Let's talk about an old but beloved little one-volume wonder from the glory days of Shojo Beat.
KAMIKAZE GIRLS (Shimotsuma Monogatari), based on the light novel by Novala Takemoto with art by Yukio Kanesada. First published in 2004 and first published in North America in 2006.
PLOT:
Momoko loves lolita fashion, but it's hard for her to cultivate her wardrobe and the aloof, elegant air she desires when she's been dragged from Osaka to the middle of nowhere by her deadbeat dad. That's where she meets the biker girl Ichigo, who desperately wants to get her biker coat embroidered to honor her mentor but needs someone who knows their way around Tokyo. This simple exchange blossoms into an unlikely friendship between two lonely girls from two radically different subcultures.
STORY:
Shojo one-shots like this normally don't have a long shelf life, but Kamikaze Girls has always been an exception to that rule. Some of that might have to do with its popular (and recently re-released) film adaptation, but there's more to it than just a multi-media tie-in. Its true appeal is in its most universal element: the friendship forged between two teenagers in need of some friendship and understanding.
It helps that Momoko and Ichigo compliment one another quite well. Momoko's street smarts contrast with Ichigo's meatheaded bluster, but it's her loyalty and emotional honesty that manage to pierce the cynicism that Momoko wears as readily as her Baby The Stars Shine Bright ensembles. Meanwhile, Momoko proves herself to be the loyal and levelheaded ally Ichigo needs as she deals with the fallout from gang drama and a fruitless crush. Momoko provides her with a shoulder to cry on, directions through Tokyo, and turns out to be surprisingly crafty in the face of a fight.
Something else that Kamikaze Girls understands is the importance of fashion and how it helps young women to define their own identities. Both Momoko and Ichigo are part of subcultures that are defined by their choices in fashion, choices that visibly mark them as outsiders in their sleepy small town. Obviously a bosozuko jacket couldn't be any more different than a sweet lolita dress, just as Ichigo couldn't be any more different from Momoko in personality. Yet it's fashion that binds the two girls together thanks to Momoko's embroidery skills. Her ability to personalize garments not only gives her a way in with her favorite fashion designer but gives Ichigo the medium she needs to express her feelings for her sempai.
If there's a downside it's that it's all over very quickly. The story of the original film is over by the book's midpoint and the rest of it is filled up with short stories taking place after the events of the book/film. The first of them is "Ichigo's Case," which follows her as she gets over her crush on the eve of his wedding by conveniently meeting his twin brother who's as insecure about his name and his talent for ballet as Ichigo is about her name and her one-time stint as a lolita model. There's a lot of coincidences going on in this story, but the give and take between these two combined with translator Tomo Kimura's handling of Ichigo's running gag of misremembered names gives it a lot of energy.
Then there's "Pinky-Ring Princess" and its continuation "Middle-Finger Princess." It's about Ririka, the daughter of the owner of a high-end jewelry store who basically blackmails one of her mom's clients into taking her on a proper "adult" date. To the shock of no one, it turns out that Ririka is acting out because her previous boyfriend dumped her because she refused to go into a love hotel with him. It's at this point that things go off the rails. She demands that this grown man should have sex with her, although mercifully he stops when just a little bit of suggestive touching leaves her crying. Had things ended there, it would have been a questionable story with a good moral of not forcing oneself to grow up too fast when one is not ready.
Unfortunately it doesn't end there.
No, it ends with the two of them becoming a couple and having sex. The following chapter is mostly Ririka grousing about her lover's many contrary qualities and the fact that he is not just more experienced than but also a divorcee! I'm sure there was more to this story, but after that point reading this story just made sirens go off in my brain. So yeah, this is a fine stand alone book....just maybe stop reading it once it's done with Momoko and Ichigo's stories.
ART:
Yukio Kanesada's art isn't particularly revolutionary but she's more than up to the task of translating this story to manga form. The character designs do their best to merge the prettiness of 1990s shojo manga faces with the simplicity of early 2000s shojo styles. Her anatomy can be a little wonky at times (particularly when drawing dudes), but she definitely tries her best to change up angles to keep her panels from getting dull. She also does her best to capture all the frilly little details of Momoko's various outfits.
RATING:
This book was published by Viz. The physical edition is out of print; the digital version can be purchased via Viz's own site.
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