Based on a manga, Detroit Metal City is the story of Soichi Negishi (Kenichi Matsuyama), an earnest young man who goes to Tokyo to follow his dream of becoming a pop singer.

But the gig he lands is lead singer of a satanic death metal band. As his alter ego Lord Krauser, a devil from hell, he sings offensive lyrics and engages in reprehensible behaviour. Negishi is horrified by Krauser, but is unexpectedly good at playing him. This conflict is what drives the film.

Negishi has to juggle his dual identities, try to woo the girl he had a crush on at uni (Rosa Kato), and avoid his terrifying boss (Yasuko Matsuyuki), who wants to drag him into a musical showdown with the legend of death metal, Jack ill Dark (Gene Simmons).

The movie failed to win me over regarding the merits of satanic death metal, whose songs veered between distasteful and ridiculous. But Negishi is such a likeable protagonist, despite his complete dorkiness and saccharine songwriting, that he made the overall story rather more tolerable.

Detroit Metal City is a unusual comedy about secret identities and double lives, the love of music and the power of dreams - however bizarre their form.