An Amateur’s Review of Tokyo!

Troll, in the most literal way.

Recently, a cinema in Cambridge decided to offer limited screening of Tokyo!, a 2008 film. Since I am currently located in the jolly good city of Boston, taking the train to Kendall, MIT would not demand too much of an effort, so I decided to check it after being persuaded by a friend of mine.

To be honest with you, I had no idea what the show would be about. All I know is that it is directed by three non-Japanese directors who contribute by offering a short segment that reflects on their views on Tokyo. Personally, I am more familiar with the first of the directors, Michel Gondry, because he was the one who directed the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

At the end of the film, I realised that I had been subjected to mindrape. Mind you, I am not the kind of person who likes to watch THOUGHT-PROVING stuff, and boobs and mecha conform more to my preferences. Suffice to say, the three segments of Tokyo! are bizarre tales that faintly makes allusions while appearing to be one big blob of confusion! You will understand my point when after I have told you that one of the segment involves a girl transforming into a chair. Literally.

Basically, the film has three segments in it: Interior Design, Merde (French for faeces) and Shaking Tokyo. By following the segments, we are shown the nature of human relationships in Tokyo, the consequences of alienation in Tokyo, and finally the proposed solution to end the social desolation that Tokyo has been accused in this film of causing.

Probably the best part of the film lies in the second segment, Merde. It involves an awkward misanthropic foreigner, who goes by the name of Merde who dwells in the sewers of Tokyo. Occasionally, he rises from his underground home to terrorize the Tokyo denizens by stealing and eating their money notes, by munching on flowers, and by licking unsuspecting high school girls for example. In a most strange and AWESOME manner, Merde stumbles across a old stash of ammunition (dating back to the 2nd WW) and goes on a killing spree in the streets of Tokyo by hurling grenades everywhere. Through Merde, we are shown the personification of the alienation in Tokyo. Pertaining to that matter, Merde has the appearance of a foreigner, or an alien, relatively to Japan. Merde’s uncomphrehensible ramblings (which requires the esoteric knowledge of an odd French magistrate to translate) alludes to the inability of those who feel isolated in communicating with others. So one can say that the grenade tossing (A LOT OF AWESOME EXPLOSIONS AND DEAD CORPSES LOLOLOL) was suppose to refer to the frustrations of those who are alienated. Also, Merde was trialed and when he was asked why he had committed such a crime, he said that it was for the lulz. Fine. I was joking.

As important as the Merde segment, the first segment, Interior Design, initiates the discourse by telling us how bland social bonds are in Tokyo. Thus, it is probablythe coldness among people that leads to the manifestation of Merde, the AWESOME troll, he who hates everyone. Finally, Shaking Tokyo is a more straightforward tale of a hikkikomori leaving his lifestyle of isolation after falling in love with a girl who is on the brink of becoming a hikkikomori herself. While not as spectacular and stimulating as the first two segments, Shaking Tokyo is an acceptable approach to conclude Tokyo!

I cannot say whether Tokyo! was a darn good show or not. It is really strange and “thought-provoking,” but to what extent is it intellectual, I am in no position to pass judgements. If you like to be mindraped, go watch it. I shall return to my fanservice shows.

P.S. One reason to watch Tokyo! is to see Aoi Yuu, who acted as Hagu in the live action version of Honey and Clover.