Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo

Japan has long been prone to eccentric mass-consumer trends. Jessica Oreck's strangely affecting documentary Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo illuminates one of the more offbeat crazes: it seems that the Japanese now pay top dollar for beetles and crickets to keep and pamper as they would any domestic pet. The documentary takes the viewer on an almost trance-like journey through this oddball world in which fascination with insects has ballooned into big business. Voiceover narration dispenses random facts while confirming the insects' place in Japanese folklore and history—even making an entomological tie-in with the art of haiku. One sequence shows the primitive process of gathering stag beetles for eventual sale: “hunters” kick trees in the forest in order to detach these globally endangered animals from their natural habitat and thrust them into instant commodification in the Tokyo marketplace. Also included are interviews with scholarly mystics who look upon the insect world as a valuable teaching tool for humankind (one interviewee offers a poetic reverie on the musicality of a cricket's chirp). Ultimately revealing more about contemporary Japanese culture than about bugs, this is a subtly hypnotic and engaging film. DVD extras include additional footage with philosopher Dr. Takeshi Yoro, deleted scenes, and a study guide. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (M. Sandlin)