Kamikaze Girls

Kamikaze Girls


By: Novala Takemoto
Reviewed by: gothiclolitamaiden, 15
Rating: It was amazing!


“Life in the boondocks of rural Ibaraki prefecture is anything but glamorous, and to escape her humdrum existence, Momoko, a lolita, fanaticizes about French rococo, dreams of living in the palace of Versailles, and decks herself out in the finest (and frilliest) 18th century haute couture from an expensive Tokyo specialty store. Her dreams of an idyllic existence are rudely interrupted by the appearance of Ichigo, a tough-talking Yanki motorcycle-chick (on a tricked-out moped) who's part of a girls-only biker gang known as the Ponytails. Together, this unlikeliest of duos strikes out on a quest to find a legendary embroiderer, a journey that takes them to back-alley pachinko parlors, and chic boutiques.”

I love Japanese novels just as much as I like Japanese manga and anime. I love Kamikaze Girls, but not just because it’s a Japanese novel. It is a modern Japanese coming-of-age novel, and I find myself wishing that we could read Kamikaze Girls in English class instead of reading the decades-old English coming-of-age novels that we usually read. However, I don’t think Japanese novels are allowed in English class. My grumbling about high school English curriculum aside, Kamikaze Girls is a fun, thoughtful novel. However, some readers will undoubtedly be put off by its eccentric tone and content. The book would be somewhat confusing for people with limited knowledge of traditional Japanese culture and modern Japanese fashion and youth subculture. If you like eccentric books and Japanese culture, you will like Kamikaze Girls. Therefore, I really liked it.

There are hardly any problems with Viz’s translation of the book. I didn’t catch any typos or other errors, and there was a glossary of terms in the back, even though it is a bit incomplete. The translation isn’t choppy, and it maintains a good level or descriptive language. The only big problem is the title. When Viz translated the novel, they changed the title from the original Shimotsuma Monogatari (Shimotsuma Story) to Kamikaze Girls. This was especially irritating for me because I had a boy ask me if the book was about girls who committed suicide. I, of course, rolled my eyes, but replied as politely as possible, even if I was a bit too curt. I find it very annoying when companies that publish anime, manga, or Japanese novels in the US change the title names to make the products more marketable, and I wish that Viz had considered a better name for the book, but alas, I am powerless to change anything. I find myself thinking that “How to Survive in a Hick Town” might have been a good title.

Momoko and Ichigo are both endearing characters, and very unique. Both Momoko and Ichigo are very independent, therefore their friendship makes perfect sense, despite the fact that their fashion senses are completely different. Momoko’s narration and her funny anecdotes are hilarious.

The novel is very entertaining, but also has a lot of themes about friendship and being true to yourself. That may sound like the same sentimental crud you’ve been seeing in books and movies for as long as you can remember, but Kamikaze Girls presents these themes in a unique, quirky way.


Recommended to: Teens 13+ For language, mostly. Girls and boys can enjoy it, but girls will probably connect better with the story and characters.