is a 1983

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

teen Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human Developmental biology, physical and psychological Human development (biology), development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age o ...

yakuza film is a popular film genre in Japanese cinema which focuses on the lives and dealings of ''yakuza'', Japanese organized crime syndicates. In the silent film era, depictions of '' bakuto'' (precursors to modern yakuza) as sympathetic Robin Hood- ...

directed by

Shinji Sōmai was a Japanese film director. He directed 13 films between 1980 and 2000 and was noted for his work within seishun-eiga, which include films such as the successful ''Sailor Suit and Machine Gun'' (1981) and critically acclaimed '' Typhoon Clu ...

. The film centers on three adolescents in search of their kidnapped classmate.

Cast

Tatsuya Fuji is a Japanese actor. He was born in Beijing and raised in Yokohama. In 1962, Fuji joined Nikkatsu Company and began his acting career with small roles in Nikkatsu film. In 1968, Fuji married actress Izumi Ashikawa. He gained popularity throug ...

as Gonbei, 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 ...

member past his prime *

Michiko Kawai is a Japanese actress and singer. Her real name is . She was represented with ABC inc. As a singer she is nicknamed . Filmography Films TV dramas Music programmes NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen entries Others Radio DVD Stage Discography ...

as Bruce, the tomboyish female member of the adolescent trio *

Masatoshi Nagase is a Japanese actor and singer. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's ''Cold Fever'' and Jim Jarmusch's ''Mystery Train (film), Mystery Train''. Nagase was described by Todd Brown of Twitch Film as "one of t ...

as JoJo, an assertive member of the trio *

Shinobu Sakagami is a Japanese ''tarento'', essayist, film director, television presenter, singer and actor. Sakagami entered the entertainment industry at the age of 3 as a child actor, marking him one of the longest tenured in the industry for his age. Life a ...

as Jisho, the more reserved of the three youths *Hideko Hara as Arare, a schoolteacher *Yoshikazu Suzuki as Nobunaga Deguchi, a kidnapped classmate of Bruce, JoJo, and Jisho *

Masatō Ibu is a Japanese actor and voice actor, Best known for his villainous characters. He is sometimes credited as Masato Eve. Filmography Films * '' P.P. Rider'' (1983) *'' Love Hotel'' (1985) *'' Maison Ikkoku'' (1986) *'' Empire of the Sun'' (1987 ...

as Tanaka, a policeman *Ryo Kinomoto as Masa *Masahiro Kuwana as Yama *Ichirô Zaitsu as the Shimada gang leader *

Hiroaki Murakami is a Japanese actor. He specializes in ''jidaigeki'' roles, and has also taken parts in ''tokusatsu'' and modern productions. Career Born in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, he enrolled in Hosei University but withdrew when he successfully aud ...

as Kinta, a Shimada gang member *

Mitsuko Baisho is a Japanese actress whose most internationally known work has been for director Shohei Imamura, from 1979 up to the director's final film in 2010. Baisho has also appeared in films directed by Akira Kurosawa. She won awards for best actress at ...

as an associate of the Shimada gang *Casey Takamine as a moneylender *Takehiko Maeda as Nobunaga's dad

Production

''P.P. Rider'' was produced by

Kitty Films Kitty Films Co., Ltd. (キティフィルム ''Kabushiki-gaisha Kiti Firumu'') was a production company established in 1972 in Japan. They were a pioneer in releasing full anime television series in a single set. The sound recording work by Ken' ...

with whom Sōmai had previously collaborated on 1980's '' Tonda Couple''. Sōmai's final cut of the ''P.P. Rider'' was four hours long; he had to cut the runtime in half as the film was intended to run as part of a double feature.

Release

Theatrical

The film was released in Japan by

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

on February 11, 1983, as a double feature with '' Urusei Yatsura: Only You''.

2K restoration

In 2023 ''P.P. Rider'' was restored for distribution in the United States by the

Cinema Guild The Cinema Guild Inc. is an American film distribution company. It was established by Philip Hobel and Mary-Ann Hobel, producers known for their work in documentaries and features, including the film ''Tender Mercies''. Since 1968, the Cinema ...

, who collaborated with Japan Society to present the film as part of ''Rites of Passage: The Films of Shinji Somai'', the first North American retrospective on Shinji Sōmai. The restoration was subsequently screened at Yale and then at the

IFC Center IFC Center is an art house movie theater in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City. Located at 323 Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) at West 3rd Street, it was formerly the Waverly Theater, an art house movie theater. IFC Center is ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

on September 8, 2023, alongside a new 4K restoration of '' Typhoon Club'', another film by Sōmai which previously had the world premiere of its restoration as part of Japan Society's program.

References

{{Shinji Sōmai Japanese road movies 1983 in Japan Films directed by Shinji Sōmai Yakuza films 1980s Japanese films