The Taste of Tea was my first taste of Katsuhito Ishii’s direction. It was a pretty quirky film about the little things in life, with an eccentric Japanese family living in the rural countryside as the focus. It was strange in that it had a very loose sort of main storyline that trudges along really slowly. All the weirdness seemed to happen in real time, which ironically added an increased sense of surrealism to the film.

A nutcase of a grandad (Tatsuya Gashuin) forms the centrepiece of a collection of oddballs that also include a manga artist with a bowl haircut, a psychotherapist who hypnotizes his own family for kicks, a little girl who thinks there’s a giant sized version of herself stalking her, a futuristic alien dancer guy and a pretty hot chick in the form of Anna Tsuchiya. Tadanobu Asano also stars as the uncle, who is a sound engineer and happens to be perhaps the most normal of the lot.

Giant Sachiko: Hiding in your bushes.

Intertwined with the various characters going through their lives, we also get a side story involving the yakuza which has got Susumu Terajima with turd on his head in one scene. Its a glacial ride through a side of Japan most people might not have seen and its got scant anything to do with tea at all. Nevertheless, it still makes for a mighty fine film.

The other Ishii film I caught was his debut feature, Shark Skin Man & Peach Hip Girl, which is an insane movie about yakuza badasses based on a manga of the same name. Asano stars as the lead character, Shark Skin man, whilst Sie Kohinata plays his love interest. She is stuck in a mundane existence, trapped in a hotel by a lecherous uncle until one day when she sees a naked dude running across the road. This distraction results in her ploughing her car into the side of the car that was chasing said naked dude.

Apparently, Asano’s character is on the run from his fellow yakuza after stealing some cash. He then sets off running with the girl as they are chased by a madcap killer collective that also includes a hired amateur played by Tatsuya Gashuin. Again, Gashuin steals the show, playing a taxi driver who also happens to be a gay assasin in his spare time. Terajima also acts as Asano’s good buddy in the film, caught in the unfortunate situation of needing to stop his best mate and recover the money.

Which part of fully booked did you not understand?

Its a crime thriller that blows up with anime energy in every frame. Whilst it can feel a touch too forced and unbelievable, its still mighty entertaining. The best bit is probably the short but incredibly intense shootout scene near the end, which is reminiscent of samurai movie showdowns.

2 films in, I’m interested to see what else Ishii-san has to offer. Regardless though, I’m sure its gonna pack a good amount of madness into it.