Zokki is based on Hiroyuki Ohashi’s cult manga series released in 2020. Bringing together three of Japan’s most talented and prolific actors and directors. The film was directed by Naoto Takenaka, Takayuki Yamada, and Takumi Saitoh.

Making up the run time are five very loosely connected storylines. That concerns the secrets and lies, the fears and tears of oddballs and misfits. People trying to make a living and make do with what they have.

Each of the five separate stories are for the most part very comedic. Each of the characters goes about their day with small things around them taking place. One of the small stories is about a quiet loner arriving at the docks for a fisherman’s birthday party who he is family friends with. Another one is a nerdy high school student being concerned that one of his classmate’s favorite things to say is “I want to die”! They get along until he eventually lays eyes on his older sister.

Following that is one about a kid who continuously begs his father to take him to an amusement park. His dad, however, has a different plan for the day. He decides to drive him to his high school overnight and steal a punching bag from a classroom.

The film also has a lot of tiny humorous moments sprinkled throughout even if they don’t really tie into any of the little stories. One, in particular, is a kid being sad and disappointed that his favorite adult film actor has just retired.

Zooki isn’t the most original film in the world, borrowing story elements from other films. It does enough to differentiate itself by doing it in a comedic way, having a climax that interconnects all of the different stories in a nice way.