Charge! Men's Private School (1988)
Charge! Men's Private School
1988Otokojuku, a private school for juvenile delinquents that were previously expelled from normal schools. At this school, Japanese chivalry is taught through the feudal and military fundamentals. Similar to an action film, the classes are overwhelmed by violence. Only those who survive it become true men.
Seasons & Episode
Momotaro Tsurugi enrols at Otokojuku and meets the other First Year students. They have to undergo a physical test through a wooden maze just to get to the school itself. Disgusted at the food they receive Togashi Gengi convinces Tazawa Ippei, Matsuo Taio, Tsubakiyama Kiyomi and Momotaro to escape to his uncle's restaurant. Only Togashi and Tazawa make it there, but are also captured, and get to sample punishment by the Otokojuku Spirit Discipline Rod.
he First Years engage in a Forward Marching exercise that takes them through local people's homes and the headquarters of the Pure Evil Group, a local criminal gang which Momotaro overcomes. The group's leader Gokukoji Genzo, sends his son, Hidemaro to seek vengeance on the school and Momotaro. Momotaro defeats their champion and Hidemaro swears to take revenge for his humiliation.
Tsubakiyama Kiyomi is having trouble coping with the physical rigor of training at Otokojuku and decides to escape at night with his pet canary. He is intercepted by the Second Year student Oniyokozuna and challenged to a contest. The First Year students are woken by the staff at 4am to witness a Spike Thicket Sumo contest between Tsubakiyama and Oniyokozuna. Tsubakiyama is being beaten badly, but when he realises that Oniyokozuna ate his pet canary, he fights back with a vengeance, and with a little help from Momotaro wins the contest. Later, at the grave of his bird, Tsubakiyama is attacked by other Second Year students. As he is being beaten, Momotaro again intervenes and Tsubakiyama finds his strength and courage. He eventually decides not to leave Otokojuku.
To take revenge for the defeat of Oniyokozuna, some Second Year students start beating up on First Years. Momotaro stops the First Years from taking immediate revenge as it is against school rules to lift a hand against a more senior student. The First Years are then invited to a Meeting Ceremony with the Second Years. The ceremony consists of a series of humiliating and deadly acts to be carried out by the First Years. Momotaro finally acts and challenges the Second Year acting head Edogawa, beating him with one kick, ending the meeting. When the instructors prepare to expel him, Principal Edajima reminds them that Momotaro did not raise his hand, thus not breaking the rule and will not be expelled.
Second Year leader Edogawa invites the First Year students to an outing at the Orient Safari Park. The rules are that the First Years must split into groups of three and spend the night in the park with the wild animals. Edogawa dons a gorilla suit to take his revenge on Momotaro, but fails when a lion befriended by Momotaro attacks him. When Edogawa cries for help Momotaro beats him savagely, accusing the gorilla of impersonating Edogawa. The First Years return to Otokojuku unscathed.
Following the loss of his last hair, Principal Edajima decrees that all First Years must shave their heads, unless one student can perform the Head Seal. This involves writing the word "man" (男) on the Principal's head. All the attempts by the students fail until Momotaro tricks the principal into putting on a helmet with a stamp on the inside performing the Head Seal . Instructor Oni-Hige then has his own head shaved as the result of losing a bet with Momotaro.
Tsubakiyama chases his pet squirrel onto the Second Years' lawn but balk at punishing him when Momotaro appears. The instructors are concerned at the Second Year's cowardice. Principal Edajima calls back the former head Second Year student, Akashi Gouji to take on Momotaro. On his return he invites the First Year students to a 2nd-Year head's Reinstatement Ceremony. After humiliating the former acting head Edogawa and some First Year students, he engages in a sword fight to the death with Momotaro. The Principal decides to use the fight as an opportunity to stage a public contest on Ganryu Island. The school then sells tickets to raise the necessary funds to pay the school's bills.
On the day of the planned sword contest on Ganryu Island, Momotaro decides that he doesn't want to fight and be part of a tawdry money-raising spectacle. Togashi volunteers to take Momotaro's place, but is outclassed and wounded. When Akashi is about to deliver the killing stroke, Momotaro arrives to represent the First Year students. The battle between Momotaro and Akashi is fierce, but Momotaro uses his own spirit to counteract the Rock-Slicing Sword technique of Akashi and defeats him. Unfortunately the instructors bet all of the ticket money on Akashi and lost the lot, so the school no longer has the money to pay its debts.
Togashi is in Harajuku with no money and no girl and rescues an old lady from a thug. She takes him home, mistaking him for her lost son. Togashi goes to leave, but the old lady leads him to believe she has a fortune saved. To get his hands on the money, Togashi buys food and cooks for her, and visits her every afternoon after school. Other students join him as well. Later the thug tells Togashi that she is a drinking, gambling, lying hag so he abandons her. She is then taken by Yakuza to whom she owes money. When she's about to be killed Togashi intervenes but is beaten by the Yakuza. Then Momotaro and the others arrive and rescue them both.
Oni-Hige is put in charge of the school while Principal Edajima goes to Kansai. The instructors see this as an opportunity to make some money to replace the bonuses they have not received. To raise money, Oni-Hige resurrects the School Festival which was banned for 10 years due to many student fatalities. Meanwhile Akashi reveals that the aggressive Kanto Great Student Alliance plans to make Otokojuku the 100th school under their control. Akashi leaves it to Momotaro and the First Years to resolve. A thousand Kanto Great Student Alliance students arrive to take over the school, but Morita, Captain of the Guard says he needs only 30 men to make them surrender. As the battle is about to start, Oni-Hige interrupts and suggests a game of ruby instead, to protect the other visitors and make more money. Oni-Hige poisons the players who must reach the antidote at the other players' end with the steel ball containing a key within 20 minutes or die. The game begins.
Date Omito, President of the Kanto Great Student Alliance arrives at the gate of Otokojuku with his students and immediately a fight breaks out between the two groups. Principal Edajima interrupts the fighting and suggests using the Four Great Trials of Terror on Mt. Fuji, involving four representatives from each side to settle the dispute. Otokojuku selects Momotaro, Togashi, J and the fourth member, Toramaru Ryuuji from the Prison of Penitence. Date Omito is joined by the Three Fists of the Great Student Alliance, Raiden, Hien and Gekkou.
The Otokojuku group arrive at the Temple of Hell's Treasure at the foot of Mt. Fuji with the four representatives wearing traditional white uniforms. The trial will be in the hands of the temple monks. The eight combatants enter tunnels which lead up Mt. Fuji from where they are guided by giant monks. Each team of four are shackled to a giant steel ball which they must push up the mountain. At four locations on the way, one representative from each team will be unshackled to fight to the death. Their fates will be reflected in eight candles burning at the temple below. J and Raiden are the first to fight at the site of 1,000 degree deadly sulphur springs. Raiden gets the upper hand by attacking and retreating with sharp blades in his shoes until J traps him and delivers his final Mach Punch before they both perish in the sulphur springs. Their two candles are extinguished.
With J's death, the three remaining Otokojuku representatives, Momotaro, Togashi and Toramaru carve the initial J on their arms in his memory. The two teams push their giant steel balls to the next site for the battle of the Midair Cliff. Togashi and Hien of the Birdman Fist are the next to fight, dangling in mid-air by holding onto ropes attached to the cliff. Hien has the advantage because of his aerial mobility. Togashi fights a desperate battle, but eventually succumbs and falls. As he falls a Rising Dragon Wind catches him an updraft, carrying him back up towards Hien, where in a final effort Togashi attacks Hien and they both fall to their deaths. Their two candles are extinguished.
Momotaro, Togashi, J and Toramaru are ordered to report to the Head of the Third-Years, Daigouin Jaki at the Tendo Shrine . To get to him the must pass the Corridor of the Deity, filled with booby traps. J goes first and is separated from the others and his feet are encased in concrete by Third-Year Henshouki, Guardian of the Chamber of Hanging Acid. He must prevent a tray of sulphuric acid suspended above his head from falling while being attacked. J builds his anger until he can use his Mach Punch to escape. Next they face Dokugantetsu, Guardian of the Chamber of a Thousand Needles and Togashi takes the lead. Togashi seems driven as he traverses floor spikes and dodges spears for both sides.
Togashi continues his passage, while coming under attack from Dokugantetsu, until Daigouin Jaki stops them. He allows the First Years to pass to the third and final chamber. Meanwhile the Third Years look into Togashi's past and find that he wants revenge for the death of his brother. Togashi tells the First Years that three years earlier, his brother was killed by Daigouin Jaki six months after enrolling at Otokojuku, and that he enrolled at the school to take revenge. Toramaru takes the lead against Baron Dieno in the electrified Chamber of Purple Lightning. Toramaru defeats Baron Dieno and the four First Years are allowed to progress, but Togashi locks the others out so he can confront the giant Daigouin Jaki alone. Jaki tells Togashi of his brother's death in the Great Trembling Conquest of the Unified Eight. Togashi attacks him but is easily beaten. He then reveals that he has 10 kg of dynamite strapped to his body, turning himself into a human bomb.
Togashi attacks Jaki with the dynamite strapped to his body. He is easily beaten back, but does not give up until Jaki cuts the fuse rendering the dynamite useless. Just as he stabs Togashi, Momotaro, J and Toramaru burst into the room. Momotaro saves Togashi and attacks Jaki but the giant is too strong and too fast. Their match is interrupted by Principal Edajima who announces that the Great Trembling Conquest of the Unified Eight will take place. This is a contest between eight seniors and eight juniors every 3 years. The four First Years will be joined by the four they defeated in the Four Great Trials of Terror, Date, Raiden, Hien and Gekkou, who were saved and treated by the Third Years for this match. The eight Third years will consist of the three Corridor of the Deity Guardians, Henshouki, Dokugantetsu and Baron Dieno, the Four Lords, Rasetsu, Manjimaru, Senku and Eieki. They begin with the Burning Rod Ritual and the scene is set for the battle at 2am in 3 days time.
The group of Eight juniors travel to the location of the Great Trembling Conquest of the Unified Eight contest, the legendary Great Wall of Eight Dragons. Head Priest Wan Ta-Ren tells them that before entering they must perform the ritual of the Life Entrustment Stone. They hold chains which determine the fighting pairs and the fighting order: Raiden with J, Hien with Togashi, Gekkou with Toramaru, Date with Momotaro. The first challenge is in the Forest of a Hundred Magnetic Columns. Raiden and J climb the column, each wearing a magnetic shoe, and with a device to share which can neutralise the magnetic field. At the top, they face Manjimaru and Henshouki.
J and Henshouki start the match on the Forest of a Hundred Magnetic Columns, but J is outmanoeuvred, so Raiden takes over. Raiden is a match for Henshouki, but is tricked and stabbed by a hidden poisoned blade. He fights on, but succumbs to the stab wounds and the poison. J takes over and using his Mach Punch, defeats Henshouki who is then killed by Manjimaru for his failure.
The Great Trembling Conquest of the Unified Eight contest moves to the second gate while J gets medical attention. Unfortunately the wall is broken preventing the First Years group progressing. Tazawa gets the students from a human bridge across the gulf so they can continue. Tazawa and Matsuo are the last of the human bridge to climb to safety, but cannot hold on so they let go to fall to their deaths rather than take anyone with them. Dokugantetsu and Senku prepare to meet the First Years and avenge the loss of the first round. The First Years pay tribute to their fallen comrades, Tazawa and Matsuo.
The final round, Battle of Crooked Balances, is to be fought on the summit of Mt. Tengatutou. Each group of students is put into a cage suspended above the valley, and the keys are swallowed by the opposing combatants Momotaro and Jaki. To free their friends, the victor will have to remove the key from the loser's body before the cage fallsinto the valley. Jaki attacks with his Deadly Wind Wave but Momotaro is evasive, reserving his energy and gathering his Ki. Momotaro focuses his Ki into his headband making a Stiff Cloth Fist Breaker, repelling Jaki's attack. As The battle wears on, Momotaro exhausts his Ki and is worn down by Jaki's attacks using his Spinning Weight Wire. Eventually Momotaro manages to catch the spinning weight, and throws it into the sky where it is struck by lightning which electrocutes Jaki.
Jaki is still not dead, but mortally wounded. He concedes defeat to Momotaro and plunges his hand into his own body to retrieve the key to free the First Years. The Third Years are about to plunge to their deaths, but Momotaro coughs up the key to their cage so that they can also be freed. He says there are no longer First Years and Third Years, just Otokojuku students. With the death of all of the Third Year contestants, the First Years are declared winners, however Momotaro and the other students feel that it was a waste of human life and blood. In response Principal Edajima just repeats his mantra" I am the Principal of Otokojuku, Edajima Heihachi!". Hien, Gekkou and Raiden appear from the shadows, healed by the skill and Chinese medicine of Head Priest Wan Ta-Ren. Togashi can finally farewell his brother after learning of his fate, and avenging his death.
A month later, and almost a year since they enrolled, Momotaro, Togashi, J and Momotaro reminisce over the year's events. They meet Upperclassman Akashi who congratulates Momotaro on his success in the Great Trembling Conquest of the Unified Eight contest and says his time at Otokojuku will refine his manhood. In the final scene the whole school honors them, including Principal Edajima.
Otokojuku, a private school for juvenile delinquents that were previously expelled from normal schools. At this school, Japanese chivalry is taught through the feudal and military fundamentals. Similar to an action film, the classes are overwhelmed by violence. Only those who survive it become true men.