Salaryman Kintaro Vol. 1 (2001) - By Duane L. Martin

Anime Reviews: Salaryman Kintaro Vol. 1 (2001) - By Duane L. Martin
Posted on Sunday, May 01, 2005 @ 00:00:00 Mountain Daylight Time by Duane

It's been a long time since I watched something that I didn't want to end. Usually when I watch films, my moods fluxuate between enjoyment and never wanting to see it again, but once in a very great while, I come across something that's so incredibly special that it makes me wish I could just go on watching it indefinitely. Such was the case with Salaryman Kintaro.

Salaryman Kintaro is the story of a young man named Kintaro who was once the leader of a biker gang 10,000 members strong, most of whom would give their lives for him, and still would to this day even though the gang is no longer together. He did some time in a reformatory and when he got out, he married his one true love and had a child with her. Unfortunately, she died shortly after giving birth to their son and he's sworn to raise their child to be a good boy.

After an incident in which he swam for seven hours in the sea just to help someone who was stranted in a boat that had a broken down motor, the grateful fisherman, who owned a huge construction company, gave him a job, no questions asked. Kintaro was now entering the white-collar world of the salaryman, which he would soon find holds it's own set of problems involving corportae politics, backstabbing, and machinations by corrupt corporate factions that are hell bent on forcing out the kindly old owner so that they can take over and run things their own way.

Kintaro is an anime series, and each individual show flows from one to the next in a running series of events. What makes this show so extraordinary is that it's so incredibly well written that you feel yourself not only connecting to the main character, but actually aspiring to be the kind of a person that he is. He loves life and he looks at things rationally. No politics or machinations for him. He says what he thinks and respects those who deserve it. He's tough as nails, and yet he's a loving father and the best friend anyone could possibly ask for. He's selfless and at the same time aspires to advance in the world so that he can make a good life for his son. And he loves. He loves his dead wife and misses her horribly, honoring her memory every day. Now for a show to be so well written that it can draw you so tightly into a character that it makes you aspire to be what he is, that's just something special.

The show has a mixture of love, humor, violence, respect, inspiration and honor that I don't think would ever be possible to achieve in a live action show. Takashi Miike actually did make a live action movie version of this show, but there's no way, no matter how you do it or how it's written that the live action version could ever measure up to the animated original.

The show's frightningly accurate portrayal of corporate politics and intrigue is every bit as immersive as the criminal world of the yakuza as portrayed in so many other shows. There are political factions within the company, corruption, and backroom deals that are all going on under the nose of the kindly old honorable chairman who although he still owns the company, has lost the ability to fully reign in the corruption. He wants to adopt Kintaro and go off to run a small side company he owns that's not connected to the huge construction firm, but Kintaro tells him that the only reason the workers are happy is because he's still in charge, and that if he leaves, the workers will constantly be afraid for their jobs and constantly looking over their shoulders because the corporate politcs will ruin the company and make their lives miserable. Kintaro tells him that he can't leave, because it would be abandoning those who have worked so hard and were so loyal to him.

Salaryman Kintaro is one show that is an absolute must see. Not just for anime fans, but for anyone who loves to be immersed in a rich and involving storyline that's full of characters they'd actually like to know and be friends with in real life.

If you'd like to pick up this disc, or check out some of ArtsmagicDVD's other releases you can check out their website at http://www.artsmagicdvd.com.