Takumi Saitō Narrates Pufferfish Documentary 'GUN FISH' Opening September 4
The documentary captures a live policy debate over pufferfish liver legalization, a question that forces a public reckoning with how Japan defines food safety and cultural tradition.
Reporting from 2 sources: Eiga Natalie, Cinema Today.
A documentary film exploring Japan's pufferfish food culture, titled 'GUN FISH: The World of Pufferfish You Don't Know,' will open nationwide on September 4 at Theatre Shinjuku in Tokyo and other locations. Actor Takumi Saitō provides narration. The film follows Yukari Nameki, a young chef taking the Tokyo pufferfish cooking license exam in 2017, and profiles chefs, researchers, fishermen, and distributors. It also examines the debate over legalizing pufferfish liver consumption, which is currently banned in Japan. Recent research shows that pufferfish fed non-toxic food do not become toxic, fueling a movement to allow liver sales. Opponents argue that wild and farmed livers cannot be distinguished and that accidents would be fatal. Director Wataru Uno, who obtained a pufferfish handling registration in Osaka during production, said he aimed to create a one-of-a-kind film that people will associate with pufferfish. The trailer and key visual have been released, with the catchphrase 'Because it's poisonous, it's interesting.' Distributed by KeyHolder Pictures.
Director Wataru Uno spent over ten years researching pufferfish culture, eventually quitting his job and investing personal funds into the project. During that time he obtained an Osaka Prefecture pufferfish handling registration, a qualification that deepened his understanding of the subject. The film's cast includes top chefs, Michelin-starred cooks, pufferfish toxin researchers, and expert buyers from Shimonoseki and Tsukiji. Uno said he was repeatedly asked 'Why pufferfish?' and came to see the absolute safety of eating a poisonous fish as an achievement built by predecessors. The trailer shows Nameki's exam preparation and interviews with figures on both sides of the liver legalization debate, including the mayor of Shimonoseki and the governor of Saga Prefecture. Saitō, in a statement, called the film 'a story of life and at the same time a high-quality food entertainment,' adding that he was humbled to discover the determination and beauty alive in Japanese food culture. The key visual features a pufferfish on a yellow background with the tagline 'Because it's poisonous, it's interesting.'
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Eiga Natalie 毒魚フグの奥深い世界を探求した映画「GUN FISH」9月公開、斎藤工がナレーション
- Cinema Today なぜ日本人は毒魚を食べるのか？斎藤工がいざなう『GUN FISH あなたの知らないフグの世界』9月公開