Filmmaker Ema Ryan Yamazaki describes Japan’s National High School Baseball Championship (more commonly known as “Koshien,” for the stadium it’s played in) as a combination of the Super Bowl (for the national popularity and significance of the title) and NCAA basketball’s “March Madness” (for its intense, single-elimination format). In this film, Yamazaki grants viewers an insider’s look into two teams’ journeys to Koshien.
But this is not just a film about baseball, for baseball fans – this is a dramatic tale of the fighting spirit, harmony, tradition, and discipline that are the bedrock of Japanese culture, and how they fit into modern society.
For more about this fascinating documentary, check out our review. Ema Ryan Yamazaki appeared on JapanBall’s “Chatter Up!” Zoom call in 2020 – check out our recap of that episode here. For an in-depth, first-person Koshien experience, check out this article by Tom McGuire.
