I realized that I also place the word “sweet” in my Kamikaze Girls‘ review, which means I’m establishing Nakashima as a sweet director.  I should certainly clarify that because he is sweet like Guillermo del Toro.  I find it nice that a director can be fanciful and outlandish yet still be able to reign a film in and get to the point.  So what if Paco and the Magical Picture Book made me cry.  And this was no ordinary cry, it was a heart wrenching soul baring barrage of tears.  I was bawling like a baby that had his rattle take away.  Of course this makes perfect sense because Paco and the Magical Picture Book is very similar in concept to Pan’s Labyrinth and The Princess Bride.

The story revolves around a slightly twisted hospital where the patients are not what you would call typical.  Even the staff, on which Tamako (Anna Tsuchiya) works, has their own hang-ups and idiosyncrasies.  We are introduced to a powerful older businessman Onuki (Kôji Yakusho) that essentially wants no one to remember him because he feels completely inadequate since being removed from his company due to a heart attack.  He is a complete bastard to put it mildly.  He is so evil that he hits a little girl, who turns out to be Paco (Ayaka Wilson).  Onuki is distraught but is taken beyond that once he finds out that Paco has her own medical condition.  She suffers from a mental illness that erases her memory every day.  Each day is a brand new day without memories from any of her past beyond the day her parents died in a car accident.  The same accident that caused her illness.  Onuki then seeks to give Paco that one staying memory in hopes of repenting for his own sins and possibly curing her.  Then the tears come in waves.

After such a great introduction, I wish the beginning of the film was as good as the rest.  I actually was about to stop the film because the beginning was filled with spacious moments of introductory character development that had no weight.  It’s not until Paco and Onuki become the centerpiece dies the film really flow.  Even the animated aspects make perfect sense as we see the film through the eyes of Paco’s Magical Picture Book.  I think that the acting from the supporting cast may actually be a hindrance to the film at the beginning because you are continually trying to discover where the film is trying to go.  We get a parade of medical and mental issues without much reasoning, until the end of course.  These side plots are essential to the final resolution but are tedious.  Give the film 3o minutes of leeway at the beginning and you have a truly fabulous quirky comedic drama.

Paco and the Magical Picture Book is a touching film that may be outlandish but it’s within that realm of fantasy that we are free to express emotions not acceptable in real life.  Onuki shows that love comes in many forms and that true redemption is not always possible unless it begins with forgiving yourself.  We cry for Paco and Onuki, mainly because there is a false ending that begins the waterworks.  And then we cry again on a whole new level when we realize the truth of the ending.  While this film may not appeal to everyone, it certainly should be given a chance.  Sometimes a cathartic experience is just what the doctor ordered.  In this case, I get Anna Tsuchiya as my nurse.

I need to first mention that the subject matter was handled well by Mika Ninagawa, a female director.  That fact did not surprise me because the portrayal of sex was less about the sex and more about the act.  I know male directors could have “gotten it”, but for some reason I think that Ninagawa viewed the subject on a different level.  Most of this rambling was to reassure viewers that this was not a film about sex, but about what happens to a young girl brought up in the historical surroundings of the oiran.  I have to also praise Ninagawa for the sumptuous cinematography.  The colors pop from the screen, but recede when necessary.  It’s really no surprise that Ninagawa has a photography background.  Sakuran is certainly a great example of using cinematography to aid in the storytelling.

The basic premise is that Kiyoha (Anna Tsuchiya) is placed under the care of the local Oiran as a little girl.  Her rebellious nature has led to this placement, and that nature becomes her primary character trait.  She is the rebel girl that doesn’t like her position, but finds that by becoming the main oiran; she can rebel on a different level.  She has two sides; one that wants to be an oiran and follow in the footsteps of others to become married to a wealthy land owner and the other side which is to escape it all.  This culminates in a decision, love or money.

Tsuchiya makes this film more than what it is by turning her rock attitude into a presence that keeps you trained on her eyes.  While there are sex scenes, those scenes become desexualized by the matter of fact way they are presented.  The sexier moments occur in the eye contact between Tsuchiya and Seiji (Masanobu Ando).  These moments are truly the sexier moments even surrounded by a brothel.  This does bring in the disconnection between business and real love.  Tsuchiya forces you to be on her side and root for her, which is essential in a film like this.  You understand the rebellion and are able to confront her problems with her on an emotional level.

While Sakuran may not be the best film, it demonstrates potential for both Ninagawa and Tsuchiya.  I will be interested to see where Ninagawa goes from here and hope that her amazing cinematography continues to be one of her best assets.  As for Tsuchiya, her looks should place her in may more films.  Her acting will continue to improve and hopefully this will lead to more prominent roles.  I’m not saying she will be a great actress, but she does deserve a chance.  Sakuran is one of those films that may not stick with you forever, but the imagery and visuals will certainly make an impression.

I was very excited to watch this film just to get a different take on the Japanese film industry. I am currently researching various aspects of Japanese horror films, including intended audience, and am almost at my limit for number of avenging women ghosts. Now by chance, or some subconscious circumstance, Kamikaze Girls is somewhat similar to many of the J-horror films I have been studying, specifically when the intended audience is considered. The movie itself is a look at two specific Japanese subcultures popular among teenage girls, the Lolita look and the Yanki. Through my study of J-horror, the main group that holds sway over popular culture, fashion, and technology (you’ve seen the Hello Kitty Back Massager, right?) is the teenage girl. This film follows some of the same paths that a J-horror film follows to reach that magical demographic. While films like Ju-on and Ringu use horror and preying on teenage fears their way in, Kamikaze Girls uses their loves. Before we move into the good stuff, I first have to discuss the mechanical bits of the film.

This is on of those films that comes at you with every filming cliche that represents the “new wave” or “MTV” style of cinema. Kamikaze Girls is a mix between the fast pace cutting and visual style of Moulin Rouge and the unique juxtaposition of many film techniques in Kill Bill. Even though I did not see anything new in this film, I really thought that it seemed to all work. Every once in a while you get a film that does not innovate in terms of film techniques, but makes everything work well together. One of the only sections that stands out is the use of an animated short to tell a mythological story about the baddest Yanki there ever was. This was straight out of Kill Bill, yet I think it worked better here, especially after discovering the ending of the film. The film is very fast paced, but slowing down parts that need extra emphasis. I also enjoyed the use of a narrator to tell certain parts of the story, this created some humorous situations.

Aside from technique, this film simply tells a good story. I laughed, I cried (well I got something in my eye and tears did follow), I felt good and bad. I could go on and on. The story is well crafted, and the viewer is rewarded at the end of the film for following all the twists and turns (and even some mild confusion). The main focus is on Momoko (Kyako Fukada), a young girl that comes from a broken home and longs to be living in the Rococo era in France. She dresses in frilly dresses and tries to avoid any type of physical exertion. Eventually (yes there is more, but then there would be no reason to sit through the 20 min at the beginning of the film that tells Momoko’s life story), Momoko meets Ichigo (Anna Tsuchiya), a Yanki badass that acts like a cross between the Fonz and a really angry Joe Pesci. Momoko best sums this up by wondering why Ichigo must continually spit. These two girls are from very different lives, yet share a common bond of being teenage girls. I don’t want to reveal most of the plot because it is crafted with care and precision that you simply have to watch it to see the beauty of the storytelling. Yes they become friends, but there is more to it than that.

The cultural significance lies within the analysis of general Japanese popular culture and more specifically, the lifestyles of Japanese teenage girls. I was surprised to find that the official website includes two cultural essays on the Lolita image and also Speed Tribes (of which Yanki’s are a part of). I can also suggest picking up Speed Tribes: Days and Night’s with Japan’s Next Generation by Karl Taro Greenfeld. Although not truly a cultural study, it does have some fun stories dealing with late 80′s culture in Japan.

So here is the bottom line, watch the film and enjoy the storytelling, and you may just learn a little something along the way. I may revisit this post in the future, I just found out that Anna Tsuchiya has released an EP. Ah, I forgot to mention that both main stars are also singers, J-pop idols if you will.