By Mr D Stevens
Movie reviews this week looks at the charming road trip movie Bass Ackwards.
It stars Linas Philips as Linas ( you realise a movie might be a tad biographical if the lead actor has his real first name), it also stars John and Gema Philips, Linas’s real life parents as themselves.
We meet Linas as he videos a wedding, speaking and video the people at the wedding, alternated with flash backs of when Linas was a kid, and his affectionate and adorable family.
Linas is currently staying at a friend’s place, but inevitably his friend and girlfriend would like some privacy, so Linas moves out, and starts working at a Alpaca Llama farm, run by a wonderful Alpaca farmer played by Bill Green, who has a classic 1976 converted Volkswagen mini, Linas falls in love with the moment he sees it; that is a source of constant amusement throughout the movie, especially when Linas tries to get people to pass by him as it is way too slow.
He decides to go on a road trip, to New York and visit his parents, using the classic mini, and asks his on-off girl friend Georgia played by the gorgeous Davie-Blue if she would like to come along. It turns out Georgia is not quite sure if she wants to continue a relationship with Linas. There is an amusing scene, where Linas phones up Georgia and asks her to come over, whilst she is at home with her current boyfriend, she makes an excuse and meets up with Linas, unbeknownst to her, her current boyfriend follows her, he sees her coming out of Linas’s flat, and when she leaves, attacks Linas without a word being said.
Linas seems to be a very friendly individual, and even offers space on his car for someone to sleep in, Jim played by Jim Fletcher, who just happens to knock on his window whilst he is asleep and asks if he can come in (it would be pretty rare for anyone to do this), and throughout the movie Linas exemplifies himself as someone willing to help anyone regardless of his own circumstance, as an example, a young boy steals a toy in a shop and runs off, but the shop keeper spots him, and he is about to call the police in front of his alarmed mother, when Linas steps in and says he was just about to pay for it, he duly pays for it, and saves the boy and his mother a lot of trouble.
Linas and Jim continue their road trip together, with Jim going to New York in order to spend time with his daughter, as it is his turn for his daughter to stay with him, as is the agreement with him and his ex-wife. At first you wonder if Linas has made a terrible mistake, giving a lift to someone who seems anxious at best, and says he has hardly had any sleep in the last few days; if this is heading towards a disaster Linas is going to regret.
Bass Ackwards is a charming movie, and once the end credits are shown you realise it was a family endeavour.
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Adventure Boys and Mitsuru Adachi’s Other Mangas
By Dani Brown
Mitsuru Adachi, a widely known sports (mostly baseball) manga author was born February 9, 1951 in Isezaki, Japan. Debuting in 1970, he became famous after mangas like Touch and Nine. They brought him popularity and recognition throughout Asia. His most works feature senior pupils or college students as lead characters. Since 1970 he has published over 20 mangas including short story collections and multi-volume series.
Manga Nine (released in 1978) is a high school baseball and romance story. It made Adachi a renowned Japanese mangaka and proceeded to 3 TV series. Katsuya and Susumu start playing baseball to impress Yuri, Katsuya’s girlfriend later appearing the coach’s daughter. But Katsuya is also adored by Yukimi… The intrigue is about love relations and the team’s success.
1980 released Adachi’s early big manga Miyuki (12 volumes). Wakamatsu Masato and his step-sister Miyuki are high schoolers in Toukyou living on their own without their father working overseas. Charming Miyuki is a star among guys around Masato while he dates Kajima Miyuki, a dream high school girl. Only after eventful years do the “flatmates” realize their personal preferences. The well-styled manga boasts an interesting plot, nice scene and youth emotions.
The next year saw Adachi’s superhit manga Touch (26 volumes) finished in print in 2005. This shounen story tells about 2 twin brothers, their pretty neighbor and baseball activity.
The manga (1981-1986) belongs to a top author, Mitsuru Adachi. This wonderful writer usually relates his stories to baseball and Koshien, the stadium of the All High School Baseball Tournament.
The Rough manga was released in 1987 now counting up 12 volumes. It’s a romance/sports story seemingly inspired by Romeo and Juliet. 2 young gifted sportsmen, Yamato Keisuke and Ninomiya Ami, come from rival confectionery families. Ninomiya’s grandfather had marketed an owl-shaped cake, but Yamato’s grandfather copied the product adding ears which killed the competitive business. After such a shock Ninomiya died cursing the Yamatos and starting their war.
Manga Nijiiro Togarashi (Rainbow-Colored Chili Powder, 1990) is Adachi’s rare sci-fi manga (11 volumes). Here Shichimi is going to Edo (Tokyo’s pre-capital name). His deceased mother had just left him a walnut and sent him to his half-siblings. Shichimi makes farewell to an old tough firefighter whose cloak emblem is the same with his. On arrival in Edo Shichimi faces a stranger sneering at outer peace and disillusioning people.
The H2 manga was in print 1992 to 2004 becoming Adachi’s biggest work (34 volumes). It developed into a namesake series. Kunimi Hiro had been a baseball talent before learning his arm was crucially damaged. So he transfers to a high school without a baseball team only to find out there his arm had a wrong diagnosis being perfectly OK. Then Hiro arranges a premier baseball team against his ex best friend and teammate, Hideo, in the Koshien.
2000 released a 5-volume manga Always Beautiful Sky (Itsumo Misora) about 6 kids brought together by providence.
The Katsu! manga has been released since 2002. In it Satoyama Katsuki is a carefree and lazy teenager. His secret love, Mizutani Katsuki, has a father who was a pro boxer and inherits this hobby. Satoyama enters a boxing gym just to impress Mizutani but soon discovers genius abilities inside…
The Cross Game manga has reached 17 volumes so far since 2005. It proceeded into an anime series. The hero, Kitamura Koh, has long befriended the Tsukishimas. Their ties are even supported by symbols. But their friendship has to shockingly end some day…
In 2009 Adachi released a short manga, My Sweet Sunday, together with another famous Japanese writer, Rumiko Takahashi. It’s an autobiography describing their careers in the manga business.
2009 also released the Q and A manga currently in 2 volumes. 15-year-old Atsushi Ando’s family returns to their towna after some time. There he encounters fortunes and misfortunes due to pranks by his dead older brother, Hitsushi Ando aka Q-Chan, whose death caused this move. The biggest prank is that only Atsushi can see the ghost.
Mitsuru Adachi is a baseball fan as a viewer and even an owner of a team called Vitamin A. He’s been focusing his manga on this sport for years leaving no doubt about keeping up the trend.
Dani is a huge lover of manga. He suggests visiting the website AnyManga.com to read mangas online.
