Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

"Shimotsuma Monogatari" is somewhere between "Thelma and Louise" and "Wayne's World," with a bit of the "Odd Couple," "The Wild One" and a very brief Spike Lee quote thrown in. Ostensibly a coming-of-age chick-flick, its appeal for me is mainly as a wicked satire on fashion consumerism, and it does a pretty thorough job of demolishing female stereotypes in broadly comedic, but plausible, ways. In a rather unflattering product placement for two giant Japanese retailers: Jusco (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JUSCO/ ) and Parco (The Wal*Mart and Bloomingdale's of Asia), they're both slammed. The Lolita-look obsessed Momoko calls their customers twisted, but I guess the "I don't care what you say about me, as long as you spell my name right" version of PR is in play here.Sadwo Abe plays a dual role, and it's nice that in at least one of them you can see his face, unlike in his brilliant turn in "Yôkai Daisensô" as Kawatarô, where he's under four hours' worth of turtle-esquire latex. He's a full-body actor, one of those people who could probably steal a scene just using his pinkie toe. In his case, he's a scene stealer with a heart who makes everybody he works with look that much better on-screen. Abe-san is already a full-fledged actor. I look forward to Kyôko Fukada and Anna Tsuchiya becoming as skilled. They're well on the way.I give this movie a 9 for the clichés it succumbs to, although it smashes most of them to bits. I'd tack on a half star for its self-awareness.

Maybe the one and only movie with a theme about Embroidery, that still can be considered "cool". Kyoko Fukada as cute Lolita-look Aficionado and Anna Tsuchia in a tough Biker-Gang Wardrobe make up a most strange, yet sympathetic pair of friends. Makes you laugh, makes you feel warm, yeah, even nostalgic. "Kamikaze Girls" is the archetypal essence of Manga-Culture come alive, pure J-Pop Fanservice in psychedelic, overbidding videoclip visuals (including one hysterical Anime story sequence), and one of those rare movies, where you don't ever want to see the credits. Also features a great entrance by my favorite Pin-up Idol Eiko Koike.

It's a Japanese movie. You may find the acting a bit caricatural or extreme, but I guess this is due to the history of Noh theater strongly present in Japaneses culture. Past this possible barrier, the movie itself is entertaining. The two main characters are played deliciously by remarkable actresses (again, considering that they are acting in the Japanese style).The movie immerses you into the Gothic Lolita culture, as the heroin is the typical representative of that movement. Lots of insights into the whys and hows of that culture. There is also a fun vision of the Japanese punk subculture, represented by the Yankis.It's a comedy, so you laugh or smile a lot. But the above mentioned aspects also make it a very interesting movie.I'll watch it again. More than a few times.

Nakashima Tetsuya's wonderful "Shimotsuma Monogatari" (Shimotsuma Story) is quite a unique and charming film. I had my doubts at first but the film turned out to be a refreshing surprise. Mixing anime, quirky narrative, inventive storytelling, outrageous comedy and Japanese Pop Culture charm this movie is a really endearing movie.Stylistically, as others have noted, it does recall movies like "Trainspotting" and "Run, Lola, Run" but I think "Shimotsuma Monogatari" is much closer in style to Yaguchi Shinobu's "Swing Girls" and "Waterboys", both of which are also really wonderful.J-Pop singer/actress Fukuda Kyoko is infectiously cute as Momoko, the "Lolita" fashion obsessed girl with a naive yet surprising take on life. Her French 17th Century (Rocco) styled fashions are at times oddball and avant-garde and yet surprisingly cool looking that it's little wonder why American Pop Singer Gwen Stefani has drawn inspiration from this fashion trend for her L.A.M.B. fashion line and to dress her Harajuku Girls.Anna Tsuchiya is also a wonderful surprise as Ichiko/Ichigo, the tough talking "Yanki" Sukeban with a heart of gold. She has most of the best lines in the movie and is also quite a cutie (behind the Sukeban makeup).The only criticism I have for the film is the stupid American title "Kamikaze Girls". It really doesn't do justice to the film at all and is a real turnoff as it brings to mind a "Yakuza" film or perhaps a war picture in a stereotyping tongue-and-cheek way. Why not just call it simply "Momoko and Ichigo" (i.e. Peaches and Strawberry) or some other title that is a bit more relevant.Other than that this film is a pure joy and delight and a welcomed change to Japanese cinema.