听 User Rating 
Director Takeshi Kitano, who thought he'd be forever expected to make films about gangsters, violence, life and death (see "Violent Cop" for further details), is pleased that he had the chance to create "Kikujiro", a tale of growing up, personal need and friendship.
Gentle, observational, but punchy and highly amusing,"Kikujiro" is about a lonely nine-year-old boy, Masao, whom we first encounter sitting alone in his grandmother's house (she is out working), brooding over the emptiness of his life. His loneliness is emphasised via a wide shot of Masao on a football pitch, kicking a ball around, having forgotten that football practice had been cancelled for the summer. Determined to travel to a distant region of Japan to find his mother, he hooks up with the eponymous Kikujiro, a small-time goon who is really an adult infant, and the 'kids' set off on Masao's quest. Poles apart, they eventually forge a strong bond, but not in the resistibly cute manner of American buddy road films.
Takeshi lets his characters flourish, often by keeping his camera at a distance (so we see them in the situation that's affecting them) or by absence of music. Some of the most poignant moments are really very still. Yet "Kikujiro" is not some joyless work of scorching introspection but an upbeat romp which is often funny in the extreme: "Kikujiro" is rude to the point of eccentricity, and most of the on-the-road encounters are wacky but (because they are rooted in his well-written character) are never forced.
Yusuke Sekiguchi, as the boy who wakes up to the world, and the director himself, as the aggressive clown who discovers his own tenderness, hit their mark every time.
In Japanese with English subtitles
