Umi e, See You

Umi e, See You (Japanese: 海へ〜See you〜, Hepburn: Umi e 〜See you〜, lit. To the Sea 〜See you〜) is a 1988 Japanese auto racing epic film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara and written by Sō Kuramoto. It is based on the story Suna no bôkensha (lit. Adventurers of the Sand) by José Giovanni (credited onscreen as Joze Jovanni). The plot revolves around the Paris-Dakar Rally, an off-road endurance race spanning thousands of miles and multiple continents. It follows the lives, loves and losses of the competitors of Japan's Team DANKAI during the 1988 competition. Umi e, See You was theatrically released by Toho on May 18, 1988, and stars a multi-national cast with Ken Takakura in the lead role, alongside Junko Sakurada, Philippe Leroy, Nenji Kobayashi and Ayumi Ishida.

This production was Sō Kuramoto's final feature film screenwriting credit for 36 years until the release of Silence of the Sea in 2024.

Plot

With the Paris-Dakar Rally fast approaching, the sponsor of Japan's Team DANKAI adds popular celebrity Ryuichi Yoshii (Goro Ohashi) to their roster for publicity. Mizuki (Nenji Kobayashi), DANKAI's team leader, recognizes the strain this puts on his team, in addition to their general dysfunction and baggage. He also believes it is necessary to have a support vehicle (a 1985 Mercedes-Benz 2628 NG camion) running alongside the team's Pajero rally car. Thus Mizuki seeks the help of legendary mechanic and driver Eiji Honma (Ken Takakura). Honma had retired years prior due to the deaths of multiple friends in his dangerous profession. However, Mizuki persuades Honma to come out of retirement one last time and help DANKAI win the race.

On January 1, 1988, the rally cars leave Paris en route to Dakar, the capital city of Senegal. Honma soon discovers that his ex-wife Kei (Ayumi Ishida) is also participating in the rally, alongside her current husband, the bullfighter Juan Vázquez (Tomas Arana). In addition, Honma's support car comes to include passenger Yuko Takei (Junko Sakurada), a singer who had followed Yoshii from Japan.

Over the course of the race, the relationship between the selfish Yoshii and DANKAI begins to sour. While navigating the Sahara Desert, tensions come to a head. A fight breaks out, but Honma mediates the dispute and gets the team back in the race.

Through multiple trials and tribulations, Yoshii and the team learn to trust each other, and DANKAI finishes the race. However, Kei and Juan's car suffers an accident in the West African desert, and both perish. Though he has completed the rally, Honma once again becomes a mourner. He erects a cross in the desert using the remains of their vehicle.

Cast

Production

Umi e is similar to an earlier Kurahara production, Safari 5000 (1969), which was also an epic-length film about a rally raid in Africa (specifically, the Safari Rally). It was shot in multiple countries, including Japan, Finland, Italy, France, Spain, Senegal and various locations in North Africa. Extensive filming took place on location at the actual Paris-Dakar Rally sites. Cinematographers Tsuguzo Matsumae, Kikumatsu Sôda and Tatsuo Mori assisted with on-location shooting.

Music

Actor and musician Ryudo Uzaki co-starred in the film and also co-composed its score with Shûichi Chino. The film's theme song is "Rose Des Vents" (lit. "The Rose of the Wind") by Pierre Barouh. In addition, the film features the track "Donde Esta Corazon" by Luis Martinez Serrano. The soundtrack was released by Meldac in June 1988.

Vehicles

Multiple trucks, cars and motorcycles are featured in the film, including several custom-built off-road vehicles, SUVs and sports cars. Featured brands include BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Saab, Suzuki and Toyota, among others: