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Kids Return

Kids Return

Drama · Crime · 1996

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.

Movie details

Kids Return

“We haven't even started.”

1996 Drama · Crime 1h 47m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.9 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Kids Return?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Takeshi Kitano

Written by

Takeshi Kitano

Masanobu Ando

Masanobu Ando

Shinji

Ken Kaneko

Ken Kaneko

Masaru

Leo Morimoto

Leo Morimoto

Homeroom Teacher

Hatsuo Yamaya

Hatsuo Yamaya

Boxing Club Manager

Mitsuko Oka

Mitsuko Oka

Sachiko's Mother

Yuko Daike

Yuko Daike

Sachiko

Ryo Ishibashi

Ryo Ishibashi

Local Yakuza Chief

Court is in session

Put Kids Return on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.