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Koji Taguchi has just won the wrestling championship, when, seemingly
out of nowhere, a man-sized squid appears in the ring, wrestles him down
and takes away his chamionship belt.
The president of the wrestling league sees int he giant squid - or
Calamari wrestler, as he's affectionately called - a great addition to his
roster of fighters. Thing is, he wants the Calamari wrestler to lose in
fixed fights (since wrestling is all about show and not about actual
fights), but the Calamari wrestler refuses to fight anything but honest
fights ...
Koji Taguchi meanwhile becomes obsessed with the Calamari wrestler, and
falls into a deep, alcohol-drenched depression when he hears he can't
fight him in the ring to make good his championship title. And Taguchi's
girlfriend Miyako thinks the Calamari wrestler is actually her former
lover Kanichi Iwata, also a wrestler, who has disappeared 3 years ago, and
seems to have strangely mutated. And with Koji falling into despair more
and more, she feels more and more drawn to the Calamari wrestler, and
eventually she finds out he really is Kanichi Iwata ... and before long,
the two are a couple.
Meanwhile, the Calamari Wrestler has become a cult figure, and before
long, the wrestling league ahs to agree to accept him and pit him against
Koji in a honest fight.
Koji, his depression gone, trains hard to beat Calamari, but to no
avail it seems, when suddenly Senzan, Calamari's coach, shows up at his
doorstep and promises him the winning formula ... only that means having
to go to Pakistan, where he also trained Calamari ...
Meanwhile, Calamari has sex with Miyako (not shown in graphic
detail), and at the end of it he's a (feeble) man again ... much to
everyone's despair, since he has to fight as Calamari. Only a weird sort
of meditation beneath a giant clocktower bell operated by monks can he
become a squid again.
The day of the fight: It turns out that Senzan's recipe against the
Calamari wrestler was to turn Koji into - the Octopus wrestler. It all
culminates in an engaging battle seafood versus seafood, at the end of
which Calamari beats Octopus, fair and square, and is now the legitimate
wrestling champion ...
Before long though, the Calamari Wrestler is attacked in the streets by
the (insectoid) Squilla Boxer, who not only beats him up but also
challenges him to the first inter-species championship fight.
Initially, Calamari thinks Squilla isn't much of a challenge, but Koji
(now a man again) has some Squillla videos to show him otherwise, and he
offers to train (!) Calamari - if only for the purpose that Calamari will
come out of the fight alive, even victorious, so Koji can have his
re-rematch ...
The fight Calamari against Squilla: Despite all of Koji's training,
Calamari doesn't seem to have much of a chance, Squilla is just too quick
and to versatile for him. And ultimately, when Squilla pins him down,
Calamari turns into a human again. But that doesn't yet mean he's beaten,
as a human, Calamari - not Kanichi - finds new strength and can apply a
few moves he couldn't do while being a squid. And ultimately he
humiliatingly defeats Squilla. Then Squilla turns human, and he proves to
be not only Calamari's (and Koji's) former coach Senzan, he also proves to
be the legendary Japanese wrestler from the 1950's, Godozan. And he proves
to be both Kanichi's and Koji's father.
The last image sees the father and his sons hugging in the ring.
What can I say ?
This one is as weird and as hilarious as it sounds, and the consciously
unconvincing monster outfits only make the film better (some elaborate
CGI-effects would have destroyed it all). Plus the whole thing - despite
clwearly intended as comedy - is played in straight face, but without ever
becoming pathetic.
My only point of critique: It is too long. The film is great until
Calamari beats Octopus in the ring, then the story, which only worked
towards that point, somewhat loses its drive and suddenly seems to start
from zero again, but never again developing the same impact - partly
because the novelty of a man-sized squid wrestling and romancing
has worn off by now. Still, this doesn't destroy the film, and some shots
of Calamari training (like a giant squid doing sit-ups) are well worth a
chuckle, it just wasn't necessary.
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amazon.co.uk
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eThaiCD.com
find The Calamari Wrestler at adultvideouniverse.com
