2017 Japanese film
| Shinjuku Swan II |
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 Film poster |
| Directed by | Sion Sono |
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| Written by | Mataichirō Yamamoto |
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| Produced by | Mataichirō Yamamoto |
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| Starring | Gō Ayano
Tadanobu Asano |
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Production
company | Tristone Entertainment Inc. |
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Release date |
- January 21, 2017 (2017-01-21)
(Japan) |
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Running time | 133 minutes |
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| Country | Japan |
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| Language | Japanese |
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Shinjuku Swan II (新宿スワン II) is a 2017 Japanese comedy film directed by Sion Sono based on the manga Shinjuku Swan by Ken Wakui.[1][2] It was released in Japan on January 21, 2017. It is the sequel to Shinjuku Swan (2015), also directed by Sion Sono.
Plot
One year has passed since the death of Hideyoshi. Sumitomo, president of the All Japan Liquor Merchants Association, announces plans to open a new gentleman's club in Yokohama. Tatsuhiko, a scout from the Burst scouting agency who recruits girls for the adult entertainment business, moves from Shinjuku to Yokohama to recruit girls and expand the agency's business there. There he comes into conflict with Masaki Taki, the CEO of the Wizard scouting agency of Yokohama who is also seeking to recruit girls for the opening of the new gentleman's club and is unhappy about the unknown upstart stepping into his turf.
Seki once took the fall for a murder rap for Taki and has avoided Yokohama for 12 years for this purpose. When he returns, Taki takes it as a declaration of war. Taki is protected by
Inspector Sunako of the Yokohama Central Police as well as the Monbu group and uses them to push the Burst scouts out of his territory. He also sends scouts and girls to take over the Burst territory in Shinjuku.
Release
The film was released in Japan on January 21, 2017. It was later featured at the Eejanaika Toyohashi Film Festival on March 3, 2017, twice at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival on November 3 and 4, 2017,[3] and the San Diego Asian Film Festival on November 22, 2017.[4]
Box office
It was number three at the Japanese box office in its first week of release, earning $1.42 million.[5]
Reception
Eric Lallana of the San Diego Asian Film Festival writes that the film is "Sono at his most populist" and that the manga adaptation is "told with reverence for the material and the spirit of the stars." He describes that "Sono offers generous concern for how power and security are woven between the yakuza, big business, the cops, and the pimpery class."[4]
Josiah Hughes of the Canadian entertainment magazine Exclaim! writes that the film "often feels episodic, moving from one narrative arc to another in its exhausting 133-minute runtime. Despite its lack of traditional structure, however, the film is packed with colourful backdrops, explosive action scenes and comedy both intentional and, perhaps, unintentional."[6]
Home video
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 4, 2017.[7]
