"Sakigake!! Otokojuku"was (and still is) a long selling best-seller comic book series, which conquered Japan in the latter half of the 1980s as well as established the "Sakigake" age in the world of Manga. It has been said... more » to be a textbook for young Japanese men, and the story laden with dreams, friendship and love was impossible to be translated on film as a live action. Director Tak Sakaguchi astonished the world with his action sequences in "VERSUS/The Ultimate Versus." With comedy element of the original comic book in mind, Sakaguchi adds his own aesthetics to construct a narrative of extremely cool men, who dance beautifully in life and death battles. Inheriting the Samurai Spirit, Otokojuku is a private boys school to nurture true men. As usual, 1st-year students enroll this year. What awaits them is grilling training by Drill Master Onihige. Momotaro is professed in both academics and martial arts. Hidemaro is a puny coward. 300 push-ups, Oil Bath punishment, Disciplinary Twin Cells are just examples of what the newcomers experience. With blood and sweat, Momotaro and Hidemaro live through the Otokojuku days, but during that time, they become true friends as well as pitch friendship with their other classmates. Meanwhile, Omito Date, a former Otokojuku 1st-year student leader, carrying a grudge on this school, now leads the evil army of Kanto Gogakuren school, is ready for a pay back. He conspires to take over Otokojuku and sets out to their school ground. The Otokojuku principle, Heihachi Edajima, appears and utters: "No personal vendetta is allowed on the grounds of Otokojuku, but it's a different story elsewhere." Thus, Otokojuku versus Kanto Gogakuren.« less