Best friends Kinta and Ginji, who happen to be a robot and a tanuki, wander their forest home talking through their past and future plans. As the day progress, the unlikely duo begins to interact with other entities in the woods, which gives an alternative perspective to the odd duo's existence.
“Kinta and Ginji” is screening at Nippon Connection 2020
“Kinta and Ginji” takes an intriguing approach towards the comedy genre, utilizing a rich history between two fictional friends conveyed entirely through long dialogues between the two. Consequently, the amount of depth to the subjects becomes detailed within the fascinating pair's respectful yet critical friendship. As a result, the small comedic flourishes build as the viewer gets to better know the unlikely couple.
However, that is not to say that this particular approach is without its downfalls, as pacing becomes an issue early on within the production. This can be attributed to the way dialogue is delivered at a slow methodical pace. Additionally, the pair is never faced with any major form of confrontation, leaving the audience with an hour and half of aimless banter. Overall, much of the creative script writing and humorous moments are drowned out in the monotonous approach.
The visual presentation follows a similar repetitive/monotonous flow, with a camera planted to capture a single frame of the actors as they motion as if in discussion (all dialogue is dubbed in post). This approach, although necessary with the directors also playing the role of Kinta and Ginji, adds to the sleepy and slow rhythm of the production.
With a rather simplistic approach to the visual and audio presentation, Dairiki and Miura still manage to capture an aesthetic that can be both playful and engaging. Particularly the low quality film and distant framing of its subjects give the impression of voyeurism, reflective of older nature documentaries. Given the two feel out of place in the landscape, the impression of being a voyeuristic viewer is heightened by their odd secretive nature and story of the two. Additionally, the location work itself is well planned and the feeling of being thrown into the wild with these strange figures feels fully realized.
“Kinta and Ginji” is not without its charms, and the particular attention to world building around its subjects shows a strong dedication from its creators to make an immersive and unique experience for the viewers. However, the pacing creates an extremely tedious experience, resulting in the film being a slog to complete. Ultimately, the premise feels like it could have been better served as a short film. Alternatively, in keeping to a longer runtime, variation in the films approach and flow could have worked wonders to keep audiences engaged. Sadly, the strong script work and creative concepts are drowned out by the production's dull and repetitive nature.
