The Curse of Kabachitare!

Do you know what a ghost ship is? Not a spooky spectre of an ocean going vessel, but a real ghost ship. It’s a ship that’s been abandoned but, for whatever reasons, doesn’t sink and just floats around the oceans unmanned and alone. The best example I know of is the SS Baychimo that was sighted several times over the space of thirty years without ever being salvaged.

Which brings us to Kabachitare! This series (broadcast in 2001) was one of the first J-dramas I ever watched. Except I didn’t see more than the first two episodes, subbed in 2006 by YamaQ-T fansubs. Then nothing.

Suddenly, in 2010, BON Fansubs said they were going to sub it. They didn’t get too far either (episode one hardsubbed), and once again Kabachitare! vanished into the mist.

Then in June of this year, quite out of nowhere, a d-addicts user Virgule said that the translation was done, and all that was needed was QA. He didn’t say which episode, but it was encouraging.

But since then, it’s been radio silence again.

I wonder how many more fansubbers will become stuck on Eri Fukatsu’s lightning delivery, or be bemused by out-of-date references to things that everyone knew fifteen years ago but are now forgotten.

I don’t envy them. It seems like a hell of a job to take on. I certainly couldn’t do it, especially with no Japanese subs to work from.

All that’s left is to keep an eye on the horizon and hope it comes into view.

Just watched: Suteki na Kakushidori

This film for TV was made as a side-project to Mitani Kuoki's cinema release Suteki na Kanashibari, and it shares a lot of the same cast. In the TV film, Fukatsu Eri plays a concierge at a hotel who finds herself trying to fulfil the wishes of a series of eccentric guests.

It's a simple and light-hearted comedy. The structure is episodic: when one guest's story ends, the next one begins. None of the guests interact, so there's none of the complicated storytelling that Mitani Kouki devised in The Uchoten Hotel. Eri is funny as the concierge trying to help as best she can. Throughout the film she finds herself in situations like trying to help a TV chef who's never cooked, or helping a songwriter overcome his writer's block.

A particular highlight for me was Kusanagi Tsuyoshi as a clueless contortionist who needs advice about his act. But mostly, it Eri's peppy performance that keeps you watching. It also has quite a spontaneous feel, and I wonder how much of this was improvised. This is an amusing and entertaining diversion, and is definitely worth a look.

Currently watching: Eri Fukatsu's Black Comedy

This is a series of short surreal dramas made in 2007 with Fukatsu Eri appearing in each one. Although I don't know if "appearing" is the right word – in one episode her "appearance" is a photo of her face taped to a mannequin's head. The length of each episode varies between a couple of minutes and quarter of an hour, and the genre changes each time, too. About half are animated (with Eri supplying the voice-over) and the other half are live action.

They're all fairly odd. For example, a taxi-driver mistakes Eri for his long-lost daughter; or an assistant at a convenience store keeps asking a customer if he wants the things he's buying heated up. Because they are short, they don't get boring and even if one episode may not entertain, you certainly can't say they're not original. And because no two are the same, if one is a bit tedious, you can be sure that the next one will be completely different. So this is definitely worth a look if you're in the mood for something that's a bit experimental, but also a bit light and easy to watch.

I've stopped putting links to programs, since they never seem to last very long, but since this is fairly obscure, the subbers' site is here: http://unsolvedcases.livejournal.com/526.html

Recommended: The Magic Hour

This film from 2008, written by Mitani Kouki, tells an unlikely story of a man who gets in trouble with the local yakuza. To get himself out of this fix, he hires an actor to pretend to be a top assassin and uses that to gain favour with the gang again. But he doesn’t tell the actor the real situation. Instead, the actor thinks he’s ad libbing a film that uses hidden cameras and all-natural lighting.

The setting is almost as confusing as the storyline. In a Japanese city there is a little neighbourhood of 1930’s style buildings where everyone dresses and acts according to that same period. It’s a bit of a stretch that this little island of pre-war Japan should remain untouched, but once you accept it, the film works fine.

At least it allows Mitani Kouki to work in this period that he seems to adore. And it gives the story a less-threatening feel. Each time the actor (played by Koichi Sato) unwittingly gets into more life-threatening situations, he impresses the other yakuza with his bravery. Except, of course, he doesn’t know he’s in any real danger. And it’s very funny when he slips out of character and talks to the other mobsters about "the biz". He’s talking about showbusiness, while they think he’s talking about organised crime.

It stars Tsumabuki Satoshi and Sato Koichi in the two lead roles. Sato Koichi is especially good as the actor who unwittingly puts his life at risk for what he thinks may be his big break. Also noteworthy is Fukatsu Eri (Kabachitare, Akunin) who really suits the 1930's style of the film. This is a great old-fashioned screwball comedy and definitely more gold from Mitani Kouki.

The return of Kabachitare!

Well, this was unexpected. When I saw this back on the first page of d-addicts, I thought it was someone bumping an old thread, asking if anyone can re-seed it. Turns out that B.O.N funsubs have picked this up to finally finish it off. Previously only two episodes had been subbed but those two were enough to get me interested.

The programme (originally broadcast in 2000) is about two women: a pessimistic, cynical lawyer, and an optimistic, naïve waitress. They are brought together by chance and forge an unlikely friendship, mostly based on complaining that they're still single. The storylines are pretty flimsy, but it's the interplay between the two women that's the main attraction. Fakatsu Eri can go from cold and impassive to quirky with ease, and she talks so fast that I'm not surprised that the original subbers dropped it. Tokiwa Takako also shines as her idealist friend, and the two of them complement each other perfectly.

It also has some nice cameos, from Shinohara Ryoko as a vindictive police officer, and the comedian Abukawa Mihoko in two brief but memorable appearances in episodes one and two.

Cross fingers that the new subbing team can go the distance...