Kyoki No Sakura - Madness in Bloom
Kyoki No Sakura [English title Madness in Bloom] is a 2002 film directed by Kenji Sonoda, based on the novel of the same name by Kunio Hikita. The controversial cult classic starring Yosuke Kubozuka is one of Japan's most iconic live-action films, up there with other movies like Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale and Shunji Iwai's Swallowtail Butterfly.
The film follows Susumu Yamaguchi [Yosuke Kubozuka], a Shibuya-born, Shibuya-raised young Japanese nationalist. Susumu and his peers Shinya Kosuga [Genki Sudo] and Katsuya Ichikawa [RIKIYA], get together to form nationalist street group "Neo Tojo". The three share the same views on Japan, and are dissatisfied by Japan losing it's "Japan-ness" after losing the war to the United States. Dressed in all white, military style uniforms, the three go around cleaning the "garbage" in the streets of Shibuya. Garbage, as in delinquents who are doing half-assed bad things. Yamaguchi and members of Neo Tojo are all very strong when it comes to fights, and rarely lose a brawl.
Neo Tojo called their actions, "Heisei-Ishin" [Heisei Restoration], and would move on the belief that their violence was true justice. However, after a series of incidents, the three start to slowly move in separate directions. They all begin to follow different people, and begin to realize their ideals are slowly changing.
One big theme in the movie is said to be "adults vs. kids". Yamaguchi meets "Sweeper" Saburo [Yosuke Eguchi], and is shown the realities of life. The visual metaphors which can be seen in the film truly show the contrast between Yamaguchi and Saburo, like the white clothes vs. black clothes, Yamaguchi being called by his last name and Saburo his first, and Yamaguchi always eating salad whereas Saburo prefers meat.
Another factor that gives the movie the status it has is the music, with Japanese hip hop group King Gidra's K DUB SHINE being in charge. With Japan having a big hip hop boom at the time of release of the movie, the movie gained the attention of fans from all fields.
Check out the violent, yet somehow beautiful images of the classic flick above.
