Idol culture is one that has often been dissected and critiqued in both Japanese and South Korean cinema, as has the otaku culture which is closely linked to it. While a lot of them focus on much similar issues, there's still a few productions that will take you by surprise with their handling of the subjects and Yuichi Sato's 2007 feature “Kisaragi” does just that.
On the first death anniversary of C-list gravure idol Kisaragi Miki, five die-hard fans, who met on a dedicated online forum, get together to commemorate the occassion and to show off their collection on Kisaragi items and share memories with each other. Soon however, conversation turns to how their beloved idol died, with the official police statement declaring the untimely death as a suicide. The more these five fans talk, however, the more dubious that claim seems to get and the closer these five get to what seems to be the truth behind their beloved idol's death.
Set entirely in a single location, where this Japanese 5 Angry Men succeeds is at its treatment of the story. Despite tackling serious themes, the narrative is a successful mix of comedy and mystery, with the fans' awkwardness lending to a large part of the humour. The mystery is also well handled, with the story holding its cards very closely to its chest and the twists, of which there are plenty and all too frequent, feeling fresh and keep the surprise alive, literally all the way to the end. Dialogues are a key part of the narrative, with even a tiny details proving to be important as the real picture of the events leading up to the gravure model's death begins to take shape. Additionally, the script's decision to cast a light that is kinder to the fan culture is also welcome. Despite dealing with a subject matter that could be considered dark and while tackling matters like (possible) suicide, stalking, the harshness of idol life and more, the tone is always light and is satisfied in keeping the love of the fans for Miki front and centre. The cast is excellent, with the five leads including a rather young Shun Oguri, Keisuke Koide, a hilarious Teruyuki Kagawa, Yusuke Santamaria and Muga Tsukaji. The surprises are not just limited to the story either, with a very unexpected cameo being one of the highlights.
Despite being dialogue-heavy (unsurprising since it's all set in one location revolving around five characters), there is nary a moment of boredom with “Kisaragi”, a work that manages to be a charming effort that is an interesting and intriguing comedy-mystery that makes full use of its runtime and is guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face.
