Rent Giants and Toys (1958)
3.7 of 5 from 63 ratings
1h 35min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
"Giants and Toys" is a sharp and snappy corporate satire revolving around the ruthless machinations of a group of admen working in the confectionary industry. As a new recruit to the marketing department of World Caramel, fresh-faced graduate Nishi (Hiroshi Kawaguchi) is eager to impress his ambitious and hard-nosed boss Goda (Black Test Car's Hideo Takamatsu), even if it strains his relationships with his college friend Yokoyama (Koichi Fujiyama) and budding love interest Masami (Michiko Ono), who work at the rival companies of Giant and Apollo. With World's lead over its competitors slipping badly, the two spot a chance to get back in the race in the shape of the pretty but unsophisticated 18-year-old, Kyoko (Hitomi Nozoe). Goda and Nishi get to work polishing this rough diamond as their new campaign girl, but as the three rival confectionary companies pitch themselves into an all-out advertising war that spills out onto the streets of Tokyo as it escalates to ludicrous extremes, Kyoko's newfound fame starts going to her head. - Actors:
- Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Hitomi Nozoe, Osamu Abe, Kôichi Fujiyama, Yoshihiro Hamaguchi, Tatsuo Hanabu, Fujio Harumoto, Hisako Horigome, Hikaru Hoshi, Kôichi Itô, Naoyasu Itô, Yûnosuke Itô, Shôji Kawashima, Hiroko Machida, Sachiko Meguro, Fumiko Murata, Akira Natsuki, Michiko Ono, Kyû Sazanka, Kinzô Shin
- Directors:
- Yasuzô Masumura
- Producers:
- Hidemasa Nagata
- Writers:
- Takeshi Kaikô, Yoshio Shirasaka
- Aka:
- Kyojin to gangu / The Build-Up
- Genres:
- Classics, Comedy, Drama
- Countries:
- Japan
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 10/05/2021
- Run Time:
- 95 minutes
- Languages:
- Japanese Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
- Subtitles:
- English
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Brand new audio commentary by Japanese cinema scholar Irene Gonzalez-Lopez
- Newly filmed introduction by Japanese cinema expert Tony Rayns
- In the Realm of the Publicists, brand new visual essay by Asian cinema scholar Earl Jackson
- Original Trailer
- Image Gallery
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Reviews (1) of Giants and Toys
Caramel Wars and Space-Suit Hype - Giants and Toys review by griggs
The first thing that hits is the cheek. This is corporate warfare fought with caramel and publicity stunts, and it’s properly sharp about how petty, ruthless, and weirdly thrilling that can be. Three companies scrap for market share with gimmicky giveaways, and nobody here is above selling their soul for a better slogan.
We mostly follow Nishi, a fresh recruit at World Caramel: keen, decent, and slightly lost in the office maze. His boss Goda (with Nishi in tow) “discovers” Kyoko Shima — quirky, offbeat, notorious for her rotten teeth — and decides she’s star material if you package her right. The set-pieces are terrific: space-suit branding, ray-gun hokum, crowds whipped up like it’s a national emergency, all in service of sweets.
As Kyoko’s fame rises, money and attention file her down into a product. Nishi learns the harsh maths of the post-war machine: who gets used, who gets dropped, and what “loyalty” buys you. Punchy colour, bitter laughs, and a final aftertaste that isn’t caramel.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.