Like many adults out there, I’m a sucker for childish comedies, the type of over-the-top kid film that, as an adult, you can’t help but laugh at yet also find some random emotional connection to. That’s exactly the type of film Katsuhito Ishii’s comedy Hello! Junichi is and, while it isn’t the best film out there, the silly nature of it makes it worthy of at least one joyous viewing.
Making its North American premiere at Japan Cuts 2014, Hello! Junichi follows a shy third grader named Junichi who is trying to muster up the courage to give back an eraser he borrowed from a girl he likes. The runt of his group of friends, Junichi doesn’t have the ability to stand up or speak boldly for himself but is the kind of guy who always wants peace. When a hot student teacher named Ms. Anna (Hikari Mitsushima) arrives from college and takes over the class, Junichi’s world is turned upside down as she scraps her “lesson” plans to teach the kids about her life, take Junichi’s eraser, and what it takes to be a confident adult. It’s, well, not exactly an appropriate approach for third graders but it eventually works and soon her college girl lessons gives Junichi and his group of friends the confidence they need to put on a concert for one of the kid’s mother’s birthday.
The film plays out like School of Rock meets The Little Rascals. Rather than having a talented group of musicians, the film has this random collection of high-school-type caricatures molded into third grade bodies that are immature and just learning how to play instruments. It’s the characters that make the film entertaining, from shy Junichi and his eraser mission, to the porn magazine obsessed Machita, and Kuramoto who plays a cardboard bass and whose mother is the recipient of the concert. And those are just the kids. The adults are even more ridiculous, like Mr. Achikita, an unattractive middle-aged man who constantly gets his heart broken, but when his new student teacher arrives, he vows to win her over through various and entertaining tactics. Then there is Ms. Anna, the student teacher, herself, she’s kind of an asshole for the first third of the film. She didn’t really care about the class, told inappropriate stories, and teased some of the kids and though she eventually evolves, I couldn’t help but call her a straight-up bitch in the beginning, I couldn’t believe what I was watching.
Though not the best child acting I’ve ever seen, the main six kids do a decent enough job to keep the film going, providing some really quality laughs along with an occasional acting fail. Some of the acting is highly exaggerated, which is part of the film’s appeal, and helps enhance the childish nature of the film as well as portraying how little kids actually act, they exaggerate everything. The film does feel very Japanese in its approach and style so if you’re not used to it the film may seem a bit weird.
The main issue I have with the film are the random scenes inserted that have either a shallow purpose or really no significance at all. For example, throughout 
the film, when Junichi is either leaving or returning home, some African American guy riding his bike with a Japanese girl on the back nearly hits him each time. When he breaks he yells “hello” and then keeps going. Junichi’s response over time is more confident and that’s the only purpose of the scene. My issue is that there are other scenes that showcase his personal growth in more depth, this came off as absurd, laughable and a disruption of the story. There are other scenes that I could discuss as well but I think they were kept to make the film an even 90 minutes, if not, then I blame the editor for doing a poor job.
As far as comedy goes, unlike most kids films, Hello! Junichi had two gut busting scenes that had me howling with laughter. One of the scenes involved a brilliantly hidden taser, something you’d see Data from The Goonies use, and the reaction from its usage was priceless. I think the entire movie could have sucked but that one scene would have made the movie worth a watch.
Overall, Hello! Junichi is definitely a kid’s movie, not one that most adults, including I, would take the time out of their day to see. That being said, it ends up being a sweet and comical film about overcoming your fears and gaining the confidence you need to accomplish what you want to do. It’s about making sacrifices, understanding and accepting vulnerabilities, and truly believing in yourself. It may not be one of the better Japanese children’s flicks I’ve seen, that’s reserved for Ninja Kids!!!, but Hello! Junichi had a certain charm to it that kept me in my seat and mostly satisfied for its 90 minute duration.
Rating: A cute, charming and flawed family flick that’s very Japanese in style and delivery (6/10)
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