While the first of Riichi Nakaba’s semi-autobiographical Kishiwda Shônen Gurentai novels was filmed by Izutsu Kazuyuki in 1996, the two successors were directed by Miike Takashi, himself a child of Osaka with similar background.

The first of Miike’s Kishiwada Shônen Gurentai adaptations became “Chikemuri junjô-hen”, telling the story of the loss of “innocence” entering adulthood and how it breaks up the tightest group of friends. The story centers around Riichi, who dumps his high-school girlfriend Ryoko for a younger prostitute, and how their breaking up affects the entire group. Riichi becomes aimless and is beaten up for “becoming soft” before he dumps his new girlfriend and tries to find his own pace and place in life. Ryoko retracts to herself and becomes “a nice girl”, Yuji also turns into a “nice boy” when he begins to date Ryoko’s best friend and Kotetsu becomes a cook and eventually finds love himself.

The story is structured into two parts: Side A – spring, dealing with the split of the group and Side B – winter, dealing with how they find their pace as young adults. The choice of season is interesting, as spring is the season where everything begins anew, while winter is the season of death, especially since the spring section deals with the “death” of the gang and the winter section with the “birth” of new relationships.

Even though the film has uneven elements, some feeling interjected, this is not uncommon for Miike and those familiar with him knows what to expect. However one sequence appears unexpected. Towards the end of “spring”, the old madame of the bar where Kotetsu works, puts on a record and begins to dance flamingo, and Miike intercuts this dance with Ryoko leaving for good, having cut her hair and changed clothes, and Kotetsu finding love. Within itself, this three minute scene is something of the most beautiful Miike yet has made.

For those unfamiliar with Miike, “Innocent Blood” is not really initial work, but it is a film, calm enough in tone to be enjoyed by any viewer, allowing one to become acquainted with one of our times most prolific directors.

Henrik Sylow

Recommended Reading for Japanese Film Fans (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)

The Japan Journals : 1947-2004, by  Donald Richie	The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film by Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp	Kon Ichikawa (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs) by James Quandt, Cinematheque Ontario	Shohei Imamura (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs, No. 1) by James Quandt	Eros Plus Massacre: An Introduction to the Japanese New Wave Cinema (Midland Book, Mb 469) by David Desser	The Films of Akira Kurosawa by Donald Ritchie	Tokyo Story by Yasujiro Ozu, Kogo Noda, Donald Richie, Eric Klestadt	Ozu by Donald Richie	A Hundred Years of Japanese Film by Donald Richie

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