Neighbor 13 (R Rated)

Taking a ichi the killeresque/fight club kind of story, mixed with a fantastic array of long takes and shots, this director who is used to doing music videos and commercials makes a fantastic debut into this kind of industry.

The start of the movie which is a mix of scenes shoots us into a very realistic movie. The characters are very easy to attach to and although a bit cartoony in the beggining begins to engage us into its loop.

Based on a manga by Santa Inuoe who is known for his Tokyo Tribes manga currently done by Tokyo pop, this was an adaption made from a manga done back in 1993. The style of art wasn't pleasing to my visual pallete but the movie itself was very good to its form.

The DVD is awesome, my 2 disk edition came with a Tshirt saying "Caution: May contain homicidal murderer" with the movies mascot on a white triangle. It includes some amusing previews but has a large making of, from manga to screen, and a bunch of MYV promotional things. I was a bit upset by the lack of deleted scenes (they involved Kaneda AKA takashi miike) but the quality of the other extras plus image gallery balanced it out.

The dubbing was also quite good, although not as good as the original cast in its original language, was not bad to the casual dubbed watcher.

I bought it because of the shirt, and was very happy at after watching the movie. You'll laugh a few times at the dark humor and be emersed in the suspense the movie has to offer.

Enjoy it! I know I did.

"The Neighbor No. Thirteen" ("Rinjin 13-go") is a film absolutely packed with talent. Shido Nakamura, who plays the title character of No. Thirteen, is an acclaimed Kabuki actor who made his stage debut at age nine. He made his transition to film work, and has appeared in great films such as "Ping Pong" and "Letters from Iwo Jima". Yumi Yoshimura, who plays Nozomi Akai, is probably best known as one half of the pop duo "Puffy Amiyumi", and a cartoon character on Cartoon Network's "Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi". And if the name Takashi Miike, playing the role of the angry neighbor Kaneda, doesn't ring any bells then you need to look a little deeper into the genre of Japanese horror.

But a lot of famous names doesn't always make a great flick, especially when among them are a pop princess and an avant-garde film director, and the plot of the movie is being adapted from a comic book. In this case, however, it works. All the pieces click together, and the result is an innovative and entertaining film. Not bad at all for first-time director Yasuo Inoue.

The story is very topical to modern Japan, taking on the subject of school yard bullying. More than one young child has murdered another in revenge for intolerable abuse, and even more have commited suicide rather than face another day as a constant target. "The Neighbor No. Thirteen" imagines a scenario where this revenge is repressed, and allowed to fester across the years, until it boils up to the surface taking on a life of its own.

Like most Japanese horror films, the pacing is slower and the story more subtle than a typical revenge flick. Of course, there is blood and plenty of it, but it isn't a case of trying to kill each victim in a new and more cruel way, or an attempt to shock and disgust the audience with gore. There is more psychology than psycho-killer.

"The Neighbor No. Thirteen," is a strange thriller that might not appeal to many tastes, however, I liked the film. The story centers on the character Murasaki Juzo (Oguri Shun). When Murasaki was a young elementary student he was constantly picked on by fellow classmates, and one in particular named Akai Juzo. In one of Akai's moments of bullying he even has his friends hold Murasaki down while he forces Murasaki to eat excrement. However, the most horrific bullying that Murasaki encounters is when Akai's friends hold him down one day while Akai pours acid onto his face.

Flashforward into the adulthood of Murasaki: and Murasaki's life has been permanently changed due to the trauma of his childhood experiences. One day, while working at his construction job, he noticies that new neighbors have moved into his building. And thus begins a spine-chilling thriller. At his construction job, Murasaki encounters his childhood nemesis. Akai has not matured into an adult, but is still the bully that Murasaki remembers as a young boy. When Akai locks Murasaki in the outdoor comode he is using, Murasaki crashes it open sending Akai to the ground. Only there is a change in Murasaki. Murasaki has a different appearance, and the alter-ego of Murasaki has emeged. After years of repressed and built up rage, the face the viewer sees is that of a blind and scar-faced man.

Akai continues to harass Murasaki, however, Akai does not know that Murasaki lives in the same building as he does. Akai neither knows that Murasaki knows his wife and child, nor does he know that the rage inside of Murasaki is about to explode. The viewer is unaware if what they are watching are the psychotic delusions of Murasaki, or if these are real events that Murasaki is going through. Especially how he is depicted physically. But it is the emotional trauma of Murasaki that has allowed his alter ego to finally take hold of him and now controls him. I will not spoil the film for you, however, it does have a strange twist. Especially concerning the acid spilled on his face. Recommended. Rent it first.