Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    EA Sports Madden NFL 26 Head Coach But Why Tho 5

    Dear EA Sports, Why Can’t I Make A Hot Coach?

    08/14/2025
    Blade in Marvel Rivals Season 3.5

    Blade Can Shut Down The Other Team In Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 If You Know How

    08/08/2025
    John Cena and Cody Rhodes during Summerslam 2025

    The SummerSlam 2025 Main Event Was A Fever Dream We All Needed

    08/08/2025
    Street Fighter 6 Sagat

    Sagat Brings Depth And Approachability To ‘Street Fighter 6’

    08/07/2025
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘Tokyo Uber Blues’ Is Depressingly Relatable

REVIEW: ‘Tokyo Uber Blues’ Is Depressingly Relatable

Sarah MusnickyBy Sarah Musnicky10/21/20244 Mins ReadUpdated:10/21/2024
Tokyo Uber Blues
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Taku Aoyagi’s Tokyo Uber Blues (Tôkyô jitensha-bushi) reflects a visceral reality for many during the pandemic. When Covid-19 emerged in 2020, the world ground down to a halt. Livelihoods were heavily impacted, but the reliance on delivery services like Uber Eats, Doordash, and more skyrocketed, giving struggling workers a chance to try to make ends meet in a trying time. However, the truth is that all that hard work leads to pennies and, for Taku himself, the slow escalation of loneliness during lockdown.

Tokyo Uber Blues follows Taku, a recent film school graduate at the start of the pandemic in 2020. Confronted with massive student loan debt and the loss of his job due to Japan’s lockdown, he decides to relocate to Tokyo. This heavily populated metropolitan area presents an opportunity for the young graduate. With stories of people’s success making money from Uber Eats, he assumes it’ll be easy money. It is a naive thought, and for viewers familiar with the gig economy, watching the young man learn the hard way is a bit soul-crushing.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

From the beginning of his journey, Taku has an easygoing attitude. He’s earnest about doing well, but his path has many ups and downs. He arrives in Tokyo broke and unable to buy food or shelter; this proves to be a sign of how hard his journey will be from the start. Thanks to friends and former classmates, Taku can survive, but he is determined to make his way on his merits, hoping not to inconvenience anyone for too long.

This brings us to the crux of the “blues” part of Tokyo Uber Blues. In his quest to succeed, Taku grows more isolated. The loss of connection with people was a common complaint for those who participated in lockdown, and Taku’s first-person POV experiences are relatable. As Tokyo Uber Blues progresses, the wear and tear of this lack of contact with people and his backbreaking daily work schedule weigh heavily on the poor man. By the film’s end, Taku’s final words reflect the biggest lesson learned from his experiences but also mark a loss of innocence.

Tokyo Uber Blues

Utilizing his GoPro and iPhone, Taku’s decision to document every aspect of his experience provides a level of immersion for the viewer that transports us directly into his shoes. This can sometimes make for a brutal experience. In one scene, the sound of his heavy breathing while he climbs up a hill will almost leave you breathless, too. When he falls off his bike, it almost feels like you’re falling with him. Each win is rare but precious. Each loss is devastating. In this, the first-person POV style is a successful way to tap into the audience’s empathy.

Despite the power of including many of his experiences in this first-person documentary, Tokyo Uber Blues feels long. This becomes most present in its latter half, coincidentally featuring Taku at the lowest points of his Uber Eats journey. Trapped in his malaise, the documentary slogs down with him. It’s a double-edged sword. While it feels real to the experience, the pacing loses steam and never quite recovers once it loses its footing.

Still, despite the drastic slowdown, Taku Aoyagi maintains focus with his likability and relatability, and his persevering attitude will have people hoping for the best. And therein lies what makes Tokyo Uber Blues work. If the audience can’t relate to the subject, how can you get them to care? Taku’s struggles, victories, and decision to record his life during a history-making event for all of us make investing easier.

Taku Aoyagi turned his life experience during the pandemic into relatable gold in Tokyo Uber Blues. It’s an incredibly personal snapshot of what is already history but, from a broader perspective, highlights how brutal the gig economy is. What became a source of convenience for many during 2020 turned into the only way Taku (and many others like him) could survive. And it’s a stretch to say that any delivery drivers were able to given the paltry wages.

Tokyo Uber Blues highlights Taku’s future as a filmmaker. Hopefully, he made enough from this documentary to take a break for a while. If not, someone should fix this—stat!

Tokyo Uber Blues premieres on PBS on October 21, 2024, and can be streamed for free on their app.

Tokyo Uber Blues
  • 8/10
    Rating - 8/10
8/10

TL;DR

Tokyo Uber Blues highlights Taku’s future as a filmmaker. Hopefully, he made enough from this documentary to take a break for a while. If not, someone should fix this—stat!

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Outside’ Explores Generational Trauma In A Zombie Apocalypse
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Shangri-La Frontier’ Season 2 Episode 2 — “The Uncompromising Gatekeeper”
Sarah Musnicky

Sarah is a writer and editor for BWT. When she's not busy writing about KDramas, she's likely talking to her cat. She's also a Rotten Tomatoes Certified critic and a published author of both fiction and non-fiction.

Related Posts

Lurker promotional still from MUBI

REVIEW: ‘Lurker’ Probes The Intoxication Of Fame

08/19/2025
The Knife (2025) promotional still
7.0

REVIEW: ‘The Knife’ Is Simple And Too Much At The Same Time

08/17/2025
Still from Shin Godzilla
8.5

REVIEW: ‘Shin Godzilla’ Is More Relevant Than Ever

08/16/2025
Fixed promotional key art from Netflix Animation
6.0

REVIEW: ‘Fixed’ Is Top-Notch Animation But Bottom Of The Barrel Comedy

08/15/2025
Denzel Washington Highest 2 Lowest
7.0

REVIEW: ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ Has A Ton Of Fun Missing It’s Own Points

08/15/2025
Nobody 2 promotional still with Bob Odenkirk
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Nobody 2’ Is A Killer Sequel

08/14/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Still from Shin Godzilla
8.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘Shin Godzilla’ Is More Relevant Than Ever

By Sarah Musnicky08/16/2025Updated:08/17/2025

It is understandable how Shin Godzilla succeeded at the box office nearly a decade ago. The strength of its story still stands today.

Botanical Bliss Update Palia But Why Tho 5 News

Palia’s New Botanical Bliss Update Brings New Flora, Decorations, And Quest Mechanic

By Matt Donahue08/18/2025Updated:08/18/2025

The Botanical Bliss update adds new event, more plushes, and a host of quality-of-life improvements and more to celebrate 2 years of Palia.

BOOTS Netflix First Look promotional images News

First Look at Coming-of-Age Story BOOTS, Coming to Netflix This October

By But Why Tho?08/17/2025

Netflix is reporting for duty this fall with the new eight-episode series BOOTS, a comedic drama starring Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga

Nuestra Magia Secret Lair Art Interviews

EXCLUSIVE: How The ‘Nuestra Magia’ Secret Lair Found Its Identity And Raised Over $1M

By Kate Sánchez08/15/2025Updated:08/15/2025

We spoke with Ovidio Cartagena about Magic: The Gathering’s Nuestra Magia Secret Lair drop, its impact, and the real treasure within.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here