Kon’nichiwa!!

Welcome back to another weekly Movie and TV Review!!

The movie—or in this case, documentary—on the chopping block is none other than Mad Tiger.

This documentary captures intimate moments between bandmates as bassist Kotaro Tsukada, better known as Peelander Red, transitions out of life as a superstar alien lifeform and into civilian life as the newest teacher at Ninja High School.

Now let’s get itttttttttt!!

Instead of traveling to Japan, we find ourselves in New York City, headquarters of the eccentric and wonderful group Peelander-Z.

Hailing from Planet Peelander, we have, at the time of recording, current leader and band member Kengo Hioki (Peelander Yellow), Yumiko Hioki (Peelander Pink), Akihiko Naruse (Peelander Green), and last but not least, Akiteru Ito (Peelander Purple).

The filmmakers are kind of assholic for including scenes the band members clearly asked them not to show. But at the same time, those moments help us get to know the people behind the costumes and personas.

So I guess they did their job.

Lol.

I just kept thinking, “Nothing you’re doing is secret or careful because eventually the person you’re talking about is going to hear it—and they might not like it.”

Anypoops, through these encounters I gained a better understanding of the kind of man Mr. Hioki is.

Kengo is a man with a vision, and he’s worked incredibly hard to achieve it. The band has toured throughout the United States, appeared in numerous publications, and built a loyal following.

But because of his unwavering dedication to bringing his dream to life, other people sometimes get crushed in the process.

Kengo talks about his life as a painter and how he created hundreds of paintings before suddenly feeling the need for reinvention. In a dramatic act of rebirth, he covered them with white paint and effectively erased them.

In a way, he erased Kengo Hioki as well.

And from those ashes, Peelander Yellow was born.

Yeah, I get that there’s a certain kind of genius there.

But still.

You can’t treat people however you want and expect them to follow you to the ends of the earth.

Maybe that’s the curse of brilliance.

Peelander-Z reminded me of one of my favorite anime and manga series, Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad.

There is a live-action adaptation of Beck, but I’ve never gotten around to watching it because I wasn’t convinced it could do the original story justice.

I imagine the members of Peelander-Z experienced many of the same highs and lows as Koyuki and the gang. They spent years on the road, performing in different cities, chasing their dream together.

And like many good things, eventually the journey came to an end.

Anypoops, I give Mad Tiger 4 out of 5 rose petals.

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Thanks for reading.