TONKATSU or TANUKI (E only)

[J. M. Hall]

Sorry for this seemingly endless stream of posts to the list.  Months
without a word, then suddenly this loquacity.  You see, I am chained to my
desk finishing a translation project, and except for nutrition in the form
of TONKATSU, this is the only diversion I allow.  Still, I wanted to
recommend HATSUHARU TANUKI GOTEN (dir. Kimura Keigo, '59/Daiei) which I
briefly mentioned before on this list.  This is a thoroughly dazzling
(thanks to a brilliant use of technicolor) musical, that is well worth a
look.  I believe that IZUMO Maroh will discuss it in her upcoming book. 
Anyway, the whole TANUKI series including UTAU TANUKI GOTEN ('39) probably
deserves a look, if one could somehow get that look.  But do catch
HATSUHARU TANUKI GOTEN on videotape ... it helps if you love the frivolity
and camp of musicals, especially one with lime-green girls as kappa and
naughty tanuki (of both sexes) who are embarrassed when one sports a tail
..... 

Also, you could consider later musicals such as star vehicles for Sawada
Kenji (HONOO NO SHOZO, '74, dir. Fujita Toshiya) which I just saw at Cinema
Shimokitazawa (---not quite as chained as I claimed, eh.) And aren't there
a number of other star vehicles such as Yu Gatta Chansu (for singer Kikkawa
Koji, '84??) and CHECKERS in TAN TAN TANUKI (for the Checkers, '85).  But
then again, I can't quite remember how much of musicals these latter two
are.  Surely, there must be vehicles for the girl stars too, but I've never
claimed impartiality.

Jonathan