MOVIE REVIEW: Mad Tiger (2016)

“When you create something, it doesn’t matter if it’s art or music…there is always suffering attached to the creative process.” — Peelander Purple (Akiteru Ito)

mad-tigerMAD TIGER (2015 Film Movement)

Directed by Jonathan Yi and Michael Haertlein

Peelander-Z is a Japanese-born punk band, via New York City, sort of a cross between Gwar and Japanese science fiction.  In their own words, they are a “Japanese Action Comic Punk band hailing from the Z area of Planet Peelander”.  They have been releasing music to a cult following since 1999.  Their hits include “Mad Tiger” and “Ninja High School”.  Music is only 10% of what they do, with elaborate stage shows, stories, monsters and characters to go with it.  Like many Japanese super-teams, they are all completely colour coordinated.  Their founding leader is Kengo Hioki, or Peelander Yellow.  His partly-shaved head is always dyed yellow, and his costumes match.  According to his wife Peelander Pink (keyboards), Kengo first had to learn how to play guitar standing up in order to form a real punk band.

Their music is meant to be fun, to bring happiness.  The music itself is not serious, but Yellow takes his band very seriously.  When original drummer Peelander Blue left the band in 2008, he was replaced by Peelander Green who helped bring the music to a more professional level.  Bassist Peelander Red (Kotaro Tsukada) was the lynchpin, being the member who was the most physical on stage and able to do the stunts that Yellow could not.  A new stunt involved him riding a unicycle in a squid suit and crashing into the stage.  He’d often be the member who was climbing on top of things, and hanging from the ceiling by his legs.  Other gags include human bowling a-la Jackass, and chair fights like WWE wrestling.  Red’s physicality was essential to this.

The atmosphere around Peelander-Z is bubbly and celebratory, but inside, there is tension.  Red has decided to leave the band and open a bar in New York.  A final show for Red is a big deal, an emotional event for the members — each one changed colours to red for this special show.  For Yellow, it means not only losing a close friend, but having to create a new character for a new member to play.  Another friend, Akiteru “Eatman” Ito, is flown in from Japan to play bass.  His musical style is different from Red’s, and different from what Yellow is used to.  He becomes Peelander Purple, a rhino-headed bass behemoth, and they prepare for their first show together.

While this movie is ostensibly about a unique punk band with a 15 year history, it is more so a look at Kengo Hioki, a born entertainer who was facing a crossroads in his life with the departure of Red.  We get to visit his family in Japan, his devoutly Christian father and his siblings.  We get a sense of what friendship and commitment means to Kengo, especially in regards to the tensions between his partners in Peelander Z.  Watching the band seemingly fall apart while he was working hard to build  it back up is poignant. Filmmakers Jonathan Yi and Michael Haertlein chose to leave in raw, emotional footage that Kengo wanted to sum up in animated form.

The songs are silly and fun, but the passion is genuine.  Check out Mad Tiger.

4.5/5 star-z

42 comments

        5. That video about Purple is AWESOME!!!!

          Is it me? All I hear is Can’t Live Without You-Scorpions.

          P.S. Not quite the mesh shirt look I am after on a video.

          This would be an awesome Halloween costume.

          Liked by 1 person

        6. Yes agreed Bop, on the Scorps.

          That is from their “metal” album Metalander-Z.

          I am enjoying a lot of their tunes. Here is “Get Glasses” which is great. Featuring guitar solo from Peelander Black.

          Liked by 1 person

        7. I wear glasses so I guess I am in like flynn.

          The guitar work sound very Chuck Berry like.

          If Spinal Tap, Chuck Berry had done an impromptu set in a Tokyo divebar with a local Karoake band.

          Liked by 1 person

        10. Get the get the glasses, get the glasses!

          I like when he gives Peelander Black the glasses and then suddenly he can play guitar!

          Crazy good stuff, unexpectedly so.

          Like

        4. Oh! I’ll need to see what Herzog stuff has been added to the UKflix.

          I think Luke Cage could be enjoyable, but it hasn’t impressed me so far.

          Liked by 1 person

        5. There was one film I watched called Lessons of Darkness, about the Kuwait oil fires in 91/92 and the firefighters putting it out. Almost no narration; just images and classical scores, but what a story they tell! I may end up reviewing it, because of the music connection.

          Like

        7. I watched that one too. He always comes up with a way of looking at a person or situation that I hadn’t considered before. That was also true of the Kuwait movie.

          Like

  3. I dunno why, but when I read this it just made me tired. I must need more coffee. Maybe on another day this’ll be something I’d be interested in? Still, good on ya for even knowing about such a thing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Me too dude, MuchMusic used to do that with Oasis!

      I had a customer return the movie Sexy Beast with Ben Kingsley because “it wasn’t in English”. I’m serious.

      Like

      Reply

    1. I wish I could say I knew about this band and had been waiting for the movie. I wish I could claim to be that cool.

      Just browsing Netflix, I saw the poster of the Yellow guy (same one in the review) and I said, “OK well I have to watch this.” I have always loved Japanese culture and pop culture.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

        5. You know the part when Lips and Robb have a big blowout in the studio? That part there are a few tears shed.

          Watching Chris Tsangarides work, I realize a producer is not just an audio and music wizard. A producer is also a shrink. And he must be able to manipulate the musicians to function under pressure.

          Liked by 1 person

Rock a Reply