Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
THE VANCOUVER ASAHI
Directed by Yuya Ishii, 2014, 132 min. In Japanese and English
Saturday, April 25, 2015, 2:00 PM
Aratani Theatre, Little Tokyo
In pre-WWII Vancouver, second-generation Japanese immigrants had it tough. Everyday, they faced discrimination, hatred, and injustice at the hands of their Caucasian counterparts. But one thing made their lives worth living: baseball.
They may be the underdogs, but the Vancouver Asahi baseball team has a sense of fair play and smart tactics that set them apart from the brute force of their opponents.
Under the guidance of new team captain Reggie Kasahara, can they rise about all the negativity to win the tournament?
THE VANCOUVER ASAHI is based on the true story of the Japanese-Canadian baseball team that was inducted into The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Synopsis
Vancouver, Canada, the 1930s —This is the true story of the Vancouver-based Asahi baseball team that consisted of second-generation Japanese immigrants.
In the beginning, the Asahi were routinely crushed by their opponents. But, when the team regrouped to change their strategy and game play, they soon started winning games.
They grew very popular because of their “fair play” spirit, and the fact that these baseball players were physically diminutive compared to their burly Caucasian counterparts. In other words, it was a classic David-and-Goliath story; better yet, they were champions in their local league for five years straight.
The Asahi teammates struggled in their everyday lives against discrimination and poverty, but baseball was when they shined; in fact, it was a major uplift for the entire Japanese community.
Then, that day of infamy happened — Pearl Harbor.
With growing mistrust and fear, the Canadian government followed their U.S. counterparts, leading to mass detention and internment of émigré Japanese.
The Japanese American experience is well documented, and THE VANCOUVER ASAHI shows a glimpse of this shared experience from our neighbors up north – in many ways, the government’s treatment against Japanese Canadians was actually far harsher.
The Asahi, sadly, never really recovered from the war, so its achievements have become the stuff of legend. But for a good few years, these men were the shining light of their community; along with sports, they brought camaraderie, hope, and dreams to their new land.
The film has one of the largest ensembles of popular Japanese idols, starring a slew of superstars like Tsumabuki Satoshi, Kamenashi Kazuya, Takahata Mitsuki, Miyazaki Aoi, and Sato Koichi, just to name a few.
The film is a curious property in that it is a Japanese national production of an Issei and Nisei story. As is usually the case (especially with film adaptations), some aspects of the film are not as authentic— some of the male actors look too preciously J-Pop to be portraying immigrant laborers — but it is nonetheless commendable considering general attitudes against overseas Japanese communities.
In the end, THE VANCOUVER ASAHI is classic and old-fashioned entertainment with moments of humor and humanity from director Yuya Ishii (THE GREAT PASSAGE, which was Japan’s official Foreign Language Film entry to the Academy Awards), one of the most dynamic directors working in Japan today.