is a 1996 Japanese film written, edited and directed by

Takeshi Kitano , also known as in Japan, is a Japanese comedian, actor, and filmmaker. While he is known primarily as a comedian and TV host in his native Japan, he is better known abroad for his work as a filmmaker and actor as well as TV host. During hi ...

. The film was made directly after Kitano recovered from a motorcycle wreck that left one side of his body

paralyzed Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, r ...

. After undergoing extensive surgery and physical therapy, he quickly went about making ''Kids Return'' amidst speculation that he might never be able to work again. The movie is about two high school dropouts, Masaru ( Ken Kaneko) and Shinji (

Masanobu Andō is a Japanese actor. Ando has appeared in films such as Takeshi Kitano's '' Kids Return'' (1996), Kinji Fukasaku's '' Battle Royale'' (2000), Takashi Miike's '' Sukiyaki Western Django'' (2007), and Chen Kaige's '' Forever Enthralled'' (2008). ...

), who try to find a direction and meaning in their lives—one by becoming a

yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yak ...

lieutenant, the other by becoming a

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. The music was composed by

Joe Hisaishi , known professionally as , is a Japanese composer, musical director, conductor and pianist, known for over 100 film scores and solo albums dating back to 1981. Hisaishi's music has been known to explore and incorporate different genres, inclu ...

, and the cinematographer was Katsumi Yanagishima.

Plot

Shinji and Masaru are high school delinquents, terrifying their classmates, stealing money, and even setting their teacher's car on fire. After some of their victims hire a boxer to beat up Masaru, he decides to get revenge, and takes his shy friend Shinji along with him to a boxing gym. To their trainers' surprise, Shinji is naturally-talented at boxing and easily defeats Masaru in a sparring session. Masaru encourages his friend to keep going at it, and quits boxing, opting instead to join the

. As Shinji focuses on becoming a successful boxer, Masaru aims to become a gang leader, and their paths diverge. While the two of them climb to the top in their respective areas, Shinji adopts an unhealthy lifestyle that results in the end of his boxing career. Likewise, Masaru's arrogance and disrespect for his boss gets him kicked out of the yakuza. In the end, they are both left with nothing, and meet again. As they ride their bike together in the schoolyard, Shinji wonders if this is the end of their lives, but Masaru assures him that "it's only the beginning".

Cast and roles

* Ken Kaneko as Masaru *

as Shinji * Leo Morimoto as Teacher * Hatsuo Yamatani as boxing club manager (credited as Hatsuo Yamaya) * Michisuke Kashiwaya as Hiroshi * Mitsuko Oka as coffee-shop owner, Sachiko's mother * Yūko Daike as Sachiko *

Ryo Ishibashi is a Japanese actor and lead singer of the Japanese rock band ARB. He is known around the world for his roles in the Japanese horror films '' Suicide Club'' and '' Audition.'' He is also recognized in America for his role as Nakagawa in '' Th ...

as local Yakuza chief *

Susumu Terajima is a Japanese actor. Though he has played a wide range of characters, he is perhaps best known for his portrayal of ''yakuza'' figures, most notably in the films of Takeshi Kitano. Terajima made his acting debut in 1986's '' A Homansu''. He ...

as No. 2 in local gang * Moro Morooka as Hayashi * Peking Genji * Atsuki Ueda as Reiko * Kotaro Yoshida * Koichi Shigehisa as Trainer * Kyōsuke Yabe * Yoshitaka Ōtsuka as delinquent * Masami Shimojō as Yakuza godfather * Kazuki Oh * Shintarō Hasegawa *

Kanji Tsuda is a Japanese actor. Career Tsuda appeared in Kamen Rider Ryuki as Daisuke Okubo and Ju-On: The Grudge as Katsuya Tokunaga. Filmography Film * '' Sonatine'' (1993) * ''119'' (1994) * '' Kids Return'' (1996) * '' Hana-bi'' (1997) * '' Bays ...

* Yojin Hino as taxi office worker (credited as Yōjin Hino) *

Ren Osugi , born was a Japanese actor. For his work in ''Cure'', '' Hana-bi'' and other films, Osugi was given the Best Supporting Actor award at the 1999 Yokohama Film Festival. He often worked alongside Takeshi Kitano and Susumu Terajima. In the DVD com ...

as taxi passenger *

Takashi Hagino is a Japanese actor. He is noted for his roles in ''tokusatsu'' dramas, such as the lead role in and his supporting role in as the psychopath Takeshi Asakura, known as Kamen Rider Ouja. Television roles Tokusatsu *'' Choukou Senshi Changé ...

Soundtrack

''All compositions by

.'' #"Meet Again" − 5:02 #"Graduation" − 1:07 #"Angel Doll" − 2:21 #"Alone" − 1:15 #"As a Rival" − 1:29 #"Promise... for Us" − 5:08 #"Next Round" − 1:28 #"Destiny" − 3:31 #"I Don't Care" − 2:18 #"High Spirits" − 2:03 #"Defeat" − 2:29 #"Break Down" − 3:46 #"No Way Out" − 2:51 #"The Day After" − 0:44 #"Kids Return" − 4:40

Reception

Critical reception

At the time of its release, ''Kids Return'' was Takeshi Kitano's most successful film yet in his native

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 ...

, which until then had been notedly less enthusiastic about his films than international viewers.

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

gives this film a 100% approval rating based on reviews from five critics, with an average score of 7.8 out of 10. David Wood, writing for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, described it as "a tender, funny and melancholy affair which will come as a delight to ardent admirers after the recent '' Kikujiro.''" He gave the film 4 out of 5 stars.

Accolades

At the 1997

Japanese Academy Awards The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...

, ''Kids Return'' was nominated for three awards and won two of them.Kids Return (1996) Awards
IMDb. Retrieved 20 August 2018.

Sequel

In 2013 a sequel to the film titled ''Kids Return: The Reunion'' was released, directed by the assistant director of the original, Hiroshi Shimizu. It is set ten years after the original and follows an older Shinji ( Yuta Hiraoka) and Masaru ( Takahiro Miura). The two of them meet after their failures in boxing and crime, respectively, and they work together to improve their situation. The new film was created with minimal input from Kitano.Schilling, Mark (10 October 2013)
‘Kids Return: Saikai no Toki (Kids Return: The Reunion)’
''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

''. Retrieved 20 August 2018.

References

External links

* * Reviews
Nippon Cinema

Review by Boris Trbic
at

Senses of Cinema ''Senses of Cinema'' is a quarterly online film magazine founded in 1999 by filmmaker Bill Mousoulis. Based in Melbourne, Australia, ''Senses of Cinema'' publishes work by film critics from all over the world, including critical essays, career ...

{{Navboxes , title = Awards for ''Kids Return'' , list = {{Mainichi Film Award for Excellence Film {{Tokyo Sports Film Award for Best Film {{Yokohama Film Festival Best Film 1996 films 1990s sports films 1990s Japanese-language films Japanese high school films Japanese boxing films Films directed by Takeshi Kitano Yakuza films Films scored by Joe Hisaishi 1990s Japanese films