Time is up, Mr Juggler: The Music of Shuto Kousoku Trial Movies

Our race is about to begin!

Die-hard fans of Initial D will probably make an unwavering statement that Eurobeat was the music that defined the genre of racing flicks. Undoubtedly, this anime series created an aesthetic milestone with its skillful usage of Dave Rodgers, Mega NRG Man, The Delta Queens, and many other artists; however, Eurobeat does not bear the palm of the first music used to pump up JDM battles.

My introduction to Shuto Kousoku Trial movies happened by complete accident. One day, while browsing through City Pop songs on YouTube, I stumbled upon a fan music video in which Meiko Nakahara’s (中原 めいこ) "Scorpion" song (スコーピオン), from her album Lotos no Kajitsu (ロートスの果実－LOTOS－) was coupled together with unbeknown to me clips of awesome racing scenes

After doing a little search on the net, I found out that the clips in question were taken from the Shuto Kousoku Trial series. These six movies made between 1988 and 1996 have quite a production history: The first film was made at the height of the street racing era in Japan and the popularity of Mid Night Club. Although it was intended for a theatrical release, it was ultimately banned by the authorities due to alleged promotion of illegal racing. Nevertheless the movie was so successful on home video that Toei Company Ltd. together with Nikkatsu Studio commissioned straight-to-video sequels to be made. Interestingly, they brought in for the follow-ups the Drift King himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya, whose presence ensured the lack of pro-illegal racing message. Basically, Shuto Kousoku Trial flicks may have been produced on a tight budget and in 4:3 aspect ratio, but they are still greatly entertaining because of the faithful depiction of the circuit racing culture (without any CGI) sprinkled with J-Pop music.

The first motion picture presents a basic premise which subsequent sequels recycle: a young, up-and-coming racer tries to overcome his shortcomings and set the time-run record on the Shuto Expressway. The main protagonist of the 1988 movie tries to break the records in his modified Nissan Skyline R-30. Interestingly, a lot of incidental rock-like music accompanies the race sequences, but in two scenes, the viewers can hear Maiko Konishi’s (小西麻衣子) "Mr Juggler"  song (released originally on EP of the same name). The tune itself may not be widely popular, but it certainly has that distinct City Pop feel. Thanks to Shuto Kousoku Trial, I always associate this song with Skyline R-30, the diecast model of which is proudly parked on my shelf.

The second Shuto movie took the emphasis on music to another level by giving the singer Saori Saitoh (沙織斉藤)  a cameo role as well as incorporating her stage performance of super dynamic "All Eyes" (目がすべて) song into the race battle. She also provided another song "Naga-denwa no ballad" (長電話のバラード) for drama scenes. Both tracks are available on the artist’s album <Lady> from 1989.

Shuto Kousoku Trial 3 (1991), in contrast to the previous film, utilised a bit slower tunes, performed this time by MAHARA. "Crying All Night" definitely has this classy, early 90s feeling and it wonderfully complements the image of the beautiful Reiko Takashima behind the wheel, whereas "True Love" is certainly a great choice for a more sensual mood, underlining the dilemmas of the main characters.

The fourth entry in the series, albeit well done, features only one song: "Body to Body" by Crystal Wars (クリスタル ウォーズ) band, which is actually a cover of the original song by Tomoko Aran (亜蘭知子) from 1983. Personally, I like both versions, but Crystal Wars’ take is ideal to enhance the excitement of JDM cruising, mainly due to the use of electric guitar and the vocals of Rumiko Inoue.

Shuto Kousoku Trial 5: The Final Battle (1993) also resorted to using just one song (aided by incidental music generated by synthesizers). This time, the band GENDA X BENDA provided the catchy "Time is Up" song, which surprisingly can be heard only in a scene where the main hero gears up for racing and during the end credits. Because of its fast tempo and memorable lyrics, the song would have functioned much better during the Skyline showdown.

The final film of the series, Shuto Kousoku Max (1996), has none other than the epic Akira Sudou (須藤 あきら) herself. The singer’s "Love Doesn’t Sleep" (愛が眠れない) song from the album Pandora is used as the main theme throughout the movie. Sudou’s rock style is just perfect for Shuto Kousoku Trial filmmaking structure, resulting in one of the best racing scenes ever. It is such a shame that more of her work has not been used.

This was my look at the music of Shuto Kousoku Trial. I like all the tracks, but my all-time faves are definitely "Mr Juggler," "Time is up," and "Love Doesn’t Sleep". If you can, give these movies a try, if not for the race vibes, then at least to appreciate the pre-Eurobeat music. All in all, Shuto Kousoku Trial films served as a template for subsequent franchises, such as the aforementioned Initial D, Wangan Midnight, and, of course, The Fast and The Furious. My respect goes to the cast and crew for their hard work put into making these stories about daredevil drivers possible on the silver screen.

Note: Please hit the hyperlinks in order to check out the movies, music clips, and album versions of the songs on YouTube.

Photo sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.