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 by	Shinji Sōmai
Produced by	Kei Ijichi
Written by	Jirō Akagawa (novel) Yōzō Tanaka (writer)
Based on	Sailor Suit and Machine Gun by Jirō Akagawa
Starring	Hiroko Yakushimaru Tsunehiko Watase Akira Emoto
Music by	Katz Hoshi
Cinematography	Seizō Sengen
Edited by	Akira Suzuki
Distributed by	Toei Company
Release date	19 December 1981 (Japan)
Running time	112 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
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.

External links

• Sêrâ-fuku to kikanjû at IMDb