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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
So, is Botchan actually worth your time today? 🍜
If you love old, fast-paced Japanese comedies with a main character who is basically a stubborn teenager in a grown man's suit, then yes, absolutely.
But if you are expecting a super serious drama like The Eleventh Hour, you are going to be very bored and probably hate how silly this gets.
The story is super simple. This guy from Tokyo gets a job teaching math at a school in the middle of nowhere.
He is very loud, very proud, and have zero patience for anyone's nonsense.
Right away, the local kids start playing pranks on him. They put grasshoppers in his bed, which is honestly hilarious because of how mad he gets.
Hiroshi Uruki plays the main guy with this constant scowl that makes him look like an angry cartoon cat.
He just stomps around the school like he owns the place. 😾
My favorite part is when he goes to a local noodle shop and eats way too much tempura soba.
The next day, his students write "Tempura Teacher" all over the blackboard. The way his face falls is just perfect.
The editing is a bit choppy in places. Sometimes a scene just cuts off right in the middle of a sentence, but honestly, it kinda adds to the chaotic energy.
Its not a masterpiece of cinema, but it doesn't try to be either.
The other teachers at the school are all weird caricatures. One of them has this ridiculous mustache that looks like a fake prop that is about to fall off.
They all have these funny nicknames like "Badger" and "Red Shirt".
I did notice the audio is a bit crunchy in the background. You can hear this constant low hiss, but that is just old movies for you.
Some moments are just weirdly slow. Like, there is this one shot of a train chugging along that seems to go on forever.
Why did we need to watch the train for that long? I don't know.
But then the movie gets right back to the chaotic fights.
If you want a cozy Sunday watch that makes you feel like you are looking through a dusty window into 1930s Japan, give it a go.
Just don't expect it to change your life or anything. It's just a fun time.
