1-Ichi
(Unearthed Region 1 NTSC DVD)
(2003)
review by Don't Feed the Dead

Takashi Miike's Ichi the Killer is one of the most widely known asian titles on the market today. It's sadistic blend of sex, torture and violence was unlike any film I had seen prior, and Miike's character craftsmanship truly made the film a "must see". However, Ichi's origin was never fully explained in the film and so a prequel was born from the minds of writer Sakichi Sato and director Masato Tanno. Far different from the likes of Miike's masterpiece, 1-Ichi is a much more toned down look at the troubles that caused the killer to surface.

Bullied by everyone around him, "Ichi" is an introspective pushover. He is consistently mocked by his peers, whether they be fellow high school students or a much younger class of karate pupils. He is made to be a joke and so he does all that he can to avoid human contact. One day, Ichi is caught by the high school bully Dai laughing while a fight is going on. Dai takes personal offense and Ichi's presence becomes an imminent thorn in his side. Confronting Ichi one day, Dai ralizes that the boy was not laughing at him and is a complete pushover. Ichi will not raise a fist, let alone mock Dai to his face. However, even after the confrontation proves what kind of character Ichi is, Dai is still bothered by his presence.

Soon after the initial confrontation, Dai seeks Ichi out once more, but discovers he has been kidnapped by a rival high school gang because he is thought to be Dai's friend. Although Ichi is not Dai's friend, he still feels obligated to go fight the rival school and recover Ichi. When Dai arrives on the scene he is shocked to see that each of the rival school's fighters have been killed in a violent fashion. The only living soul left is Ichi, who is wrapped in a number 1 baseball jersey, crumpled up in a fetal position and crying. Dai cannot figure out how the weak Ichi could destroy all of his rivals when he could not lift his fist prior.

However, a new student, Onizame (played masterfully by Koji Chihara) knows exactly what happened at the rival school. He witnessed Ichi fight with superhuman strength and is eager to face him one on one. Dai takes offense to Onizame recognizing Ichi as the number 1 fighter and challenges the gangly newcomer in a brawl. Surprisingly, Onizame easily dispatches Dai with some serious doses of Hapkido and sets his sights on hunting down Ichi.

Masato Tanno's more subtle look at the "turning" of Ichi might not have as much flair as Miike's film, yet it has a magnitude that most can relate to. The high school setting where Ichi suffers his humiliation simplifies the story and makes it easier to digest. Whereas Miike focused primarily on external events to trigger Ichi's rage, Tanno hones in on Ichi's internal struggle with self esteem and his blood fetish that drives him to fight.

The R1 DVD put out by Unearthed Films doesn't have much by way of extras, save for original trailers and a very strange "One on One" interview between Takashi Miike and Masato Tanno. Although Miike is a fascinating person, it was difficult to stomach the drawn out conversation the two were having, both men seeming like they took too many hits off the beer bong.

Overall, 1-Ichi is a good high school conflict film along the lines of Blue Spring. But if one is looking for another "Ichi the Killer" type film, disappointment may follow with the much more subtle, toned down prequel.