the cromartie high anime series be a very high mark to reach . admittedly it a specialized taste but the series work wonder in it 10 minute episode format . the decision to make a live action movie be curious but who know it might have work if the writer and director have try to move away from the 10 minute format . the first half of the movie be a series of skit and gag which be all do in anime ( and i assume in the manga from where this all sprang ) . the actor be very good but the casting be strange and some of the character be visually different from the anime . the problem be the lack of a connecting plot to hold it together and anyone unfamiliar with the anime will lose interest pretty quickly . it sort of like watch your friend at a party act out scene from a favorite comedy show . some of the scene work and some do not . the slow pacing doesn not help either . the second half finally diverge from old cromartie material but will probably end up confuse people more . that be unless you be familiar with a 1970 sci fi show and spectreman . this show be dub and release in the u in 1980 on the tb network . i remember the show and it be fun to have it mixed into the cromartie universe . unfortunately and the whole film never become coherent enough or inventive enough to be really interesting or especially funny . recommend for die hard cromartie fan .