Review of the film 'Elections and Depression'

I supported the crowdfunding for the film 'Elections and Depression'.
The signed pamphlet and merchandise perks arrived the other day.

Since it wouldn't be showing at any local movie theaters in the countryside, I initially thought I might go see it whenever I happened to be traveling, but when I looked up the release dates and theaters, I found out there would be stage greetings by the director and cast in the Kansai region.
I figured if I was going to see the movie, I might as well catch the stage greeting too, so since I had the day off work, I took a day trip to Osaka.

The show started in the afternoon, so I had lunch first.
The venue was in Juso, so I went to a nearby restaurant.

A famous shop, Amazoness Butcher.
When people think of Osaka, they think of takoyaki and kushikatsu, but Osaka is also a mecca for spice curry.
The culture of spice curry was nurtured in a unique climate in Japan that values individuality over mass appeal.
Being edgy is what it's all about; standing out is what matters. Osaka is a place where such unique and stimulating curry shops are crowded together.
Even among them, this 'Amabu' stands out in particular.

Inside the shop, there are posters of visual kei bands that seem to be the owner's hobby.
Kuroyume, ROUAGE, PENICILLIN, Dir en grey, and so on...
Anyone who says, 'Visual kei in the Reiwa era? How lame!' should just go home and listen to anime songs or K-pop knockoffs.

This was my second visit.
The curry that day was 'Gorgonzola Pork Natto' and 'Mala Pork Pancreas Citrus Masala'.

I couldn't imagine it at all...
I ordered the two-flavor combo for now.

Spice curry isn't just about being delicious.
The owner's philosophy, worldview, and aesthetic sense are expressed in a single plate.
It is no exaggeration to say that the owner's life is condensed into that one plate.
Spice curry is an experience of the extraordinary that you won't find in everyday life.
Or so I've heard.

After achieving 90% of the trip's purpose with an excellent lunch, I headed to the venue.

On the way, I encountered a street speech by a candidate for the House of Councillors election.

Being able to hear speeches by candidates in the news nearby is an interesting part of city life.
In my countryside hometown, there aren't any candidates I'd bother going to hear speak.
Since I was there, I picked up a flyer.

Hmm. He seems a bit shady.
I believe this person used to be in Reiwa Shinsengumi, right?
People have their own histories.

While thinking about that, I arrived at the venue.

It is the Seventh Art Theater in Juso, Osaka.

It seems it just so happened to be the 23rd anniversary of the theater on this day.

To briefly explain this film, 'Election and Depression,' it is a documentary that closely follows the election campaign of Hakase Suidobashi, who ran for the House of Councillors in 2022 as a national proportional representative for Reiwa Shinsengumi, the circumstances leading to his resignation after being elected, and his life afterward.

Speaking of myself, back in 2022, I had absolutely no interest in Reiwa Shinsengumi.
My perception of Reiwa Shinsengumi at the time was that they were an extreme left-wing party, or perhaps just a more energetic version of the Communist Party.
Or maybe a performance-first populist party.
A fraudulent party trying to gather votes by making impossible promises like 'abolishing the consumption tax' that would appeal to voters.
A pro-wrestling-style party that had no decent policies and only tried to attract attention through performances in the Diet.
An extreme left-wing party praised by leftists and communists for things like 'anti-nuclear,' 'anti-Abe,' or 'standing by the weak.'
That was the kind of perception I had.

Naturally, they were not an option for me to vote for, so I had no desire to listen to their claims in speeches or learn more about them; they were not a subject of interest at all.

I believe I voted for a Liberal Democratic Party candidate in the district and the Democratic Party for the People in the proportional representation in that election.

I vaguely knew that Hakase Suidobashi had run from Reiwa Shinsengumi, but I had prejudices about him too, thinking, 'Come to think of it, he was saying left-leaning things,' or 'He's just a celebrity candidate, he fits right in with the performance party Reiwa.' I didn't know at all what he was advocating for in the election.

At the time, Hakase was involved in a lawsuit with a certain politician, and it seems that when he went to petition Taro Yamamoto for an 'Anti-SLAPP Law,' it led to him running for office himself.
As a result, this anti-SLAPP bill seems to have fizzled out and does not appear to be included in the current policies of Reiwa Shinsengumi.
Considering that three years after this election, SLAPP lawsuits by political figures are once again a topic of conversation, I think it would have been better if more public attention had been focused on SLAPP lawsuits at that time.
I knew nothing about Hakase's lawsuit back then.
I will try to look into the details another time.
However, the lawsuit itself is not the main theme of this work, so it is not touched upon very much.

Director Taku Aoyagi, who closely followed Hakase's election, is an up-and-coming young director known for the work 'Tokyo Bicycle Bushi.'
'Tokyo...' is a record of his own time working as an Uber delivery driver in Tokyo during the COVID-19 pandemic, which subtly links to this work as well.
His other documentary works also seemed interesting.

Since the work is currently in theaters, I will try not to touch on the content too much, but a scene I personally found interesting was when a young disciple of Hakase mimics Taro Yamamoto's speech inside the campaign car.
The campaign team gathered through Hakase's connections, 'Team Suidobashi Hakase,' was basically made up of people from the TV and entertainment world, and they didn't really have much in the way of political ideology.
It was funny to see how Taro Yamamoto looked from the perspective of non-political youth; even though they were in the camp of a candidate running for Reiwa, they viewed Taro Yamamoto as if he were a bit of a dangerous person.

Also, there was a review by someone else pointing out that 'the cause of Hakase's depression is not made clear in the work.'
Certainly, it might be more satisfying for the work if that were clear, but I suppose illness isn't really like that.
Overwork from a grueling election campaign, the fact that his long-standing entertainment work was interrupted by his candidacy, the fact that his speeches weren't resonating with the audience as he had hoped, online slander, anxiety over the lawsuit, the shock of the assassination of former Prime Minister Abe, the pressure of actually working as a lawmaker...
The film doesn't explicitly say 'this is the cause' because that would be a lie, but there are several depictions that allow the viewer to imagine it.
He didn't seem energetic when appearing remotely on Nico Nico Live, and his reaction when hearing the news of his 'certain election' was subtle; it looked like he might have been at his limit in various ways toward the end of the election.
Personally, it was quite painful to watch the scene where Hakase, who hadn't captured the hearts of the audience at all in the early stages of the election, went to support another candidate's street speech, and fellow celebrity candidate Ai Yahata gave a speech that got the audience somewhat excited.

In terms of the work, it covers everything from his resignation due to depression after being elected to his activities toward returning to society, but if those who actually cast their votes for Hakase in this election consider that their vote connected to the message through this work, then perhaps that vote was not in vain.

After the screening, there was a talk show with the director and the cast.
Matazo Mimata, who was very active in the work, was in top form here as well.

There was also an autograph session.
I had already obtained the pamphlet through crowdfunding, but I bought it again since I was there. I also bought a T-shirt as a souvenir.

The pamphlet complements the film's message and helps you understand the work more deeply, so you should definitely read it.

The election poster looks somewhat shady and is interesting.

And so, my whirlwind trip to Osaka came to an end.
I bought some books related to Reiwa at Junkudo.
I plan to read them little by little.