Responses
This comment made me watch Blues Harp and I have to sincerely thank you for recommending it.
It’s a far more subdued, melancholic, and character-driven film than Miike's usual extreme and stylistic work but that's exactly the kind of films I tend to love. The plot is fairly simple but still wonderful, the blues music is also amazing, and the atmosphere and emotional sincerity carry it. I was especially moved by the relationship between the yakuza and Chuji, which felt quietly tender and human.
Not as flashy as Miike’s usual output, but for me, one of his most affecting.
It's definitely become one of my favs and I only have you to thank for it.
I know this is a manga, but you can't separate it from it's classic film adaption by Takashi Miike. If anyone is interested in his stuff, would really recommend "Blue Harp", to me that is probably one of the best Miike films, as it's less straight up shock and gore but actually has some emotional depth. It also shows another side to Japan, away from the business suited yakuza that the director usually prefers for his crime plots. The yakuza character's closeted feelings towards the drug runner and the drug runner representing a more multicultural Japan where the runners are kids fallen on hard times is interesting, and the styling of all the flashbacks, the jittery camera's is 90's gold that you don't see much of today!