Quick Review #114: Shounen (movie)

Title: Shounen / 娼年

Rating: 1 / 10

Recommended for: 

Those who do not mind watching a porn flick disguised as a love story

* Disclaimer: I have not read the original novel.

Liked:

- Matsuzaka Toori and the actresses featured in this movie really gave their all so the single point I gave for this movie was solely for their efforts.

Disliked: 

- Do not be fooled by the positioning of this film as a love story. There was hardly anything related to love featured in the entire movie of where almost 90% of the intimate scenes were pretty much bare-all for the cast. I wondered if the original novel was written to be like this or it was the director and/or scriptwriter's intention to make the movie into such a sensationalised porn flick to attract eyeballs. If I knew what I was getting into, I probably wouldn't feel so angry about literally being taken for a ride. Even though I sped through the movie at 1.5X playback speed as soon as 15 minutes into the film, it was such a torture to sit through this where there was hardly any story to speak of.

- In relation to the above point, I couldn't help but wonder if there was a need to go to this extent for the sex scenes. While I understand that the story needed to show how the lead character evolved to develop new mindsets about sex and women and overcame his trauma as a kid after becoming a call boy and his encounters with various women with different sexual preferences, was there really a need to have such prolonged shots that lingered endlessly on the actresses' chests or subject them to acting out the whole "process" in such an extreme and explicit manner? If it had been that the movie was indeed a love story, where were the parts that should depict the emotions of these characters? As a viewer, I really didn't see why there was a need for so much nudity and explicitness and that many of these scenes were totally redundant.

- Much as I want to commend Matsuzaka and the actresses for their efforts, I also felt that this movie failed to show off their acting chops and other than "showcasing their abilities to act out these overly-explicit bed scenes". I truly wouldn't want to recommend fans of the cast to watch this because the movie just didn't do them justice and could seriously dent your impression or image of your favourites. However, if you are going to watch this with prior knowledge of how extreme it could get, perhaps this might be a bit more palatable and easier to digest.

Winners of the 31st Nikkansports Movie Awards & Ishihara Yujiro Award (2018)

Best Movie: Manbiki Kazoku

Best Director: Shiraishi Kazuya (Sunny 32 / Korou no Chi / Tomerareruka, oretachi wo)

Best Leading Actor: Matsuzaka Toori (Funouhan / Shounen)

Best Leading Actress: Ando Sakura (Manbiki Kazoku)

Best Supporting Actor: Takahashi Issei (Uso wo aisuru onna / Soratobu Taiya / Oku Otoko)

Best Supporting Actress: Kiki Kirin (Manbiki Kazoku / Mori no iru basho / Nichinichi kore koujitsu)

Best Newcomer: Hirate Yurina (HIBIKI)

Best Foreign Movie: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Ishihara Yujiro Award: Camera wo tomeru na!

Ishihara Yujiro Newcomer Award: Iwata Takanori (Kyounen no fuyu, kimi to wakare / Vision / Perfect World Kimi to iru kiseki)

Source: Natalie

Winners of the 10th TAMA Movie Awards (2018)

Best Movie
Manbiki Kazoku
Netemo Sametemo

Special Award
Mori no iru basho
Camera wo tomeruna!

Best Actor
Higashide Masahiro (Netemo sametemo / Kiku to Guillotine / Panku Samurai, Kirarete Soro / OVER DRIVE / Yochou Sanposuru Shinryakusha)
Matsuzaka Toori (Korou no Chi / Shounen / Funouhan / Kanojo ga sono na wo shiranai toritachi)

Best Actress
Ando Sakura (Manbiki Kazoku / DESTINY Kamakura Monogatari)
Matsuoka Mayu (Katte ni furuetero / Manbiki Kazoku / Chihayafuru - Musubi - / blank13)

Best New Director
Imaizumi Rikiya (Pan to bus to nidome no hatsukoi)
Miyake Sho (Kimi no tori wa utaeru)

Best Newcomer Actor
Yoshimura Kaito (Mori no iru basho / Akuma / Saraba Seijaku / Vigilante)
Yoshizawa Ryo (River's Edge / Neko wa dakumono / Gintama 2 Okite wa yaburu tame ni koso aru / Marmalade Boy / Aku to kame no ruuru / Leon / Saiki Kusuo no Sainan)

Best Newcomer Actress
Fukagawa Mai (Pan to bus to nidome no hatsukoi)
Ito Sairi (Enokida Bouekidou / Pan to bus to nidome no hatsukoi / Netemo sametemo / blank13)

Source: Natalie

Supporting cast line-up of new movie "Shounen" announced

The supporting cast line-up of new movie "Shounen" starring Matsuzaka Toori had been announced. The story which is based on the same-titled Naoki Award nominee novel by Ishida Ira, features the lead character Morinaka Ryo (Matsuzaka)who is bored with his life as an university student and works without an aim in his part-time job at a bar. One day, his friend from junior high Tajima Shinya who works as a host, brings his customer Midou Shizuka to the bar where Ryo works at. Although Ryo is disinterested in love and women, he accepts the challenge by Shizuka to work at the secret members-only boys' club "Le Club Passion" which she owns. Although Ryo is at a loss as to what to do at first, he gradually comes to realise the depth and strength of the desires hidden in the female customers he comes across and finds meaning in his job as a call boy. In addition, he finds himself falling for Shizuka who is much older than him.

Matsuzaka Toori to star in new real-life adaptation movie "Shounen" as a call boy

Matsuzaka Toori will be starring in the new real-life adaptation movie "Shounen" (Call Boy) which is based on the same-titled Naoki Award nominee novel by Ishida Ira. The movie will be directed by Miura Daisuke who directed the stage play version in August last year also featuring Matsuzaka as the lead. Due to the sexual references in the story, the stage play got a R-15 rating but still managed to sell out during its run. For the movie version, the movie company will go out to present the story in its entirety without cutting down on the sexual references thus it is likely to earn it a restricted rating again.