is a 2001 Japanese youth

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

, written and directed by

Toshiaki Toyoda is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Career Born in Osaka Prefecture, Toyoda was first a prodigy in the game of shogi or Japanese chess. He attended the Japan Shogi Association's apprenticeship (Shōreikai) from age 9 with the aim of b ...

and based on

Taiyō Matsumoto is a Japanese manga artist from Tokyo. He has won several awards, including the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize and Eisner Award. ''Ping Pong'' and ''Blue Spring'' have been adapted into live-action feature films. Animat ...

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is use ...

of same title. It tells a tale of apathetic school students at a run-down Tokyo high school for boys. It was released on September 10, 2001. The film title can be understood as "inexperienced years" or teenage years, but it also can be understood as "fresh start". According to

manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...

Taiyō Matsumoto, the title is intended as a play on irony.

Plot

At Asashi High, a run-down high school for boys, Kujo, Aoki, Yukio, Yoshimura, and Ota are a gang of school friends lost in apathy and dissatisfaction. They are aware their future offers limited options. Even most teachers have already written them off as a lost cause. Kujo's gang is part of the school's illegal society, which is controlled through a rooftop game as a test of courage: the Clapping Game. Whoever wins the game gets to be the society's leader, and rules all gangs throughout Asahi High. No teacher can stand up to this society. After a round of the Clapping Game, Kujo wins the leadership role, which excites his best friend Aoki, who wants Kujo to dominate the school through the use of casual violence. However, Kujo passively resists doing this. Aoki eventually realizes his best friend only took part in the Clapping Game to pass the time, and that Kujo never wanted to be the school's leader. Devastated, he challenges Kujo for his leadership, and loses. As Aoki becomes disillusioned, alienated and hostile toward Kujo, friends around them slowly fall apart, bringing their school to a series of mini violent climaxes.

Cast

Ryuhei Matsuda is a Japanese film and television actor. Matsuda's best known film roles include the young and desirable samurai Sōzaburō Kanō in ''Taboo'' and the rock star Ren Honjo in '' Nana''. Early life Matsuda was born on 9 May 1983 in Tokyo, to Yū ...

as Kujo *

Hirofumi Arai is a third-generation Zainichi Korean former actor. Career Arai made his screen debut in Isao Yukisada's '' Go'' in 2001 when he was 22 years old. His next film role was the emotionally disturbed senior high school student Aoki in Toshiaki T ...

as Aoki *

Sousuke Takaoka is a Japanese former actor, known for his break-out performance in the controversial movie '' Battle Royale''. Career His break-out performance was in the controversial movie '' Battle Royale'', in which he played the pacifistic Hiroki Sugimura ...

as Yukio * Yusuke Oshiba as Kimura * Yuta Yamazaki as Ota *

Shugo Oshinari is a Japanese actor. Career Oshinari co-starred in Shunji Iwai's ''All About Lily Chou-Chou'' with Hayato Ichihara. He also appeared in films such as Kenta Fukasaku's '' Battle Royale II: Requiem'' and Takahisa Zeze's ''Heaven's Story''. Filmog ...

as Yoshimura *

Kiyohiko Shibukawa is a Japanese fashion model actor. He debuted as a model under the name Kee, but changed his name to "Kiyohiko Shibukawa" in 2006. He has appeared in more than 60 films since 1998. Selected filmography Film Television Awards See also *Nan ...

as Kee * Onimaru as Suzuki *

Eita is a Japanese actor from Tokyo. He has appeared in many Japanese television dramas and movies; most notable is the TV series ''Water Boys is a 2001 Japanese comedy film written and directed by Shinobu Yaguchi, about five boys who start a ...

as Obake/Ghost * Rei Yamanaka as Leo * Mame Yamada as Hanada-sensei * Erena as High School girl * Genta Dairaku as Career counselor * Kyôko Koizumi as Kiosk woman *

Takashi Tsukamoto is a Japanese actor, singer, and model. He has released three single CDs: "Itsudemo Boku wa" (いつでも僕は, Anytime I am...), "Hitorigoto" (ヒ・ト・リ・ゴ・ト, Soliloquy), "New Morning". He also portrayed the character Shinji M ...

as Freshman in Baseball Club

Soundtrack

The ''Blue Spring'' original soundtrack rose to #24 on Oricon Albums Chart Top 30 shortly after the film release and ''Drop'', a track from the soundtrack, rose to #13 on Oricon Singles Chart Top 30 in July 2002.

DVD

Released under Artsmagic in 2004, the DVD features extras including two interviews with Toyoda, biographies and filmographies of the main actors and a feature-length commentary by

Tom Mes Midnight Eye is a non-profit review website launched in 2001 by Tom Mes, Jasper Sharp, and Martin Mes. The website features reviews and analyses of Japanese films, as well as book reviews and interviews with filmmakers. In June 2015, it was announ ...

, who edits

Midnight Eye Midnight Eye is a non-profit review website launched in 2001 by Tom Mes, Jasper Sharp, and Martin Mes. The website features reviews and analyses of Japanese films, as well as book reviews and interviews with filmmakers. In June 2015, it was announc ...

, an online English-language magazine of Japanese cinema.

Reception

On Midnight Eye, Tom Mes said the film was "magnificent but much overlooked".

References

External links

* {{Toshiaki Toyoda 2001 films Live-action films based on manga 2000s thriller films Japanese thriller films Films directed by Toshiaki Toyoda 2000s Japanese-language films 2000s Japanese films