Kamikaze Girls (2004)
"Shimotsuma monogatari" (original title)

Momoko, a strange and seemingly emotionless girl obsessed with 18th century France, befriends a Yanki biker and the two experience the ups and downs of their unusual lives in a rural Japanese town.

Director:

Tetsuya Nakashima

Writers:

Nobara Takemoto (novel), Tetsuya Nakashima (screenplay)

Stars:

Kyôko Fukada, Anna Tsuchiya, Hiroyuki Miyasako

15 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kyôko Fukada	...	Momoko Ryugasaki
Anna Tsuchiya	...	Ichigo Shirayuri
Hiroyuki Miyasako	...	Momoko's Father
Sadao Abe	...	Ryuji 'the Unicorn' / Doctor
Eiko Koike	...	Akimi
Shin Yazawa	...	Miko
Hirotarô Honda	...	Yakuza Boss
Kirin Kiki	...	Momoko's Grandmother
YosiYosi Arakawa	...	Grocery Store Manager
Katsuhisa Namase	...	Pachinko Parlor Manager
Ryôko Shinohara	...	Momoko's Mother
Yoshinori Okada	...	Baby, 'The Stars Shine Bright' Owner
Kanako Irie
Haruo Mizuno	...	Himself
Yûichi Kimura	...	Yakuza

Storyline

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

surrealism | scooter | pachinko | outcast | motorcycle gang | 

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Details

Official Sites:

CIPA [fr] Official Site [jp]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

29 May 2004 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Kamikaze Girls

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$42,813 (Hong Kong) (10 June 2005)

Gross:

$101,447 (Hong Kong) (1 July 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amuse Pictures, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Hori Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Almost all of the outfits Momoko wears are from Baby, The Stars Shine Bright. The only items that aren't are a few minor accessories and mainly her shoes. Obviously her school uniform also wasn't made by Baby, The Stars Shine Bright, same goes for the dress she wears when they go to Pachinko the second time, this is by Metamorphose, Temps De Fille.

---

Quotes

Momoko Ryugasaki: Humans are cowards in the face of happiness. It takes courage to hold on to happiness.

---

Crazy Credits

At the end of the film, Momoko and Ichigo pose together in a photo booth.

User Reviews

reminiscent of the young girls on the bridge at Harajaku, Tokyo

Wonderful, colourful and amusing tale of two young girls whose personalities clash in the country of culture clashes. Anna Tsuchiya who played the prostitute in Sakuran, here plays a cool and very crazy bike girl from a gang of 'yanki's' and the cutie doll faced, Kyoko Fukada plays the frilly dress wearer, reminiscent of the young girls on the bridge at Harajaku, Tokyo.

This non-stop extravaganza takes in teenage angst, the clash between the traditional and the western styles, the passion for costume, the need or not of friends and so much more. And all in such a bright and infectious manner. A joy for all.