''Boutaoshi!'' ( / ''Pole Toppling!'') is a 2003 Japanese

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

. It was directed by Tetsu Maeda ('' School Days with a Pig''). and released on March 21, 2003. The film's

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

was written by Minoru Matsumoto (''Dolphin blue: Fuji, mou ichido sora e''). It features artists from the

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group. Pony Canyo ...

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

, including members of

Lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

and

Flame A flame () is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction made in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density, they are then considered plasm ...

. Production committee members included those from

, Japan Skyway, Jesus Vision, Tokyo Theaters Company, Inc. and PAL Planning, with distribution by Tokyo Theater and PAL Planning. The film is based on the Japanese game

bo-taoshi , is a Capture the Flag, capture-the-flag-like game, played on sports days at schools in Japan. The game, traditionally played by cadets at the National Defense Academy of Japan, National Defense Academy (NDA) of Japan on its anniversary, is fa ...

, a capture the flag-like game played during school sports days. The song's main theme was " Fly Away" by Lead, of which Shinya Tanuichi - who played the lead character - is a member.

Plot

The film is based on the Japanese game

, a capture the flag-like game played during sports days in Japan. The game has since been banned as too dangerous. ''Boutaoshi!'' centers around the sport during its peak, due to the high injury rate among players. A group of students decide to create a team for their school's final tournament. The main character is Tsuguo Takayama ( Shinya Tanuichi), who has family issues, most notably with his father, who constantly belittles him after his mother's suicide (

Miyuki Matsuda is a Japanese actress, the widow of Yūsaku Matsuda, and the sister of Mami Kumagai. At the age of 17 she appeared in a television series, '' Tantei Monogatari'', starring Yūsaku Matsuda, who was then married. They started a relationship and ...

). He starts playing bo-taoshi, though initially he has little interest; after his father mocks bo-taoshi, Tsuguo becomes passionate about it. He discovers he has a talent for the sport and begins playing with his classmates and friends. The mischievous Isamu Hisanaga ( Kyohei Kaneko) sees him and comes up with a plan to test Tsuguo's skills. Tsuguo is conned into joining the final competition.

Cast

* Shinya Tanuichi as Tsuguo Takayama * Kyohei Kaneko as Isamu Hisanaga * Akira Kagimoto as Atsushi Tabuchi * Keita Furuya as Suzumi Manabu * Hiroki Nakadoi as Toru Akasaka (Nakkan) * Airi Taira as Sayuri Konno *

as Yuko Takayama *

Yukari Taki Please don't delete this article because this actor or actress is new and will play/is playing a lead, supporting or breakthrough role in the tokusatsu series "Kamen Rider Build" and will continue their career and make more roles, either lead or su ...

as Miki Takayama *

Tomokazu Miura is a Japanese actor. Life and career Miura attended Hino high school in Tokyo. He was originally a member of rock group RC Succession, but was asked to leave the group by their management when they signed a record contract. However, impressed b ...

as Kotaro Ishigaki *

Nanako Takushi Nanako Takushi (2016) is a Japanese pop singer from Okinawa, Japan, and an original member of the group Super Monkey's. After the group disbanded, she formed the group MAX with other Super Monkey's vocalists. See also * Super Monkey's * MAX ...

as Nurse * Yu Kitamura as MC * Katsuya Kobayashi as Classmate

Release

''Boutaoshi!'' made its theatrical debut in Japan on March 21, 2003. It was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

on August 20 of the same year.

References

External links

Boutaoshi! - AllCinema
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boutaoshi! 2003 films 2000s Japanese films Films set in Miyazaki Prefecture