Shinjuku Swan is a fantastic adaptation.

 

This blog post is going to cover one of the best live-action adaptations of a manga. Unfortunately, I have to start the post by stating that if the sexual misconduct allegations brought about the legendary film-maker, Sion Sono are true, then, I condemn his actions. The sexual misconduct allegations came about on the 4th of April 2022, in the women's magazine, Shukan Josei. Two actresses came forward with reports about Son's inappropriate behaviour and there were also rumours inside the industry that he had sexual harassed and made unwanted advances towards actresses for years. To his credit, Sono responded swiftly, stating on his website that he was sorry to anyone he may have disturbed and admitted his lack of consideration for others, but still denied some of the allegations. He also stated that he would defend himself in court and in today's world which is often backwards and everyone is seen as guilty until proven innocent, I chose to postpone any and all posts on his work and did not condemn him until the allegations were proven to be true. Sono sued the Shukan Josei publisher for damages, with the case beginning on the 18th of May, 2022 until a settlement was reached on February 1st, 2024. Shukan Josei agreed to take down the two articles that damaged Sion Sono's reputation. So, I guess that some of the allegations were indeed false. 

Anyways, I apologize for having to spend a paragraph on things that I'd rather not focus on. Sion Sono had ventured into live-action adaptations of manga with the hilariously perverted, Eiga Minna Esupa Dayo! as well as the entertainingly brutal, Tag. However, with his adaptation of Ken Wakui's brilliant manga, Shinjuku Swan, he achieved a much more mainstream cinematic adaptation that still honoured the source material. Sure, there are themes that Sion Sono movies have almost always covered such as sexuality and violence between men and women, but it comes from a different perspective and a much more mainstream approach is taken. It's rather strange that the sexuality and violence is toned down from the manga with it being a Sion Sono production, but it worked as it was successful.

Shinjuku Swan follows the story of Tatsuhiko Shiratori. Tatsuhiko is a man who is down on his luck, with zero job prospects, no money and he ends up wandering around Shinjuku rather aimlessly. When a local group of thugs pick on him for his hair style, he attempts to fight them all, but is severely outnumbered. When things are looking rather bad for our protagonist, a man dressed in a rather dapper suit with a scar on his face steps in, claiming that Tatsuhiko is with him. This causes the thugs to stop attacking our protagonist and Mr. Mako, the man in the suit takes him to get some food before offering him a job as a scout. A scout is a position in which a guy approaches girls on the street, offering them jobs as hostesses at clubs. Mako oversees Tatsuhiko's training, consoling and convincing Tatsuhiko that he can protect the girls, help them make a decent living and even make them happy. 

Eventually, our protagonist finds himself in the middle of the feud between Burst, the scouting company which both he and Mako work for, and Harlem, a rival agency. An unfortunate encounter with one of the captains of Harlem, a man known as Hideyoshi Minami, reveals that the pair share some history together and culminates in a thrilling showdown. 

What's most fascinating about Shinjuku Swan is the deep dive into the world of scouting agencies, something that is very rarely if ever, explored. With the exception of Tatsuhiko's kind and somewhat naïve nature, the scouting agencies and the businesses they scout for are never shown to be overly positive, with girls being brought into doing sexual things and occasionally, self-harming or even taking drugs, supplied by one of the scouts in particular, to make it through. It makes for a rather depressing watch in some aspects, especially when it comes to a certain woman whom Tatsuhiko helps find work, only for her to commit suicide which breaks his heart. 

Regardless of how you may feel about him, Sion Sono is a master film-maker and is responsible for some of my favourite movies. For Shinjuku Swan, he returned to a much more traditional style of cinematography than usual. There's plenty of camera movement, making certain scenes feel much more dynamic than if they were static and also helps include the audience by making them feel as if they were on the streets of Shinjuku with Tatsuhiko, especially in the low angle shots. There are of course, some pivotal conversations that take place with the aid of static camera shots and angles. There's some comical usage of slow motion that often emphasise and highlight some exaggerated facial expressions and motions, providing levity in a rather sombre movie. 

The camera work is at it's most frantic in the fight scene, adding to the tense nature of the struggles of the combatants. The fights themselves are decent, but the choreography could have been much better in some scenes with one of the larger scale battles having the same old issue of people standing around in the background, awaiting their cue. The best fight scene in the movie is the climatic showdown, which feels like a Shonen manga type of fight in the best way.

The character of Tatsuhiko is like a bright beacon of hope and light in the bleak darkness of the world of scouting. His kind-hearted, naïve nature makes him easily the most likable and morally good person in the movie. He is a great juxtaposition for the other scouts, the bosses and even the world in which he finds himself in. Go Ayano's acting really helps breathe life into Tatsuhiko, his emotional range bringing the sombre, depressing narrative shine whilst his adaptability and ability to bring out comedy helps to bring the much-needed moments of levity to the otherwise dour movie. 

Takayuki Yamada is also excellent as he almost always is as Hideyoshi. He represents the ying to Tatsuhiko's yang, with him being a rather vindictive, controlling scout that wants to take over the whole of Shinjuku and doesn't really care how he does it. It's his actions that cause some girls, such as Ageha, to spiral into drug addiction. He's not exactly a beacon of morality and Yamada's ability to portray a conniving schemer really lends itself well to the character as does his range and ability to convey a wide variety of emotion effectively. Yamada actually managed to make me sympathise with the character briefly in a scene in which he breaks down sobbing, which is a testament to his acting ability. 

Yusuke Iseya was a fine choice as Mako. He has a large, looming screen presence that makes him command attention whenever he's on screen and he portrays a fascinating character. At times, Mako's motivations and true allegiances are called into question due to his mysterious nature, but there are times where he shows kindness towards Tatsuhiko such as when he first offers him the job and thus, he is one of the most likable characters. 

Erika Sawajiri was an interesting choice for the role of Ageha. She does a fine job in the role, portraying the downward spiral into drug addiction with fervour. My main criticism stems from the fact that in my personal opinion, she's not the best looking actress, even in this movie, she is amongst the least attractive with Ami Tomite, Anna Konno, Erina Mano, Manami Marutaka and Yu Yamada all upstaging her.  

Overall, I would highly recommend the movie for those looking for an entertaining, live-action adaptation of a manga that honours the source material. I'd also recommend it to those who are interested in the scouting industry, the underbelly of Japan's adult industries and those who enjoy a blend of action and drama. I wouldn't recommend it if you're not in a good headspace though as it is rather bleak and depressing.