Tonde Saitama

Fly me to Saitama (Japanese: 翔んで埼玉, Hepburn: Tonde Saitama) is a 2019 Japanese comedy film directed by Hideki Takeuchi and based on the 1980s manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Mineo Maya.[2][3][4] It was released to critical acclaim as received most (12) nominations at the 43rd Japan Academy Film Prize, and won for Director of the Year, Screenplay of the Year, and Best Film Editing, as well won for the Best Film at Blue Ribbon Awards.[5] With a gross of $32.8 million it was 13th highest-grossing film of 2019 in Japan.[6]

Tonde Saitama
Theatrical release poster
Japanese翔んで埼玉
LiterallyFly Me to Saitama
Directed byHideki Takeuchi
Produced byHiroki Wakamatsu, Shinya Furugori
Written byTomokazu Tokunaga
Based onTonde Saitama
by Mineo Maya
Starring
CinematographySohei Tanikawa
Distributed byToei Company
Release date
  • February 22, 2019 (2019-02-22)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box office¥3.76 billion (Japan)[1]

Plot

In present-day Saitama, Aimi and her parents are driving to an engagement ceremony. Aimi's parents are upset that Aimi plans to move to Tokyo after the marriage, because residents of Tokyo have long looked down on residents of Saitama. To avoid arguing, they pass the time by listening to the radio, which is playing a drama about Saitama's fight for independence from Tokyo. The radio drama unfolds as Momomi, the son of the Tokyo governor, finds his social status at school threatened by the arrival of Rei Asama, a handsome male student who has been living in America. Unusually for a sophisticated Tokyo elite, Asama helps the scholarship students from Saitama, who live in poor conditions in a hut located off the main campus grounds.[7]

Momomi falls in love with Rei, but Rei is revealed to be a secret agent of Saitama sent to help achieve independence from Tokyo by infiltrating the Tokyo elite. Rei's true identity is discovered by Momomi's family butler, and Rei flees to return to Saitama and join the independence movement. Momomi joins him after discovering a plot by Tokyo elites to destroy Saitama's resistance. After Rei finds out the identity of his own father, and leads the Saitama forces to a final confrontation with Tokyo forces at the provincial border, Rei and Momomi reveal Momomi's father's plot, removing him from power and achieving independence for Saitama.

Cast

Box office

In the opening weekend it topped the Japanese box office with $2.33 million.[2] The film had grossed $32.8 million in Japan by May 2019.[8] By the end of 2019, the film had grossed ¥3.76 billion, making it the eighth highest-grossing domestic film of 2019 in Japan[9] and the 13th highest-grossing film of 2019 overall in Japan.[6]

Critical reception

It was released to critical acclaim as received most (12) nominations at the 43rd Japan Academy Film Prize, and won for Director of the Year, Screenplay of the Year, and Best Film Editing, as well won for the Best Film at Blue Ribbon Awards.[5]

In a 4/5 review in The Japan Times, Mark Schilling praised the film for taking a Japan-specific story and making it appealing to international viewers, and singled out lead actress Nikaidō's ability to move between serious and humorous moments in her performance of Momori Dannoura.[7]

References
  1. "映画『翔んで埼玉』評価は?映画情報や予告動画". ピクシーン Pick Scene 映画の評価ランキングやネタバレ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-09-07.
  2. "Tonde Saitama, Alita Rank #1, #2 in Japan Box Office". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  3. "Tonde Saitama Live-Action Film Unveils Dazzling Cast Visual in Costume". crunchyroll.com.
  4. "Japan Box Office: Self-Deprecating Local Comedy Tonde Saitama Beats Long-Awaited Alita". crunchyroll.com.
  5. "「翔んで埼玉」武内英樹監督、作品賞に「ウソだろうと」…ブルーリボン賞". Hochi News (in Japanese). 28 January 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  6. "Japanese Box Office For 2019". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  7. Schilling, Mark (2019-02-20). "'Fly Me to the Saitama': Tokyo takes on its revolting neighbors". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  8. "Fly Me to the Saitama (2019)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  9. "Movies With Box Office Gross Receipts Exceeding 1 Billion Yen". Eiren. Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
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