Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (1992)

Yet another tradition in the tradition of "ragtag misfits" in Japanese comedy...Sumo Do, Sumo Don't tells the story of a university sumo club in Japan. In today's Japan, the younger ... See full summary »

Director:

Masayuki Suo

Writer:

Masayuki Suo

Stars:

Masahiro Motoki, Misa Shimizu, Naoto Takenaka

23 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Masahiro Motoki	...	Shuhei Yamamoto
Misa Shimizu	...	Natsuko Kawashima
Naoto Takenaka	...	Aoki Tomio
Akira Emoto	...	Professor Tokichi Anayama
Kaori Mizushima	...	Chie Asai
Hiromasa Taguchi	...	Hosaku Tanaka
Robert Hoffman	...	George Smiley
Kentarô Sakai
Masaaki Takarai	...	Haruo Yamamoto
Ritsuko Umemoto	...	Masako Mamiya
Masaru Matsuda	...	Tatsuo Horino
Hiroshi Miyasaka	...	Hokudo no Ken
Gorô Kataoka	...	Hayashi
Naomasa Musaka	...	Kumota-san (Sumo OB)
Fuyuki Murakami	...	Yasujiro Mine (OB-Kai Kaicho)

Storyline

Yet another tradition in the tradition of "ragtag misfits" in Japanese comedy...Sumo Do, Sumo Don't tells the story of a university sumo club in Japan. In today's Japan, the younger generation is more interested in "Western" sports like baseball and basketball. Professor Anayama, a former university sumo champion, blackmails graduating (and slim) student Shuhei into joining the decimated university team, or he doesn't graduate. Along with a pro wrestler, an unpopular, chubby guy, and a gaijin (white guy), the team begins training for competition, even though none of them cares about sumo at all. Gradually, they develop a love and respect for the traditional sport.

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Plot Keywords:

sumo | university | student | campus | wrestling | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Sport

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

6 November 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lust auf Sumo

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cabin Company Ltd., Daiei Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Century of Cinema: 100 Years of Japanese Cinema (1995)

User Reviews

Not just for sumo addicts

It's not just for Sumo addicts but knowing about it adds adds to the enjoyment. Similar charming films have been made with sports as the focus which in reality have little to do with sports.

There are a great number of films which use this ploy. I recall a track and field (now known as athletics) film from the seventies that explored race relations. An excellent film 'The Harder They Fall' about boxing dealt with crime and the exploitation of fighters. Clint Eastwood's 'Million Dollar Baby' offering was about relationships. 'Men with Brooms was not just about curling'.

So, this is less about Sumo than about traditional values and the Japanese perspective of traditional values. It's a real peek into the Japanese mind, and it's told with a touch of humour. (You get to learn a bit about the great sport of Sumo, too!)