OK, I just feel like writing some shiz right now so here goes (only seen movie once so if I’m partially inaccurate try not to flame too much):
#1 When Shaun takes out Han’s RX7 and flies through the expressway and with his crazy “I beat Dodge Vipers by jumping my domestic $hitpile over a bigger dirt $hitpile in an unfinished housing development” mad skillz and proceeds to blow past a cop on an expressway, Han tells him that in Japan, cops don’t chase people going over 180 km/h (112 mph) because the cop cars are governed.
Mostly TRUE. The marked cop cars in Japan are governed. There are several unmarked cars, but mostly their license plates end in “8” and they tend to be big body 4 door RWD sedans. I hear some of these have governors removed, as I think the government has removed that restriction (along with the “voluntary” 276 hp max output claim all the Japanese makers used to impose on themselves). This ended a year or so ago. Personally, I’ve seen an Audi A4 doing about 220 km/h in traffic pulled over a few miles down the road, so I’m certain the unmarked cop who chased him down didn’t have a limiter.
#2 After Shaun moves to Japan, he moves in with his pops, a semi-retired military dude (or something). The movie introduces Shaun’s old man as somewhat of a playa, what with some Japanese honey leaving his home and him saying something in Japanese (he says “Thank you”) to her as she leaves- leaving the audience to assume he just hit those JDM skins (offscreen unfortunately). Big question is, can an old retired separated/divorced military fart like that pull hot chicks in Japan?
TRUE. Although Japan has been open to Western society for over 150 years, there’s still a lot of fascination surrounding foreigners… Many Japanese women think it’s cool to have a foreign boyfriend, especially if he speaks some of the language. Some think Japanese men are uncool or too plain/nerdy in their opinion so they go with the foreign flavor. Caucasians get a lot of play no doubt, African Americans with any moves whatsoever and some sense of style definitely have a lot of pull too. Being in the military can also be a big plus 'cause they know you are getting paid pretty well, usually pretty fit, and American guys generally have a “cool factor” associated with them, due to the huge “America is cool” factor there. You’d be surprised how many old dudes I’ve seen hanging with nice poon in clubs, etc.
#3 Han, Shaun’s friend is portrayed as a typical yakuza (like Japanese mafia) gangsta wanna be- but with a soft spot for a down and out sucka (Shaun)… Is this accurate?
FALSE. Han isn’t even a Japanese name. The actor is obviously not Japanese, and they don’t make him out to be from Japan in the movie. It’s doubtful the yakuza would let any foreigners into their secret society. Plus, most yakuza have a typical look to them- for the most part heavily tattooed, blond dyed hair spiked up or slicked back, they wear shades and drive VIP type sedans, not Veilside kitted RX7s. Oh, and they don’t rock black wife beaters and go around with a snarl like DK does for like 90% of the movie either.
#4 Right after Shaun moves to Japan, there’s a scene shot as he walks through a very crowded crosswalk, kind of taking everything in as the camera pans around the area, which resembles Times Square (this area is called Shibuya). Later in the movie, Shaun drifts through the same crosswalk as the people just jump out of his way kind of like the parting of the Red Sea. Is it possible that any place on earth could be THIS crowded?
(Link showing pic of place I’m talking about: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/421170)
TRUE. Shibuya is so crowded, it makes Times Square look like taking a walk in the countryside. Whether you are there at 2 PM on Sunday, or 3 AM on a Thursday, it doesn’t matter. It’s always jam packed and a very interesting place to be. Lots of clubs, lots of nightlife, something always open and lots of weird looking peoples rolling around, people rocking the gangsta look, the goth look, dressing up as anime characters (cosplay), what have you… One of the reasons there are so many people (and weirdos) around even in the middle of the night is that the subway doesn’t run 24 hrs in Japan- it closes just after midnight and opens up at 5 AM. So clubbers usually stay out all night and take the first train home. Talking about clubs brings me to the next one…
#5 After Shaun starts picking up some JDM tyte drift skillz, while getting close to the girl in the movie (forget her name), Bow Wow takes him out on a night on the town. In one scene, they roll into some club that is like 80% women, and 20% guys. Most of the women are pretty damn straight. It looks like a typical BET video, except without as much T & A and missing the 22" in every other scene, but the girls are all straight. I think Bow Wow hands Shaun a stack of cash, and says something like “you gots to elevate your lifestyle” (or something like that)… Question is, that scene seemed like BS, are there really such tight clubs in Tokyo?
TRUE. Me and my boys have been to a couple places in Tokyo, sometimes Ladies Night, sometimes not, and it was like just mad honeys all over the place. Like just “wow I can’t believe this” sort of stuff. And even though I’m a country bumpkin now I grew up in a big city, been clubbing in big cities (NYC, Miami, etc)- never been a club regular but I have some idea about clubs… Of course not all the ladies are like model quality or whatnot in these places, but more often than not just a LOT of women, and many looked pretty fine (and this was before I hit the bar so I think I’m being fair here). For some reason, the girl/guy ratio in good clubs in Tokyo is usually quite favorable, there are SO many women out, and they are usually dressed real nice, very trendy and all that… Don’t know how they do it- they don’t have VIP lines or lines where bouncers like make all guys wait 1 hour before coming in, yet it’s never really a sausagefest in the good places. Here’s the rub though- most of the troo JDM women can’t speak English. But hey, there’s always time to learn another language…
OK that’s it for now.
