Sutoroberii Shooto Keikusu / ストロベリーショートケイクス / Strawberry Shortcakes
Director: Yazaki Hitoshi Country: Japan Language: Japanese Cast: Kiriko Nananan, Ikewaki Chizuru, Nakagoshi Noriko, Nakamura Yuko, Masanobu Ando, Ryo Kase
Story: Satoko, Chihiro, Akiyo and Toko are four women living in Tokyo, trying to make a living and figure out life. They all have their very own story, which might connect them at some point with one another. Satoko is the youngest. She works as a receptionist at an escort service called „Heaven's Gate“. she makes tea for the girls and sometimes talks to them. Her life seems pretty normal, nothing much is going on, until she finds an odd stone on the street. From that point, she sees „kami-sama“ (god) in that stone and starts to pray to it each night. All she asks for is someone to love her, someone she can love..and that kami-sama please kills her disgusting boss. Later on she eventually leaves Heaven's Gate and starts working as a waitress in a very small noodle shop. Chihiro has an unimportant job at a boring office, but she takes her work seriously. She has a guy in her life who she really likes and she shares a flat with Toko. Chihiro seems to be a normal young woman, but she also somehow struggles with her life. Her male friend doesn't really cares so much about her and has no thought of being with her for a longer time or a serious relationship. Also the girls in her office talk bad behind her back, calling her a slut and putting her down. ..and living with Toko don't really make things easier. Akiyo works as a prostitute at Heaven's Gate and saves up all the money she makes from that job. Once she is off from work, she calls her old college classmate and asks if he has time to meet up for beer. She seems to love him, but when they hang out, they just talk and spend time like good old friends. At work Akiyo gets really bad guys, ..but at some point she just can't take it anymore and beats up one of her customers. She quits the job, calls the guy she loves and talks him into having sex with her. Even though she loves him, she later plays it off like nothing and leaves. Toko is an artist. She is bulimic but nobody knows about it, not even her flat mate Chihiro. She seems to be a nice and calm person, but once someone criticises her work, she gets cold and somewhat rude. Toko is convinced her drawings are something special and therefore people she decides to give her paintings too, should treat her respectful.
In the last scene of the movie the four girls (Toko & Chihiro, Satoko & Akiyo) are at the beach and spend time together. Chihiro found out about Toko's illness and they re-celebrate Chihiro's birthday with a cake. Satoko meets Akiyo (both are not working for HG anymore) and gives her the kami-sama stone and a painting she found (the painting is from Toko and got lost earlier in the movie).
Thoughts: I have to admit, I had that movie for some years already, but I just watched it recently. No regrets. All the characters are well-played and the atmosphere is always comfortable.. even when Satoko's boss is trying to rape her (another employer disturbs him and Satoko runs away) and when Akiyo actually gets raped (a customer asks if it is true that she also does it without condom, next scene she is cuffed to the bed and lays there naked with an empty expression on her face) ..even at those scenes the movie does not explode. I cannot watch rape in movies (anymore) so I was okay with the way they managed to „show“ it.. it didn't make me turn off the movie. Besides that, the acting is very good. Kiriko Nananan, who is actually the mangaka of the comic, which this movie was based on, is doing a great job playing Toko. It also shows the busy but yet lonely life you can have in a big city like Tokyo, ..yet it made me feel very comfortable and I could relate to the feelings of the girls.You have to watch this movie to understand what I mean I guess...
Favorite Character: Toko, Akiyo & Satoko Favorite Actress/Actor: Kiriko Nananan