Watch Waterboys

Waterboys is a Japanese comedy film released in 2001 directed by Shinobu Yaguchi. The plot follows a high school boy named Suzuki who is an avid swimming athlete. After the destruction of the school's swimming pool, Suzuki and his other classmates join the school's synchronized swimming team in hopes of undergoing an equally intense training regimen as their former swim coach provided. Though hesitant at first, the group eventually come together to learn from their female teacher and become a formidable team in the water.

The movie begins with Suzuki, a student at Momotaro High School, being abruptly informed by his swim team's coach that the swimming team will be disbanded due to the destruction of their school's swimming pool by the baseball team. Being the only member of the swim team, Suzuki is understandably crushed by this news. However, he decides to join the school's all-girls synchronized swimming team on a whim after witnessing their rigorous training routine while walking by the gym. Upon joining the team, he meets four other boys who have also chosen to participate: the popular Kabapu, chubby Manzai, nerdy toad boy, and mute Yoshio.

Despite the teacher's initial disappointment at having five boys included in her all-girls team, she eventually attempts to teach them how to properly perform the art of synchronized swimming. The boys struggle through the training at first, but after numerous failures, they finally come together as a team and begin to perform in local shows with much success.

Throughout the movie, there are various conflicts which arise, both between the boys and their teacher and between the boys themselves. However, they eventually come together to become a unit with their sights set on the prefectural championships, which they compete in towards the end of the film. As expected, the competition is intense and the boys must utilize all of their newfound skills to perform an impressive routine.

Overall, Waterboys is a heartwarming comedy which showcases the trials and tribulations of a group of teenage boys coming together to achieve a seemingly impossible goal. The film also introduces the viewer to the outside-of-the-box world of synchronized swimming, which is a unique and often misunderstood sport. Additionally, the characters in the movie are all endearing and have their own unique personalities which makes the audience root for them to succeed. Waterboys is a feel-good movie that is perfect for anyone who enjoys light-hearted comedies with a positive message.