Kisarazu Cat’s Eye won Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Casting at the 2002 Japanese TV Drama Academy Awards. This is the theatrical version of the hit TV series. Kisarazu Cat’s Eye - Go Major! is a comedy that artfully draws the relationship between a terminally ill Bussan and the troubles his friends get into. Living in a small village called Kisarazu after graduating, Bussan and his friends spend their time playing baseball. One day, by chance, they decide to steal from the rich and give it to the poor. They form a group calling themselves the “Cat’s Eyes”. After learning of his terminal illness, Bussan never falters or gives up on life. This theatrical version hints at a future where Bussan never dies. Although Bussan is told that he has only six months to live, he falls in love with a Korean bar waitress named Yuke, who studies Japanese by watching gangster films. One of his friends, Ozzy, simply walks away from death and finds out that he can create counterfeit money, while George, Mirei’s former lover, is released from prison. Just like the bright and cheerful TV series, this film takes on the look and feel of a cartoon and never stops. Through Kisarazu Cat’s Eye - Go Major!, we can see how much of an influence cartoons and comic books have on Japanese films and dramas. It also shows today’s Japanese teen culture. By incorporating melodrama, comedy, action, and other genres, the film freely leaps through time and gives the original’s fans something to cheer about. The only flaw in the film is the fact that if you have not seen the original TV series, you cannot get the most of the humor and the characters of the film. (KIM Bong-suk)