Let’s go Karaoke!

A few days ago, Satomi, a normally reserved high school student, could never have imagined that he would find himself in a dodgy karaoke bar with a wild bunch of nasty gangsters with knife scars and full-body tattoos. But now he even has to give these dubious characters suggestions for improving their modest singing skills, while he has to worry that none of them will take his criticism too personally. Who put Satomi in this extremely precarious position? The charming and always easy-going Yakuza Kyouji, a member of this criminal organisation. Kyouji finds himself in a rather unusual situation at the moment. His boss is a big fan of karaoke and likes to organise competitions between his henchmen in his establishments. Although this could be seen as a good team-building exercise, coming last in such a contest usually has unintended consequences. To avoid this fate, the shrewd gangster decided to get professional help, which led him to the greatest talent of a simple school choir, Satomi.

Nobuhiro YAMASHITA has long been one of the most successful specialists for upscale independent entertainment in Japanese cinema. He demonstrated his flair for subtle humour in the legendary Linda, Linda, Linda (2005) and is also fondly remembered for A Gentle Breeze in the Village (2007). His film Over The Fence (2017) was shown at Japannual. He took a short break in 2018, but is now back with five films completed within a year. His karaoke gangster is played by Gō AYANO, who can also be seen this year in A Spoiling Rain at Japannual, where he also gets to sing karaoke. Otherwise, the busy Ayano enjoys acting for Michihito FUJI (Hard Days, 2023 and A Family, 2020, both on Netflix). The young Jun SAITŌ (born 2007) has probably made his breakthrough in five films this year. He can also be seen in Confetti at Japannual.