The Tokyo in director Satoshi Miki’s Adrift in Tokyo isn’t the bustling, madcap city of the future that so many North Americans picture when they think of the Japanese capital. No, Miki’s Tokyo is quite a different place. Located in back allies and remote parks and falling apart ever-so-slightly, Miki’s Tokyo is homely; quaint, even. Yet, it’s still the type of place where psychedelic axe-shredders with amps for backpacks and 66-year-old cosplayers who may or may not actually have super powers roam the streets. Miki’s Tokyo isn’t so much a city as it is a character, and a compelling one at that.
For its flesh-and-blood characters, Adrift in Tokyo follows Fumiya (Jô Odagiri) and Fukuhara (Tomokazu Miura). Fumiya is a directionless layabout, an eighth-year university student with an accumulated debt of 800,000 yen and no way of paying it off. Fukuhara is the collector sent to acquire said debt. Things go astray when Fukuhara accidentally kills his wife in an argument and enlists Fumiya to join him on a slow, tangent-filled walk through Tokyo, which will eventually lead to a police station where Fukuhara can turn himself in. Along the way, Fumiya is introduced to a city he’s never really known, while Fukuhara says goodbye to the one he’s always loved and an unlikely father-son bond begins to develop between the two.
Though Odagiri and Miura both deserve praise for their performances — in Odagiri’s case for wonderfully capturing befuddled aimlessness and in Miura’s case for showing what it’s like to come out on the other side of befuddled aimlessness — it’s really the city itself that shines. Credit here goes to Miki, who refuses to whitewash Tokyo; the city’s warts are in full display, but it’s still obvious that Adrift is a love letter to the city from a blushing romantic. The possibility for adventure lies around every corner. Every parking lot and construction site is as important as the tallest skyscraper. Every person is bursting with desire to share their particular quirk, be they a little old lady, middle-aged shopkeeper or schoolgirl.
The actual narrative does sometimes get lost in this sprawling approach, making Adrift occasionally feel more like a series of tangents and non-sequiturs than a story. Unsurprisingly, the film also takes a while to find its footing, going through a few stops and starts before it truly figures out what it’s about. Even when it does, it never passes on an opportunity to explore some new little curio, no matter how unnecessary it may be.
Keep in mind, though, that this is a film about two characters taking a leisurely stroll that spans many days. They have a destination, but no set route or time. Though the constant diversions can be distracting, it’s fitting that the film never really reveals where it’s going, or how it’s going to get there, until it has already arrived. The journey is what’s important and in the case of Adrift in Tokyo, it’s an enjoyable one.
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