Akireta renchû: Old-school comedy or just a stage show on film?

Is it worth your time?

If you have any interest in the history of Japanese comedy or the evolution of manzai, sure. If you’re looking for a tight narrative, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s basically just a stage show with a camera pointed at it. The pacing is all over the place, and the story exists only to get them to the next punchline.

Achako Hanabishi and Entatsu Yokoyama are clearly the stars here, and they know it. When they aren't performing their routines, the movie feels a bit like it's just waiting for them to start talking again. The romance plot is almost an afterthought, a thin excuse to make them rivals.

The Boxing Tangent

There is a sequence where Entatsu decides to take up boxing to settle a score. It’s genuinely funny because he’s so completely ill-suited for it. It reminded me a bit of the physical desperation in The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris, where the chaos is the whole point.

The boxing scenes aren't exactly Raging Bull, obviously. The choreography is sloppy, but that’s the charm. It looks like two guys who have never thrown a punch in their lives trying to mimic what they saw in an American movie once.

Odd Observations

• The transition between the manzai banter and the actual story feels like a car shifting gears without a clutch.
• The supporting cast mostly exists to look confused while the duo talks a mile a minute.
• The lighting in the gym scenes is surprisingly flat, making it look like they were filming in a basement.
• I spent half the movie trying to figure out if the rival was supposed to be intimidating or just a goofball.

It’s not as dark or weird as Mad Love, obviously. It doesn't try to be anything other than a light distraction. Sometimes, that’s all you need on a Tuesday night. Just don't go in expecting a masterpiece. It's a curiosity, nothing more.

I found myself zoning out during the dialogue-heavy exposition. But then they’d start arguing again and the energy would spike right back up. It’s a very uneven experience. 🎥