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!
