Special Series

Juvenile Jungle

狂った果実

Directed by: Ko Nakahira
1956 / 86 minutes / Under 15s must be accompanied by an adult

Based on the novel "Crazed Fruit" by Shintaro Ishihara

Screened as part of JFF Classics 2018.

Brothers Haru and Natsu are spending yet another summer in their family villa by the sea. Their endless days are filled with gambling, swimming and drinking with their college buddies. Things take a sudden, eventful turn when they meet and fall for the same woman, the beautiful Eri. But Eri isn’t like any other teenager looking for a summer fling. Little do they know that their love triangle is about to get more complicated.

Juvenile Jungle, or Crazed Fruit, was written by novelist-turned-politician Shintaro Ishihara. It portrayed the sexual revolution of Japan’s disillusioned and privileged postwar youth, often referred to as the taiyozoku or sun tribe generation. Through Ishihara, the restless and rebellious taiyozoku generation found their voice represented in popular literature for the first time.

Ko Nakahira’s silver screen adaptation of Juvenile Jungle became a cultural phenomenon soon after its—it inspired a new genre in Japanese cinema portraying rebellious teens. It also propelled Masahiko Tsugawa and Yujiro Ishihira, then aged 16 and 22 respectively, to stardom.

Actor Masahiko Tsugawa passed away on 4 August 2018 at the age of 78. Vale Masahiko Tsugawa.