Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (film)

Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (セーラー服と機関銃, Sērā-fuku to kikanjū) is a 1981 Japanese yakuza film directed by Shinji Sōmai, starring Japanese idol Hiroko Yakushimaru as the main character and based on the novel of the same name by Jirō Akagawa. It was released on 19 December 1981.[1] A satirical take on yakuza films, the storyline involves a teenage delinquent schoolgirl named Izumi Hoshi who inherits her father's yakuza clan. The title is a reference to a scene where the main character shoots several rival gang members with a submachine gun, while wearing a sailor-fuku, the traditional Japanese school uniform.

Sailor Suit and Machine Gun
Film poster
Directed byShinji Sōmai
Screenplay byYōzō Tanaka
Based onSailor Suit and Machine Gun
by Jirō Akagawa
Produced byKei Ijichi
StarringHiroko Yakushimaru
Tsunehiko Watase
Akira Emoto
CinematographySeizō Sengen
Edited byAkira Suzuki
Music byKatz Hoshi
Distributed byToei Company
Release date
  • 19 December 1981 (1981-12-19) (Japan)
Running time
112 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box office¥3.91 billion (Japan)

Sailor Suit and Machine Gun is relatively well known in its home country, and spawned two television series based on and expanding upon its story, one in 1982, and one in 2006. Outside Japan, it is popular in some cult film circles, but has not garnered much mainstream attention. It has been released on Region 2 and Region 3 DVD, the latter being its first release that featured English subtitles.[2] A "spiritual sequel", Sailor Suit and Machine Gun: Graduation, was released on March 5, 2016.[3]

Cast

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Character (Japanese) Actor (Japanese)
Izumi Hoshi 星 泉 Hiroko Yakushimaru 薬師丸 ひろ子
Makoto Sakuma 佐久間 真 Tsunehiko Watase 渡瀬 恒彦
Masa Masaaki Daimon 大門 正明
Hiko ヒコ Shinpei Hayashiya 林家 しん平
Mei メイ Toshiya Sakai 酒井 敏也
Tomoo 智生 Shingo Yanagisawa 柳沢 慎吾
Tetsuo 哲夫 Tatsuya Oka 岡 竜也
Shūhei 周平 Ken Mitsuishi 光石 研
Mayumi Sandaiji 三大寺マユミ Yuki Kazamatsuri 風祭 ゆき
Hajime Sandaiji 三大寺 一 Rentarō Mikuni 三國 連太郎
Detective Kuroki 黒木刑事 Akira Emoto 柄本 明
Hamaguchi 浜口 Kazuo Kitamura 北村 和夫
Hagiwara 萩原 Minori Terada 寺田 農
Sekine 関根 Makoto Sato 佐藤 允
Ryuji Hoshi 星 流志 Kamatari Fujiwara 藤原 釜足
Dr. Oda 尾田医師 Hiroshi Madoka 円 広志
Detective 刑事 Yôsuke Saitô [ja] 斉藤 洋介

Reception

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The theme song of the film, "Sailor Fuku to Kikanjū", sung by the lead actress, Hiroko Yakushimaru, stayed at the 1st place of the weekly Oricon Singles Chart for five consecutive weeks, from December 21, 1981 (issue date) to January 18, 1982 (issue date).

Box office

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The film was released in a double bill with Moeru yūsha on 19 December 1981. Distribution income for the bill reached number one on the domestic market for the period including 1982, reaching ¥2.3 billion in distribution income,[4] and totaling ¥3.91 billion in gross revenue.[5]

Accolades

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It was chosen as the 10th best film at the 4th Yokohama Film Festival.[6]

Award Date Category Recipients and
nominees
Result
Japan Academy Prize 1982[7] 話題賞 Work Sailor Suit and Machine Gun Won
話題賞 Actor Hiroko Yakushimaru Won
1983[8] Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Akira Emoto Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Recording Kenichi Benitani Won

References

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  1. ^ セーラー服と機関銃 (1981). allcinema (in Japanese). Stingray. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  2. ^ "twitchfilm.net". Archived from the original on 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2014-06-22.
  3. ^ "1st Footage of Idol Kanna Hashimoto in Sailor Suit & Machine Gun Remake Posted". Anime News Network. September 15, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  4. ^ "Kako haikyū shūnyū jōi sakuhin 1982-nen" (in Japanese). Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  5. ^ "邦画興行収入ランキング". SF MOVIE DataBank. General Works. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  6. ^ 1982年度 日本映画ベストテン. homepage3.nifty.com/yokohama-eigasai (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  7. ^ "5th Japan Academy Prize". www.japan-academy-prize.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  8. ^ "6th Japan Academy Prize". www.japan-academy-prize.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 June 2014.
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