Fighting Elegy 1966 In Okayama in the mid 1930s, Kiroku attends high school and boards with a Catholic family whose daughter, Michiko, captures his heart He must, however, hide his ardor and other aspects of his emerging sexuality, focusing his energy on a gang he joins, breaking school rules, and getting into scuffles he tells her, Oh, Michiko, I dont masturbate, I fight He comes under the influence of a young tough nicknamed Terrapin, and together they lead fights against rival gangs Gradually, Kiroku and Terrapin align themselves with the right wing Kita Ikki, and Kiroku becomes a stand in for the attitudes of Japanese youth who embraced the imperialism leading to World War II