Featured Image courtesy of San Diego Asian Film Festival.

Koki Mitani’s film “Hit Me Anyone One More Time!” presented a unique political comedy. Organizer Pacific Arts Movement showed it for the first time in North America during the 20th annual San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF).

In Japan, things are a bit of a mess when Prime Minister Keisuke Kurada (Kiichi Nakai, “47 Ronin”)  gets on the head by a rock. While the attack seemed minor on the surface, it left possibly irreplaceable damage in his brain. Though he is stable and knows daily functions, the man essentially lost all of his recent memories as the most infamous prime minister. His staff including assistants Ms. Banba (Eiko Koike, “Close-Knit”) and Mr. Isaka (Dean Fujioka, “Fullmetal Alchemist”) scramble to hide the shocking revelation to the public along with many close to the politician. However everyone trying to keep this issue in the shadows do not realize the other secrets that come into the light.

Artistic director of SDAFF Brian Hu said in his introduction before the film’s second screening that “it feels good to watch in 2019.” He also mentioned that Mitani’s films are a kind of fantasy with social satire. “Hit Me Anyone One More Time!” really feels like a dream compared to 2019’s political conditions in certain countries. Compared to a large amount of dystopian films released within the past years, “Hit Me” is one that shows a positive turn to the future. It lets people see how it may be like when a person owns up to their mistakes and focuses on good values. Mitani packages it all with the quick wittiness of Japanese comedy and parody. Fans of this director will may be able to catch his preferred one shot scenes.  While there are some conversations of sexual harassment and activity, the film is perfect for mostly everyone with its lesson on becoming a better person.

For more information on SDAFF, visit their website.