Blue Spring (film)


Blue Spring is a 2002 Japanese youth drama film, written and directed by Toshiaki Toyoda and based on Taiyō Matsumoto's manga of same title. It tells a tale of apathetic school students at a run-down Tokyo high school for boys. It was released on June 29, 2002.
The film title can be understood as "inexperienced years" or teenage years, but it also can be understood as "fresh start". According to manga artist Taiyō Matsumoto, the title is intended as a play on irony.

Plot

At Asashi High, a run-down high school for boys, Kujo, Aoki, Yukio, Yoshimura, and Ota are a gang of school friends lost in apathy and dissatisfaction. They are aware their future offers limited options. Even most teachers have already written them off as a lost cause.
Kujo's gang is part of the school's illegal society, which is controlled through a rooftop game as a test of courage: the Clapping Game. Whoever wins the game gets to be the society's leader, and rules all gangs throughout Asashi High. No teacher can stand up to this society.
After a round of the Clapping Game, Kujo wins the leadership role, which excites his best friend Aoki, who wants Kujo to dominate the school through the use of casual violence. However, Kujo passively resists doing this.
Aoki eventually realizes his best friend only took part in the Clapping Game to pass the time, and that Kujo never wanted to be the school's leader. Devastated, he challenges Kujo for his leadership, and loses.
As Aoki becomes disillusioned, alienated and hostile toward Kujo, friends around them slowly fall apart, bringing their school to a series of mini violent climaxes.

Cast

The Blue Spring original soundtrack rose to #24 on Oricon Albums Chart Top 30 shortly after the film release and Drop, a track from the soundtrack, rose to #13 on Oricon Singles Chart Top 30 in July 2002.
TrackTranslatedArtistNotes
"September Punk Children"セプテンバー・パンク・チルドレンThee Michelle Gun Elephant
"Akage no Kelly"Red-haired KellyThee Michelle Gun Elephantfrom the 2001 album Rodeo Tandem Beat Specter. The opening scene.
"News"analers
"Black Limousine"The Blondie Plastic Wagonlater appears on the 2004 album, Bitches Blue
"Raspberry Dance"The Blondie Plastic Wagonlater appears on the 2004 album, Bitches Blue
"Beautiful Dreamer"Stephen FosterYukio strums this piece on his guitar
"Beat Specter Garcia"Thee Michelle Gun Elephantfrom the 2001 album Rodeo Tandem Beat Specter.
"Boogie"Thee Michelle Gun Elephantduring the sequence of baseball player Kimura 's departure.
"Benjo"Toiletanalers'Benjo' is slang for 'toilet'.
"Glory"
"Mona Lisa"Thee Michelle Gun Elephantfrom the 2001 album Rodeo Tandem Beat Specter.
"Beat Specter Buchanan"Thee Michelle Gun Elephantfrom the 2001 album Rodeo Tandem Beat Specter.
"My Name is Bob"analers
"Drop"Thee Michelle Gun ElephantAoki 's rooftop scene.
"Drop" Thee Michelle Gun ElephantDuring the closing credits.

DVD

Released under Artsmagic in 2004, the DVD features extras including two interviews with Toyoda, biographies and filmographies of the main actors and a feature-length commentary by Tom Mes, who edits Midnight Eye, an online English-language magazine of Japanese cinema.

Reception

On Midnight Eye, Tom Mes said the film was "magnificent but much overlooked".