Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom? (1993 film)

***Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?*** (打ち上げ花火、下から見るか? 横から見るか?, *Uchiage Hanabi, Shita kara Miru ka? Yoko kara Miru ka?*) is a 1993 Japanese youth drama television play written and directed by Shunji Iwai. The play was originally produced for the drama anthology series *If: Moshimo* (if もしも) and broadcast as its sixteenth episode, on August 26, 1993. It was later re-edited for a theatrical release in Japanese cinemas on August 12, 1995. Iwai later directed a feature-length documentary about the making of the original TV play, and it was adapted into an animated film directed by Akiyuki Shinbo and a novel written by Iwai, both released in 2017.

## Additional Information

*Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?* (1993 film)
 **Starring** | Yuta Yamazaki
Megumi Okina
Takayuki Sorita
**companies**
 **Distributed by** | Herald Ace
 **Release date** | August 26, 1993 (TV)

## Plot

One summer day a group of sixth-grade boys have an argument about whether fireworks are round or flat when viewed from different angles and embark on a journey for the answer during the annual firework festival. Meanwhile, one of their classmates, Nazuna, is troubled by her parents' separation and decides to choose one of the boys to run away with.

#### Trailer

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u3P-hEZyYU

### Awards

* 1993 – Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award

### Cast

* Yûta Yamaza as Norimichi Shimada

* Megumi Okina as Nazuna Oikawa
* Takayuki Sorita as Yusuke Azumi

###### Source:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireworks,\_Should\_We\_See\_It\_from\_the\_Side\_or\_the\_Bottom%3F\_(1993\_film)

* https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217862/

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/Reviews/uchiage.htm

## **FILM and DVD Details**

**Here we go.  Region-free, ntsc, oar 1.33:1, in Japanese with optional English subtitles.  Originally shot on video as a TV production the film was later transferred to film for theatrical presentation.  The DVD is 24fps film-sourced which means it was transferred from the newer film elements.  Like all Norman's nose DVD's picture is crystal clear and extremely sharp and detailed.  There are the typical analog video artifacts of course, but they aren't the fault of the transfer.  Absolutely no edge enhancement, perfect black level and shadow detail which is very good but could be better in just two or three scenes.  Colors are extremely vivid.  There's a glorious pcm stereo track (no Dolby 2.0 thank god) which sounds perfect start to finish.  The beautiful music by Remedios fills your room!  Who needs surround sound anyway?**

**I also love how the dvd cover art is in landscape format instead of the usual portrait style.**

**Not many extras, but there's another disc released by Norman's nose which is loaded with extras for this film. Here's a small review:**

**Shonen Tachi Wa Hanabi O Yoko Kara Mitakatta**

## ***Review of the film and DVD by Jeroen***

**The English title is FIREWORKS, SHOULD WE SEE IT FROM THE SIDE OR FROM THE BOTTOM.  Written and directed by Shunji Iwai.  Made for tv over nine years ago, it's only fifty minutes long but it has more depth and emotions than most films twice its length.**

**Basically it's about moments of change.  It reminds me of LOLA RENNT in that way but without the forced hipness.  Twenty minutes into the film very subtly (casual viewers won't even notice) the story makes a 180-degree turn and switches one of the two main characters for another one by changing the outcome of a swimming race between two boys. The film tells two stories.  One of a group of school boys on their way to a fireworks show.  Think STAND BY ME minus Hollywood kitsch. The other story is about one of these boys joining a female classmate who is running away from home because her parents are getting a divorce.  Both stories celebrate youth in a way I’ve rarely seen on film.  The style of the film is very casual with mostly handheld camerawork and quick cutting, so you really have to pay attention to find the beautiful moments… for example this one.  To explain fireworks the teacher performs a chemical experiment.  Curtains closed so the classroom is dark, the children gathered around her desk.  Then for a very short moment with their faces lit by the colorful lights of the experiment a boy and girl look at each other timidly.  End of scene. Most people would say what's the big deal but it touched me immensely. It's a drama for the most part, but there are some very funny scenes like when the boys scream the names of their favorite girls into the dark night sky, and one of them yells 'sailor moon'.  The others tell him 'but that's a manga character', and he replies 'what's the difference'.  It made me laugh. The ending is perfect.  Both stories have their own separate ending and then there's another ending where both stories come together.  I still haven't seen Iwai's latest film, ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU, but from what I’ve read about it I have a feeling it picks up where this film leaves us.**

## Film Review by molodezhnaja

**REVIEW** Shinji Iwai only became one of the best-known directors in Japan in 1996 with his major success Swallowtail Butterfly . That film also made him the "poet of youth", a reputation that subsequent works such as Hana and Alice or All About Lily Chou-Chou were able to consolidate. But Iwai's career began very early in the '90s in television. So in 1993 he shot this gem for Fuji, which is worth discovering later: "Fireworks" - or, as the Japanese full title is, "Fireworks:Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?". The movie isn't even an hour long, but it already gives an impressive indication of what talent Iwai has. And what connection to youth.

The little actors around the later Ju-on star Megumi Okina all seem natural here, Iwai's directing is unobtrusive and characterized by authenticity. Nevertheless, he does not stage with documentary claims, but gives the events the poetry that characterizes his better-known films. Still on a modest level here, but when Iwai can do something like that in 50 minutes, it's clear that the man with longer runtimes can work wonders. Later he occasionally slipped into the danger of pretentiously overloading his fabrics, but here it is a captivating lightness that comes into play.

Even the about-face in the middle of the story seems anything but forced. One boy attacks fate. If that stupid thing with the foot hadn't happened, he would have won the race and he could have accompanied the girl on her escape. A classic what-if question that Iwai delightfully explores. However, he expands the topic to include life itself: What possibilities arise if we decide differently? What turn does our life take when we act differently than we might be expected to? What if we snag a bargain from fate?

While Tom Tykwer's ingenious "Run Lola Run" follows exactly these questions and looks at fate as a narrative gimmick in a way that is both fast and trendy, Iwai takes a more deliberate and less artificial path. The twist happens naturally and it almost seems as if the story continues normally. But that doesn't mean that "Firworks" is boring - on the contrary. Iwai edits amazingly fast and if you consider that we are looking at a TV movie from 1993, before the Tarantino era, before Michael Bay, before all the filmmakers who defined modern cinema (positively or negatively) in their fields. shaped, then it is remarkable with what vitality Iwai stages.

It's not just the montage that seems quick and lively, the camera work is also pleasing with small, fine details. Almost an Iwai classic is the soft light that emanates from behind a young face, bathing the head in a heavenly glow. Techniques like these always narrowly border on kitsch and sentimentality, but Iwai turns them into his own form of art. Compared to what we get to see on TV, "Fireworks" is a gem. Of course, the music sounds a bit sticky and the story ends up being a little thin, but the film exhibits an endearing innocence that's hard to resist - and shouldn't be.