Kamikaze Girls
(2004)
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Kamikaze Girls
(2004)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Kyôko Fukada | ... |
Momoko Ryugasaki
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Anna Tsuchiya | ... |
Ichigo Shirayuri
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Hiroyuki Miyasako | ... |
Momoko's Father
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Sadao Abe | ... |
Ryuji 'the Unicorn' /
Doctor
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Eiko Koike | ... |
Akimi
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Shin Yazawa | ... |
Miko
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Hirotarô Honda | ... |
Yakuza Boss
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Kirin Kiki | ... |
Momoko's Grandmother
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YosiYosi Arakawa | ... |
Grocery Store Manager
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Katsuhisa Namase | ... |
Pachinko Parlor Manager
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Ryôko Shinohara | ... |
Momoko's Mother
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Yoshinori Okada | ... |
Baby, 'The Stars Shine Bright' Owner
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Kanako Irie |
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Haruo Mizuno | ... |
Himself
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Yûichi Kimura | ... |
Yakuza
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Momoko is an ordinary girl, living an ordinary life. Ordinary, that is, if you define ordinary as wearing elaborate Lolita dresses from the Rococo period in 18th Century France. A complete fish out of water in her rural and sleepy Japanese town, where everyone buys their clothes (and everything else) at the same store and no one understands her, Momoko's life is one of sugared sweets and frilly treats. Desperate to make some money to pay for her expensive indulgence, Momoko tries selling bootleg Ver*ace and Uni*ersal Studios clothes left over from her Dad's yakuza (gangster) days. However, when punk girl and self-styled 'Yanki' Ichiko comes calling, her days as 'ordinary' are most certainly numbered... Friendship brings these two unlikely girls together. Written by LainEverliving - Scribe of the Wired
This a well-done girls' coming-of-age tale, like a Japanese 21st-century Alice in Wonderland - one Lewis Carroll would probably have liked. And I presume whoever gave the Kamikaze Girls title to the American edition would have titled the Alice work Kamikaze Alice. The underlying themes are independent thinking, the value of friendship, and the need to pursue one's creative impulses while critically evaluating surrounding people and opportunities.
Most the adult figures in the film are - in one way or another - failures. Though seen in an exaggerated, humorous, or empathetic light, they serve as guideposts to the two girls who come to realize that salvation (or "sallvation" as Ichigo misspells it for emphasis) lies not in following the crowd, not in seeking leaders' approval, but in following one's own dreams - as much as they can be realized in this limited, 3-dimensional, mortal world.
Early in the film, I feared it was headed to be too sweet, especially with the main characters being Momoko (Peaches) and Ichigo (Strawberries). But this sweetness is quickly counterbalanced with the challenges and adventures they face.
This is a fun and very unique film, good for people of all ages. In ways, it's set in a society that seems closer to the U.S. of the 1950's
- around the "beat" and the James Dean eras, when youth could be wild
without police being called, and yet neighborhoods could leave front doors unlocked without fear and kids could even hitch-hike - an age of greater homogeneity when America had some cultural unity and - with exception of its black-white scar - was not afraid of itself.I obtained this film, by the way, in VCD format (not the best, but adequate), I believe, from HKFlix. I couldn't find it anywhere in DVD format.