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Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust (aka: Bubble e Go!) movie review

by Chris   ⋅   September 23, 2007   ⋅   Comment now   ⋅    RSS

Given my distaste for any and all things business related, you might wonder why I would have any interest in a film whose primary focus is on Japan’s Bubble economy, and what could have been done to preserve that economic prosperity. Well, what if I told you that that film was also a time-travel-comedy, featuring none other than a household washing machine as the vehicle of choice for 4th-dimensional travel? It may sound absurd, but what better way to visit a bubble, than on a swath of highly-concentrated detergent foam?

The basic tale of Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust (aka: Bubble e go!) concerns a young twenty-something female hand picked by the ministry of finance for a covert economic operation. You see, the Japan of today finds itself saddled with trillions of Yen in debt; an amount it cannot hope to pay off in the near future, and which grows deeper by the day. This is due to the decade long economic recession experienced by Japan as a result of the bursting of their bubble economy, itself a direct result of a governmental cap on land pricing, designed to end rampant real estate speculation (phew!). A team of skilled analysts discover that at the current rate, the nation of Japan will be bankrupt in three years time. Enter Mariko Tanaka (Hiroko Yakushimaru, Always - Sunset on Third Street) a skilled scientist/inventor with a clean means for time travel. The Ministry of Finance takes note, and sends her back in time on a mission to preventing the fateful legislation. However, when the scientist goes missing, it is her daughter, Mayumi (Ryoko Hirosue, Popoya Station Man, Wasabi) who is then tapped by the MoF to follow in her footsteps. By saving her mother she can hopefully rescue the Japanese economy, and in turn the nation of Japan.

As serious as the economic implications seem, there’s a good deal of whimsy to be found in Bubble Fiction. In fact, I would say the economic concern takes a back seat in large part to the comedic bits focusing on bubble-era bad taste and extravagance. One prime bit involves Mayumi dancing at a yacht party, shocking the party-goers with her bump-and-grind moves, themselves doing their best to master waving their hands in the air, like they just don’t care. There’s also a big thread of pointing out terrible early nineties’ fashions, much of it at the expense of Kazue Fukiishi (Noriko’s Dinner Table). Her fashion victim journalist sports everything from a shocking pink, gathered, body fitting disco-dress, accentuated by large chunky gold jewelry, to thick-striped, baggy, shoulder-padded shirts with fitted skirts. Both of these outfits come complete with bushy bushy eyebrows and moussed/crimped hair. It’s as terrible as it is funny (How did we ever find these things fashionable?), and Fukiishi smiles through it like a trooper. Playing with this notion of subjective and fleeting fashion, she and many others make sure to point out the absurdity of Mayumi’s 2007 fashion sense – in particular her pants, which to them are low-rise to the point of falling off.

As established with Back to the Future, no time travel comedy would complete without family drama, and this film definitely has that covered, even at the expense of the rest of the film’s pacing. There’s a strong notion of children not knowing the truth of their parents’ true personalities, as well as the evolution of a personality given environmental and emotional factors. These scenes are interesting in and of themselves, but more often than not they prove a little too lengthy a diversion from the main thrust of the story. However, the picture is a bit of a family comedy, so the touchy-feely bits are to be expected. When it does get back to the comedy, especially in the third act’s covert spy-action sequences, the film provides a lot of fun.

In the performances department, Hiroshi Abe (Survive Style 5+) completely steals the show. While Hirosue may be the lead character, Abe’s Finance director is the most fun to watch. The persistence of his womanizing smooth-talker had me in stitches. I’ve never been a fan of Ryoko Hirosue, something of a Japanese Jennifer Love Hewitt. The saccharine sweet pouting cutie is often a little too cloying for many a situation. However, in this film she fits nicely. Maybe she’s a bit more restrained than normal, or the film’s just gonzo enough for her katate poses and toothy muggings. I don’t know. The film also provides a special treat with cameos by real life stars, Ai and Naoko Iijima.

In closing, Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust is an entertaining, good natured time-travel comedy. The film has its fair share of pacing issues, and is definitely not be as strong as the Back to the Future entries (well, maybe stronger than part II), but on the whole I had fun with Bubble Fiction. If you’re at all interested, check it out.

About the Author

Chris Nelson has been a film fanatic since age six. A former film and English major, he is now a Software Engineer and contract Technical Writer living in the Silicon Valley.