Watching Mâbô no Tokyo olympic taikai felt like a strange, dusty fever dream

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, that depends on how much you enjoy watching old, slightly grainy footage of people running around in circles. If you like your sports movies crisp and modern, skip this. If you enjoy the feeling of digging through a bargain bin at a thrift store and finding something weirdly charming, pull up a chair. It’s definitely not for everyone, especially if you get annoyed by movies that don't really have a 'plot' in the traditional sense.

The whole thing feels like a home movie that accidentally got a budget. You follow this kid, played by Yôji Chiba, and he just… goes for it. He shows up at the Olympics like he’s just popping by for a neighborhood track meet. The casual nature of it is honestly kind of hilarious.

There’s a moment during the running events where the camera just lingers on the crowd. It feels like they were filming real people who had no idea a movie was being made. It’s got that same odd, fly-on-the-wall energy you see in Cinesound Varieties, just without the polish.

Wait, why is he doing that?

There are parts of this movie that are just plain bizarre. The editing jumps around so much that I had to check if I accidentally skipped a chapter. One minute we’re at a high-stakes race, and the next, we’re just watching the boy eat lunch. It’s not deep, but it’s kind of refreshing. It doesn’t feel like it’s trying to teach you a lesson about human perseverance or anything like that.

Sometimes, it reminds me of the manic, unhinged energy of Mickey's Athletes, except here, there’s no cartoon mouse to hold your hand. It’s just this kid, sweating, looking confused, and somehow ending up on the podium. Or not. It’s hard to tell sometimes.

• The background extras look like they’re just waiting for the bus.
• The sound design is… well, it’s mostly just loud cheering and wind noise.
• I swear the same three people are in the background of every single shot.

You can tell the director really wanted to capture the *vibe* of the games, but they ended up capturing the vibe of a hot, sweaty afternoon in Tokyo. The sweat is practically dripping off the screen. 🥵

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s barely even a coherent movie. But there’s something about the way Yôji Chiba stares into the camera lens that makes you wonder if he knew where he was at all. It’s raw, it’s messy, and it’s probably better than most of the sanitized sports documentaries you see on streaming services today.

Don't expect a big emotional payoff at the end. You just sort of… stop watching. It’s an experience, for sure. Maybe not a good one, but an experience nonetheless.