Baunsu ko gyaru

Baunsu Kogals or Bouncing Young Girls is a very good movie about 3 girls, their friendship and their life in the world of prostitution (Kogals, they call them). Sort of a Japanese version of "Kids", but more likely to be taken seriously. It follows the ennui that these girls and their peers/other youth feel in Japan. An important point scored in the film is when Jonko and Raku ask why does Lisa want to go to New York to study, she says she wants to be in NY because when you live in the US, there's is a feeling of a "can-do" attitude that pervades the culture, which would motivate her to be a better student in Japan and also get her independence.

This film's a journey through the nightlife of Shibuya, Tokyo. The story focus on 3 highschool girls who make good money by selling their services to men, all sorts of men with all sorts of desires. It's a terrific film. Fascinating, emotional and with great acting. However, even though Bounce primarily deals with the backside of a harsh japanese society, it also serves as perfect tourist propaganda. The way it's shot and with its cool powerful music, it makes you wanna go to Tokyo immediately. Anyhow, Bounce's a film that I highly recommend. 8/10.

With the rise of OnlyFans in the West, this movie has renewed modern relevance. It's a film about generational conflict between teenagers and adults and the conflict between perverted middle-age men with money and materialistic teenage schoolgirls selling their body for designer clothes. The movie itself is longer than necessary and meandering at times. The movie covers an interesting topic and has a decent message but the story itself is simple and events in the movie become repetitive. You do get a decent aesthetic feel of Tokyo during the 90s. It's worth watching if it sounds interesting but not a must-watch movie.

BOUNCE GO-KALS is one of the best drama I've seen out of Japan. It's not a slow-moving Japanese film, but it's just slow enough, and just fast enough (although the movie is well over 2 hours) to keep you interested and at the same time, emotionally invested. A terrific film that exposes Japanese society for its hypocricy, while even delving into the past of the country. But in the end, it's a movie about hope and a future that, although it may look dark, has a silver lining.

For more excellent movies by the director, check out KAMIKAZE TAXI and CHOICE OF HERCULES, two very good dramas from a man with his pulse on what makes Japan so fascinating.

10 out of 10

(Go to http://www.nixflix.com for a more in-depth review of this movie and other foreign films)

This is, by far, one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Having been in a Japanese high school for a year, I could relate to some of the characters in this movie. It was perfectly executed -- the camera work, dialogue, etc. The music, as well, was excellent. This movie definitely needs to be on everyone's "must have" list.