is a 2004

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese film by director Minoru Kawasaki, starring Kana Ishida and

Osamu Nishimura was a Japanese professional wrestler. Nishimura was best known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and MUGA World Pro Wrestling (MUGA). Outside of pro wrestling, he was also a politician, having served as a member of the Tokyo Bunk ...

.Review at Nippon Cinema
/ref>

Plot

The plot revolves around a professional wrestler who, after developing a terminal illness, becomes a giant

squid A squid (: squid) is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight cephalopod limb, arms, and two tentacles in the orders Myopsida, Oegopsida, and Bathyteuthida (though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also ...

-like creature (

). As a giant squid, he must battle to reclaim his former life both inside and outside the ring.

Cast

* Kana Ishida as Miyako *

as Kanichi Iwata/The Calamari Wrestler *

Akira Nogami is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor, currently working as Akira (occasionally stylised in all-capitals). He has also worked as a trainer. Professional wrestling career New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1984–2004) After graduating from high ...

as Koji Taguchi/The Octopus Wrestler * Hirohisa Nakata as Godozan/The Squilla Boxer *

Miho Shiraishi is a Japanese actress from Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Filmography Film *''Shiroi Fune'' (2002) *'' Swing Girls'' (2004) ''as Yayoi Itami'' *''Densha Otoko'' (2005) ''cameo'' *'' The Harimaya Bridge'' (2009) ''as Kayo Takeuchi'' *''Halfway'' (20 ...

as Sister *

Yoshihiro Takayama is a Japanese former professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Debuting for UWF International (UWFI) in the 1990s, Takayama joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in 1997 after UWF-i folded. In 2000, he joined Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), an ...

as himself * Hariken Ryu as Calamari Wrestler's suit actor

Reception

Jeannett Catsoulis of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described the film as goofy and bizarre "yet surprisingly coherent" with "a good-natured charm." Catsoulis commented on the themes of the film noting a "convincing parallel between the anxieties of post-World War II Japan and what the film calls the "utter chaos" of the country today."

References

External links

* * (Japanese) Professional wrestling films 2000s sports comedy films 2004 films 2000s Japanese-language films Films about cephalopods Films directed by Minoru Kawasaki Fictional squid 2004 comedy films 2000s English-language films 2000s Japanese films English-language sports comedy films {{2000s-Japan-film-stub