Warai no Daigaku (aka University of Laughs)
4/5
Warai no Daigaku (aka University of Laughs) is director Mamoru Hoshi’s debut title, which takes its name from the popular 1996 play by Koki Mitani. Set in Tokyo’s bustling Asakusa theatre district during the early 40’s, the story depicts a battle of wits between a nervous playwright and fierce censor. As per the law, any new play must be approved by the Government censorship board prior to public performance. The problem for Tsubaki (Goro Inagaki) is that he is up against Sakisaka (Koji Yakusho) – the new censor who is incredibly strict as to what can and cannot be shown in public. Sakisaka believes that in the midst of the Second World War, Japan should unite as one and there is no time for theatre, comedy and laughter. Too bad for Tsubaki as he comes from the infamous University of Laughs – a theatre group specialising in impeccably timed humour and slapstick. Unimpressed with the playwright’s initial draft, Sakisaka deems his work unacceptable unless a few changes are implemented. Tsubaki reluctantly obeys but to his fortune, the changes make the play even funnier. Furious at how the new draft has turned out, the censor demands further changes – each one more ridiculous than the one before. Once again, Tsbaki obeys and his play becomes bigger and better. The government changes start to become so frequent that it soon changes from censorship to story-editing. In the ongoing battle between free speech and censorship, the two protagonists soon realise that they have more in common than they initially realised.
I was pleasantly surprised at how amusing Hoshi’s film was considering that:
1) The film predominantly takes place in a single room, where the only props are a desk and two chairs.
2) There are only two lead characters, battling it out for what they believe is right.
3) The entire film occurs over a 7 day period.
Remind you of something? The aforementioned points were essentially the parameters behind the Duel Project – Aragami vs 2LDK. Whilst these two films featured a duel in the literal sense,
Warai no Daigaku is more of a verbal effort. Much of the humour originates from the logic behind the desperate Tsubaki's arguements – discovering loop holes and rewrites to bypass the censor. Although the story is relatively light-hearted, the final act casts a shadow with some sensitive social issues. It raises the question of how far the Government will go to limit free speech, in the midst of a devastating war.
The film is beautifully shot - Hoshi plays with lights and shades to turn a single room into multiple locations, by adjusting the mood and atmosphere. Similarly with the theatrical score, adding a layer of nostalgia to 1940’s Tokyo. I stayed in Asakusa for a few days and this film brought back plenty of fond memories. Even though many of the buildings are well and truly abandoned,
Warai no Daigaku showcases the theatre district in its absolute prime.
I liked some of the fights in this 
It was a really bad rap song.
