Failing University student Shuhei Yamamoto (Masahiro Motoki) is asked by his supervisor Anayama (Akira Emoto) to join the sumo club in exchange for letting him graduate. The only other member of the club Aoki (Naoto Takenaka) begins to train Shuhei, and the two recruit several new members: the plus-sized and socially awkward Tanaka (Hiromasa Taguchi), Shuhei’s popular younger brother Haruo (Masaaki Takarai), and English overseas student ‘Smiley’ (Robert Hoffman). Top student Natsuko (Misa Shimizu) uses her marketing skills to promote the club and bring more attention to them. Despite being a complete disaster in their first event, the group decide to work hard and attempt to compete properly in future tournaments.
“Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t”, written and directed by Masayuki Suo, follows the typical set-up for underdog sports stories, with a motley band of characters coming together to overturn incredible odds. There are a few laughs to be had, such as Aoki’s problems with a dippy stomach before bouts, and the hapless team’s underwhelming performance at their initial trial, but unfortunately the script is sparse and the time mostly filled with sumo competitions. More could have been done with the characters but they remain little more than caricatures. It’s not that a comedy needs character development, but the film is also lacking in engaging material, meaning that as things progress it becomes a chore to watch.
It is hard to find too much to say about ‘Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t’ that couldn’t be said of any sports drama involving a unlikely group of athletes triumphing against the odds. We have lessons on the value of teamwork; the joy of overcoming arrogant opponents with unconventional tactics; and mildly amusing training montages. It is good to see the focus on the traditional Japanese sport of sumo, but the film repeatedly misses opportunities to develop humorous material about the various unusual rituals associated with it. An innocuous enough sporting drama that fails to capitalise on its potential.
