Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Kamikaze Girls Blu-ray Movie Review

Kamikaze Girls is a neon-drenched sunbeam of quirky genre filmmaking. Created by Novala Takemoto, Kamikaze Girls is an action-comedy. Kamikaze Girls provides plenty of spectacle for genre fans. An adrenaline rush of cotton-candy filmmaking.

Executive produced by Kunikatsu Kondo (Azumi 2: Death or Love, Kisarazu Cat's Eye: World Series) and Yokichi Osato (Morning Moon Wa Sozatsu Ni, Anna Magdalena), Kamikaze Girls features animation produced by Studio 4°C (Tekkonkinkreet, Poupelle of Chimney Town). Produced by Satoru Ogura (The Warrior and the Wolf, Pistol Opera), Takashi Hirano (Life Back Then, Love for Beginners), and Yuuji Ishida (Memories of Matsuko, 2LDK), Kamikaze Girls features theme music performed by Tommy Heavenly. A superb cast leads Kamikaze Girls – Anna Tsuchiya and Kyōko Fukada are the superb leads.

Ryugasaki Momoko (Kyōko Fukada) is no ordinary girl. Rather, Momoko is a free-spirited weirdo who loves to dress up in colorful outfits with lace and fantasizes about living in a past era of France. The strangeness of Momoko draws her to fellow weirdo Ichigo Shirayuri (Anna Tsuchiya). Together, a combination team of quirky greatness forms with the two girls finding in each other similar odd eccentricities neither one expected to find.

Both girls are dreamers, misfits, and goofballs looking against all odds for fairy dreams to come true. Living their lives in the hustle of Japan, the girls form a unique friendship and embark on a unique journey neither one expected. Can these beautiful and gutsy Kamikaze Girls find tranquility and adventure with a collision of pop-kitsch spectacle?

The performances are a highlight and are one of the key strengths of Kamikaze Girls. Kamikaze Girls is a great showcase for the performances of Anna Tsuchiya and Kyōko Fukada. These actresses are both superb in their leading roles. The actresses are quirky, charming, and dynamic. The roles superb. Showcasing boundless charm and the thrills of adventure, the actresses provide pop-punk fun.

Kamikaze Girls is often a live-action cartoon – a phrase rarely worth uttering – but necessary in the context of the over-the-top zaniness of Kamikaze Girls. The filmmaking is hyper-kinetic and feels injected with several shots of caffeine mixed with a huge sugar rush. The filmmaking a perfectly elaborate live-action spectacle of genre sensibilities.

There are a few slight detours from the live-action cartoon hyperdrive filmmaking for scenes involving anime. The anime scenes feature animation direction by Yojiro Nishimura. Kamikaze Girls anime scenes add more zaniness to an already over-the-top production. These brief moments add to the quirkiness of the film.

The cinematography by Masakazu Ato (Memories of Matsuko, Paco and the Magical Book) is one of the visual highlights of the filmmaking. Ato is a superb cinematographer. The visual sensibilities are terrific. There is a sense of pop fun and colorful rainbow confection with the cinematography. The style of the cinematography adds jazz-visuals to the production.

The score composed by Yōko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) is worth the price of admission alone. Kanno is the brilliant genius of Japanese anime music. Kanno is my life, DNA, and soul – the soundtrack to my life. As one of my favorite composers across every genre and medium of filmmaking, Kanno is a genius and someone who always finds ways to be creative with Japanese anime and live-action soundtracks. If there is one downside, it’s that there’s not even more music by Kanno in the feature. Fans of the Cowboy Bebop composer will want to see Kamikaze Girls for this reason alone.

Written and directed by Tetsuya Nakashima (Memories of Matsuko, The World of Kanako), Kamikaze Girls is a must-see pop spectacle. Nakashima is a talented filmmaker and someone with a uniquely compelling visual sensibility as director. Kamikaze Girls is an adrenaline rush – a high-calorie, high-caffeine, high-sugar bubble-gum cotton-candy adventure through Tokyo with quirky girls in laced wardrobe and traveling with gleeful abandon. Don’t miss it.

Kamikaze Girls Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Kamikaze Girls is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. Kamikaze Girls was shot using the Sony CineAlta HDW-F900 camera equipment with a native HDCAM (1080) output in 2K as the master source format. With a HDCAM negative (the DI being output at native 2K resolution) the film has no further resolution – making a 4K release seem doubtful (as it would be an upscale with little gains). Discotek provides a solid presentation of the film 2K master and the digital cinematography is well showcased on the release. The cinematography is bright and colorful.

There is a robust visual style throughout the presentation. The colors "pop" with considerable depth and look great on the release. The sleek digital photography of Kamikaze Girls is well showcased and encoded by Discotek. Kamikaze Girls does have some occasional anime footage inserted into the live-action feature-film and these elements are also limited to the 2K DI source. The animation is bold and colorful and well-integrated into the cinematographic process.

Kamikaze Girls Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. English subtitles are provided. The lossless audio sounds great on the release. Dialogue is well reproduced. The soundtrack has excellent clarity and fidelity – the dynamics of the audio immersive. The soundstage is engaging throughout. The score and sound effects are center stage on the surround track. The surrounds are somewhat reserved sounding during some dramatic scenes and character moments but rev to life during some of the more exciting action set pieces. The release does not include an English dubbed option.

One of the great things about physical media and the Blu-ray disc format is lossless audio encoding. Lossless audio provides a more authentic experience when well mastered. As is often stated, it is theatrical quality sound – the lossless quality one gets in the cinema. This is something that is missing altogether from streaming video services. Streaming video services only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio quality (and for catalog titles it is often in MP3 quality). The lossless encoding adds to the audio experience for audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts – most especially for those with nice audio gear.

Kamikaze Girls Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The first print run of the release includes a nice o-card slipcover. The slipcover features unique key artwork. The artwork underneath the slipcover is different and provides additional key artwork. Featuring the "dual artwork" packaging style – the release looks even nicer in person. The art highlighted also showcases an inner-art print on the reverse side of the sleeve.

On disc supplements include:

The Making of Kamikaze Girls (SD, 39:08)

Cast Interview Clips (SD, 20:32)

Director Interview (SD, 3:52)

Secrets of a Production Designer (SD, 3:28)

The Secret of Anime "Himiko Vroom Vroom Legend" – Studio 4C Interview (SD, 4:33)

"Is This Take…?" Workprint Collection (SD, 4:51)

Completion Announcement Press Conference (SD, 3:54)

Movie Release Promotional Event: Shibuya-jacking (SD, 4:41)

Teaser Trailers (SD, 1:04)

Theatrical Trailer (SD, 1:53)

International Trailer (SD, 1:58)

TV Spots (SD, 1:51)

Omake: Momoko's Forgotten Item (SD, 1:54)

The Story of the Unicorn's First Love: Ryuji Short Film (SD, 11:01)

Anna Tsuchiya: "Taste My Skin" Music Video (SD, 3:19)

Kamikaze Girls Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kamikaze Girls is a fantastic pop-punk adventure with great genre elements on display in spades. The high-octane odyssey features terrific leading performances by Anna Tsuchiya and Kyōko Fukada. An exciting journey of colorful visual spectacle and energetic bliss, Kamikaze Girls is a cult hit with an exciting rush. Kamikaze Girls also features music by the legendary Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop).

Discotek Media provides a release with an impressive high-definition presentation, lossless audio, and jam-packed with bonus features. The release also includes a gorgeous o-card slipcover. Highly recommended.