Review of K-20 Kaijin Nijuumenso. Den

Title: K-20 Kaijin Nijuumenso. Den
Official website: here
Original novel by Kimura Sou
Director: Sato Shimako
Produced by: Toho / ROBOT
Total run time: 137 minutes




Cast:
Endo Heikichi - Kaneshiro Takeshi
Hashiba Yoko - Matsu Takako
Akechi Kogoro - Nakamura Tooru
Genji - Kunimura Hayato
Kikuko - Takashima Reiko
Kobayashi Yoshio - Hongo Kanata
Shinsuke - Imai Yuki
Namikoshi - Masuoka Tooru
Mysterious man - Shika Takeshi
Assistant at academic seminar - Kaname Jun

The story is set in 1949 where the fictitious capital of Japan, Teito exists. Due to a peace treaty signed with America and Britain, World War II did not happen. As a result, the world in 1949 is one which differs from real history. 90% of the people in Teito are rich or are aristocrats while the remaining people live in poverty and are not allowed to marry or associate with people not in the same status rank. Japan only started TV broadcasting in 1953 but this is already present in 1949's Teito. In addition, Japan was under German influence prior to WWII so in this movie, since WWII did not happen, the German influence is still evident in 1949. You can see German words on the police cars and other foreign language signs.

Endo Heikichi is an acrobat cum magician in a circus who lives an ordinary life. However, his life is turned upside-down when he accepts a job from a mysterious man to take photos of the engagement ceremony of Akechi Kogoro and Hashiba Yoko. He unwittingly sets off an explosion in the Hashiba building and is mistaken as K-20, a thief who has eluded the police many times. Heikichi manages to escape from custody with the help of his friends led by Genji, the gadget master in their circus and sets out to avenge himself by nabbing the real K-20. He enlists the help of Yoko and Akechi in his mission but is shocked to discover the real identity of K-20 as well as the motive...

The highlight of this movie is of course, the trio of Kaneshiro Takeshi, Matsu Takako and Nakamura Tooru. I like Kaneshiro and Matsu's chemistry. They are a fine couple to look at onscreen and I thought they showed the sparks in Heikichi and Yoko's relationship pretty well.

However, I would have loved to see more of Kaneshiro. Well, not just because of his looks (in fact I don't like it when he has long hair), I simply felt that he didn't have enough airtime to show Heikichi as a complete character. Heikichi said that his only wish is to go back to the circus even if he doesn't manage to clear his name but then the story failed to address the reason behind his insistence e.g. he had been with the circus since he was a child or he had nowhere to go if he leaves the circus. However, he still did not get his wish in the end. That is why I think it's better if they address why he has come to terms about not being able to return to the circus.

He did pretty well in the fight sequences with K-20 especially during the climax scene but I thought it was a bit weird, as if they were all doing gravity-defying moves like those Chinese martial arts movies. That CG of the Hashiba building was great. At least it made me in awe of the scale of that building and its surroundings. Nonetheless, it was still enjoyable to enjoy the action. There wasn't much of the suspense in this story but the identity of K-20 was a bit surprising. Other than that, this feels more like an action flick rather than a suspense thriller to me.

I would have thought that Matsu will be a big accessory in this film but her role turns to be not that ditzy after all. Although Yoko appears as a rich girl who knows nothing about the poverty plaguing the lower-class people, she springs into action once she identifies the issue and is quick to offer help when Heikichi needs it. As such, she is not some brainless girl who only knows how to wait for people to do things for her. And it's been some time since I last saw Matsu in a movie or drama so I believe Matsu fans will definitely want to catch a glimpse of her in this movie.

I've heard some unfavourable reviews about this movie before I went to watch it today but I must say that it is a pretty enjoyable film after all. Don't expect too much from the suspense and pay more attention to the CG, the fighting scenes as well as the visually-attractive couple of Kaneshiro and Matsu. I guess this is to manage your expecations in case you get disappointed at the end.

And my ratings for this movie...
Story: 7 out of 10 (Peppered with lots of humour but a bit lacking in the suspense department. It doesn't need a genius to guess what's going to happen)
Acting: 7 out of 10 (Everyone did OK generally so there wasn't anybody especially worth mentioning)
Theme song: 7 out of 10 (Mostly BGM tracks. There wasn't a theme song for this movie)
Visual effects / Scenery: 7.5 out of 10 (I like the CG, especially in the climax scene at the Hashiba Building)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 7.5 out of 10 (Kaneshiro and Matsu did well. Kaneshiro's partnership with Kunimura Hayato also stood out.)

Total: 36 out of 50