Movie reviewers come in two broad categories — the ones who try to write truthfully about films, even if the director is a best buddy, and the ones who let personal factors, such as the free lunch from a PR guy, influence their judgment. The two can overlap, though, as I discovered when I went to a documentary about director Teruo Ishii — and saw myself on the screen, introducing Ishii to the audience at the 2003 Udine Far East Film Festival. That shock of recognition, as well as my affection for Ishii, didn't keep me from reviewing "Ishii Teruo Club," but I did issue a spoiler alert — telling readers the film wasn't spoiled just because I happened to be in it.
I had a similar experience with "Kappa no Coo to Natsuyasumi (Summer Days with Coo)," Keiichi Hara's anime about a family's encounter with a kappa — a mythological creature that might be described as a Japanese leprechaun, if leprechauns could swim like a frog, sumo wrestle like sumo grand champion Asashoryu and absorb water through a little bowl in their head, like a scaly coffee filter. Not that I know Hara personally, though he has been proclaimed an anime master by fans, critics and colleagues for his work on the "Crayon Shinchan," "Doraemon" and other series. (He has been known to drop out of sight for weeks and months at a time to bum around the world, with Southeast Asia being a favorite destination.)
No, my connection with the film is geographical — much of it is set in my town, Higashi Kurume, including my morning jogging course.