Another notable detail is that the band’s vocalist is a Korean transfer student, which creates a unique dynamic between cultures that coexist within the band. A portrayal of young women within the framework of hard work and close-knit friendships, it embodies the Japanese vision of youth: a period of life tacitly assigned the task to pursue meaning through a release of one’s innermost passions. This teen flick about an all-female high school band is structurally and thematically accessible to any viewer, yet it also explores tropes of school life that convey a tangible nostalgia and a touch of wistfulness to a Japanese audience. Linda Linda Linda (2005) – Nobuhiro Yamashita Also see Gaichu, a film that similarly deals with repressed angst and precocious schoolchildren.
Iwai went on to make a much more lighthearted and successful romantic comedy three years later, Hana and Alice. Although it seems to leave most of its viewers more bewildered than satisfied, it features an experimental approach to the camera that captures raw light and movement. It addresses social issues that trouble adolescents – such as bullying, underage prostitution, and alienation – but through an esoteric and enigmatic obfuscation that involves a cyber-cult devoted to a faceless singer, Lily Chou-Chou. This film is based on a rather convoluted and chaotic novel, a result of multiple contributors writing online. Though their extreme naïveté may not be for everyone, here are some Japanese coming-of-age films to fill the slow spring days.Īll About Lily Chou-Chou (2001) – Shunji Iwai These slice-of-life movies may feel bare, but they give poignancy to every moment and to every ordinary individual. There seems to be no shortage of stories about the wonders and troubles of youth in independent Japanese films from the 2000s.
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