Gachi Boy (2008)

Profile

• Movie: Gachi Boy / Wrestling with a Memory
• Romaji: Gachi bôi
• Japanese: ガチ☆ボーイ
• Director: Norihiro Koizumi
• Writer: Ryuta Horai, Masafumi Nishida
• Producer:
• Cinematography: Yasuhito Kasai
• Release Date: March 1, 2008
• Runtime: 120min.
• Distributor: Toho
• Language: Japanese
• Country: Japan

Plot

Twenty-year-old Igarashi wakes up every morning, able to remember only his life prior to a bicycle accident in which he suffered permanent damage to his frontal cortex and temporal lobe. Resorting to copious notes and Polaroids, Igarashi must try to cull together some semblance of continuity to his life that will validate and confirm his existence. Igarashi finds a possible solution in his school’s pro wrestling club. Collegiate pro wrestling differs from “real” pro wrestling in that it focuses on the entertainment and comedic, storytelling aspects of the sport, which inspire and enthrall Igarashi to no end. Seeing this as an opportunity to feel alive again, he joins up and is openly welcomed by the club, which has seen its popularity dwindle. Unaware of Igarashi’s condition, the club members are mystified at his inability to learn even the simplest staging, and when his much anticipated debut match comes along, Igarashi ends up improvising most of it, to the great delight of viewers. Soon, he has drawn a large following and is single-handedly boosting the club’s popularity to an all-time high. Just when he seems to have overcome his fate, Igarashi is dealt another challenging blow.