Be a Man!! Samurai School

Otoko-juku is the elite secret school where every prominent Japanese  figure is taught how to become a real man. The school is run by  Principal Heihachi Edajima - legendary WW II hero - and the manly Drill  Masters. The US President allegedly said about Heihachi: “If there were  10 Edajimas, Japan would’ve won the war!” Omito Date is the typical  school champion who gets corrupted by power and for which he’s expelled  for life, but before leaving – of course – he swears revenge. That time  is now. Edajima challenges Date and his champions to an Amazing Triple  Death Battle – a test of true human spirit only the purest of heart can  survive. Fighting for Otoko-juku are Momotaro Tsurugi, Ryuji Toramaru  and Genji Togashi who now have the fate of the school in their hands.

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I rewrote the opening paragraph 4 times before deciding to simply begin  with a plot synopsis. Magnum and I often joke how we (meaning the  Western culture) cannot understand (truly appreciate) things Asian –  being their crazy  spiky haircuts or the fact they  can all fly. Another thing unexplainable is their manliness, a  different type of manliness. Western manliness is often attributed to  having big muscles. But true manliness is not about muscles, it’s about  the power of spirit. While many have muscles, only a few have spirit.  And the manly spirit is the main theme of “Be a Man!! Samurai School”  (original title: "Sakigake!! Otokojuku")


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Some reviewers say this is a spoof of Japanese macho figures. But I  don’t see it as such. Sure, the situations here are completely over the  top and pushed to the extremes. In being so, the western audiences will  see it as a wacky, unrealistic comedy. They may like it, but they’ll  miss the point. On the other hand, I believe in Ki (or whatever you wish  to call it) and that a truly disciplined mind can indeed perform feats  which we refer to as “miracles”. I believe the mind has no limits, but  is imprisoned by indoctrination and the belief systems imposed onto us  from the day we are born (the cult of science, religion, etc). And as  Robert Anton Wilson says, "As the Thinker thinks, the prover proves".  However, one day we’ll hopefully surpass these boundaries and become our  true selves – real men! … that is, if we don’t blow up the planet first  in an all out nuclear war. But I digress so let's get back to the film.

It was both adapted from Akira Miyashita's anime/manga and directed by  Tak Sakaguchi, this being his directorial debut. He also plays the hero  Momotaro. Hideo Sakaki, who plays Date, and him are old associates  having starred in many films together. I don’t even have to point out  how goddamn manly Heihachi and the Drill Masters are!  OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! That said, the story as I've read,  deviates somewhat from the manga, but that was to be expected.

The only problem lies in the action scenes. This was really a surprise,  because Tak Sakaguchi is first and foremost a stuntman and fight  choreographer. The action in “Be a Man!! Samurai School” is, to put it  simply, very lame. The concept of the Amazing Triple Death Battle was  great – 6 combatants, three 1 vs 1 rounds in three different  environments: a collapsing cave, a cliff and in the middle of a lava  flow. The ATDB takes up the last 50 minutes of the film and is pathetic  for the most part. I know they were on a tight budget, but still...  Sakaguchi did wonders for cheaper films than this. If it weren’t for the  overall huge amount of manliness, I would’ve been greatly disappointed.


<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">  But even the shitty action cannot take away the greatness from “Be  a Man!! Samurai School”. Under its seemingly shallow surface, it holds  more wisdom than most films I’ve ever seen.

Rating: 8/10

- review by Ventilation Shaft