Tokyo a la Mode. Web Magazine for Japanese Fashion and Urban Culture

Kamikaze Girls

By Bobby /Jan 08, 2006
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Momoko should have been born in 18th century France instead of the small town of Shimotsuma.  Everyday teenage life with her eccentric family, countrified neighbors, and indifferent classmates doesn’t fit this delicate Lolita girl. 

One day she meets Ichiko, a rebellious moped-riding biker chick who is loud and rough and the polar opposite of Momoko’s dainty personality.  Against Momoko’s will, the pair strike up an unlikely friendship that will take you on a wild ride into the wacky world of Japanese pop culture.

Kamikaze Girls is a shojo-style film based on a novel by Novala Takemoto whose writing has a cult following among young women.  Takemoto’s regard for fashion is part of his creativity and it is through Momoko that Takemoto introduces us to the surreal world of the Japanese Lolita girl.  Momoko has a talent for stitching and is crazy about dresses by her favorite designer, Baby, The Stars Shine Bright.  She dreams of one day becoming a designer herself.  When she goes on a shopping trip with Ichiko to the mecca of fashion, Harajuku, she is presented with an opportunity to make her dreams come true.  Throughout the film we see Momoko dressed up in cute baby doll outfits, but as the story progresses, the viewer begins to see what would motivate a Japanese schoolgirl to adopt such an extreme lifestyle choice.

Ichiko on the other hand is known as a female Yanki.  Yanki were once popular in the 80’s as tough, motorcycle-riding, American 50’s style rebels or wannabe gangsters.  Yanki have their own style: altered school uniforms, punch permed hairdos and pretty much anything loud or tacky.  In choosing the Yanki lifestyle, Ichiko left behind her old self and her original name—Ichigo, which means strawberry in Japanese.  Ichiko’s character is something of a throwback and that leads to a lot of laughs for people who understand Japanese culture.

Director Tetsuya Nakashima delivers a visually creative film.  But what really carries the movie is the presence of its two idol stars, Kyoko Fukada (Momoko) and Anna Tsuchiya (Ichiko). 

Kyoko Fukuda is the prototypical Japanese idol – a whole lot of cute with passable talent (although she does deliver in Kamikaze Girls).  Discovered in a talent competition at 13, she was groomed to be a star.  The ingenue debuted on Japanese television in 1997 and a couple years later landed a key role in the horror flick, Ring 2, the Japanese version.  Kyoko continues to be a regular in primetime dorama and Japanese films.

Anna is a newcomer to the acting scene.  She started her career modeling for fashion magazines and later moved on to television commercials.  She is currently the face of Vienus Jeans by Edwin Jeans.  When she’s not modeling or acting, Anna can be heard as an indie rock singer.  For her role as Ichiko in Kamikaze Girls, Anna received several best new actor awards. 

Kamikaze Girls was originally released in Japan as Shimotsuma Monogatari in 2004.  In the U.S. the movie appeared in a few film festivals and made a limited theatrical run.  It is now available on DVD by Viz Media.  For more information on the movie, with a lot of excellent background info, key interviews and a trailer, visit the official website at www.kamikazegirls.net.