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In 1933, Yukitoki Takigawa, a professor of law at Kyoto University, was fired from his position by the Education Board as his theory on criminal law was considered Marxist. The accusations had started a movement consisting of students and members of university staff in support of Takigawa, whose firing was supposed to suppress the protest, but eventually resulted in the opposite. The event which is known as the Kyoto University Incident marks the narrative center of Akira Kurosawa‘s sixth feature, which looks at three students whose life take a different turn following the events at their university. While obviously influenced by the political climate following World War II, “No Regrets For Our Youth” is a dramatic portrayal of a generation marked by war and their future as well as the shifting dynamics within a society shook by the events of the last years.

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At the beginning of his career, director Akira Kurosawa had to do many propaganda features, such as “Sanshiro Sugata” and “The Most Beautiful”. While he did manage to simultaneously shape his unique voice and style as a filmmaker, there is not denying both of these films carry a heavy pro-Japan message. The same goes for the sequel to his first feature, “Sanshiro Sugata”, which sees actor Susumu Fujita reprising his role of the famous judo fighter, whose story spawned a slew of similar movies and proved to be quite influential. When approaching “Sanshiro Sugata Part II” you should be wary of the more than obvious message behind some of the images and the plot points, but at the same time notice the underlying themes of humanity in the story of the hero, as he is confronted yet again with the downside of his fame of a fighter.

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