Waterboys (2001)

Director:

Shinobu Yaguchi

Writers:

Yasushi Fukuda (screenplay)
Shinobu Yaguchi (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 September 2001 (Japan)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Plot:

In a Japanese school, 5 adolescent geeks join the new sport teacher and take up the challenge to take part in the competition, in spite of the mockeries of the "real sportsmen". |

Plot Keywords:

High School Athlete | Shower | Unusual Method Of Training | Gay | High School Athletics

Awards:

3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Satoshi Tsumabuki	...	Suzuki
Hiroshi Tamaki	...	Sato
Akifumi Miura	...	Ohta
Kôen Kondô	...	Kanazawa
Takatoshi Kaneko	...	Saotome
Aya Hirayama	...	Shizuko Kiuchi
Kaori Manabe	...	Mrs. Sakuma
Takashi Kawamura	...	Ikeuchi
Hiroshi Matsunaga	...	Mochizuki
Yûya Nishikawa	...	Sakamoto
Katsuyuki Yamazaki	...	Yama-chan
Taiyô Sugiura	...	Taiyô
Koutarou Tanaka	...	Koutarou
Makoto Ishihara	...	Makoto
Naoshi Saitô	...	Naoshi
Eiki Kitamura	...	Eiki
Chikara Yamamoto	...	Chikara
Masateru Moromoto	...	Mori
Yasushige Kanehara	...	Kin-chan
Hiroki Hoshino	...	Hoshino
Yûji Suzuki	...	Yûji
Raji Saitô	...	Rajio
Kazumasa Kotaka	...	Kotaka
Tomoaki Kageyama	...	Kage
Masataka Nishino	...	Masa
Masaru Hirata	...	Masao
Kazuki Yamamoto	...	Kazu
Takashi	...	Takashi
Hirotaka Maeda	...	Maeda
Yosuke Ishii	...	Yo-chan
Rio Akisada	...	Yayoi
Eiji Moriyama	...	Yoshida
Naoto Takenaka	...	Isomura - the Dolphin Trainer
Tetta Sugimoto	...	Mr. Sugita, the Advisor
Kei Tani	...	Principal of Tadano High School
Akira Emoto	...	Mama-san of 'Okama Bar'
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yoshikazu Ebisu	...	Owner of Candy Shop
Lynne Hobday	...	Singer
Seiji Iinuma
Yoshimasa Kondô	...	Mr. Sakuma
Naomi Nishida	...	Female Newscaster
Sawa Suzuki	...	Female Owner of Meat Store
Yôji Tanaka	...	Security Guard
Yu Tokui
Kazue Tsunogae	...	Manager of Candy Shop
Shinji Yamashita	...	Male Newscaster

Directed by
Shinobu Yaguchi

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Yasushi Fukuda		screenplay
Shinobu Yaguchi		screenplay

Produced by
Yoshino Sasaki	....	producer
Daisuke Sekiguchi	....	producer
Akifumi Takuma	....	producer

Original Music by
Gakuji Matsuda
Hitomi Shimizu

Cinematography by
Yuichi Nagata
Shinobu Yaguchi

Film Editing by
Ryuji Miyajima

Production Design by
Takeshi Shimizu

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Koji Yamaguchi	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
Hiromichi Kori	....	sound
Masatoshi Saito	....	sound effects editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Kiyoshi Itô	....	assistant camera
Tatsuya Osada	....	gaffer
Yoshiko Osawa	....	camera operator

Music Department
Masamune Kusano	....	composer: song "Ai no shirushi"

Other crew
Takashi Achiwa	....	actor liaison
Linda Hoaglund	....	subtitler: English
Mizuho Kudô	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Altamira Pictures Inc.
• DENTSU Music And Entertainment
• Fuji Television Network
• Toho Company

Distributors

• Toho Company (2001) (worldwide) (all media)

Other Companies

• Fujipacific Music  music cooperation
• Imagica  film processing
• Kodak Japan  film stock supplied by
• Manual of Errors  music cooperation
• NAC Image Technology  camera equipment supplied by
• Nihon Shomei Co.  lighting equipment supplied by
• Think Sync Integral  music cooperation
• Tokyo TV Center  post-production sound services

Also Known As:

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:All | Hong Kong:IIA | Singapore:PG

Company:

Altamira Pictures Inc.

Movie Connections:

Spin off "Waterboys" (2003)

Soundtrack:

SYMPHONY NO.9 IN D MINOR, OP.125 -- 4th Movement

fun film

Waterboys opens with a laugh-out-loud visual gag, and pretty much doesn't let up from then on in. The story is that the high school swim team is all but defunct, perennial loser Suzuki being the last remaining member. When a hot young female teacher arrives and takes charge, the membership swells, only to recede again when she reveals her plans to have them become synchronized swimmers. The remaining five pupils are already battling against the odds when their new-found mentor leaves them in the lurch.

So far, so formulaic, but all this happens in the first two minutes and then Yaguchi lets his characters run the story. Tsumabaki does well as the encumbered team captain, his relationship with a ditsy girlfriend adding light romantic interest. Takenaka Naoto reprises his Shall We Dance OTT routine to great effect as the team's cynical trainer. But this is an ensemble piece, the laughs coming from the direction and choreography as much as the performances. One disastrous training session exceeds funny to become hilarious through the judicious decision to shoot it in slow motion.

The film is quick-paced, and best of all it never takes itself too seriously. Tone-wise, think The Full Monty without the sentimental bits. Suzuki and Hirayama hardly hold hands, never mind kiss, but he needs somebody to react to his triumph at the end.

In short, a very funny film with an uplifting swimfest sequence at the end.