Centered on a failed rock and roller turned salaryman, Ryoichi (Hiroki Hasegawa), the theme of Love & Peace quite literally is the summation of it's title. Following a bizarre series of events Ryoichi, flushes his pet turtle, Pikadon (probably the only friend he has) down the toilet. Pikadon winds up in the strange home of a mysterious vagrant named, Pa (Toshiyuki Nishida), and a whole gaggle of abandoned toys that Pa has somehow brought to life. After mistakenly giving Pikadon a wish candy, Pikadon's love for his master grants his master's wishes to become reality with some unintended consequences.
This might be the most accessible of Sono's career while still manages to contain the delightfully bizarre stylistic elements that keep it true to his ouvre. It's story teaches one of optimism and hope despite self-induced terror and an apathetic society where unconditional love is a virtue above all things. Beyond it's surface of zany talking toys and a turtle that slowly becomes a kaiju is a tenderness and faith in the goodness inherent in humanity. It's a subtext that has slowly been poking it's way up in his films since Love Exposure.
None of this, of course, marks any major change in the underlying themes of Sono's work. If anything, he casts his ire upon an apathetic youth society that worships pop idols but doesn't remember the atomic bomb. With wit and a devious sense of humor he makes the discarded his heroes and the consumers his villains. In a fashion almost typical of his films his characters are all over the top, but each little element comes together so well that it hardly even matters. Definitely worth a watch for the intrigue alone.
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