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Getting Any? (1994) movie poster

Plot Summary

Getting Any? (1994) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
1994 · 108 mins · Japanese
Starring
Susumu Terajima, Hitoshi Takagi, Eiji Minakata, Takeshi Kitano, Moeko Ezawa, Kanji Tsuda

While pursuing his dream of having car sex, a goofy middle-aged man makes all the wrong moves and ends up enrolling in a number of crazy escapades.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 What happens: full plot
  2. 2 Plot questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Movies like Getting Any?
  5. 5 Every angle

Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Getting Any?: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Getting Any? (1994) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

Asao, a naive and goofy man played by Dankan, lives with his grandfather in Saitama Prefecture. Although at 35 years old he is utterly inexperienced with women, he ached to have sex and believed the key to attraction was owning a flashy car. One day, after watching an erotic TV film, he convinces himself that a car is all he needs to win the attention of girls and rushes to the nearest car dealer.

In the film-within-a-film, the male lead owns a Porsche 911 Cabriolet, so Asao sets his sights on a luxury import showroom. The dealer asks what kind of car he wants, and he bluntly replies that he wants “a car for having sex.” He tests a cabriolet, aided by a friendly yet somewhat hapless hostess, but he immediately admits he is short on money. The best he can afford is a used domestic budget-car, forcing him to buy a Honda Today—an incredibly cheap kei car compared to the gleaming examples on display.

Back at home, Asao reenacts the scene with a female mannequin to practice his approach, then tries to replicate it with real women on the street. He quickly learns that real-life relationships aren’t as naive or simple as those in porn, and his failures mount. After several humiliating and unsuccessful attempts, he concludes that roadsters are the better route to cruising, even though they are out of reach financially. Desperate, he asks his grandfather for help, with a grim and shocking twist: he ends up selling his grandfather’s liver and kidneys to raise money.

With money in hand, he returns to the dealer, who pushes him toward a different path. The dealer initially convinces him to buy an Austin Healey Sprite MkI, but once he sees how little money Asao actually has, he pivots and sells him a Eunos Roadster (Mazda Miata), insisting it’s essentially the same car and a smarter choice for cruising. The new car barely holds together—after only a few meters it begins to fall apart—and Asao, frustrated, attaches the wrecked pieces to the back of the car in a perverse repair job.

Undeterred, he continues his quest to pick up girls, but his attempts remain fruitless, leading him to a garage-sale fate as he sells the wreck to a salvage yard. On his way home, he stumbles upon a seemingly abandoned Mazda RX-7 Turbo and decides to steal it. He drives a short distance before encountering a young woman and attempting to strike up a conversation, echoing the erotic film, but the car’s brakes fail and he crashes into a billboard after striking the woman. He narrowly escapes serious injury and abandons the wreck.

His imagination then takes him on a new flight of fancy: airline stewardesses offering naked “on-board sex service” to first-class passengers, so he resolves to travel by plane—though money remains a barrier. His plan turns toward crime: an armed bank robbery. To arm himself, he travels to Kawaguchi City, near Tokyo, to obtain a weapon by creating a revolver in a local iron foundry.

What follows are a string of misadventures, including joining the yakuza, taking on the persona of Zatoichi, acquiring invisibility, and even transforming into a giant fly-man reminiscent of The Fly. The film culminates with his capture after he dives into a large reservoir of feces. After the credits, a final scene shows Asao leaping around Tokyo as the fly-man before meeting a fatal end, impaled on Tokyo Tower.

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:03

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Plot questions answered

Getting Any? Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Getting Any? (1994): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why does Asao sell his grandfather's liver and kidneys?

After repeatedly failing to attract women with his cheap Honda Today, Asao becomes convinced that a proper roadster is the only way to get a girlfriend. When he realizes he cannot afford any of the cars at the dealership, he desperately asks his grandfather for money. Unable to secure funds through legitimate means, he makes the shocking decision to sell his grandfather's organs to raise enough money for a better car. This extreme act demonstrates the film\'s darkly absurd tone and Asao's complete inability to think rationally about relationships.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Asao naively believes that simply owning the right car will solve all his dating problems, establishing his willingness to go to extreme lengths for his fantasy.

  • organ selling
  • desperation
  • grandfather
  • money
  • car purchase
Q2

How does Asao afford the Eunos Roadster?

Asao obtains the money for the Eunos Roadster (Mazda Miata) by selling his grandfather's liver and kidneys. After failing repeatedly with his cheap Honda Today, he concludes that a sportier car is necessary and pleads with his grandfather for funds. When his grandfather refuses, Asao takes the drastic and morally reprehensible step of illegally selling his grandfather's organs to raise the money, then returns to the car dealer who convinces him to buy the cheaper domestic alternative.

Foreshadowing: The scene where Asao tests the cabriolet but admits he has no money foreshadows his desperate financial measures.

  • eunos roadster
  • miata
  • money
  • organ harvesting
  • car dealer
Q3

Why does Asao steal the Mazda RX-7 Turbo?

After selling his wrecked Eunos Roadster to a salvage yard, Asao sees what appears to be an abandoned Mazda RX-7 Turbo on the street. Desperate to continue his quest for a car that will help him pick up women, he decides to steal it rather than buy one. However, his attempt quickly goes wrong when the car's brakes fail, causing him to strike a young woman and crash into a billboard before abandoning the wreck.

Foreshadowing: This moment follows his pattern of believing the right car will solve his problems, as established when he first visited the luxury car dealer.

  • rx-7
  • stolen car
  • brake failure
  • crash
  • stealing
Q4

What causes Asao to transform into a giant fly-man?

After traveling to Kawaguchi City to obtain a revolver from a local iron foundry, Asao's story becomes increasingly surreal. He encounters the yakuza, takes on the persona of Zatoichi, gains invisibility, and eventually transforms into a giant fly-man reminiscent of The Fly. These transformations appear to be part of the film's absurdist narrative style, where Asao's desperate fantasies manifest in increasingly bizarre ways as he continues failing to achieve his goal of having sex.

Foreshadowing: The film established early on that Asao's imagination runs wild after watching the erotic TV film, creating fantasy sequences that blur with reality.

  • fly-man
  • transformation
  • surreal
  • zatoichi
  • invisibility
Q5

Why does Asao join the yakuza?

Asao becomes involved with the yakuza during his surreal misadventures after obtaining the revolver in Kawaguchi City. His journey takes him through increasingly absurd scenarios, with the yakuza membership representing just one of the many personas and groups he encounters as his quest becomes more desperate and his grip on reality loosens. The film uses these encounters to satirize various Japanese cultural icons and archetypes.

Foreshadowing: His decision to obtain a weapon for a bank robbery naturally leads him into criminal circles.

  • yakuza
  • crime
  • revolver
  • kawaguchi city
Q6

Why does Asao dive into the reservoir of feces?

The film culminates with Asao diving into a large reservoir of feces, which leads to his capture by authorities. This scene exemplifies the film's extreme absurdist humor and serves as the definitive low point of Asao's chaotic journey. His desperate, downward spiral reaches its literal and figurative nadir as his schemes finally catch up with him, and he is apprehended in this degrading manner.

Foreshadowing: The escalating absurdity and failure of all his previous schemes build toward this inevitable collapse.

  • feces
  • reservoir
  • capture
  • downfall
  • arrest
Q7

What happens at the end of the movie?

The film ends with Asao being captured after diving into a large reservoir of feces. In the post-credits scene, he continues leaping around Tokyo as the fly-man before meeting his fatal end: he is impaled on Tokyo Tower. This bleak and darkly comic conclusion abruptly shifts from the preceding slapstick comedy to genuine tragedy, serving as a stark commentary on the futility of Asao's obsessive pursuit.

Foreshadowing: The shift from comedic absurdity to tragic ending is foreshadowed by the increasingly desperate and self-destructive nature of his schemes.

  • ending
  • tokyo tower
  • impaled
  • death
  • post-credits
Q8

How does Asao obtain the revolver?

Asao travels to Kawaguchi City, near Tokyo, to obtain a weapon for his planned bank robbery. At a local iron foundry, he creates his own revolver from scratch. This elaborate and somewhat absurd method of obtaining a weapon fits the film's tone of combining desperate ambition with Rube Goldberg-style problem solving.

Foreshadowing: His plan to rob a bank to fund his fantasy of airline stewardesses requires obtaining a weapon first.

  • revolver
  • weapon
  • kawaguchi city
  • foundry
  • bank robbery
Q9

Why does Asao attempt a bank robbery?

After crashing the stolen RX-7 and abandoning it, Asao envisions airline stewardesses offering naked on-board sex service to first-class passengers. This new fantasy leads him to want to travel by plane, but he has no money. Desperate to fund his dream, he hatches a plan to commit an armed bank robbery, demonstrating how his desires constantly escalate into increasingly criminal territory.

Foreshadowing: His earlier belief that buying a car would solve everything shows his pattern of turning to extreme measures for gratification.

  • bank robbery
  • plane
  • stewardesses
  • fantasy
  • money
Q10

What is the significance of Asao being impaled on Tokyo Tower?

In the post-credits scene, Asao (as the fly-man) is impaled on Tokyo Tower, which serves as the film's final darkly comedic image. Tokyo Tower is an iconic Japanese landmark, and choosing it as the site of his death creates a stark contrast between mundane reality and his absurd fantasies. The graphic and tragic nature of the ending, impalement, stands in sharp contrast to the comedic tone of the rest of the film, delivering an unexpectedly bleak conclusion to Asao's journey.

Foreshadowing: The film foreshadows this tragic turn by gradually shifting from pure comedy to darker territory as Asao's schemes fail catastrophically.

  • tokyo tower
  • impaled
  • death
  • landmark
  • ending
Q11

Why does Asao take on the persona of Zatoichi?

During his surreal misadventures after obtaining the revolver, Asao encounters the yakuza and adopts the persona of Zatoichi, the famous blind swordsman from Japanese cinema and literature. This transformation represents the film's satirical approach to Japanese cultural icons, as Asao continually adopts various identities in his desperate attempt to achieve his goals. His becoming Zatoichi is part of the rapid-fire succession of absurd scenarios that define the latter portion of the film.

Foreshadowing: His earlier practice with the female mannequin shows his tendency to imitate what he sees in media.

  • zatoichi
  • samurai
  • persona
  • transformation
  • satire
Q12

Why does the Eunos Roadster fall apart so quickly?

The Eunos Roadster (Mazda Miata) that Asao purchases immediately begins falling apart after only a few meters of driving. The dealer has mislead Asao, selling him a car that is not in proper working condition. Rather than return to the dealer or seek repairs through legitimate means, Asao responds by attaching the broken pieces to the back of the car in a makeshift repair job, demonstrating both the car's poor quality and Asao's increasingly irrational problem-solving approach.

Foreshadowing: The dealer's push to sell him the Eunos Roadster after initially suggesting a more expensive model hints at his unscrupulous nature.

  • eunos roadster
  • car breakdown
  • dealer
  • malfunction
  • repair

Movie threads

More Movies Like Getting Any?, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Getting Any? tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Absurd chaotic comedies like Getting Any?

Stories where hapless characters spiral into increasingly surreal and ridiculous situations. If you enjoyed the rapid-fire, surreal misadventures in Getting Any?, explore more movies where simple desires lead to ridiculous chaos. These films share a fast pace, whimsical tone, and a focus on the comedic escalation of failure, making them perfect for fans of absurdist humor.

  • absurd
  • chaotic
  • satirical
  • goofy
  • silly
  • farcical
  • Tone: whimsical, satirical
  • Pacing: fast, chaotic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread typically begin with a straightforward, often trivial goal that quickly spirals out of control. The protagonist is usually a well-meaning but hapless individual who, through a series of bad decisions and unfortunate luck, becomes entangled in increasingly outlandish scenarios. The structure is episodic, moving from one surreal set piece to the next, with the comedy driven by the stark contrast between the simple initial aim and the chaotic outcome.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped together because they share a unique comedic formula based on escalating absurdity. They mix slapstick physical humor with satirical wit, maintain a fast pace to keep the energy high, and present a world where logic is secondary to the next laugh. The emotional core is light, centering on the spectacle of failure rather than deep character development.

Comedies with bleak endings like Getting Any?

Comedies where the humor is punctuated by a sudden, bleakly ironic conclusion. For viewers who appreciated the darkly humorous twist at the end of Getting Any?, this collection features similar comedies that aren't afraid to conclude on a somber note. These films often follow foolish characters on ridiculous quests, only to deliver a finale that is sad, ironic, or bleak, creating a unique mix of laughter and pathos.

  • darkly funny
  • satirical
  • absurd
  • ironic
  • frustrated
  • bittersweet
  • Tone: whimsical, bleak
  • Pacing: fast, comedic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a comedic protagonist pursuing a futile or misguided goal through a series of humorous failures. The tone remains largely whimsical and the emotional weight light throughout the bulk of the story. However, the climax introduces a stark tonal shift, often through an event that is fatal or deeply disappointing for the character, serving as a dark punchline to the entire farcical endeavor.

Why they belong together: These movies are united by their willingness to subvert traditional comedic expectations with an emotionally heavy ending. They share a specific tonal arc: starting with high-energy, absurd humor that gradually—or suddenly—gives way to a resolution that is sad or bleak. This creates a memorable and thought-provoking contrast that defines the viewing experience.

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Every angle

Getting Any? (1994) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Getting Any? in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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