WIT Life #247: Takao Osawa bonanza!
Film, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers 
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.
Two of Japan’s best current actors, Tatsuya Fujiwara and Takashi Osawa, in Takashi Miike’s Shield of Straw
I’m interpreting for a client in L.A. this week, and on the cross-country flight I had the chance to watch two interesting Japanese movies that were just released this year, making the long journey pass by much more quickly (Thank you Delta!). They both starred one of my favorite Japanese actors, the always かっこいい Takao Osawa. In this blog I have mentioned his appearances in other films, such as in 終の信託 (Tsui no Shintaku or A Terminal Trust) as the intimidating prosecutor. Osawa’s work never disappoints, and even though these particular movies were not necessarily of a genre I would usually opt to watch, he made sticking with them to the end worth it.
The first film was 藁の楯 (Wara no Tate or Shield of Straw), directed by the legendary Takashi Miike and based on the eponymous book by Kazuhiro Kiuchi. It features another one of my favorite performers, the fabulous Tatsuya Fujiwara who I recently highlighted from the film I’M FLASH! which debuted at this year’s Japan Society Japan Cuts film festival. Fujiwara plays a serial killer named Kiyomaru who targets young children, and Osawa is in the role of one of the Special Police assigned to safely escort him from Fukuoka to Tokyo (with Nanako Matsushima as his cracker jack partner). The grandfather of Kiyomaru’s most recent victim offers 1 billion yen to anyone who will take him out, which makes the SP’s mission considerably more challenging. They begin the trip by a large-scale cavalcade of police cars and armored vehicles which includes decoys, but must abandon that plan when they realize that some of the police hired to protect him are also targeting him. Their mode of transportation then changes to train followed by private vehicle, and the viewer begins to wonder if they will ever be able to complete their journey while evading the ever present risk of bounty hunters…
The second film called ストロベリーナイト (Strawberry Night) is a sequel to the 2012 popular Fuji TV drama series of the same name, but it is based on the novel Invisible Rain by Tetsuya Honda. This time Osawa plays a character on the opposite side of justice, the yakuza member Makita who becomes involved with a case of multiple murders that are viewed as being related to a gang dispute. The lovely Yuko Takeuchi plays the detective Himekawa investigating these murders and she eventually crosses paths with Makita, who she can relate to on a deep level due to similar traumatic events in their respective pasts. Nearly every scene in the movie seems to take place in the rain (downpours as well as sprinkles), and indeed during Himekawa’s first interaction with Makita he offers her his umbrella so she can stay dry. During the course of the film, the mystery is slowly unraveled to reveal a police coverup and the growing attraction between Himekawa and Makita.
For those of you looking for thrilling suspense movies to keep your mind off the end of the summer or back to school blues, I would highly recommend both of these flicks. Happy watching!
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