← Back to Directory
Nani ga nandemo Tamegorō
Movie

Nani ga nandemo Tamegorō

1970 • Unknown

Woke Score
2
out of 10

Plot

Overall Series Review

Nani ga nandemo Tamegorō (1970) is a Japanese comedy-drama and the second installment in the 'Tamegorō' yakuza film series. The plot centers on the return of the protagonist, Sakuragi Tamegorō, a traditional yakuza with an unwavering code of honor, after serving a ten-year prison sentence for a sacrificial act of loyalty. He discovers his old world has been replaced by a modern, corrupt corporate landscape. His former yakuza boss has rebranded his gang as a greedy real estate company, and the man Tamegorō stabbed has become a powerful, corrupt city council member. The core conflict is a stark contrast between Tamegorō's commitment to the selfless yakuza 'jingi' (code of honor) and the moral decay brought about by modernization, greed, and political maneuvering. The narrative follows Tamegorō's struggle to uphold his old code and protect his former fiancée and sworn brother from the cynical forces threatening their traditional inn. The film is a culturally specific critique of the erosion of traditional values in 1970s Japan, contrasting a nostalgic past of loyalty with a materialistic present.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

The narrative is centered on a conflict between adherence to a traditional criminal code (yakuza honor) and modern, cynical business practices. Characters are judged solely by their loyalty, greed, and individual actions, embodying a form of universal meritocracy tied to the yakuza code. There is no reliance on race or intersectional hierarchy; the cast and setting are entirely and authentically Japanese.

Oikophobia2/10

The film criticizes the internal shift in Japanese society from the traditional code of honor and loyalty to materialistic corporate greed. The antagonist is modernization and internal corruption, not Western civilization. The protagonist’s mission is to defend core Japanese institutions (loyalty, the traditional family inn structure) against chaos, indicating a respect for a specific ancestral code.

Feminism2/10

Female characters primarily occupy traditional roles. Chiyo is an apprentice geisha turned *okami* (mistress) of the inn and the wife of the protagonist's brother. Her role is central to the drama but is rooted in domestic and local business concerns. The story features no anti-natalist messaging. The male lead is a protective, self-sacrificing figure, and the gender dynamics reflect complementary traditional roles within the yakuza and family structures.

LGBTQ+1/10

The core relational drama revolves around a traditional male-female pairing and a love triangle involving the protagonist, his former fiancée, and his sworn brother. The film’s focus is on the honor code and property disputes. The narrative contains no elements of deconstructing the nuclear family, alternative sexualities, or lecturing on gender theory. The structure is normative for the period and setting.

Anti-Theism1/10

The movie's moral foundation is the yakuza code of honor and duty (*jingi*), which acts as a transcendent moral law in opposition to the moral relativism and corruption of the modern businessman and politician. The conflict is secular, focused on a breakdown of social values rather than religious belief. There is no hostility toward religion.