For its subject matter, “Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction” is a magnificent story, featuring several accomplished and intriguing actors, and using these to bring life to the world of magazine editing. Director Daihachi Yoshida does so with a mix of drama and comedy, making for a surprisingly fun film.
“The Fangs of Fiction” is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival
One of the many films delayed due to COVID-19, “Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction” details the story of a Japanese magazine in current times, where many of them, including this one, are on the brink of collapse. Teruya Hayami (Yo Oizumi) is tasked to work on one magazine, Trinity, to keep it afloat and make it flourish once again. By using innovating tactics, some of which highly risky, he, with the help of young and passionate Megumi Takano (Mayu Matsuoka), tries to do everything in his capacity to make sure the magazine does as well as it can.
Based on a novel by Takeshi Shiota and written by Shiota and Ihiro Kusuno, “Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction” is a film full of endearing characters that are enjoyable to follow around. Its narrative is energetic and fun, full of small twists and turns, constantly keeping you on your feet and entertained. Where its subject matter of the Japanese literary world might not catch everyone's attention, the movie does a great job at making you care about the industry, while teaching you some of its intricacies along the way.
It's also very well put-together. Its score, consisting mostly of guitar riffs, base, and drums, is just as energetic as the whole movie is, and it adds to the fun. The editing and cinematography are both also above average, keeping up with the fast pace and adding color and excitement. The film's stacked cast, with many known names like Yo Oizumi, Mayu Matsuoka, Koichi Sato, Lily Franky, Takumi Saitoh and Satomi Kobayashi, all perform very well. Where some have smaller roles and manage to add some shine to the film, others, like main characters Oizumi and Matsuoka, shine throughout. Oizumi seems tailor-made to his role as the shallow but quick-thinking Akira, and it turns out he was. The Novel the film is based on was written with Oizumi in mind as the main character, and the film shows as much. However, Matsuoka is equally great as the quirky but honest Megumi, making the role her own, and adding the necessary charm and emotion to the film.
Where the movie could have been much smaller, the director instead chose to make it this fantastical tale, putting tension and entertainment to the forefront instead of the emotional drama it could've also lent itself to. This makes “Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction” a surprisingly approachable title, highlighting a world that most movies never deal with, making the film feel refreshing and new.
