Japan Film Festival Los Angeles 2015
THE VANCOUVER ASAHI
Directed by Yuya Ishii, 2014, 133 min.
Sunday, Sept. 20 at 4:40 PM
Yamaha Music Center, 4620 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, CA 92604
Synopsis
Vancouver, Canada, the 1930s -This is the true story of the Vancouver-based Asahi baseball team that consisted of second-generation Japanese immigrants.
In the beginning, the Asahi were routinely crushed by their opponents. But, when the team regrouped to change their strategy and game play, they soon started winning games.
They grew very popular because of their "fair play" spirit, and the fact that these baseball players were physically diminutive compared to their burly Caucasian counterparts. In other words, it was a classic David-and-Goliath story; better yet, they were champions in their local league for five years straight.
The Asahi teammates struggled in their everyday lives against discrimination and poverty, but baseball was when they shined; in fact, it was a major uplift for the entire Japanese community.
Then, that day of infamy happened - Pearl Harbor.
With growing mistrust and fear, the Canadian government followed their U.S. counterparts, leading to mass detention and internment of émigré Japanese.
The Japanese American experience is well documented, and THE VANCOUVER ASAHI shows a glimpse of this shared experience from our neighbors up north - in many ways, the government's treatment against Japanese Canadians was actually far harsher.
The Asahi, sadly, never really recovered from the war, so its achievements have become the stuff of legend. But for a good few years, these men were the shining light of their community; along with sports, they brought camaraderie, hope, and dreams to their new land.
The film has one of the largest ensembles of popular Japanese idols, starring a slew of superstars like Tsumabuki Satoshi, Kamenashi Kazuya, Takahata Mitsuki, Miyazaki Aoi, and Sato Koichi, just to name a few.
In the end, THE VANCOUVER ASAHI is classic and old-fashioned entertainment with moments of humor and humanity from director Yuya Ishii (THE GREAT PASSAGE, which was Japan's official Foreign Language Film entry to the 2014 Academy Awards), one of the most dynamic directors working in Japan today.
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