Young Thugs: Innocent Blood

Not quite as good as its sequel, but still a worthy Miike. He gets to focus more on the drama in this film, though there are still some signature Miike moments that make sure you won't mistake the director pulling the strings. The film feels like a work in progress (which it probably was), with Miike trying to balance out different genres.

Three teens decide to end their school life by clubbing their teacher with a flowerpot. When the teacher's down, they steal his money and they each go their own way. Ryoko lands well and finds a job as a hairdresser, the other two fair quite a bit worse and end up joining a local Yakuza gang.

Despite all the drama and the lengthier runtime, Miike manages to keep it light and breezy. The focus may be the characters and the drama surrounding their transitioning into adulthood, some excess violence and weird comedy will remind you that this isn't just a basic Japanese crime drama. A solid Miike, but not quite up there with his best.