Kids Return is a 1996 Japanese film written, edited and directed by Takeshi Kitano. The film was made directly after Kitano recovered from a motorcycle wreck that left one side of his body paralyzed. After extensive surgery and physical therapy he quickly went about making Kids Return amidst speculation that he might never be able to work again. The movie is about two high school dropouts, Masaru and Shinji, who try to find a direction and meaning in their lives—one by becoming a yakuza lieutenant, the other by becoming a boxer. The music was composed by Joe Hisaishi, and the cinematographer was Katsumi Yanagishima.
Plot
Shinji and Masaru are high school delinquents, terrifying their classmates, stealing money, and setting their teacher's car on fire. After some of their victims hire a boxer to beat up Masaru, he decides to get revenge, and takes his shy friend Shinji along with him to a boxing gym. To their trainers' surprise, Shinji is naturally-talented at boxing and easily defeats Masaru in a sparring session. Masaru encourages his friend to keep going at it, and quits boxing, opting instead to join the yakuza. As Shinji focuses on becoming a successful boxer, Masaru aims to become a gang leader, and their paths diverge. While the two of them climb to the top in their respective areas, Shinji looks for guidance from someone else after being left by Masaru, and this leads him into an unhealthy lifestyle that results in the end of his boxing career. Masaru's self-confidence and lack of respect for his yakuza boss also end his time with the yakuza, getting him kicked out. In the end, they are left with nothing, and as they ride their bike together in the schoolyard, Shinji asks if it is the end, to which Masaru replies that it is only the beginning.
At the time of its release Kids Return was Takeshi Kitano's most successful film yet in his native Japan, which until then had been notedly much less enthusiastic about his films than international viewers. Rotten Tomatoes gives this film a 100% rating based on review from five critics, with an average 7.8 out of 10. David Wood, writing for the BBC, described it as "a tender, funny and melancholy affair which will come as a delight to ardent admirers after the recent Kikujiro." He gave the film 4 out of 5 stars.
In 2013 a sequel to the film titled Kids Return: The Reunion was released, directed by the assistant director of the original, Hiroshi Shimizu. It is set ten years after the original and follows an older Shinji and Masaru. The two of them meet after their failures in boxing and crime, respectively, and they work together to improve their situation. The new film was created with minimal input from Kitano.
