Kamikaze Girls
by Tetsuya Nakashima
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DVD details
Actor: Anna Tsuchiya, Eiko Koike, Hiroyuki Miyasako, Ky?ko Fukada, Sadao AbeDirector: Tetsuya Nakashima
Writer: Tetsuya Nakashima
Producer: Arimasa Okada
Producer: Kazuya Hamana
Producer: Kunikatsu Kondo
Producer: Masayuki Miyashita
Producer: Sachiko Sone
Writer: Nobara Takemoto
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Japanese (Original Language); English (Subtitled)
Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD, Live, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 102 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-01-10
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: VIZ Pictures, Inc.
DVD Reviews of Kamikaze Girls
DVD Review: Quirky and Colorful, but a deep thread about individuality runs through
Summary: 5 Stars
There's a surreal, playful quality mixed with a dark undercurrent in this story of two girls who want to be themselves, run their own lives, dress and work (or not) their own ways.
In this case, Momoko is the ultra-girly Lolita girl in her laces and ribbons, parasols, and platform shoes. Ichigo/Ichiko is the biker girl in her student's uniform and ninja boots. Momoko is concerned about being brave enough to grasp happiness, even if happiness is defined by her idea of Rococoo--eating sweet things, dressing loligoth, being pretty, and working as little as possible. Ichigo wants to work on bikes and have the happiness of true, egalitarian biker friendships. Neither girl likes being told what to do.
There are obstacles for both--Momoko's hapless father and his sales schemes that backfire, her mother who went off to find her own happiness (with Momoko's oddly mature childhood blessing), and being stuck in a non-stylish rural place where frugality is valued more than high-end beribboned fashion. For Ichigo, it's her bad temper, ignorance, and the change in her gang that turns it from a small sisterhood to a bigger authoritarian clan.
But each girl has her strengths, which become evident as the films goes on.
By becoming entwined--first via an ad placed by Momoko to sell her father's banned Versace knock-offs in order to get cash for her loli clothes, an ad that draws in Ichigo, who needs stylish wear for a wedding--and by developing a contentious but deepening relationship, these two very different girls find that at core, they have fundamental traits in common: they want to be themselves, and they are both courageous in their own ways. They start out rather horrified by each other--it's hilarious to see Momoko's reaction on first meeting Ichiko/Ichigo, along with her habit of spitting and head-butting.
There's excellent direction, cinematography, acting, and some amusing animation. Stories within stories. The Lolita store, Baby, The Stars Shine Bright has its own role here. Lovely unlikely scenes where Momoko takes flight. It has humor, too, and this film is delightful, particularly since the two main roles are so well-cast. Momoko really is doll-like visually, while having a tough streak inside. Ichiko is really tough outside (a transformation for the lovely Tsuchiya, for any who've seen her fashion shots or videos), but has a gooey, romantic core.
I've seen this film twice,and I would happily watch it several more times. Well-told, engaging, playful, a bit gritty, and just plain fun.
Why these girls are called "Kamikaze" is beyond me, unless it refers to that spirit of "I'm alone in this journey, and I'm giving it my all, even if it kills me." I'm really stretcihng the metaphor, but that's all I could figure. They're young and single-minded and individualistic, and a bit sad and lonely, and they're strong. I guess that's a kamikaze sort of spirit. Probably just some doofus picked a catchy word from the Japanese lexicon, though. Heh.
Recommended if you like movies that are quirky with individualistic female protags.
Mir
DVD Review: Pure Lolita Fun! An experience to remember
Summary: 4 Stars
Kamikaze Girls is one of those rare treats I find at a local video store. Talk about Out There in all it's Japanesey glory, Kamikazi Girls is simply a fun, Japanese romp about two girls from opposite sides of the tracks so to speak. Appreciated more with an insight into Japanese pop culture, KG is a one-of-a-kind, unlikely friendship story. If you enjoy quirky, lighthearted silliness in the likes of Amelie, Wasabi & Strictly Ballroom, you'll enjoy Kamikaze Girls! DVD Review: I Love this Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
This was the first movie I had ever watched with subtitles and I have to say, it was great. I had always thought that having to read the dialog myself would be distracting or take away from the movie but it did nothing of the sort. It is extremely funny at times and a movie that I have seen many times since purchasing the DVD.DVD Review: Way better than the book
Summary: 4 Stars
For anyone who read the book and was dissapointed by its lack of actual storyline until at least half way through the novel should give the movie a try. I was soooo excited when I rented it because it's one of those movies that is just plain out fun to watch.DVD Review: Great movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
Before I start, I have to sa that the subtitels are FINE. and you can READ THEM. A lot of people b--- about it, but I could read them just fine!
For the movie, it was great. Cute, funny, and even brought a tear to my eye. The movie really showed me how great Japanses movies can be (that are not based on Anime) I hope to find more like this. I really injoy the Lolita look, and might protray it now.
All in all this is a great movie.
Description of Kamikaze Girls
Studio: Viz Media Llc Release Date: 01/10/2006Kooky, kinetic, and colorful, 2004's Kamikaze Girls is a delight, and one that could only have come from Japan. Our principal character and narrator is Momoko (Kyoko Fukada), the 17-year-old product of a highly dysfunctional marriage who wishes she'd lived in 18th Century France, during the Rococo age; instead, she and her bonnets and frilly dresses are stuck in Japan's rural outback, where she abides by a philosophy that claims, "If I can't live independently, I'd rather be a water flea." Enter Ichigo (Anna Tsuchiya), a tough-talking, head-butting, scooter-riding thug who doesn't know rococo from rock & roll, and whom the haughty Momoko deplores and mostly ignores--at least until they're brought together by, of all things, embroidery (Momoko's good at it, Ichigo needs some for her biker threads). Suffice it to say that these two oddballs form a union of sorts, and Kamikaze Girls (entitled Shimotsuma Monogatari in Japanese) ultimately delivers a fairly straightforward message about independence, loneliness, and friendship. But getting there is quite a trip. Director and co-writer Tetsuya Nakashima combines live action, animation, special effects, fourth-wall asides, fantasy sequences, and more in a dazzling onslaught of images; in that way, as well as in its overall outlook ("Humans are cowards in the face of happiness," says one character), the film is somewhat reminiscent of Amelie. True, Kamikaze Girls lacks the full measure of that French film's grace, heart, and charm. But for sheer imaginativeness and cinematic virtuosity, this one's hard to beat. --Sam Graham
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