User Reviews

After watching "Adrift In Tokyo", I couldn't wait to check out other works from director Satoshi Miki. So, hoping for the best, and intrigued by the one review I had read, I decided to risk this. I was not disappointed.

"Instant Swamp"'s masterful hyperactive opening lets you know right away that this is not your regular quirky movie. However it's a bit of a red herring, at least in the beginning, as it takes some time to get used to the not-that-fast pace and the characters' mannerisms. But once I was in, I was hooked.

This is full of surprises, and I was glad to see a movie that wasn't either too predictable nor too weird. It's hilarious too, some times very subtly, but still packed with gags. I can't say enough good things about the acting, specially Morio Kazama (Light Bulb) and Kumiko Asô (Haname), who carries this movie and really makes it work.

As in "Tenten", half the fun here is in experiencing the events unfold, in a sort of free-form mode. The plot is about Haname, a (very) lively young woman. Among many other things, her mother goes into a coma and Haname wants to find out about her toys which she threw into an allegedly "cursed" swamp. Doesn't help much, right? Don't worry though... one thing I can guarantee is that there isn't a single depressing or boring moment in this film.

This isn't for everyone, that's for sure. Those with low tolerance to people constantly screaming in Japanese, fantastic/ridiculous events and somewhat aimless humor will be quick to dismiss this one. But if you like Miki's style or you're a fan of over-the-top quirkiness and fun, chances are you'll be satisfied.

Haname Jinchoge(Kumiko Aso) is a woman that doesn't believe in anything spiritual or superstitious stuff, in another words she is a realist. And yet she sort of believes in curses because of her bad luck and she works for the cosmopolitan women's magazine. Soon she goes in search for someone from her past and than the real meat of the story kicks in. The dialogue in this is exchanged between characters very quickly and overall it's a fast paced movie. The mannerisms of the characters are slightly awkward but it isn't really anything new, if you seen a lot of Japanese movie and in this it doesn't go over the top with it. And yet it sort of reminded me of "Adrift in Tokyo" which is a film made by the same director because of the way the characters act. Some of the events seem random at times but it's still innovative and sort of refreshing to some degree. The characters in this is also likable and memorable, especially Light Bulb(Morio Kazama)for the most part and Haname Jinchoge(Kumiko Aso). The bonding element is done very well while revolving around antique shops. I personally liked "Adrift in Tokyo" a bit better but this one is enjoyable as well.

7.5/10

Yea I have no idea what this movie's aim was, considering the main character aims to do so much and gets nowhere, but it was very funny, like the laughter became more out loud as it went by. The leading girl was very adorable but might be too much if you're not into or used to these types of quirky Japanese films. I like the understated flirtation between her and the punk rocker dude who surprisingly helps her...sort of, considering he went along with her on her weird adventures, but didn't lift a finger while there, so funny! It's all so charming.

Basically the leading woman is into antiques and heirlooms and family secrets, etc. She is lovably odd. Well she decides to open her own antique/pawn shop, after helping someone nice but distressed find a pricey antique they've longed for, for many years. With the encouragement of her weird and out-there (yet hilariously anti-social!) friends.

Owning your own business isn't some easy thing so with some struggles, she embarks on a sudden journey to her family's past with her new punk rock guy friend (I wanted to see a kiss at the end). Lots of cute, laugh out loud things happen in a 40-minute crescendo to the end, all happening because she wants to make it as an entrepreneur and whimsically goes off on her new but supported ideas. I like her. I like the film. I like the director. I just don't know where the plot went but what the hey, I repeat the film a lot and laugh every time...and still wish for that kiss. Time to look up who that stud is now....

Well this movie was what you would expect from a Japanese movie, somewhat odd and not your average mainstream mass-produced Hollywood type of movie. But this particular oddity of a movie is not suitable for everyone. And I, however, wasn't in the target audience.

What worked for "Instant Swamp" was the quirky characters and the absurdity of their personalities. That being said, then at the same time, these characters were a bit too out there most of the times. And a lot of the things they said and how they reacted to their situations around them was just too strained.

And it should also be said that the people they had cast for the roles in the movie did really good jobs individually.

I found "Instant Swamp" to be a struggle to get through, and actually had to watch it over two times, because I found it too uneventful for a single watching. So I watched half of the movie in one day, then returned for the last half on the following day. That, however, sadly enough, wasn't helping to add to the level of interest I had for the movie. The movie was moving forward at a slow pace.

I enjoyed Satoshi Miki's other movie "Turtles are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers", so I had some expectations for "Instant Swamp". But the movie just didn't live up to what I had hoped for.

Sad to say, but "Instant Swamp" failed to sweep me off my feet, and however much I like odd characters and quirky characters, then "Instant Swamp" wasn't in my liking, hence the 4/10 rating.