Kamikaze Girls (2004)

Kamikaze Girls is a Japanese movie written and directed by Tetsuya Nakashima. It is based on a 2002 novel by writer and fashion designer Novala Takemoto. It was screened at the Cannes Film Market on May 13, 2004 and released by Toho in Japan on May 29, 2004.

In the movie, Kyoko Fukada plays Momoko, a girl who lives in a small country town which is completely overrun with yakuza. As an escape, she dives into the world of “Lolita” fashion, consisting of 18th-century dresses and eccentric lacy accents. She idolizes Akinori Isobe, a well-known designer of her favorite clothing line, and often travels all the way to Tokyo to buy these expensive name-brand clothes.

To fund her hobby, Momoko sells clothes made by her father. One day, she meets a customer who’s a rebellious biker girl named Ichigo (Anna Tsuchiya). Ichigo lives in her town, and although they are quite different, their shared experiences and opinions of their surroundings allow them to form a close friendship.

Movie info

Original title: 下妻物語
Transliterated title: Shimotsuma Monogatari
Release date: May 13, 2004

Region 2 PAL DVD (English subtitles)
Label: Third Window Films (UK)
Out: Feb 10, 2010
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Region B Blu-ray (English subtitles)
Label: Third Window Films (UK)
Out: Feb 8, 2010
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Region 1 NTSC DVD (English subtitles)
Label: New People Entertainment (US)
Out: Jan 10, 2006
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Featured Cast

Actor		Role
	Kyoko Fukada	Momoko Ryugasaki
	Anna Tsuchiya	Ichigo Shirayuri
	Hiroyuki Miyasako	Momoko's father
	Sadao Abe	Ryuji the Unicorn / Doctor
	Eiko Koike	Akimi
	Shin Yazawa	Miko
	Hirotaro Honda	Yakuza Boss
	Kirin Kiki	Momoko's Grandmother
	YoshiYoshi 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	Himself
	Yuichi Kimura	Yakuza
	Yoko Maki	Baby, The Stars Shine Bright staff
	Ken Ayugai
	Mayuko Fukuda	Young Momoko Ryugasaki
	Vincent Giry	French Rococo Period gentleman
	Marie Machida
	Akiko Mishiro
	Atsuko Shikata

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