Himitsu no hanazono

Sometimes billed as 'My Secret Cache', this hilarious struggle by a young bank teller will really keep you laughing. Excellent production, awesome scenery, and a heartfelt insight into a dreamer and her pursuers. I can't wait until this is out on DVD.

My Secret Cache (aka My Secret Garden) is a winning, deadpan comedy - thanks mainly to the winsome soundtrack, and the hilarious performance of Naomi Nishida.

Akiko (Nishida) has always liked money, but her job as a bank teller left her a little disillusioned. In a twist of fate, she's kidnapped by hapless bank robbers, leaving her a only taste of wealth. So, she the long way to get that money back.

Nishida's character is said to be "ugly" by a few characters, but at best, she's cute and almost cluelessly blunt. Since she's in nearly every frame, it ends up being a story of a young woman's realization that once you find inner wealth, money inevitably follows.

A naive notion? Perhaps, but Cache is a completely disarming comedy, and the slapdash special effects and editing can't erase its basic charm. It's fine on video, but the film really works with a live audience.

As the title suggests Shinobu Yaguchi's "The Secret Garden" is a fun romp from start to finish. As y'all may have gathered from my reviews I'm a huge Shinobu Yaguchi fan I love his movies Swing Girls and Water Boys they have a certain brand of humour that's just so funny- people act in the craziest of ways like no human would and that heightens the whole experience, there's no real antagonist- only accumulated craziness and fun that's not only from the protagonist but the surrounding cast as well- it's as if the world Shinobu Yaguchi directs is a cartoonish version of the real world which I do appreciate since reality is seldom fun.

The Secret Garden follows Sakiko a girl that is obsessed with money since childhood, that obsession leads her to do such funny and actually great (?) things that normal people would get commended for if they did, many people usually talk about being particularly inspired by noble things such as knowledge, strength etc... but in Sakiko's case her sole driving motive is only money which is so funny because movies usually depict money-hungry people as people doomed and immoral so it's funny to see how the other extreme looks like and it's funny as heck.

The comedy is tightly packed in this 1 hr 23 min movie giving you almost no place to rest, if it would've been longer then it wouldn't have made sense so I really appreciate that it's short!

The cinematography is also simple and effective, very great shots throughout the movie, it looks gorgeous even if it was made 1997- also the soundtrack with Irish motifs (perhaps a hint on the luck of the Irish/leprechauns with money?) is so funny, it gives the movie a jolly tone throughout.

Check this movie out for a fun romp that'll tickle your funny bone. Shinobu Yaguchi is such a talented director!

Japanese uber-model Naomi Nishida makes her starring debut in

Shinobu Yaguchi's semi-legendary comedy.

A girl (Nishida) has been abnormally fascinated with money since

childhood -- so much so that she becomes the employee of a

bank. She realizes quickly that it's not as much fun handling

money that you don't own....

And that begins her hilarious odyssey that takes her through

armed robbery, and wins her a geology degree, a swimming

championshiip, a mountain-climbing contest, and injuries along

the way to her pursuit of a suitcase full of cash.

Director Yaguchi employs his usual deadpan humor in a story that

has you rooting for a hero who's often too funny for words. Finally

available on subtitled DVD, there's now no reason to put off your

responsibility to see this delight.

B-grade Japanese movies of recent years have been influenced quite a bit by manga (Japanese comics) and anime (animation), but I hadn't yet seen a Japanese movie that is, in effect, a live-action manga from beginning to end. Himitsu no Hanazono is one such movie.

The manga aspects mean that everything is over-the-top. Sakiko's single-minded obsession with money, her outlandish and relentless efforts in search of a lost suitcase full of bills, leaving flabbergasted observers in her wake--all are straight out of manga, and retain the light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek humor of that medium (the better manga, anyways). And there is a kind of gradual maturation process thrown in as well, as Sakiko comes to realize that she's not drawn to money itself, so much as to the hunt for it.

Not great cinema by any stretch, but this is one of the best Japanese light comedies I've seen, and I've seen a few. Definitely worth a viewing if you like manga/anime or movies in this genre.