SHIMOTSUMA MONOGATARI

Alternate Title: Kamikaze Girls (International Title)
Country: Japan
Release Year: 2004
Genre: Psychedelic Comedy
Language Format: Japan
Running Time: 102 minutes


Kyôko Fukada .... Momoko Ryugasaki
Anna Tsuchiya .... Ichigo Shirayuri
Hiroyuki Miyasako .... Momoko's Father
Sadao Abe .... Doctor and Ryuji "the Unicorn"
Eiko Koike .... Akimi
Shin Yazawa .... Miko
Hirotaro Honda .... Yakuza Boss
Kirin Kiki .... Momoko's Grandmother
YosiYosi Arakawa .... Grocery Store Manager
Katsuhisa Namase .... Pachinko Parlor Manager
Ryoko Shinohara .... Momoko's Mother
Yoshinori Okada .... Baby, 'The Stars Shine Bright' Owner
Kanako Irie
Haruo Mizuno
Yuichi Kimura

Director....Tetsuya Nakajima



Shimotsuma Monogatari or better known as Kamikaze Girls is in a class by itself.


I guess the closest comparison if you were to compare it to another flick with similar whacked out crazy, fast paced comedic delivery, littered with huge amounts of pyschedelic embellishments would be FEAR & LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS.

That is only if you had to!



I tell you Nakajima-san must've smoked a very expensive very strong ganja while he was filming this Japanese Comedic Gem. Watching Kamikaze Girls is a complete and utterly different experience. It's really in a class by itself, the flick is littered with 100% Japanese no-nonsense humor that gets thrown at the viewer at the speed of 100 miles per hour!

Right from the beginning it starts out very colorful due to the anime-ish style introduction of the characters that the viewers are about to meet. Kyoko Fukada the main character is shown riding a what appears to be a vespa-like motorcycle who smashes into an oncoming truck.

THE END.

No really, it does end after the one minute running time it took to show the opening credits. But then, the movie rewinds itself for the viewer.

Very cool!

I know it sounds kinda wierd, and unusual but Kamikaze Girls is one of those very rare flicks that are difficult to review because well there's nothing you can base your opinions on!

I mean, it's just weird! In a good way!!!

Because of that fact, one should see it and judge for themselves.

Getting that out of the way, I suppose I should review the actresses who plays the main characters.



Kyoko Fukada is awesome playing an eccentric Japanese Teen who gets seduced by the 17th Century Rococo Lolita Fashion. As viewers we are treated to see the everyday lifestyle of an individual willing to do whatever it takes so that she's able to afford, and buy her expensive Lolita wardrobe!



Anna Tsuchiya is also a wonder to watch playing the once nerd turned bad-ass who kicks ass, no she really kicks the sashimi asses of anyone that gets in her way!

So what happens when you mix these two very unique personalities?

Well that my friends is the premise of the wonderful Japanese romp through the Shimotsuma stomping grounds of Japan courtesy of Kamikaze Girls.

The best thing about this flick is that it never takes itself seriously.
It's just very fun movie to watch.

As mentioned before the movie's plot, and humor moves very fast so therefore you really have to pay attention because if you look away even for an instant, you gonna miss something important and when you look back you'll be like.."what the hell just happpen?"....or...."what the ??...."

So pay attention to the movie my friends. Pay attention!

This flick will definitely trip you out because there's some scenes where you don't really know what's going on, or sometimes you won't have any idea whether a particular punchline is funny.

Heck there'd be times when you don't know that what you just saw WAS the punchline! I cannot describe how unusal Kamikaze Girls is, so I'd recommened it very highly because it's just something different.

Worth mentioning is the ultra catchy J-pop/J-rock-ish soundtrack that is used.
Tomoko Kawase the front girl for the ultra successful J-band THE BRILLIANT GREEN, a.k.a TOMMY FEBRUARY6, and a.k.a TOMMY HEAVENLY6 provides the awesome soundtrack, full of energetic sounds, as well as slow, more mellow somber background tracks.

A definite Japanese sleeper hit of 2004.
If it wasn't for SWING GIRLS, which is another Japanese comedic gem release in the same year, I'd say Kamikaze Girls would be the best Japanese comedy of that year.
But being a close second is not exactly bad either!

So don't miss this pyschedelic Japanese comedy.
It's one of those rare flicks that after seeing it, you won't soon forget it.