Based on
the hit Japanese novel 'Shimotsuma Story'
by Novala Takemoto, Kamikaze Girls
stars Kyoko Fukada as leading lady Momoko. All bonnets, frilly dresses and
fancy parasols, Kyoko makes for an adorable presence with personality and
performance to match. After her mother (Ryoko Shinohara) leaves, and her
would-be yakuza father (Hiroyuki Miyasako) gets kicked out for selling the
wrong kind of designer knock-offs, Momoko and her dad move to the country.
They
move in with her grandmother (Kirin Kiki) who displays lightning fast reflexes
when it comes to ridding the house of unwanted bugs. Desperate for money, Momoko
starts selling the remainder of her father's counterfeit clothing, but her only
customer is a tough-talking biker chick called Ichigo (a husky Anna Tsuchiya),
who belongs to an all-girl gang. Soon enough they become the best of friends,
even if they won't admit it, and when Ichigo faces serious danger, Momoko steps
in to save the day. Not before they head off on a barmy quest to find a
legendary embroiderer however.
Writer-director Tetsuya Nakashima (Memories
Of Matsuko) throws quirky flashbacks, dazzling colour schemes,
surreal charm, zany animation and endearing characters into an offbeat blender.
The end result is Kamikaze Girls; similar in style and tone to his previous
works and unmistakably mad as a Hatter. Some will claim that the imaginative
visuals and inventive camerawork are an orchestrated diversion, because in
truth, Kamikaze Girls doesn’t have a lot to say. They’re probably right. It's
basically a warm-hearted tale about friendship, but it's how we get to that
sweeter than candy denouement that counts, and Kamikaze Girls really is a whole world of fun.
There are some seriously entertaining characters waiting to be discovered at
the end of Nakashima’s rainbow and the performances are spot on. It might feel
a little disjointed at first but you'll soon get used to the topsy-turvy
nature of the plotting, finding it both refreshing and funny along the
way. The pigtails certainly help but I’m sure I'll be spending a lot more
time with Kyoko Fukada in the future; the relationship between Momoko and
Ichigo is the driving force behind the picture, and Anna Tsuchiya makes for an
arresting accomplice too.
Nakashima's
style is distracting for all the right reasons and his use of colour,
animation, CGI and surreal imagery is at times enchanting. It's a delight to
behold even if it is as shallow as they come, but Kamikaze Girls is a true original. The soundtrack is pretty
tasty too. If you haven't checked out this little oddity for
yourself then now is the time. The storyline is skinnier than a pair of
Victoria Beckham’s spray on pants and the giddy direction is enough to provoke
nausea, but the fact remains that Kamikaze
Girls is a funny, charming, quirky little movie like nothing you've
seen before. Unless of course you’ve had the chance to check out Nakashima’s
back catalogue.
Kamikaze
Girls, with all its surreal charm and outlandish flavours, was made for high
definition TV screens. Colourful, refreshing and fun, it’s the dictionary
definition of dreamy, whimsical, bubblegum pop - light on substance and heavy on
flavour. Isn’t it time you took the girls for a ride? AW
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