Waterboys (2001) [Film Review]

Waterboys; or, Synchro Revolution

     Real synchronised swimmers perform in deep pools, but we’ll manage. The truth is I got super depressed when I heard this was a boys school. I’ve always dreamed of coaching my own team. Why can't boys do it? Let’s go for it. Synchro swim!

I finally brought myself round and it’s time to begin my Shinobu Yaguchi month. I intend to review four of his movies (excluding the already reviewed Survival Family) throughout the four next weeks. So today, I would like to discuss his first major success which spawned a two-season drama and a two-part special; that is, Waterboys from 2001.

Release Info

Directed by: Shinobu Yaguchi Starring: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Hiroshi Tamaki, Takatoshi Kaneko, Koen Kondo

Language: Japanese Original Title: ウォーターボーイズ Wōtā Bōizu Runtime: 90 min

 

Plot

Kawagoe High School is a boy’s prep school in Saitama Prefecture. Their students are keen on sports, but some who suck at everything attend swimming classes. Soon, a beautiful new female coach (Kaori Manabe) is hired and she presents to the group the idea of preparing a synchronised swimming event for their school festival. However, the coach suddenly goes into labour and takes maternity leave. Suzuki (Satoshi Tsumabuki) always wanted to be somebody, but he never had the guts to do it. He and his four other colleagues: Sato (Hiroshi Tamaki), Saotome (Takatoshi Kaneko), Kanazawa (Koen Kondo), and Ohta (Akifumi Miura) decide to learn synchro swimming for the event and they ask a certain dolphin trainer (Naoto Takenaka) to help them out.

 

Go For It!

Waterboys was a massive success in Japan back in 2001 due its unusual subject and the way it was executed. Yaguchi had already been an established director with four theatrical movies on his account (which I have yet to check out), but it was the Waterboys movie which gave him a wider recognition.

 

One can regard the film as a teenage-comedy with a bit of sports, but to me this is foremost an excellent zero-to-hero story, the format which Yaguchi would repeat later in Swing Girls (2003) and Wood Job! (2014).

 

The best thing in Waterboys is this happy-go-lucky feel which Yaguchi successfully invokes. Whenever the music kicks in (plus great locations on a beach), I feel as if it’s already vacation time! The comedy is also extremely well written and it works perfectly in every scene (be it fishing in a pool or failed synchro attempt). In other words, Waterboys immediately puts you in a good mood.

 

Speaking about the movie, I can’t omit its definite highlights. I absolutely loved the sequences in the aquarium where the gang is cleaning the tanks and they familiarise themselves with its inhabitants. Also, Naoto Takenaka nails it while riding a giant orca! The Dance Dance Revolution scene is hilarious as well. One cannot forget about the standard appearance of Akira Emoto in a supporting role, who this time around shows up in a drag and a make-up that almost turns him into Joker! Additionally, Tetta Sugimoto has a minor but funny role as a furious P.E. teacher.

 

Oh, and I have to mention the awesome finale with all these synchro acts done to catchy songs. I guess that the cast and crew must have worked really hard to get these done. The composers Gakuji Matsuda and Hitomi Shimizu did a fine job with providing the score, which goes well with the stunts.

 

The actors who played Satoshi Tsumabuki as Suzuki and Aya Hirayama as Shizuko, his love interest, were picked perfectly as the chemistry of that innocent teenagers’ love is vividly noticeable on screen. The supporting actors who played the rest of the swimming team did very well, but the 90-minute screen time does not allow them to explore their characters in greater depth. Synchro is what matters the most.

 

Recommendations

If you are looking for something to relax and unwind yourself on a summer afternoon, then Waterboys is the film definitely for you. Now, I really want to check out the 2003 drama, although I wish there was an official sequel to this movie. Summing up, it’s a funny and witty film that leaves you wanting for more.

Overall score: 9/10