Shiko funjatta

I expected a barely competent light-hearted surface-scratching sumo comedy. Expectations: exceeded. Aside from sometimes not securing long enough takes (leading to abrupt edits that make some scenes difficult to parse), it's a more than competent film--beautifully shot, and chock full of characters that are believable, diverse, and likable. To top it all off, it respects & understands its art as much as any martial arts film, and the well-cast actors portray sumotori superbly. (HS, Strezemann?!)

Yet another entry in the ragtag team makes good genre.....but wait, this one isn't half bad & dodges the "maudlin & overemoting" pitfall that plagues so many of this genre. Be warned that it is v slow to get going, once it does it becomes genuinely entertaining with some laugh out loud comic bits. Be daring, leave conventional sports movies behind & try a taste of Japan's national sport...though not as it's played at the top level. A bit like basketball where height isn't the be all & end all

Naoto Takenaka, as with most of his works, is fantastic in this. Another funny sports film coming out of Japan and a group of characters one wouldn't associate with sumo wrestling.