This should perhaps have been posted in the Takashi Miike thread, but sod it, I'm starting a new one.

I've just watched this film for the first time and I'm not familiar with his other work. What's everyone's thoughts on this film?

I found it totally bizarre...which pleased me, and strangely uplifting. Totally bonkers, though.

I've just seen Ichi the Killer and Audition. Both are very twisted movies, but the hype around them hurt and in the long run they did not live up to my high expectations. For the most part there are excellent scenes mixed with mediocre ones. Definitely not for the squeamish, but above average movies both. Audition is a bit better in my opinion.

KATAKURIS was a wonderful surprise. I came to that with indifferent expectations after seeing AUDITION, ICHI and RAINY DOG (and possibly a couple of his other films, but of these three, I liked RAINY DOG best). KATAKURIS seems like Gonzo filmmaking at its best, completely outrageous, as you mention, but possessed of a surprisingly consistent tone (for Miike) and some decent music, to boot! I'm not sure I'd rank any Miike stuff, including this, as all time favourites, but the guy's prolific, works across multiple genres and creates eminently watchable work, even if the end results aren't to your own personal liking.