Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Kamikaze Girls


            I have had Kamikaze Girls (or “Shimotsuma Monogatari” as it is called in Japan) sitting on my “watch me” list for a long time. It generally takes me forever to watch or read anything that is recommended by a friend because I generally don’t trust the taste of other people. I mean, we live in a world where “Gungnam Style” is at the height of popularity. Who can blame me for distrusting the tastes of the masses? I finally put down my prejudices and popped in this Japanese film. I was fairly pleased with the resulting time spent watching it.
The plot focuses around a selfish, inverted gothic lolita girl named Momoko who eventually becomes friends with a rude, tomboyish girl in a motorcycle gang named Ichigo. The unlikely pairing leads to the types of hijinks one would expect out of a movie about an unlikely pair becoming friends. The result is touching and often comical adventure through rural Japan.
The biggest downfall of the movie is also its driving point. The two main characters are so completely different from each other that it is hard to believe that they would become friends. In fact, it is somewhat hard to believe they would have any interaction with each other at all. Still, if you can at least suspend disbelief on that, their chemistry is playful and amusing to watch.
If you are looking for a sweet, slice of life film, this one will leave you fairly satisfied. While it is not a perfect film, it is certainly one worth watching. 

I give it a 4 out of 5

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