Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono is probably best known for his films “Love Exposure” and “Cold Fish,” but even then, his pictures have mostly played to a cult audience and they don’t consistently get arthouse releases in the United States. Indeed, his epic two-hour-and-20-minute manga adaptation “Shinjuku Swan” hit the festival circuit and that was about it. But the film has surprisingly managed to spawn a sequel.
READ MORE: Fantasia Review: Sion Sono’s ‘Shinjuku Swan’
The original (and not particularly good) movie followed the adventures of Tatsuhiko Shiratori (Gô Ayano), a street urchin of sorts, who manages to fall into the yakuza lifestyle and rise up the ranks. The original was a bold blend of action, comedy, and drama, but it was tonally off balance, and big stretches of the movie were devoted to guys talking in rooms about what they’re eventually going to do. Hopefully for the follow-up, Sono has trimmed the fat a bit. Here’s the synopsis via AsianWiki:
Tatsuhiko Shiratori (Gô Ayano) works as a scout, recruiting girls to work in the adult entertainment business. He movies to Yokohama from Shinjuku, Tokyo. He comes into conflict with Masaki Taki (Tadanobu Asano) who is the CEO of a scout company.
“Shinjuku Swan II” opens in Japan on January 21, 2017. And it’s probably a safe bet you’ll have to track this down on the festival circuit stateside if you want to watch it. [Cine Maldito]
