“It’s good to laugh, eat, buy used clothing and sometimes fall in love,” declares Tetsuya Morita (playing himself) at the beginning of “Osaka Vintage Diary.” It’s both an introduction to the character and a statement of ambition by director and screenwriter Takeshi Taniyama: Hey, buddy, if you’re expecting high stakes, this isn’t the film for you.
It may be useful to know that “Osaka Vintage Diary” is a spinoff of Taniyama’s web series “Tokyo Vintage Diary,” which features veteran actor Ken Mitsuishi wandering around Tokyo fashion hotspots like Shimokitazawa and Koenji and picking up vintage clothes. Then again, it’s not like “Osaka Vintage Diary” requires much franchise foreknowledge — the Marvel cinematic universe this is not.
This feature film version centers around three days in the life of Morita, a member of real-life manzai standup duo Saraba Seishun no Hikari, while he’s back in his hometown of Osaka for a pair of performances. In his free time, Morita decides to indulge in his favorite hobby: prowling used clothing stores for rare finds. Through voiceover, he displays the same passion for vintage threads that some people have for cars or watches. It’s kind of like the series “Solitary Gourmet,” but with clothing instead of cuisine.