[Review] Princess Toyotomiプリンセス トヨトミ

プリンセス トヨトミ, or "Princess Toyotomi", a 2011 Japanese film directed by Masayuki Suzuki 鈴木雅之. The plot revolves around three inspectors from the Audit Office that visit Osaka and discover an incredible secret passed down in this city.

I saw it again this film lately and every time I watch it I feel captivated and involved in the story. It's not an Oscar worthy movie but I'm sure it will entertain you. It is a movie that I recommend to those who like stories with intrigue and historical parts that mix, in a "game" between past and present.

PLOT:

The members of the National Audit Bureau (national agency that deals with the audit and control of accounts) Hajime Matsudaira (Shinichi Tsutsumi 堤真一), Tadako Torii (Haruka Ayase 綾瀬はるか) and Asahi Gainsbourg (Masaki Okada 岡田将生) travel to the city of Osaka where they will have to discover any financial irregularities and ensure the correct use of national funds. The initial checks go smoothly, but things get more interesting once you enter the Karahori shopping district, an area with a long history dating back to the Meiji era.

Auditors inspect the S.A.R. foundation, an organization that aims to preserve Osaka's historic castles, and among the various checks they find no irregularities in the management of government funds.

Once the inspection is over they decide to end the day and go to lunch, but once they arrive at the restaurant Hajime Matsudaira realizes that he has left his cell phone in the Foundation offices and decides to go back to retrieve it, but he faced with something unexpected. He discovers that the office is now completely empty (when before it was full of people), the phones in the office are not connected and the desk drawers are empty! What once seemed like a busy place now appears like an empty shell.

This arouses much perplexity and concern for Chief Inspector Matsudaira who launches a full-scale investigation together with his assistants, but they soon realize the shocking truth, that the entire city of Osaka is organizing a cover-up. A 400-year-old secret strenuously guarded by the city is about to be revealed...

The movie grabs you, even if it's slow at the beginning, and you don't quite understand where it's going, when the investigations begin and you understand what's behind it, then you follow it better. The mix between history, legends, and I would also say that "small" (not too veiled) historical-political rivalry between the two great cities, takes you until you arrive at a truth that not even the person who embodies it knows.

From what I've heard, the public's reactions are different. Among those who do not recognize some historical facts represented, or others who appreciated the extensive historical novel, the well-reproduced atmosphere of Osaka, and the emotional bond between father and son connected to the chief inspector.

As I said at the beginning it is not a cult, but it will occupy your day or evening in a pleasant way. Don't let the slow and the mechanical start of the movie discourage you and follow it to the end.

For those of you who have seen him can leave us your impressions of him in the comments.

Image Credits
Asianwiki