Baunsu ko gaurusu (1997)

The film follows three modern Japanese schoolgirls in Tokyo as they flirt with lecherous old men and dodge the yakuza in the lucrative and sometimes dangerous practice of "enjo kosai" or "date clubs".

Director:

Masato Harada

Writer:

Masato Harada

Stars:

Hitomi Satô, Yasue Satô, Yukiko Okamoto

10 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Hitomi Satô	...	Jonko
Yasue Satô	...	Raku
Yukiko Okamoto	...	Lisa
Jun Murakami	...	Sap
Shin Yazawa	...	Maru
Kaori Momoi	...	Saki
Kôji Yakusho	...	Oshima
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mickey Curtis	...	Bura-san
Shuzo Daemon
Jun Etô
Eugene
Kumiko Hara
Ken Hirose
Hiroshige Ikeda
Masao Imafuku

Storyline

Lisa is 16. She is leaving for New York tommorow at 11 a.m. She saved some money but she would like to get some more - just in case. As she tries to make money by shooting a video for girls-in-school-uniforms-demanding men she loses everything except her ticket. She meets two highschool girls, Raku and Jonko, professional call-girls, and spends the last night with them trying to make up the money that was stolen from her.

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Plot Keywords:

enjo kosai

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Panasonic (DVD) (English) Panasonic Digital Contents DVD (Japanese)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

18 October 1997 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Bounce Ko Gals

Company Credits

Production Co:

Horipro, Panasonic Digital Contents, Shôchiku Eiga

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Best portrayal on screen of 1990's Tokyo. Great acting.

This film is five years old now and it still stands up. The story puts us straight into the world of schoolgirl life in Japan in the middle 90's and it is a convincing portrayal. You don't need any previous knowledge of Yakuza, the problem of teenage prostitution or Japan's sex industry to enjoy this film because the story tells you what you need to know and does so without getting bogged down in exposition. In the hands of another director, this could surely have been a voyeuristic film but Harada is more interested in illustrating the motivations of all the characters and has brought out some great performances. Hitomi Sato, in particular, is outstanding as Junko

At times, this film feels very authentic- the girls talking 100 miles an hour at a coffee shop and the scouts working the streets of Shibuya - but many of the scenes are more stylized set-ups which helps the film take aim on a wider range of targets. So we see a war criminal, a political rebel turned mobster, violence in the shape of an ordinary man and glimpses of political corruption, With these, we understand a bit more of the world that these girls are growing into, the world which shaped them.

This film gives a view of Japan which is rarely given serious treatment and is definitely recommended to anyone hoping to get more understanding of the country. For film lovers, its a chance to enjoy some great acting and a talented director getting into his stride.