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[From July Issue 2012]

 

700 Days of Battle: Us vs. the Police (Director: TSUKAMOTO Renpei)

Based on an extremely popular “blog novel,” this story is partly true and partly fictional. It was subsequently adapted into a comic book, and translations have been published overseas. The movie was released in Japan in April 2008 and was later shown in Taiwan and Korea. The original story was set in Yamagata Prefecture in 1975, but in the movie version, this became Tochigi Prefecture, 1979.

In a certain rural town, seven high school friends generally make a nuisance of themselves in their school and town. Their ring leader is nicknamed “Mamachari,” because he rides around on a type of bicycle commonly used by housewives that has a basket in front. One day, one of the gang, Saijo is arrested by a policeman for breaking the speed limit on his moped.

Looking to get even with the police and believing that they won’t get arrested on their bicycles, the seven friends ride their bikes at great speeds in front of the device used for recording speed violations. However, a policeman who is at first convinced that the speed infractions were caused by an automobile, finds out that this is a prank carried out by the bicycle-riding kids and catches them in the act. He summons one of their high school teachers and orders him to strictly discipline the boys.

But even after this incident, the high school kids wage war by playing one prank after another on the police officer. In response, playing fast and loose with the letter of the law, the officer gets his revenge. On one occasion, saying that he’d like to make peace with the boys, he invites them out for a drive to the neighboring town. He takes them to a scenic spot deep in the mountains and lets them out of the car to watch the sunset. Then he seizes the opportunity to leave the boys stranded. This is just one example of his behavior.

During the summer holidays, Saijo is involved in a traffic accident on his moped and is hospitalized. When his friends visit him in hospital, he asks them to steal the fireworks that were going to be used at a display in a neighboring town and begs them to set them off in a dry riverbed near the hospital. He insists that this is part of their campaign against the police officer. However, regardless of whether the plan is successful or not, if they get caught by the police officer, they’ll be expelled from school.

While everyone is half-hearted about carrying out this plan, Mamachari realizes why Saijo thought up the scheme. Mamachari understands the tender side to Saijo’s personality and explains the reason to his pals. Resigned to being expelled, the friends decide to steal the fireworks. However, when they set off towards the neighboring town, the officer, who has been informed of their plans, stands in the way.

This movie is set in 1979. In that year young people all over Japan were caught up in the “Space Invaders” craze, but it was also the year in which standardized entrance exams for national universities were introduced. This movie draws a partly humorous, partly heart-rending portrait of the war between a group of rural high school students overwhelmed by the upcoming challenge of these fiercely competitive high school entrance exams, and a police officer who seriously tackles them head on and tries to teach them how to live correctly.

[2012年7月号掲載記事]

ぼくたちと駐在さんの700日戦争(監督:塚本連平)

原作は大人気になった「ブログ小説」で、半分が実話に基づく。後にコミック化され、海外でも翻訳版が出版されている。映画版は2008年4月に公開され、その後、台湾や韓国でも上映された。原作は1975年の山形県が舞台だが、映画版では1979年の栃木県になっている。

ある田舎町で、地元の高校に通う7人の仲間たちは、校内や町でいたずらばかり仕掛けている。リーダーは、主婦が買い物などに使う、前にかごがついた自転車の通称で、彼が母親の自転車に乗っていることから「ママチャリ」と呼ばれている。ある日、仲間の一人、西条が原付きバイクのスピード違反で警察官に捕まる。

警察官に仕返しをしようと考えた7人は、自転車なら逮捕されないと確信し、スピード違反取り締まり器の前を猛スピードで駆け抜ける。一方、自動車のスピード違反だと思い込んだ警察官は、自転車に乗った高校生たちのいたずらだと知り、彼らを捕まえる。高校の教師を呼びつけ、彼らを厳しく指導するように命じる。

だが、その後も高校生たちは次から次へと作戦を立て、警察官にいたずらを仕掛ける。しかし、警察官は法律を破らないぎりぎりの仕返しをする。あるときは、仲直りしようと言い出し、彼らを隣町にドライブに誘う。山奥の景色のいいところに連れて行き、彼らを車から降ろして夕日を眺めさせる。そのすきに彼らを置き去りにしてしまう、という具合に。

夏休みのある日、西条が原付きバイクで事故を起こして入院する。仲間が見舞うと、彼は隣町で行われる花火大会の打ち上げ花火を盗み出し、病院近くの河原で打ち上げてくれと頼む。それが警察官を苦しめる作戦だと言い張る。だが、作戦が成功しても失敗しても、警察官に捕まれば全員が退学させられてしまう。

誰もが気乗りしない中、ママチャリは西条がなぜ、そのような作戦を思いついたかを知る。西条の優しい一面にふれたママチャリは、その理由を仲間に知らせる。そして、彼らは退学する覚悟を決め、花火を盗み出す。しかし、隣町に向かおうとしたとき、作戦を知った警察官がまたしても彼らの前に立ちはだかる。

映画版が設定された1979年は、日本各地で若者たちがインベーダーゲームに熱中し、全国の国公立大学などで一斉学力試験制度「共通一次試験」が始まった年でもある。受験戦争の波にもまれようとしている田舎の高校生たちと、彼らに真剣に向き合い、強く正しい生き方を教えようとする警察官が繰り広げる闘いの日々が、時にコミカルに、時に切なく描かれている。

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