Love & Peace (2015)

Bullied and diminished by his fellow employees, demure and bashful Ryoichi Suzuki finds support in an unusual friendship with a turtle. Together they will share many adventures and finally conquer the world.

Director:

Sion Sono

Writer:

Sion Sono (screenplay)

Stars:

Kumiko Asô, Motoki Fukami, Suidôbashi Hakase

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Kumiko Asô	...	Terashima, Yuko
Motoki Fukami	...	Tanaka, Toru
Suidôbashi Hakase	...	Commentator
Hiroki Hasegawa	...	Ryoichi Suzuki (as Hiromi Hasegawa)
Aki Hiraoka	...	TV Interviewee
Gen Hoshino
Inuko Inuyama
Izumi
Megumi Kagurazaka	...	Yuri's Mother
Erina Mano	...	High School Student
Miyuki Matsuda	...	Producer Matsui
Miyu Matsushita	...	Interviewee
Shinji Miyadai	...	Commentator
Kenichirô Mogi
Ayaka Morita

Storyline

In the summer of 2015 in Tokyo, Ryoichi dreamed of becoming a punk rocker when he was younger, but became a timid salary-man at a musical instrument parts company. He has feelings for Kumiko Aso, but he can't tell her how he feels. One day, he has a fateful meeting with a turtle on the rooftop of a department store. He names the turtle Pikadon and he adores it, but his co-workers laugh at him. Ryoichi throws Pikadon into the toilet. He regrets what he did. The turtle though goes through sewerage and meets an old man who lives in the underground. Something then happens.

---

Plot Keywords:

written by director | kaiju | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

26 June 2015 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Amor y Paz

Filming Locations:

Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Asmik Ace Entertainment, Gansis, King Records

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kaiju, is the Japanese word for "strange beast/creature", and it defines a specific film genre that features mutated monsters of all kinds, usually wreaking havoc to a town or a big Japanese city. A Daikaiju (giant monster), first appeared in film in the form of Godzilla in the 1954 homonymous film.

---

Connections

References Why Don't You Play in Hell? (2013)

User Reviews

Unexpected and Different Fantasy

Even though I have seen a few of Sion Sono's films this was a little bit unexpected. Firstly the film starts off as a bit of an awkward romance, a typical out of place pair in an ordinary situation, picked upon by the people around them.

However, as the movie progresses, the movie takes some very interesting and cute turns into a semi surreal and touching fantasy. In some ways, this movie is two separate stories twisted into one, - one starring the legendary Toshiyuki Nishida (known in the West largely from his role as Pigsy in "Monkey") and the other, the central figure Ryo, played by Hiroki Hasegawa.

While not perfect, the movie is touching and emotional, hard to pull off considering some of the surreal circumstance. It has its funny moments, but largely a surreal light drama, and has a touch of the Christmas movie about it. For Sion Sono fans and fans of the fantastic, its worth it for the ending.