''Kikansha Sensei'' (, lit. "Locomotive Teacher", a.k.a. "Big Silent Man") is a 2004

Japanese-language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ma ...

film by Ryuichi Hiroki based on the best-selling book by

Shizuka Ijuin is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings Shizuka can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *, "quiet/calm" *, "quiet/calm, flower" *, "quiet/calm, fragrance" *, "quiet/calm, flower" *, "quiet/calm, excellent" *, " ...

Plot

A young teacher, Seigo Fujioka, arrives at a school of only seven pupils on a small island where his mother grew up. Due to a kendo accident, Seigo has permanently lost his voice. The children are anxious to meet their new teacher, but are surprised to find he does not speak a word. They soon become attached to their new teacher, naming him "Locomotive Teacher" because he looks big and strong like the picture of a locomotive hanging in their classroom. The adults are upset by the fact that they received a defective teacher, and many are hostile towards the outsider. The bond between Seigo and his pupils grows day by day, and one by one the adults begin to accept him, until tragedy strikes the island. One pupil, Shuhei, loses his father when his fishing boat sinks. Seigo helps Shuhei to accept reality, and realize that true strength is within oneself. However, before he leaves the island, Seigo too will have to confront his own memories of the past to show his pupils what true courage is.

Cast & characters

* Kenji Sakaguchi as Seigo Yoshioka *

Masaaki Sakai is a popular Japanese performer from Tokyo. He is best known to English-speaking audiences as the title star of the TV show ''Monkey''. Biography Masaaki Sakai is a Japanese actor, singer and martial artist. Born the son of , a famous comed ...

as Shuichiro Sako *

Mitsuko Baisho , is a Japanese actress, whose most internationally known work has been for director Shohei Imamura, from 1979 up to the director's final film in 2010. Baisho has also appeared in films of Akira Kurosawa. She won awards for best actress at the 10 ...

as Yone Abe *

Nene Otsuka is a Japanese actress. She starred in Masahiro Kobayashi's film '' Bashing'', which was screened in competition at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. Career Otuska has appeared in films such as Hirokazu Koreeda's ''I Wish'' and Yoshihiro Nakamura ...

as Yoshie Muroi *

Masatō Ibu is a Japanese actor and voice actor. He is sometimes credited as Masato Eve. Filmography Films * ''Love Hotel'' (1985) *''Maison Ikkoku'' (1986) *''Empire of the Sun'' (1987) – Sgt. Nagata *'' Sukeban Deka'' (1987) *'' Toki o Kakeru Shōj ...

as Jutaro Mimasaka * Masami Sato as Mieko Sako *

Naoyuki Morita Naoyuki (written: 直之, 直行, 直幸, 尚幸, 尚之, 尚志, 尚往 or なおゆき in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese lawyer, diplomat, academic and writer *, Japanese samurai * ...

as Shuhei Nishimoto

Release

Reviews

The film received generally favorable reviews, receiving praise for its cinematography and beautiful, authentic depictions of island life in Seto Naikai, where the film was shot. Mark Schilling of ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'' panned Sakaguchi's performance, stating, "This hunk of burnin' love, who comes from the worlds of fashion modeling and TV drama, complete with flawless cheekbones and flashing bedroom eyes, looks gorgeous on camera—but is in far over his head playing a role that would have challenged a much more accomplished actor. He poses stiffly in scenes where Sean Penn would have bared his soul." Writing for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', Russell Edwards' review praised the performance of the children, while regarding the adults' performances as "stiff".https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117927855.html

Notes

External links

* * 2004 films 2000s Japanese films {{Anime-film-stub ja:機関車先生#.E5.AE.9F.E5.86.99.E6.98.A0.E7.94.BB