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Atsushi Ito, Kengo Kora, Nao Omori, Mikako Tabe, Gaku Hamada ... see more see more... , Mirai Moriyama , Gekirin , Vincent Giry

A rare single by an obscure rock band makes a strange voyage through time in this witty and original science fiction tale from Japanese filmmaker Yoshihiro Nakamura. In 1975, an obscure rock band call... read more read more...ed Gekirin record a song called "Fish Story" that anticipates the aggressive, rebellious sound of punk rock that's just beginning to make itself heard in New York and London. The band breaks up shortly after "Fish Story" is released thanks to record company interference, but the song has a strange ongoing life over the years, and in this film we jump back and forth between decades as the recording plays a role in several seemingly unrelated scenarios -- a member of the hospitality staff on an ocean liner (Mirai Moriyama) who wins the heart of a beautiful girl while battling pirates; Masaru (Dakaku Hama) and his buddies look for women on a lonely and boring evening; a meteor heads towards Earth while a strange man in a record store lectures those around him about the impending destruction of the Earth; and how Gekirin came to write their song of songs. Fish Story (aka Fisshu Sutori) received its North American premiere at the 2009 New York Asian Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

72% want to see it

411 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

10 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 52 min.

Directed by: Yoshihiro Nakamura

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DVD Release Date: December 27, 2011

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Flixster Reviews (64)

  • lesleyanorton
    May 9, 2010
    lesleyanorton
    This one's a charmer. A Japanese punk band records a song "Fish Story" in 1975, a year before the Sex Pistols and thirty seven years later it saves the world. How? You'll understand everything crystal clear in the last five minutes, so don't worry about puzzling it out beforeha... read morend, just enjoy the scenes jumping between between the 70's, 80's and 90's with characters like the unflappable music shop owner, the meek driver who can't stand up for himself, the prescient teenager, the sleepy schoolgirl and the trained-from-birth Champion of Justice. Hooray for Fish Story!.
  • monkeybobbob
    May 21, 2011
    monkeybobbob
    Great Japanese film about a punk rock song saving the world! When punk band Gekirin(Wrath, in English) are on their last legs as a band they record one final song called Fish Story. Its 1975, before The Sex Pistols put out their album and nobody had heard anything like it. Not on... read morely that, as years go by there are rumours about hidden messages being heard in the song but eventually this song will start events that lead to the world being saved in 2012! Sounds mad? Well, this is Japan and what Asian cinema seems to do so well is take any story, crazy or not and make it entertaining, fun and sometimes realistic to a point. Fish Story is well made, written, acted, clever with a good ending and the song itself is pretty cool to. And hey, you never know, a song could well save the world one day!
  • diaspora1010
    April 22, 2012
    diaspora1010
    Considering that this film was released in Japan in 2009, Fish Story can easily be categorized as a hidden gem. It contains multi-story arcs and a seemingly endless amount of different characters, but is splendid in its execution.

    Against the backdrop of an end-of-the-world scen... read moreario, a lone record store remains open despite certain death. Three men in the store debate the impending outcome - two refusing to believe that Earth is going to end while a third embraces the fact. The two men stress the role music will play in possibly saving the world and what follows are seemingly innocuous stories that play huge roles by the film's conclusion.

    The one film that came to mind when watching Fish Story is the 1998 feature Sliding Doors. The comparison may not do either film justice (especially since SD is more of romance), but there are aspects that both share which will help deliver a greater appreciation for either.

    Fish Story is very self-aware, but not overly mocking in a Joss Whedon way. Even though it's a foreign film it will hopefully be discovered over time, which when/if you see it will prove to be a triumphant irony. That aspect alone only adds to its charm.

    It's hard to categorize or explain Fish Story without possibly spoiling it. But it has enough magnetism and quirkiness to merit a look. What sets it apart is the simple use of great storytelling (great direction from Yoshihiro Nakamura). Add to it an undeniably catchy song, offbeat humor and just enough mystery to leave the audience guessing and you have the formula for an excellent and delightful feature. JV
  • HeroPK
    October 25, 2011
    HeroPK
    It is finally is on netflix streaming. I have been searching for this movie for the past couple of years with no luck since I heard it was a great movie. It did not disapoint.

View All Fish Story (Fisshu sutori) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Rich Cline
June 3, 2010
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

With a lively tone and an intricately plotted multi-strand story, this Japanese drama holds our attention using humour, drama and an end-of-the-world scenario. It's also a thoroughly charming bit of f... Full Review

Allan Hunter
June 1, 2010
Allan Hunter, Daily Express

Hugely ambitious and oddly beguiling... Full Review

Catherine Shoard
May 28, 2010
Catherine Shoard, Guardian [UK]

You can't fault it for narrative ambition, nor, in fact, for curious -- one might say fishy -- watchability. Full Review

Liz Haycroft
May 28, 2010
Liz Haycroft, Little White Lies

Like the title song with its crazy lyrics, it's quirky, fun and yet slightly overlong.

Tim Robey
May 27, 2010
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph

As off-puttingly quirky as it all may sound, it's held together with great confidence and a ton of energy. When the dots are finally joined, the sugar-rush of storytelling kismet is pretty exhilarating. Full Review

Kate Muir
May 27, 2010
Kate Muir, Times [UK]

A cool, surreal film, and not a little fishy. Full Review

Tom Huddleston
May 27, 2010
Tom Huddleston, Time Out

The result is a wonderfully entertaining and affecting patchwork of ideas, incidents, contrivance and coincidence. Full Review

Matthew Turner
May 26, 2010
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon

An impressively structured Japanese drama heightened by strong performances, a catchy theme song and an offbeat script that's laced with subtle humour. Full Review

Anton Bitel
May 20, 2010
Anton Bitel, Eye for Film

Fish Story may at first seem almost aleatoric in its structure, but this punkish chronicle of hope enduring in extremis and heroism paid forward turns out to be much more than a mere shaggy dog story. Full Review

Cole Abaius
March 22, 2012
Cole Abaius, Film School Rejects

Click to read the article Full Review

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