"Sing, Salmon, Sing!" coming to HK DVD with English subtitles

Hong Kong distributor Kam & Ronson will be releasing Makoto Tanaka’s Sing, Salmon, Sing! (Utatama) on region 3 DVD with English subtitles on June 22nd. When the film was released in 2008, it was billed as the next big uplifting teen comedy in the same vein as Waterboys, Swing Girls, and Hula Girls. Nikkatsu tried to sell it at the American Film Market later that year, but it was never picked up for distribution in the west.

Plot: Kasumi (Kaho) is a soprano in the Nanahama High School chorus and loves nothing more than to sing. When the popular student council president Makimura (Hideo Ishiguro) asks to photograph her, she couldn’t be more excited, but for some reason he seems to only want a shot of her while she’s singing. After her next performance, he shows her the photograph he took and jokingly informs her that her face resembles a spawning salmon whenever she sings. Humiliated by this revelation, Kasumi decides to quit her chorus club altogether.

Later, Kasumi meets a chorus club from another Hokkaido high school, Yunokawa, which is led by a brash delinquent named Gondo (Gori). Gondo teaches Kasumi the importance of musical soul, and after being moved by his club’s performing style, she finally realizes how important singing is to her.

Specs: Region 3, NTSC, anamorphic widescreen. Japanese audio with selectable Chinese and English subtitles.

Available at the following retailer(s) on June 22, 2010: