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Salaryman Kintaro [Sarariman Kintarou]
サラリーマン金太郎 can't see this?
Genre: Whoop-Ass White Collar Anime review in one breath When notorious biker-Lord Yajima Kintaro abandons his gang to pursue a straighter path, he finds that even in the mundane world of white collar work there are plenty of times a man must either step up and confront injustice or acquiesce out of intimidation. Unfortunately for the bad guys, Kintaro has not forgotten his whoop-ass ways and brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "office power politics"! intro The film under review here is the anime version of Salaryman Kintaro. The widely popular Kintaro character derives from the manga (by the same name) by Motomiya Hiroshi. In addition to the four anime episodes making up this film, there has also been a Japanese TV drama (live action) aired for three seasons, over 20 episodes of a TV animation series, a (live action) theatrical release directed by none other than Miike Takashi, and several video/Playstation games all named Salaryman Kintaro. The Salaryman Kintaro stories address not only some of the major difficulties faced by Japanese white collar workers ("salarymen"), but provides the main character (Kintaro) with enough balls and bravado to literally become a working-class hero. Thus Kintaro embodies both the diligence necessary to survive in the social ladder and the balls to stand up for himself and others when the going gets tough. And in the Kintaro stories, things seem to get tough quickly, resulting in alot of big bad guys getting knocked and thrown all over the place. When the dust settles, not only has justice been meted out, but a moral lesson of honesty and honor has been imbued. In this way Salaryman Kintaro comes across as both action-packed and heart-warming, representing a head-to-head attack on the problems of life while maintaining one's values and character. Yakuza beware! That guy at the copy machine is gonna kick your butt! story Just a few years prior Yajima Kintaro was the leader of a motorcycle gang of 10,000 and was both feared and revered. After the birth of his son Ryuta and the subsequent death of his wife Akemi, Kintaro disbanded his gang and turned instead to the life of a salaryman in order to fulfill his duties to both Ryuta and Akemi. But while his title may have changed, his fearlessness and insight have not, often leading him headlong into scenarions which cause lesser men to tremble or flee. Those who attempt to manipulate others through fear and threats had better stand back, since Kintaro will have none of it. And those who still have a little of the old-school manlihood left in them see in Kintaro a breath of fresh air in a world otherwise filled with grovelling and intimidations. Four separate yet sequential episodes make up the DVD under review here. Each episode pits Kintaro against a different struggle or stage of development in his newly acquired office job. In addition to fulfilling his often menial job requirements, Kintaro also seems to have a knack for mah-jong, can drink a beer in seconds flat, is a lady killer especially when he mentions that he has a kid, and can literally beat the snot out of any Yakuza foolish enough to underestimate him. verdict This entire collection is simply great, with top-notch anime and a thoroughly impressive story. While American audiences grew up watching a cartoon mouse hit a cat with a hammer, Japanese audiences have been privy to some of the most humanitarian and morally-rich anime ever produced. Salaryman Kintaro resides thoroughly in that tradition and provides an inspiring message wrapped in a ball-busting package. Kintaro is a man's man and as such does not forsake the importance of conscience, honor and, well, kicking butt. Salaryman Kintaro is scheduled for release to US audiences in Region 1 DVD by ArtsMagic DVD sometime in May 2005. You can order/pre-order this at ArtMagic's US distribution site www.artsmagicdvd.com. Version reviewed: Screener DVD
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