In his previous seven feature films as sole director Watanabe Hirobumi stayed close to his home in Otawara, a city in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo. For his eighth, the musical comedy Techno Brothers, he finally leaves Otawara for the open road – or rather the highway to Tokyo, where the title group played by Watanabe, brother Watanabe Yuji and pal Kurosaki Takanori, go to find fame and fortune. It’s more accurate, though, to call it their manager’s plan. Named Himuro and played by newcomer Yanagi Asuna, she channels the look and attitude of famed Vogue editor Anna Wintour, the inspiration for The Devil Wears Prada, from her bobbed hair and ever-present sunglasses to her commanding air and iron will.

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