Shonen merikensakku (The Shonen Merikensack) (2008)

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A long lost punk rock band hits the comeback trail, whether they like it or not, in this comic mockumentary. Kanna (Aoi Miyazaki) is an A&R executive with a record company, Maple Records who has been told she needs to find a hot new act soon if she wants to save her job. Kanna finds some blistering… More A long lost punk rock band hits the comeback trail, whether they like it or not, in this comic mockumentary. Kanna (Aoi Miyazaki) is an A&R executive with a record company, Maple Records who has been told she needs to find a hot new act soon if she wants to save her job. Kanna finds some blistering live footage on the internet of a punk rock band named the Brass Knuckle Kids, and she's convinced she's discovered Japan's next great rock band. However, Kanna learns that the online clip dates from 1982; undeterred, the label's chief (Yusuke Santamaria) is eager to reunite the band, have them cut a new album and put them back on the road. Kanna tracks down Brass Knuckle Kids guitarist Akio (Koichi Sato), who is working a menial job in a restaurant; he's anxious to put the band back together despite being close to fifty years old and struggling with a drinking problem, and with Kanna's help he rounds up the rest of the band. Bassist Haruo (Yuichi Kimura), who is also Akio's brother, is now a dairy farmer who prefers to have nothing to do with his old bandmates; drummer Young (Tomorowo Taguchi) is ready to take the stage again and even gets his Mohawk back in shape for the occasion; and lead singer Jimmy (Kazunobu Mineta) is game even though he can barely get out of his wheelchair. Can these aging rebels set aside their differences and grab the brass ring they missed years ago? The Brass Knuckle Kids' music in the film was written and recorded by real-life Tokyo punk band the Ging Nang Boyz. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi