Neko Zamuai: A Tropical Adventure family comedy

This movie is a part of the Neko Zamurai series directed by Yoshiktaka Yamaguchi.
In A Tropical Adventure, the main character, Kyutaro Madarame is asked by his mother-in-law to leave the home of his wife, daughter, and mother-in-law to become a sword instructor for the Tosa Domain. Little does his family know that his mother-in-law plots to rid of the embarrassing masterless samuai Kyutaro, and his beloved cat Tamanajo, whom his daughter is allergic to. On his journey to Tosa, Kyutaro finds himself on an island surrounded by white-cat worshippers and Tamanajo’s life is in peril.

This movie is a farce and pokes fun at the samurai spirit and human relationships with animals. A samurai is supposed to be highly-disciplined and emotionally-controlled, but Kyutaro’s love for his rescued cat interferes with his focus. This movie demonstrates cheesy, campy Japanese humor, such as the concept of indigenous African American cat worshippers, led by a babbling nonsensical leader! Another example of crazy Japanese humor is seen in the reference to calling the pirates the “Tarantinos,” referring to American film director Quentin Tarantino and his off-beat style of movie making.

It is appropriate for K-12 students studying Japanese humor, or the influence of American ideals, but it would be important to have a frame of reference prior to showing this film. For instance, students should know what samurais are and their role in Japanese society before playing this movie. This would give students an idea of the Japanese sense of Japanese humor. (At the collegiate level, I would recommend Killer Sushi and Robo Geisha in lieu of Neko Samurai.)
edited by cgao on 1/28/2016