生)”. In a desperate effort to find the final two attackers on her list, it is suggested that Syura get her life story published to draw out her targets. She then must try and convince Miyahara, the famous but eccentric writer, to pen her story. But before that, she must find him, and he is famous for his random wanderings by train around the country. Miyahara is one of the strangest and funniest characters in this series so far. His personality and movements remind me of something from Lupin III. After a relatively heavy story, the introduction of Miyahara was a welcome change of pace, and it is fun to watch Lady Snowblood, as she is able to use her clever tactics manipulate the oddball old man…but, in the end will her plan work? We won't know for sure until the 4th and final volume.

More than in the earlier novels, I really was struck by the Kazuo Kamimura’s artwork in this book, especially the longest story, “The Unveiling of a Pretty Woman and a Strange Tale”. The scene where the yakuza gang is first introduced is quite stunningly done. There is also a terrific double-page-spread early in this story, which feels like a freeze-frame from a movie, as Syura dodges an attacker’s blow in her signature cat-like fashion. Also Kamimura’s dialogue-free frames over several pages opening the final story are powerfully done. The multiple views of Syura walking among the trains are beautifully rendered.

Dark Horse: An Introduction

This is the next in a series of articles introducing our Pacific Dreams Bookstore customers to some of the publishing houses we work closely with. Today we will take a closer look at Dark Horse Comics, Inc., which has brought us the graphic novels Lady Snowblood, Lone Wolf and Cub, and Samurai Executioner, with more titles on the way this year.

Dark Horse is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Starting locally in Oregon in 1986, Dark Horse has grown steadily into one of the largest and most respected independent publishing houses and media centers in the world. Founder Mike Richardson now splits his time between the Dark Horse main offices in Milwaukie, Oregon, and the film production branch in Los Angeles, Dark Horse Entertainment, which was established in 1992.

Dark Horse’s ever expanding library includes a growing number of manga titles from Japan. Many of these are classic Japanese comics seen for the first time in English. We recently spoke with Michael Gombos, Dark Horse’s Japanese Licensing Manager about Dark Horse’s Japanese titles and their approach to translating and bringing these titles to an English-speaking audience.

Michael Gombos handles all the correspondence with Japan, on-site translations, and basically finding and bringing in many of the manga titles Dark Horse will translate and publish. He also helps editors correct mistranslations and identify cultural references which appear in the afterword sections of many Dark Horse manga. Mike has been studying Japanese for over fifteen years, six of which were spent in Japan as a translator, a student at Waseda University, a teacher, and as an FM DJ in Osaka.

Overall, Dark Horse publishes over 350 volumes per year. In 2005, 39 of those were manga, in 2006, that number will more than double to over 80, and in 2007, we can expect even more. The most popular titles include Lone Wolf and Cub, as well as Trigun, Hellsing, Vampire Hunter D, and AKIRA, which are some very recognizable titles for anyone with even a fleeting interest in Japanese comics. Lone Wolf and Cub alone has sold nearly a million volumes! Dark Horse is also home to the second (soon to be #1) longest-running manga, Oh! My Goddess, which started publication in 1994.

So what has spurred such an interest in Japanese comics in recent years? Gombos attributes it to both Dark Horse leading the fans, as well as the fans telling Dark Horse what they’d like to be able to read. Adding Gombos, a Japanese-speaking staff member was something that was considered a big help; this opened doors to access more of the Japanese artists and publishers. Gombos tells us that he listens closely to what the fans tell them at trade shows, as well as through the website’s forums and email. Dark Horse has surely had a great impact in bringing manga to the English-speaking world.

Readers of the Koike Kazuo titles PDI offers appreciate the care given to the translation of these more historical titles set during feudal Japan (Lone Wolf, Samurai Executioner) and the Meiji Restoration (Lady Snowblood). Many of the words used are not easily translated in English, and to maintain accuracy, the words are left in Japanese (romaji) and then explained in the appendix. (For example, “sanpin” is a derogatory term for a lower-ranked samurai.) For these titles, Dark Horse uses specialist translators who are experts in the culture and language of these eras. Although they both may be fluent in Japanese, a translator of science fiction may not be best suited for a historical fiction translation, and vice versa.

An issue all translators of graphic novels have to consider is the spatial concerns – something that we don’t have to think about when doing a document without graphics. English often requires more character space than Japanese, so this can cause issues. After a translation is proofed, an editor will examine the translation and space available. If necessary, the size of the word balloon will be expanded to fit the translation sacrificing as little of the original art as possible. These changes are then sent back to Japan for licensor approval before proceeding with the next step toward publication.

More recently, things like signposts and or snack food labels are left in their original Japanese, and a note is added so readers interested in Japanese culture can see the original Japanese characters and investigate further into its context. What to leave and what to change can depend on the editor, the contract and the creator’s wishes.

All of the actual translation work for each title is done by out-of-house contractors. All of the negotiations, contracts and deal communications translations are done in-house by Gombos. Native English speakers translate most of the titles, but we were surprised to hear Lady Snowblood, Katsuya Terada’s Monkey King, and the upcoming Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service were translated by native Japanese speakers. One step, according to Gombos, is hiring the best translators and editors available. Dark Horse has five full-time manga editors, including Carl Horn, one of the foremost experts on manga and anime in the English-speaking world. Another secret is that every person in the process of bringing a Japanese title to English loves what he or she is doing. The sheer joy of seeing a title everyone worked on finally arrive on American bookshelves can make the staff easily forget some of the problems they ran into along the way. (Note: The translators for the aforementioned books are true bilinguals).

We were excited to hear many of Dark Horse’s translators are local Oregon talent, including Camellia Nieh, who did 2005’s Blood the Last Vampire: Night of the Beasts, and the brand-new Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex novel, which we will be offering you soon. Dark Horse has always made an effort to hire local whenever possible.

We asked Gombos how he deals with translating culturally specific phrases into English. Gombos responded telling us that they run into puns quite a bit, as they are integral to Japanese humor. He told us an interesting example of a joke where “mushi” (ignore) was mixed with “mushi-pan” (a steam-baked bread). The humor is preserved in the English translation, and a note explaining the original Japanese joke is added at the bottom, as manga readers are often interested in Japanese culture and language.

We look forward to bringing you more Dark Horse titles over the coming months, and invite you to take a look at what we have available now:

Lone Wolf and Cub

Samurai Executioner

Lady Snowblood

Donald Ritchie's Japan Journals

We recently added this excellent book to our bookstore. HIGHLY recommended!

The Japan Journals, 1947-2004

Donald Richie

Any English-speaking Japanophile certainly knows the name Donald Ritchie. Well known for his translations and analyses of Japanese cinema, Ritchie opened the door for Japanese movies to the Western world. He was not only able to analyze the films, understanding both Eastern and Western sensibilities, but also befriended the filmmakers, and could often speak of the film's production from a first-person perspective. However, Ritchie didn’t write only about movies. He has written numerous essays and books on Japan and the Japanese people.

Now PDI is happy to present, in commemoration of over 50 years of writing on Japan, Donald Ritchie's latest offering, The Japan Journals: 1947-2004. This is a collection of writing which spans Ritchie’s entire life in Japan, and how shows both the man and the country changed, grew, and adapted over the last half century.

As numerous as memoirs are in popular literature today, none can compare to the close reality of a journal done in real time. We can be assured that not only are the accounts accurate in content, but also in the perspective of the writer at the time of the writing. Even in the briefest of entries Ritchie is able to describe not only what is going on around him, but his personal take on the situation, often with a humor that is never disrespectful. Here is a portion of the entry from September 26, 1955:

“In the morning Beppu looks less garish, but also less attractive. It looks, in the new light, like a town with a hangover…When I look out I see the steamer coming in from Osaka, right on time. It will dock precisely when it is supposed to.

“The boat is crowded with school children, all leaving Beppu…to exotic Kansai. Yes, I have been there, I say when asked. I saw Kyoto live. No, the golden Pavilion is not made of real gold (this in answer to a first-year student), but it looks like it. No, I do now know how much a geisha costs (this in answer to a high school junior)-his chances of acquiring one are, in any event, slight.”

The book is wonderfully edited by Leza Lowitz. Her biographical notes add to the big picture the journal entries create, and her organization is refreshing. For example, instead of putting the entries strictly in chronological order, she sometimes orders them by other criteria. Early in the book there is a section where, thanks to his film writing which had appeared in Western publications, he was tapped to host many famous Western visitors to Japan in the late 1950s. How timely it was reading the entry about Truman Capote.

Over 70 black and white pictures are scattered throughout the text. Many of the photographs capture Ritchie with the famous names he worked and socialized with, such Akira Kurosawa, but there are also pictures of the close friends he describes in the stories he tells. Ritchi’s talent as a photographer is apparant, and the pictures of writer Yukio Mishima are especially haunting.

Although Japan Journals is hardly in the voyeuristic vein of a tell-all, Donald Ritchie does not hold back the often intimate details of his affairs. Ritchie did not go to Japan with a mission to build ties between Japan and the Western world, but did so, somewhat in spite of himself. He is never an apologist for the Japanese way, or for the Ritchie way. Japan Journals is not only fascinating for it’s look at Japan through western eyes, but also in how Ritchie develops the ability to look at himself through the eyes of Japan.

Cut Magazine's Top 150 Films (5)

It has been requested that we pick up the pace to get to number 1. (Though I am sure the curious can track this list down somewhere.) We left off at number 111...

(110 - 101)

110. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) Putting Robert Redford and Paul Newman together in a movie in 1969 would be like Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise (pre-mental breakdown) together today. It is more "fun" than some of the other westerns that appear on this list. Non-traditional in a lot of ways, this was one of the precursers to some of the really off-the-wall movies that came out in the early 70s.

109. 12 Angry Men (1957) A remake of this classic comes out this year, but try and see the original if you can. There is a very short list of movies that can appeal to both critics and audiences which are based solely on dialogue. The movie is almost entirely set in the jury room as the 12 men of the jury decide the fate of a Latino boy who is on trial for killing his father. Though my favorite Henry Fonda film is probably Once Upon a Time in the West, his acting in 12 Angry Men is superb.

108. Singing in the Rain (1952) One of the only musicals on the list I actually sat through. The music is timeless, and the dancing scenes are pretty incredible. I don't think I could sit through it again, though.

107. The Great Escape (1963) This movie is best known for Steve McQueen's role as Cpt. Hilts, but the supporting cast is one of the best in film history, with key roles palyed by the likes of James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Coburn and Charles Bronson. As prisoners in an "escape-proof" German P.O.W. camp in WWII, our heroes have nothing better to do than make moonshine and plan the Great Escape. It feels much shorter than it's 172 minutes.

106. Speed (1994) Silly romantic action movie. This one doesn't really stand the test of time.

105. When Harry Met Sally (1989) Almost as unlikey as Dustin Hoffman as a romatic lead, Billy Crystal is perfect in the role of Harry, and is a perfect match with Meg Ryan's Sally. Actually funny romantic movies are rare, and this is shares the honor with few peers.

104. King Kong (2006) Probably the newest movie on the list, King Kong is an amazing upgrade from the less-than-great 1976 remake. Unlike George Lucas' constant tinkering with the Star Wars films, one feels like Peter Jackson got exactly what he wanted in this epic, slightly overlong, dream project.

103. Manhattan (1979) Woody Allen has done it so many times, he IS believable as the romantic lead in the films he writes and directs. Heck, why not write yourself having an affair with the high-school aged Mariel Hemingway? I would classify this as an unromantic comedy which is dated, but worth watching. Allen's humor is much less in-you-face as many of his comedic counterparts, and the viewer must watch closely, as some of the funniest lines are passing mumbles by Allen's character.

102. North by Northwest (1959) Alfred Hitchcock at his prime. Cary Grant at his prime. Eve Saint Laurent at her prime. North by Northwest is one of the cornerstones of masterful film making. This is one of the ones they talk about when they talk about "perfect movies".
101. Blues Brothers (1980) I wouldn't classify this as a "musical" per se, as the music is incorportated into the movie in a way we usually don't see in musicals. This really is a comedy classic that truly gets funnier and better upon every viewing. Though carried wonderfully by Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi, the truly giant all star cast (John Candy, Carrie Fisher, Steve Lawrence, Charles Napier) makes indivudual scenes classics in their own right. And of course the mucical numbers by some of the biggest names in music (Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown) make the perfect blend of comedy and music.

Overtime over Dating

From Crisscross News

85% of newly hired female employees put overtime ahead of dating

Thursday, June 22, 2006 at 03:00 EDT　TOKYO — Eighty-five percent of newly hired female employees will put overtime ahead of dating, a survey conducted by the Japan Productivity Center for Socio-Economic Development foundation showed Wednesday. Natsuki Iwama, a researcher in charge of the survey, said, "As female employees are still a minority in firms, they may think that unless they work longer, their position in the companies will worsen."

The foundation conducted the survey between March and April on some 3,900 new recruits who participated in a training program it hosted. Asked what they would do if they were ordered to work overtime when they already had a date scheduled, 85% of them — both men and women — answered they would work. It was the highest figure recorded since the foundation began asking the question in 1972, it said.

It it interesting to see more and more stories about how young workers, especially women, are putting a priority on independence, and the traditional ages for marriage and having children (or more likely one child), is moving later and later in life. Not so many years ago single women over the age of 25 were called, rather meanly, "Christmas Cake", as who wants to have Christmas Cake after the 25th of December? I doubt you would hear this phrase used these days, as the average age for a woman to get married was 27.8 in 2004. Compare this to 25.2 in 1980 (Source: Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare).

This will get more interesting, as Japan's population will peak this year, and then the numbers will start declining. What will happen is the "greying" of Japan as the percentage of seniors and elderly increase. How Japan will approach and tackle this issue is a big question right now.

There is more here, from the Sydney Morning Herald.

Cut Magazine's Top 150 Films (4)

OK, we got a little backed up with other things, but now back to the Cut Magazine's Movie Maniac's Top Movie Countdown!

(120-111)

120. Fargo (1996) I am an absolute sucker for the small-town crime genre. Clay Pigeons, A Simple Plan, The Pledge, A History of Violence, Insomnia, all great small-town crime thrillers made since Fargo, but never quite touch the way the Coen brothers can wrap evil and humor together so wisely, and really give a sence of the isolation (Insomnia gets pretty close) of the rural town life. This movie put them on the map, but make an effort to see all the Coen brothers' work. The ending of thier first film, Blood Simple, is one of the best.

119. Wallace and Gromit (2005) I guess I understand why people are into it, but just not quite my bag. (And I feel like I will be repeating myself for most of the youth-oriented movies).

118. Groundhog Day (1993) This is one of Bill Murray's great movies, when he was still in the "loud arrogant prick" mode of What About Bob and Scrooged, before the "quiet arrogant prick" mode of the modern Bill Murray era (Broken Flowers, Lost in Translation, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which are three of my favorite movies of the last few years). Not many comedic actors are allowed to grow like Bill Murray has (maybe Sean Penn is the only one luckier). Groundhog Day is unique, sweet and actually funny without resorting to toilet humor, which is a worth find. This would be a great date rental.

117. The Thin Red Line (1998) I went with three friends when this movie came out, two of us loved it, two of us didn't. I was in the "didn't" column. Though, I think I like it more now, 8 years later, than at the time. I just can't muster the energy to see The New World.

116. Beauty and the Beast (1991) You know, I never saw Disney movies as a kid, and I have no desire to now.

115. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) I kind of missed the Monty Python train...all through junior high school I had no idea what my buddies were talking about, Knights that say Ni, and all that business. When I finally did see it, I enjoyed it, but it I had heard all the punchlines for years, so finally seeing the set-ups was a little anti-climatic. Without a doubt, absolute genius, though.

114. Brazil (1985) Monty Python alum, Terry Gilliam's bizzare classic. This is another love-it or hate-it pic. I can understand both opinions, but I get suspicious when people tell me they understand it.

113. The Graduate (1967) A bona-fide masterpiece. Dustin Hoffman is an unlikely romantic lead, but he is the most grounded part of the chaos which is normal suburban middle-upper class existence. I always recommend this to new grads, and try to watch it at least once a year. The humor and themes are timeless, especially the ambiguous final scene.

112. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) This was the OTHER space movie of the sci-fi crazy 1977. Instead of a galaxy far far away, however, these aliens were landing a little closer to home. It's the human factor that makes this movie so wonderful, and we don't see that kind of depth again in sci-fi alien movies until Spielberg brought us E.T.

111. The Unforgiven (1992) In a way, Clint Eastwood revived and killed the western genre in one fell-swoop with The Unforgiven. Nothing made since has come close, (except for maybe HBO's Deadwood series). You don't have to like westerns to appreciate the care and experience brought to this movie and helped make it fantastic.

New Lone Wolf and Cub 4 review up and Snowblood Apple

I just wanted to share this review of Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 4, which is now available at our bookstore. This is an excellent series worth checking out.

Lone Wolf and Cub Vol 4: The Bell Warden

Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima

English

$9.95

Volume 4 takes Lone Wolf and Cub in some interesting and often dark directions over four fantastic stories.

In “The Bell Warden” we see how family and duty collide once again. In this story the aging warden of the large warning bell is looking to see if his sons are worthy to replace him by pitting then up against Lone Wolf. We see some new weapons (later explained in “The Ronin Report” in this volume’s final pages), and Ogami Itto’s reaction to how this father regards his sons gives some insight on his own connection with his son.

How enjoyable are some of the drawing styles seen in the second story, “Unfaithful Retainers.” Artist Goseki Kojima freely interprets ideas in ways I have never seen in other manga. This is another simple but clever revenge tale, and it is interesting to see how Ogami reacts to cries for help from the weaker members of society. The Lone Wolf is a genius at finding loopholes in the samurai code in order to bring justice to the powerless, and this story shows a great example of that.

The third story in this volume is titled “Parting Frost”. This may be the most moving story we have seen in the series so far. Often Ogami leaves Daigoro in a safe place alone when he needs to complete an especially dangerous mission. Although he is young and alone, Daigoro is never scared, and waits patiently for his father’s return. But this time something goes wrong, and the Lone Wolf doesn’t return before Daigoro runs out of food. Daigoro travels to and searches Buddhist temples, often the resting spots of his father, to little success. Each volume we are learning more about Daigoro, and this is the first time we see him work independently to solve problems. At the same time, he is a little child (maybe four-years-old?), yet has seen things most people would never see in their lifetime. A strange samurai runs into Daigoro, and comments that the Cub has “Eyes that only a swordsman who has cut through Death itself…can possess.” Again, Kojimi’s art adds much to this story, and the cinematic framing of the exciting and emotional conclusion is as satisfying as they come. (And this is only Volume 4!)

The final story is a more traditional “hunt” for Lone Wolf and Cub, with their adversary being a beautiful woman with some very evil-looking tattoos. Despite it’s simple start, this is the longest story we have seen so far, at over 100 pages. We are far beyond the simple character establishing episodes of Volume One. Koike is incorporating more twists and flashbacks in his tales to keep the readers engaged and excited.

After the rich glossary and author and artist introductions, the reader will enjoy the addition of the “Ronin Report” in this volume, a 6-page essay on some of the weapons we see in the Lone Wolf series. Especially in Volume 4, we are seeing more than just traditional samurai swords in Lone Wolf’s opponent’s hands, so being able to read about different forms of fighting in feudal Japan is quite fascinating. Dark Horse seems very aware of its audience in adding this information in a concise and entertaining format. These “Ronin Reports” are a worthy supplemental to this wonderful series.

6.0” x 4.3” , 318 pages, paperback

If you are into Japanese extreme movies, or just Asian film in general, I'd like to recommend the Snowblood Apple site. The forums are clean and very active. It's a great place to discuss everything from older movies, to upcoming releases and remakes, both Asian and otherwise.

And don't worry! I haven't forgotten about the Cut Magazine top 150 Movies...I will get some more of the list and comments up this week.

Umezz and Kazuo Koike visits the US

久しぶり！

Kazuo Umezu is a unique writer and artist with an interesting horror style. It reminds me a little of the movie Uzumaki. Check out more here. (Read about him in the English section, but go to the Japanese section so see more examples of his work. I was thinking I wonder when some of his mangas might be translated to English, but then realized that our friends at Dark Horse are already: Scary Book. I hope to be getting this at our bookstore soon.

I was excited to just find out that Lone Wolf and Cub writer Kazuo Koike will be a special guest at Comic Con in San Diego next month

Kazuo Koike, co-creator of such masterworks as Lone Wolf and Cub, Samurai Executioner, Lady Snowblood, Path of the Assassin, and Crying Freeman, will be appearing for the first time ever at this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego. This will be Mr. Koike’s first ever appearance at any US convention.

“All of us at Dark Horse have been honored to be a part of bringing Mr. Koike’s work to the English speaking audience,” said Dark Horse president Mike Richardson.

“Now we are honored again to have a part in giving that audience a chance to meet the manga legend they have come to love and respect.”

Dark Horse Comics published the landmark in graphic fiction, Lone Wolf and Cub, in its entirety for the first time in America. An epic samurai adventure of staggering proportions —over 8000 pages—Lone Wolf and Cub (Kozure Okami in Japan) is acknowledged worldwide for the brilliant writing of series creator Kazuo Koike and the groundbreaking cinematic visuals of the late Goseki Kojima. The story’s unforgettable imagery of stark beauty, kinetic fury, and visceral thematic power influenced a generation of visual storytellers both in Japan and in the West.

Since that time, Dark Horse has gone on to publish such other legendary tales as Samurai Executioner, which proceeded the legendary Lone Wolf and Cub, Path of the Assassin, Lady Snowblood, and the first English translation of Crying Freeman in it’s original Japanese format. Dark Horse has sold over 1,300,000 copies of Koike’s books worldwide!

The specific date and time of Mr. Koike’s appearance will be announced shortly.

News Courtesy of Dark Horse.com

Beat Takeshi and TAKESHIS'

Who is Beat Takeshi? He's bocoming one of the fasting growing Japanese names out side Japan thanks to the popularity of his films with international audiences. His breakout from Japan was 1997's Hanabi, but he has been entertaining audiences in Japan since the 1970's. Takeshi Kitano started as a comedian, and as a member of the manzai duo The Two Beats (hence the name Beat Takeshi). The prolific Kitano is a comedian, writer, artist, actor, movie director, and tv show host. It's hard to imagine an American entertainer being spread this thin, but Takeshi can divide him himself so skillfully none of his work suffers, and if it did surely it would not be released. In fact the only time his work really did suffer was after a severe scooter accident in the mid-90's which tore up half of Takeshi's face. For a full year he did not appear in public until surgery could restore his face, and the doctor's did an amazing job.

Just released on DVD in Japan, Kitano's TAKESHIS' (the title is a sound play as shizu means "to die") is an interesting film for Takeshi fans, as it is about Beat Takeshi himself. He also plays a look-alike who is an aspiring actor, but who is poor at promoting himself and is kicked out of auditions before getting a chance to say a line. The first half of the film is fairly straight-forward, but in the last half we start to see tears in fabric of reality and things start to get very strange. Is Takeshi's look-alike trying to get revenge on those who thrwarted his dream of acting? Or is he doing what he can to get back to reality?

This is NOT a good movie for first time Takeshi Kitano viewers. In this movie he pokes fun at previous roles he's palyed, and many of the actors appeared in previous movies. This helps contribute to the reality slip, as the viewer get jostled out of the reality originally presented. Though this is an interesting film, and it is worth watching some older Takeshi films before this one comes out in the US. I recommend Sonatine, Hanabi, Zatoichi, and his directorial debut, Violent Cop.