Blue

After a braggart (played with quirky aplomb by Tokio Emoto) is trounced by a teenage upstart, he takes up boxing and surprisingly shows a natural talent for it, giving his life new direction. Meanwhile, his kind and pensive coach (Kenichi Matsuyama) can’t break out of his no-win rut, while the coach’s best friend (Masahiro Higashide) is a rising star in the ring. Adding to the drama, the latter’s girlfriend (Fumino Kimura) presents a classic love-triangle conundrum. The fighting trio form an odd triumvirate that illustrates life’s travails through the lens of this most brutal yet scientific martial art, in a standout film that exceeds the time-honored genre’s usual tropes. Director Keisuke Yoshida, a longtime boxing enthusiast in his own right, delivers a fantastic homage to the sport where individual transcendence results from the most grueling of consummate personal challenges. (Synopsis from New York Asian Film Festival)

『ブルー』
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