Kamikaze Girls: An Alternative And Queer Retrospective

Kamikaze Girls: An alternative and queer retrospective

Light spoilers for Kamikaze Girls

Ah, Kamikaze Girls. I’ve shouted a lot in reaction to various Discotek rescues, from Gunbuster to Berserk among others, but nothing had me screaming and shouting around the room like the Kamikaze Girls announcement. I never imagined that Discotek would ever license one of my favorite movies, let alone the movie that completely changed the course of my life, and continues to help me reflect with every watch. The film was formative to me in my high school years, and rewatching it recently with the Discotek release made me realize the impact it had on my gender, my sexuality, my friendships with others, my self-expression, and self-acceptance.

For those unfamiliar, let me get you situated. Kamikaze Girls is a coming-of-age comedy film about two teenage girls in the rural town of Shimotsuma in Ibaraki Prefecture. Momoko, a lolita with a very dysfunctional family with a heart only reserved for fashion brand Baby The Stars Shine Bright, meets Ichiko, an intimidating bosozoku girl with a bike so modified you can’t tell it’s a moped. Ichiko admires Momoko’s defiant independence, even as Momoko is ungrounded and detached; and Momoko learns to admire Ichiko’s dedication to her individuality, even if it drives her up a wall. As they learn more about each other, Momoko and Ichiko grow and change one another as they journey through unrequited love, teenage rebellion, life-changing opportunities, working through their faults, and embracing themselves even more than before. Enhanced by iconic J-Pop and J-Rock music of the era from artists like Tommy Heavenly6, an original soundtrack by Yoko Kanno, super-saturated visuals, and utterly unpredictable yet great acting, you can see why it was impactful for many viewers and myself.

Read it at Anime Feminist!