Japanese Movie ‘Asakusa Kid’ Gets Trailer and Release Date at Netflix

Netflix has revealed the first trailer and release date for its upcoming Japanese-language movie, ‘Asakusa Kid.’ Based on the early life of Takeshi Kitano, the film will release on December 9 on Netflix, worldwide.

In Japan, the name 'Beat Takeshi' needs no introduction. Takeshi Kitano was a well-known comedian with a variety of abilities ranging from acting to painting. As a film director, he was recognized in Japan as 'The World's Kitano,' establishing his status as a true one-of-a-kind genius. This Netflix film is based on Kitano's memoir Asakusa Kid, which tells the tale of his early days as an apprentice to the legendary comedian Senzaburo Fukami.

The film is set in Asakusa, a seedy region of Tokyo in the mid-1960s. After dropping out of college, Kitano works at the Asakusa France-za strip theatre and comedy club, where he quickly gains experience under the famed comedian Senzaburo Fukami. Fukami insisted on his apprentices adopting a comedian's attitude not just on stage but also in everyday life, and he was the comedic mastermind behind other well-known comedians like Hachiro Azuma and Kinichi Hagimoto.

Kitano worked tirelessly under Fukami to hone his craft and achieve his ambition of becoming a successful comedian. However, when home televisions grew increasingly popular, live humor went out of favor. Against this backdrop, the drama "Asakusa Kid" develops as the young Kitano trains under his harsh yet sensitive tutor, encounters a cast of extremely skilled and colorful characters, and eventually hits the stage as 'Beat Takeshi.'

Netflix also revealed a poster for the film:

#浅草キッド #AsakusaKid on #Netflix pic.twitter.com/ULxe04XwX5

— Midgard Times 🎬 (@Moviesr_net) November 2, 2021

The film is directed and written by Gekidan Hitori, it stars Yo Oizumi as Senzaburo Fukami and Yuya Yagira as Takeshi Kitano. Keisuke Kuwata has composed the theme song for the film.