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
Produced byKei Ijichi
Written byJirō Akagawa (novel)
Yōzō Tanaka (writer)
Based onSailor Suit and Machine Gun
by Jirō Akagawa
StarringHiroko Yakushimaru
Tsunehiko Watase
Akira Emoto
Music byKatz Hoshi
CinematographySeizō Sengen
Edited byAkira Suzuki
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
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政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斉藤 洋介

Reception

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

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

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
  1. セーラー服と機関銃 (1981). allcinema (in Japanese). Stingray. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  2. twitchfilm.net
  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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