Kamikaze Girls [Blu-ray]

I saw this in Tokyo when it was released and loved it. Got the Japanese DVD here. Sadly, it is ever so slightly hollow a movie, but where the story isn't as lush and gripping as a classic, the visuals make up for it through acting and filming."Kamikaze Girls" (why oh why couldn't they have called it SHIMOTSUMA STORY?!??) seems like a Japanese manga brought to live action. It displays and parodies facets of society in Japan, and using humor and design it keeps the viewer engrossed. The two main actresses and their characters are adorably cute and expressive. The lead man, the father, is amazing in his own way as an actor and a character caught in the grimy world of the 'cheap fashion' underground. The anime sections slipped in are maybe the least congruous sections of the film, but provide a splash of visual variety. It's Japan having a laugh at itself, it's stereotypes from within, and mostly poking fun at the earnest ways of young women. The greatest let down of the film to me must be the end scenes of the climax- they were shoddily handled as if the entire crew was worn down and out of cash in the final days, but it tells the story and makes its point well enough.I knew it was amazing when it began with the lead character flying through the air caused by a road accident, dressed in Rococo/Lolita garb not unlike Little Bo Peep, surrounded by cabbages, pachinko balls slipping from her purse to signify her life slipping away, and she mentally bids farewell to the world... then she backs up to contemplate what caused this, everything rewinds super fast and the story begins. Interesting, crafty, silly, striking, and just pure fun for the family. (No sex or nudity, language seems clean, no serious violence aside from a fight at the end, and some cartoonish head butting)

I first heard about Kamikaze Girls on a Japanese Rock Yahoo group. Tommy Heavenly16's music is a major part of the feel on the film. Why the opening theme was left off the Japanese soundtrack CD I can't imagine. Perhaps they felt it was too derivative of the Go-Gos' 'Head Over Heels'. But there's much more to the movie than just the great music.I first saw it as a fansub, which would only play on the VCL Media Player. A quriky clunky player where you have to open the subtitles seperately. I couldn't figure it out right away, so the first time I watched it I opened them in a seperate window and scrolled them down as the movie progressed. A truely terrible way to watch a movie. But this movie was so good it didn't matter.It has a real anime broght to life feel, unlike live action Sailor Moon, which seemed more like a reagular Japanese television show with cheesy effects so bad it was funny. Kamikazi Girls is just plain funny! But it's also very touching. And the animated scenes are great. The fansub did have one line better then the DVD. At the very beginning when the animated gang leader says, "My Bike Ignites!" was translated as, "My Machine Spits Fire!" in the fansub -- A far more colorful and dramatic way of reading that line. But don't let that stop you from buy this DVD. Just think "My Machine Spits Fire!" at the begininning when it comes up and enjoy the rest of the movie -- the rest of the translation in it is fine.I had to wait 6 months for the Viz official release, but it was well worth the wait. I had a Suncoast gift card, but when they said they'd have to order it, I just jumped on Amazon and did it myself. It is the best movie of 2005!!! Do yourself a favor and order it today!!!!!

A story between two seemingly unlike people on the surface, but more simlilar then either know underneath.Some people may think the premise has been done before, but truth be told, everything has been done before. In my opinion it hasn't been done quite as well until now. Underneath all the quirkiness and silly moments, you catch a glimpse of what SOME teenage girls are looking for as they grow up...and that is simply someone they can really call a friend.At first, you would think one girl is weak while another is strong, but they are more appropriately described as apprehensive. The frilly Momoko hides behind her fantasy Rococo/Lolita facade and the vulgar Ichiko her tomboy/grease monkey grimace. But what both girls hide and sometimes try to run away from is finding true friendship in an otherwise empty and uncaring world.This really is a beautiful and smart movie, it just so happens to be absolutely hilarious. Witness Momoko's distaste for mass produced fashion from Jusco, and the fictitious tale a once mousy Ichigo created to run away from.Buy it, watch it once for the experience...watch it again and again for it's little nuances, and see if you can pick up on the extra layers.

I had purchased the Kamikaze Girls DVD by Viz a couple of years back, and had been extremely disappointed in it since it came with poor picture quality, poor extras and letterboxed.This Third Windows Films' BR release (mistakenly coded with no region lock) was my cinematic salvation... Too bad all their other releases come coded for UK regions, their catalog is one of the coolest out there. This one comes with crisp image and color to honor the visual style of Tetsuya Nakashima, and lets you enjoy all the grand visuals of the movie (with optional English subtitles). Sound is a little on the low side, but it's pretty good. Extras in the R2 DVD include a 30min. Making Of (that's more a Behind the Scenes look at the cast, than making of the film), Anna Tsuchiya Music VIdeo, about 5min. of workprint footage, short interviews with Nakashima and Kyoko Fukada, the Japanese trailer of the film (plus TWF trailers), and the 10min short film Unicorn Ryuji (Sadao Abe's character).

Es una película clásica en el mundo Lolita, basada en la novela del mismo nombre, toma bien los a los personajes.

Il dvd mi è arrivato prima del tempo! Purtroppo la copertina di cartone del dvd presenta uno strappetto aggiustato, che in realtà non vado molto e il disco qualche graffietto laterale che al contrario mi preoccupa. Valuterò in seguito se funziona correttamente. Per il resto grazie mille! 😊

作品が良いことは分かっていたので、高画質で見れて感激です。附属に特典DVDがあり、メイキング映像など見れ、尚感動です。このような良い作品が海外の人にも見てもらえると嬉しく思います。英語字幕は英語の勉強にもなる気がします。

For as much as I really enjoyed this film, it would have been so much better if it were an anamorphic wide screen release. This release is letterboxed only (despite the back cover of the DVD noting that it is anamorphic 16:9 - it is not).

bellissimo, tanti contenuti speciali. se piace la cultura giapponese e un film da vedere peccato con non ci sia l'italiano