By Mark Schilling
Producer Shoji Masui and his company Altamira Pictures have an unusual specialty --
making zero-to-hero films about non-mainstream sports, targeted at mainstream
audiences. Masui's first hit in this genre was Sumo Do, Sumo Don't, a 1992 Masayuki
Suo comedy about a hapless college sumo team that became an indie sensation.
This was followed by Shall We Dance?, again directed by Suo, a 1995 romantic comedy
about a shy salaryman who becomes fascinated with competitive ballroom dancing -- and
his dancing instructor. Released in the US in Miramax, it set a box office record for a
non-animated Japanese film -- $9.5 million. Miramax will release the remake, starring
Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez, on October 15.
Masui next produced Give It All, Itsumichi Isomura's 1998 drama about a high school
girls' rowing team that launched the career of Rena Tanaka, who is now a local star of
first magnitude, while enjoying a long run on the arthouse circuit.
In 2002, Masui, together with super-producer Chihiro Kameyama (Bayside Shakedown 2)
of Fuji TV, had his biggest success of all with Waterboys, the Shinobu Yaguchi comedy
about a boys' synchronized swimming team that later morphed into a popular Fuji TV
series.
With the names Masui, Kameyama and Yaguchi attached to Swing Girls, a comedy about
a girls' swing band, distributor Toho quite naturally expected a hit -- and now has one
that in attracting everyone from kids to geezers. In its first sixteen days on release, since
September 11 the film has earned Y984 million ($8.9 million) on 166 screens -- not bad
for a film with no sex, no violence and no stars (though lead actress Juri Ueno is already
be deluged with offers).
What's the secret? Despite their similar arcs, Altamira films are painstakingly made,
while often defying genres rules. For Swing Girls, for example, Yaguchi rehearsed the
cast with their instruments for four months before the start of shooting and used their
playing on the soundtrack. There is not a professional overdub to be heard, even during
the rousing battle-of-the-band finale, when the girls make like Ellington, solos and all.
Also, there is little of cutesy posing and puffy-cheeked mugging considered de rigeur for
ingenues in Japanese teen flicks; instead the girls are almost defiantly normal.
In these ways and others, Masui and his Altamira colleagues resemble that other band of
wildly successful perfectionists and industry contrarians: Hayao Miyazaki and his Studio
Ghibli animators.
