School in the Crosshairs is a 1981 film written and directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi and staring Hiroko Yakushimaru, Ryoichi Takayanagi and Masami Hasegawa. The film follows Yuka Mitamura a schoolgirl that has psychic powers, that faces off against a new student with similar powers that takes over the school as Yuka and her friends try and stop them. School in the Crosshairs is ultimately a coming-of-age film that acts as a criticism against the Japanese education system.
The film begins showing Yuka’s life as dreamlike idealism that has a darkness underneath it as she is shown as an innocent protagonist, the film then shows the guys perving at schoolgirls as Yuka the main girl meets up with her friend Koji. The kids talk about the exams being bad as they have an indirect kiss Infront of a fountain linking to the coming-of-age themes. The is an interesting social clash between the rich and poor school as they are demolishing the old school buildings as they can gut the club and focus on their studies showing the economic clashes in the film as the teacher is disappointed with the classes’ grades. The film has classic high school tropes with the nerd not being good at PE who says it doesn’t matter which the teacher agrees as the jocks get angry, this is also shown with the looming threat of the kendo club being axed as everyone’s worried about exams. The film shows a festival where they can join clubs, as Yuka uses her physical powers to reverse time and save a little kid riding a bike to not be hit by a truck as she questions herself, form this she ultimately questions her own identity metaphorically like going through puberty.
Koji’s dad disapproves of his son doing kendo at it interferes with his studies as Yuka tutors Koji, this is a criticism of the Japanese education system in how studies are the most important thing. Yuka ends up feeling different as she asks if she looks different due to her telepathy which is symbolically links to puberty, Arkawa in the film is like an evil nerd supervillain saying he won’t lose next exam as he has found a secret torturing school linking the films criticism is the strict Japanese education system. Koji sneaks out of his room for kendo practice even though he sucks as his dad thinks Koji and Yuka are having sex. Yuka tries to test out her psychic powers, as Koji fights Semi at Kendo as he is losing as Yuka uses her physic powers to make Koji win. Yuka notices a guy who looks like an alien who seemly has the same powers. Yuka finds the psychic guy luring her in with magical powers, as he knows he made Seki win with her powers as he’s been watching her, and she’s been calling him aa he wants her to join with him to conquer the world and hypnotises her as Yuka falls in love with the psychic boy. Another girl called Arikawa Michiru ends up blinding perverted boys who are trying to look up girls’ skirts with psychic powers, as she runs for class president and with her winning, she catches a plan. The film shows how exams erodes a student’s humanity the film shows this destroys their freedom as the students have a philosophy of selfishness as the school is in ruin and discipline and order is needed, Yuka says Mitumra’s plan is correct but doesn’t believe in controlling people and feels uneasy as the film criticises the education system.
The nerd plots his revenge and finds Yuka saying the student council wishes to see her, as the council patrols the school as they get rid of unrulily students showing the sickness of the Japanese education system as Mitumra wants Yuka to be the head of it, but she refuses. Yuka and the others worry about her patrols as Mitumra is serious as there is a force behind her. The student council become like a gang as they beat people up and exact absolute authority. Mitumra who has the same powers as Yuka warms her what will happen to those who oppose them as she encompasses certain students as they are part for a secret academy trying to change the world. Mitumra leads the student council to the academy as they have been chosen, as they have ultimately become good students and people. The students become fascist as they are in a war with each other with their dictator telling them they are the enemy as Mitumra then uses her psychic powers to control the gym teacher’s car making another car crashes into it. This shows the coming-of-age aspects of the film showing the fears and anxieties of teenagers. This also criticises the Japanese education system as a fascist regime that controls its people. Yuka feels this physic force as she finds out from Koji that the teacher is in the hospital. They all go and see him in the hospital and find Takamizawa visiting him who shuts them out as she uses her powers to sense and save people. This shows the coming-of-age elements of the film with the film revolving around the school and the students. The film also criticises the Japanese education system with it being an oppressive regime. Yuka finally embraces her psychic powers as all the students become good.
Yuka gets captured by the main bad guy who miniplates the advertising screen saying that their time is near, and they must join forces as he comes tocher as their souls call out as one as they were lovers in their planet. Koji is attacked by him who flees, as Yuka thinks about how she doesn’t know about her future with her possibly going to an academy. This shows the film as coming of age as the film is about her naturing. The film also criticises the Japanese education system as the system is trying to destroy them. Yuka heals Koji with her powers and has a motherly feel to her wither buying him a blanket. Yuka confronts Mitumra as she wants to see the teacher, but she warns her about herself instead and she must join Eiko academy. This shows the film being coming of age as she worries about the future. The film also criticises the Japanese education system in how it destroys the individual. Mitumra makes a construction piece of wood fall on the students, as Yuka celebrates her birthday with her parents. This links to the themes of the film being coming of age as she is drifting away from them as they have hope for her but think she’s lonely. All the council students go to the school as Koji infiltrates the building, as Yuka with her physic powers sees the main bad guy talking to her saying he is from Venus. He explains once the darkness fell, they followed the brightest star as a symbol of the universes reason and intelligence. He explains that he has come to the planet to guide the chosen ones to guide the others who are living with no sense of purpose so his ideal universe can be realised. Form this he has gathered students form Eiko academy to grow a large army to change the world. This demonstrates the film as coming of age as the film is about how things change and that people are unable to stop it. This again criticises the Japanese education system in that it shows how through this people can be controlled into blank slaves.
Koji confronts them as the main bad guy captures them and makes the nerd into a star. As he is a useless fool Yuka goes to confront them saying she won’t go to them. She says this may be worthless, but she loves the earth and its people as she has no fear of death and only wants her friends to return. The main bad guy becomes the universe as Yuka as a human fight him as he makes Koji into a star. They ultimately engage is ap psychic mind battle as Yuka defeats him and everyone under his control snaps out of it, wakes up and go home. Michiru dies thinking about her human mother giving her some sympathy as the guy goes back and villain goes back home, and the temple is destroyed. Michiru comes back as a normal student and goes to live with mother as the student council brakes up and the old student council gets put in change. This shows the coming-of-age themes as people grow and develop throughout the story. This also criticises the Japanese education system and its rejects the idea of traditionally structed Japanese education. The film ends with Koji losing the match and fainting as Yuka thinks its best if she didn’t have power and he should make it on his own. He swears to project her as they see a magical evening star over where the school was. This demonstrates the coming-of-age themes that even though they might have failed in some sense they still want to try and see a batter tomorrow as the film criticises the Japanese education system as with that strict system demolished, they are ow free to live their lives.
School in the Crosshairs is ultimately a coming-of-age story. The film criticises the strict doctoral reimage of the traditional Japanese education system and showcases that only through the destruction of these traditional systems can something better grow as a result.