Fantasia XXIX Review: In HONEKO AKABANE’S BODYGUARDS, Teamwork Makes The Dream Work
Masamitsu Nigatsu’s 2022 manga serves as the basis for Junichi Ishikawa’s latest adaptation now hitting festivals following its theatrical release in Japan last year. For this, Honeko Kabane’s Bodyguards marks another starring turn for boy band Snow Man member, Raul, who made his break into television for NTV and NHK, before debuting in 2021 romantic drama feature, Honey Lemon Soda from Shochiku.
Ishikawa’s film more or less extends itself to the same target audience and then some, managing jaunty romance and coming-of-age fervor with sprinkles of action and comical hijinks throughout. More pointedly, if you’ve taken a liking to films like the HiGH&LOW saga or Office Royale, or the Tokyo Revengers films to some degree, there’s no question Ishikawa is making his appeal here in large part to the same audience.
Laplace’s Witch and As The Gods Will scribe Hiroyuki Yatsu pens the adaptation that takes you on a wild ride into school life for Arakuni Ibuki (Raul), a delinquent summoned by Japan’s head of State Security, Mr. Jingu (Kenichi Endo). Estranged from his daughter, Honeko (Natsuki Deguchi), unknowing of her father’s existence or the $100 million dollar bounty on his head, Jingu hires Arakuni to infiltrate the school as a student to serve as her bodyguard.
What follows for Arakuni is a crash course in executive protection when he learns that he’s part of a covert team of bodyguards – each with their own personality, and skillsets to match. Additionally, when Arakuni learns there’s a traitor in the midst, it’s only a matter of time before the bodyguards’ true strength is put to the ultimate test.
Complicating things even further is the entry of Masachika Jingu (Tao Tsuchiya), a one-eyed crime boss who has her own bone to pick with Honeko, that is, if she can keep about her wits despite Arakuni being in the way. Alas, with the approach of a school dance contest, and their deadliest enemies inching closer with each attempt, whether or not the team come can together to protect Honeko becomes increasingly uncertain.
I only managed to catch a teaser for this film last year when I first learned of it. It was enticing so I expected that I’d take some enjoyment from it when I would get around to see it. What I didn’t expect is how much more fun I had watching it, being entirely new to the IP as most folks like me are who don’t typically read mangas.
Raul’s protagonist role is as tough as they come, but he’s easily matched by a number of factors throughout Ishikawa’s Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards, whether its the bodyguards themselves, or his nerves when asking Honeko out on a date. It certainly contributes to the greater balancing act the team tries to manage when taking on Honeko’s would-be killers from all angles without Honeko knowing. There are also deeper layers to uncover as you follow the story, exploring why Arakuni is in the picture to begin with, and the broader connection between his past, and other characters in the mix.
Co-star Tsuchiya brings a ton of energy to a character who easily becomes one of the most likeable – if not loveable – of the bunch. There’s also Daiken Okudaira who plays one of the film’s bigger dark horses as the team’s most-senior and most-skilled member, and who effectively (and quite literally) holds all the cards. His character leaves one of the biggest impressions throughout this story, which is also something he accomplishes amply in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cloud, which I highly recommend.
The film is apt to keep the stakes the highest they’ve ever been at a moment that, at one point, convinces the team that they’re somehow just not strong enough to protect Honeko from what’s coming, especially with the sudden death of one of its own; There’s a terrific scene in the aftermath of this that finds Honeko’s dance team member, Nei (Hikaru Takahashi) struggling with whether or not she even deserves to be in Honeko’s company. Of course, leave it to Honeko who has the purest and most mindful intentions when it comes to her classmates – a devout sense of love and loyalty that rubs off on Arakuni, among others, in a way they didn’t expect. It’s a delightful turning point to a fun finale.
Each of Honeko’s bodyguards has a talent they bring to the table, ranging from marksmanship, gambling, tech and sports, to medicine, slight-of-hand, psy-ops and straight-up martial arts, and then some. Minoru Tomita, whose credits partly include Office Royale, Out, and Backstage Employees to name a few, does excellent in fleshing out some of these aspects throughout the film’s action scenes. Takahashi’s Nei is especially an eyeful as the dauntless Karate specialist who, as Arakuni puts it to her later in the film, is Honeko’s “last line of defense.”
Topped off with high energy dance numbers in the last act, and a soundtrack suitable to the film’s overall tone, Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards serves up a hearty tale of friendship and family that packs a punch, and maybe a great big hug in the process.
Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards enjoyed its North American Premiere for the 29th edition of Fantasia International Film Festival.
