Kamikaze girls is a Japanese book written by Novala Takemoto in 2002.The book which was also turned into a film and Manga centers around a young girls named Momoko Ryugasaki Who is obsessed with the French art movement of Rococo ( sampled in the picture of Fragonard's The Swing) the story highlights the contrast between the modern day culture of Japan and that of mid-18'th century France. Young Momoko Ryugasaki enters into the story obsessed with baby doll (Lolita style) clothing and the idea of living with ideology of pleasure being the ultimate goal of life. She sells her yakuza father's fake Versace clothing and thus meets the irreverent Ichigo "Ichiko" Shirayuri who is a female gangster with her own scooter gang and the two form an unlikely union. The insane fashion styles and wildly eccentric characters of the tome make the film version a virtual smorgasbord for the eyes. Stylistically this film comes off as a sort of asian version of the 2001 french film Amelie ( by Jean-Pierre Jeunet). Especially when you compare the two motion picture's scenes that illustrate the tales of the main character's childhoods. Although Kamikaze Girls is distinct in it's use of animation to tell the tale of the origin of the girl scooter gang (slightly reminiscent of Kill Bill meets Power Puff Girls) and it's visually arresting use of slow motion in the opening scenes. The quirkiness is an enjoyable reprieve from the blandness of most current films and the frilly approach to the hedonistic tale is not unlike the movement of Rococo itself.
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