Giants & Toys
Directed by Masumura Yasuzo
95 minutes
Japanese with English subtitles

“Giants and Toys” (“Kyojin to Gangu” ) is a wild story of newly Americanized corporate post-war Japan, and the hysterical drive for success at all costs. It is a tale as common now in Japan as it was in 1958, and it is amazing to see how little the culture has changed in more than 60 years. In fact, this bright, colorful and fast paced film feels far more contemporary and ahead of its time than any Japanese films from the 70’s and 80’s.

When three rival candy companies go to war for market supremacy, all hell breaks loose. Nishi, an advertising executive for the World Candy corporation, finds a cute hillbilly girl called Kyoko on the streets with rotten teeth, bad clothes and tadpoles as pets. Sensing she possesses some sort of weird otherworldly appeal, he immediately thinks she would make a great model for their next campaign, selling candy in a space suit. As she becomes more famous, of course, Kyoko develops a more independent streak and resents being manipulated by the World corporation. It is baffling that this satire of advertising, capitalism and consumerism was made way back in 1958, since it is totally unlike any other movie made in Japan at that time.

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