Shodo Girls!! (2010)

Shodo Girls!! is a Japanese movie directed by Ryuichi Inomata. It was released by Warner Bros. Japan on May 15, 2010.

This coming-of-age youth film is based on a true story and stars Riko Narumi as Satoko, a high school girl who is fed up with how her town has been declining. Shikokuchūō, Ehime was a major paper producing town, but the recession hit hard and almost all the stores and arcades downtown were shuttered.

Satoko is captain of her school’s calligraphy club and when she witnesses a substitute teacher named Ikezawa (Nobuaki Kaneko) painting calligraphy on a huge sheet of paper with an oversized brush, she’s transfixed. Soon, she’s inspired to put together a performance calligraphy tournament to revitalize her town.

Movie info

Original title: 書道ガールズ!!　－わたしたちの甲子園－
Transliterated title: Shodō Girls - Watashi-tachi no Kōshien
Release date: May 15, 2010

History

Performance calligraphy is a traditional activity which has been regaining popularity in recent years, thanks in part to a televised event called “Shodo Performance Koshien” in which teams of high school girls use oversized brushes to write out messages on 10-meter sheets of paper before carefully raising it in unison to display to the crowd. The competitive aspect comes with how synchronized and entertaining the girls are during the process, often incorporating music and dance in their routines in a unique combination of Japanese tradition and youth culture.

Featured Cast

Actor		Role
	Riko Narumi
	Rio Yamashita
	Nobuaki Kaneko
	Fujiko Kojima
	Hajime Okayama
	Junkichi Orimoto
	Leo Morimoto
	Mayumi Asaka
	Meikyo Yamada
	Mitsuki Takahata
	Nanami Sakuraba
	Ryotaro Sakaguchi
	Ryu Morioka
	Tomohiro Ichikawa
	Win Morisaki
	Yoshiko Miyazaki

Latest news

Riko Narumi helps promote “Shodo Girls!!” at Cannes

Nippon Television Network went the extra mile to promote sales of Ryuichi Inomata's calligraphy-based comedy Shodo Girls!! recently by orchestrating a publicity event at a beach in Cannes. The...

6 years ago
Riko Narumi to star as a “shodo girl” in new calligraphy movie

It was recently announced that 17-year-old actress Riko Narumi will star in Shodo Girls!!--a new film involving competitive "performance calligraphy".On July 28, 2008, the NTV show "Zoom-In!! SUPER"...

7 years ago