DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: SHOHEI OHTANI - BEYOND THE DREAM

4/5

Angel In The Outfield. 

99 Mins. Starring: Shohei Ohtani, Pedro Martinez, Hideki Matsui, C.C. Sabathia, Yu Darvish, Mike Scioscia, Joe Maddon, Hideki Kuriyama & Nez Balelo. Writers: Min Hye Kim, Tao Tokikawa & Toru Tokikawa. Director: Toru Tokikawa. On: Disney +.

Babe Ruth once said, "you swing big, you miss big" (a creed that was gospel for the late, great NBA and Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant), and now the diamond has a man on the mound, going both ways, that may just be better than The Bambino. Like King LeBron James in basketball to Michael Jordan's GOAT, we may have a modern day icon as good as it gets, if not better than the best in the same city as fellow countryman Rui Hachimura in Lakerland. The Major League Los Angeles Angel baseball player, in the city of, Shohei Ohtani is a two-way wonder, the likes the game has never seen before. He can hit a homer, all whilst striking out your man like 'The Simpsons' psyching out Darryl Strawberry. The all American apple pie sport and life metaphor has never rounded the bases with anyone quite like him...and he's Japanese, like the land of the rising sun that has adopted this great American pastime like it was their own. Living here, it kind of feels like that it is theirs these days.

Can you believe it? Hideki Matsui, Yu Darvish, Hideki Kuriyama and Pedro Martinez (providing narration for the American version), C.C. Sabathia, Mike Scioscia, Joe Maddon and his agent Nez Balelo in Japan and America respectively certainly can. Compellingly, contributing to this documentary on Disney + that's available now to stream after a week of banner teasing. Directed by Toru Tokikawa, who co-writes this ESPN film with Tao Tokikawa and Min Hye Kim. Going beyond the dream, to this world encompassing reality that knocks every other notion of what baseball is about, out the park. Speaking of penmanship, when Shohei was just a teenager he wrote down all his detailed dreams, step-by-step, and base to base, you can bet he struck them all off the list. No walking, but a home run. Who else is that driven? Tunnel vision down the line of sight of that fastball he either pitches or plays into the outfield. Baseball's God's sent us an angel that could spread the wings of this game from coast-to-coast, and we aren't just talking about east and west...but the Far East too. From young ball players, of any sport, in any county, to all the dreamers like Jungkook of the juggernaut BTS, this documentary and Shohei's dedication can serve as inspiration and influence to many a mind looking to find their way in a world of equal parts wonder and woe in today's time and game of life. The original working title of this doc was 'Chasing The American Dream', until feats like winning the WBC this year helped the direction of this film to come to terms with the very real and present fact that this, of course, is much bigger than all of that. Snapping off the bat.

Going with his gut, Ohtani decided to take his Nippon fighting talents to Los Angeles, California. And it's this mesmerizing mentality that has served him well ever since. Defying all the odds, many folks wonder how serious his injury that will take one half of his two-way game away for a year is, but would you really bet against this sure thing with a bat or ball and glove in his hands? He's still the most prized free agent this off-season, with every team from Los Angeles (Angels and Dodgers) to up in the Blue Jay north of Toronto making their case to get him on base. The dream board is getting even bigger, like the pressure, but you know that makes diamonds and the men that walk the hallowed earth of all that dirt. The resilience and self-belief honed into Shohei's pride and passion makes him one of the greats before he's even left his 20s. The Hall will call, but until then the fame doesn't seem like it will fall anytime soon. No matter the curveball. That testimonial needs no translation with the subtitles here. What remains in the next innings of Ohtani's career is yet to be written, but you can draw a play up for it. Rewriting the very history books he's already made his own, with records broken and milestones breached. This won't be the only documentary. It's merely one of the beginning chapters of his biography that's about to preface even more. This is how you go beyond a dream and hit out of a whole new arena. Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your caps. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Pitching: 'Long Gone Summer', 'Moneyball', 'Field Of Dreams'.