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Kikujiro

Original title: Kikujirô no natsu
  • 19991999
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 2m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
20K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Kikujirô no natsu (1999)
Home Video Trailer from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Play trailer1:39
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Comedy

A young, naive boy sets out alone on the road to find his wayward mother. Soon he finds an unlikely protector in a crotchety man and the two have a series of unexpected adventures along the ... Read allA young, naive boy sets out alone on the road to find his wayward mother. Soon he finds an unlikely protector in a crotchety man and the two have a series of unexpected adventures along the way.A young, naive boy sets out alone on the road to find his wayward mother. Soon he finds an unlikely protector in a crotchety man and the two have a series of unexpected adventures along the way.

IMDb RATING
7.7/10
20K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Takeshi Kitano
  • Writer
    • Takeshi Kitano
  • Stars
    • Takeshi Kitano
    • Yusuke Sekiguchi
    • Kayoko Kishimoto
Top credits
  • Director
    • Takeshi Kitano
  • Writer
    • Takeshi Kitano
  • Stars
    • Takeshi Kitano
    • Yusuke Sekiguchi
    • Kayoko Kishimoto
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 105User reviews
    • 94Critic reviews
    • 44Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 4 nominations

    Videos1

    Kikujiro
    Trailer 1:39
    Kikujiro

    Photos766

    Takeshi Kitano and Yusuke Sekiguchi in Kikujirô no natsu (1999)
    Takeshi Kitano and Yusuke Sekiguchi in Kikujirô no natsu (1999)
    The Great Gidayû and Rakkyo Ide in Kikujirô no natsu (1999)
    Kikujirô no natsu (1999)
    Kikujirô no natsu (1999)
    Kikujirô no natsu (1999)
    Kikujirô no natsu (1999)
    1 sheet movie poster
    Kikujirô no natsu (1999)
    Kikujirô no natsu (1999)
    Kikujirô no natsu (1999)
    Kikujirô no natsu (1999)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Takeshi Kitano
    Takeshi Kitano
    • Kikujiroas Kikujiro
    Yusuke Sekiguchi
    • Masaoas Masao
    Kayoko Kishimoto
    Kayoko Kishimoto
    • Kikujiro's Wifeas Kikujiro's Wife
    The Great Gidayû
    • Bikeras Biker
    Rakkyo Ide
    Rakkyo Ide
    • Biker's Friendas Biker's Friend
    Akaji Maro
    Akaji Maro
    • Crazy Manas Crazy Man
    Yûko Daike
    Yûko Daike
    • Masao's Motheras Masao's Mother
    Fumie Hosokawa
    • Juggler Girlas Juggler Girl
    Nezumi Imamura
    • An-chanas An-chan
    Beat Kiyoshi
    • Man at Bus Stopas Man at Bus Stop
    • (as Bîto Kiyoshi)
    Daigaku Sekine
    • Yakuza Bossas Yakuza Boss
    Yôji Tanaka
    • Yakuza Henchmanas Yakuza Henchman
    • (as Yoji Tanaka)
    Makoto Inamiya
    • Yakuza Henchmanas Yakuza Henchman
    Hisahiko Murasawa
    • Yakuza Henchmanas Yakuza Henchman
    Tarou Suwata
    • Stall-keeperas Stall-keeper
    Hidehisa Ebata
    • Stall-keeperas Stall-keeper
    Kanako Kojima
    • Hostessas Hostess
    Kyoko Nagata
    • Hostessas Hostess
    • Director
      • Takeshi Kitano
    • Writer
      • Takeshi Kitano
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Brash, loudmouthed and opportunistic, Kikujiro hardly seems the ideal companion for little Masao who is determined to travel long distances to see the mother he has never met. Their excursion to the cycle races is the first of a series of adventures for the unlikely pair which soon turns out to be a whimsical journey of laughter and tears with a wide array of surprises and odd ball characters to meet along the way. —L.H. Wong <lhw@sfs.org.sg>
    • boy
    • anti hero
    • nightmare
    • thug
    • violence
    • 109 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Comedy
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 for a threatening incident
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Takeshi Kitano made this gentler film as an antidote to his usual violent gangster movies.
    • Goofs
      Around 00:42:09, when the man is jumping down, we can see the ground moving up, so it's a fake one.
    • Quotes

      Masao: By the way, Mister, what is your name?

      Kikujiro: It's Kikujiro, dammit.

    • Crazy credits
      There's one more scene after the credits.
    • Connections
      Featured in Jam session - Kikujiro no natsu koshiki kaizokuban (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Summer
      Written by Joe Hisaishi

    User reviews105

    Review
    Top review
    Takeshi Kitano's most underrated movie.
    Western audiences basically only know Beat Takeshi for his tough guy persona. Japanese audiences have seen many sides to him for a long time, and probably regard him as a comedian more than anything else. Maybe this is the reason why 'Kikujiro' isn't all that well known. Takeshi wrote and directed this movie as a follow up to his most celebrated work 'Hana-bi', but as it isn't a yakuza crime drama, it seems to have been largely overlooked. And that's a damn shame, because it's a very good movie, and anyone who enjoys Kitano's work will enjoy it. On paper the plot looks very Disney-like (grumpy old coot hits the road with an unhappy kid), but hey, this is Beat Takeshi, so what he does with it is always original and surprising. Much of the movie is playful, but then much of 'Sonatine' was too, only 'Kikujiro' doesn't mix that up with the orgy of violence you might expect from watching Kitano's better known movies. However it does have some dark moments that you would NEVER see in a Hollywood film dealing with similar "heart warming" subject matter, especially the "scary man" sequence featuring Akaji Maro, an actor you might recognise from Tarantino's 'Kill Bill'. I enjoyed 'Kikujiro' a lot, and the more Kitano movies I see, the more I think he is one of the most underrated directors working today.
    helpful•49
    5
    • Infofreak
    • Nov 22, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 26, 2000 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Official sites
      • La Rabbia (France)
      • official
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Mua He Cua Kikujiro
    • Filming locations
      • Sensoji Temple, Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
    • Production companies
      • Bandai Visual Company
      • Nippon Herald Films
      • Office Kitano
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $200,920
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $28,079
      • May 28, 2000
    • Gross worldwide
      • $461,259
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 2 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

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    Kitano Takeshi to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award From Udine Far East Asian Film Festival
    Kitano Takeshi to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award From Udine Far East Asian Film Festival
    Mar 18Variety Film + TV

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