On the Edge of Their Seats
                                
Director:  Hideo Jôjô
Year: 2020
Rating: 7.0
It's Spring Training in America. Baseball is about to begin. The only sport that really matters. I always like to watch a baseball film or two this time of year. This time I picked out a Japanese film about baseball or besuboru. High school baseball in this case which is taken very seriously in Japan. Scouts come to all the games. There is a large band playing in the stands and chants from the fans, the sound of the bat hitting the ball. This has all that - the spirit, the enthusiasm, the cheering - what it doesn't have is baseball. In the 76-minute film the game is never shown which is kind of a cool concept. Keep it minimal. The fans are the stars of this film. No need to show the players - and I expect a lot cheaper to film. It focuses on five people in the stands and one that we never see. It is a charming small film of school days and growing up. Tiny dramas play out of no significance except to those people. That was school right? The smallest slight, the smallest victory, the smallest gesture could make all the difference. Pretty much the whole game plays out in front of us and from the fans we know who is winning, but we never see it.



Yasuda (Rino Ono) and her friend Hikaru (Marin Nishimoto) are sitting in the upper stands where there are no people. It is a very hot day. They clearly have no clue how the game is played and are constantly confused by outs, catches, strikes and balls. Their team is from a rural community and has no chance against the ranked opposing team. Soon Fujino (Amon Hirai) sits a few seats away and listens to them in amusement, eventually explaining a few things to them. It's a small school so everyone is at least aware of everyone else. Standing in the back by herself is Miyashita (Shuri Nalamura) with her spectacles and reputation as the best student in the school. Till Kusumi (Hikari Kuroki) took first place in the tests. She also leads the band and is dating the star baseball player Sonada. Hikaru and Miyashita also have a hankering for Sonada.



But unlike where an American film would likely go, all of the characters are very nice and supportive. Even Kusumi is a sweetie. So where does the drama come from? It doesn't. Any excitement? Not really. As low-key as low-key gets. There is no plot. Just four students gossiping, talking about missed opportunities, plans for the future and finally near the end really getting into the game as their team gets closer. The director actually makes the game exciting somehow and gets you rooting for them. Come on. Hit a home run and win the game. The game ends and so does the film. With a short epilogue at the end when they all meet up again years later. Director Hideo Jôjô makes what might seem to be a nutty idea, work. Mainly because you come away liking all the characters and the dialogue is natural. Nothing witty or sexual, just students chatting about school and caring for one another.