Yoshihiro Nishimura continues to bring his absurdly grotesque imagination on the big screen with “Tokyo Dragon Chef“, although this time, in a fashion much tamer than “Helldriver” or “Kodoku Meatball Machine” but equally fun and nonsensical.
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Ex yakuza members Ryu and Tatsu reconnect after the latter is released from prison, following the dismemberment of their and a number of other gangs by a group wearing masks of eye bulbs, led by a mysterious young man named Gizumo. Ryo convinces Tatsu to open up a ramen restaurant and the two embark in their paths as host and cook respectively. Their shop quickly becomes a success, after a young girl helps them with marketing, in the most illogical way. However, Jin and Kazu, two brothers who also happen to be their rivals from yakuza days, open a ramen canteen nearby and after hiring a rather unusual girl influencer to promote their shop, manage to steal all the customers from Ryu and Tatsu. A violent clash eventually ensues and the failing duo are forced to hire their own influencer, a medium with questionable powers. Just as things are about to get really bloody though, Gizumo and his gang reappear, forcing the ex-yakuza to join forces.
Yoshihiro Nishimura directs another preposterous combination, this time mixing yakuza, food, musical and exploitation in the most insane matter, and through a rather low budget approach that did not allow him to present his trademark special effects. The characters, however, are as absurdly hilarious as they can come, with the whole concept of the hardcore yakuza trying to be kind to their customers and hiring influencers to help them, being both extremely funny and a kind of social comment regarding social media and the fate of failed/retired yakuza.
Particularly the first influencer, a rather motley girl who seems able to eat humongous amounts of food is rather unique in her conception and implementation, including the way she gets mad every time someone mentions she is not human. The same applies to Gizumo, whose paranid persona is one of the main sources of exploitation in the film.
The yakuza element also includes a meta kind of humor, since the majority of the cast played similar roles in Conflict, with the hard core demeanor of Yasukaze Motomiya as Ryu, Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi as Tatsy, Hitoshi Ozawa as Jin and Kazuyoshi Ozawa as Kazu creating a hilarious antithesis with what they are actually doing on screen.
Of course, action and violence could not be missing from a Nishimura film, and the last part of the movie is almost filled with these two elements, although again, in a fashion that is more sarcastically playful than grotesque, at least with the exception of the scenes where women are involved.
Lastly, the Ramen Rock finale concludes the movie in the most unexpected, insane, and entertaining fashion.
Not much more to say, if you like Nishimura’s style but where occasionally shocked by the amount of violence in his works, this is the film to watch.
