Question RE <Shinjuku Boys>

[Erik R. Lofgren]

Apologies in advance for a questions that may be off-topic for the list.

Because I do Japanese "stuff", I have been asked to comment on the 
film <Shinjuku Boys> which will be shown later this year.  The film 
is NOT produced by Japanese (Kim Longinoto & Jano Williams) and seems 
to be of a documentary nature (I have not yet been able to see the 
film since the university does not have it yet).

My questions, assuming people know of this film, are:

1) What is the general perception of this film?  What is the 
scholarly evaluation of it?

2) What credentials do Longinoto and Williams bring to this 
particular project that suggest they are "reliable" (however one 
might choose to define this)?

3) Where does this fit in the canon of films on Japanese sexuality, 
if anywhere?

4) I am unfamiliar with the term used to describe the 'protagonists' 
of the film: "annabe".  Can anyone suggest a general resource that 
might enlighten me?  Neither Schilling's <Japanese Pop Culture> nor 
the Kodansha <Encyclopedia of Japan> is of use here.  The 1998 
<Chiezo> sheds no light on the situation either.

Thank you.

Erik (12 October 1999)

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Erik R. Lofgren            Tel: 570-577-1765
10 Marts Hall
East Asian Studies Dept.   <mailto:elofgren at bucknell.edu>
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA  17837       <http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/elofgren/>
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