Movie

Kids Return

1996 · 107 min

A quiet, bittersweet drift through wasted potential, with sudden violence and deadpan humour under a melancholic surface.

Tagline: We haven't even started.
Overview: Shinji and Masaru spend most of their school days harassing fellow classmates and playing pranks. They drop out and Shinji becomes a small-time boxer, while Masaru joins up with a local yakuza gang. However, the world is a tough place.
How it feels: Melancholic, bleak, dark and earnest. Slow-burning and needs your attention.
About: Coming-of-age, friendship, identity, ambition
Content: Strong violence. Mild gore, sexual content and language.
Note: Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Full breakdown

Tone: melancholicstrength 3 of 3
bleakstrength 2 of 3
darkstrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: coming-of-age
friendship
identity
ambition
betrayal
Places: big city
school
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: nonlinear
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence strong
Sex mild