The elusive Yoshioa, who has faded from the popular idol of their hometown into a bored, unexceptional student.
She was seventeen, wearing a oversized blazer with the sleeves rolled up and a symphony of rubber bracelets climbing her left arm. She sat on the shag carpet of her bedroom floor, index finger hovering over the red "Record" button of her boombox. She was waiting for it. That specific frequency. The signal that only she seemed to be hunting for.
The Excitement of the Do-Re-Mi-Fa Girl (1985): Unearthing Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Early Pink Eccentricity
The Excitement of the Do-Re-Mi-Fa Girl (1985)—also released under the title Bumpkin Soup —is an absurdist, satirical comedy that marks a fascinating early turn in director career. Long before he became a master of J-horror with classics like Cure , Kurosawa delivered this "Godardian" anthropological study on disaffected Japanese youth. Plot & Atmosphere The Excitement of the Do Re Mi Fa Girl -1985 - ...
Yoshioka himself has transformed from the ideal musician into an elusive, almost invisible campus nobody. The journey, according to summaries on FilmAffinity , is less about the destination and more about navigating the absurd, almost surreal encounters within this confined, chaotic environment. The Director’s Early Genius: Kiyoshi Kurosawa in 1985
We meet the protagonist (The Girl, 17) working in a dysfunctional kissaten (coffee shop). She has perfect pitch but crippling stage fright. Her only companion is a cracked Walkman playing a loop of Chopin. The world is a cacophony of pachinko parlors and salaryman groans. That is until a rogue DJ (played by a cameo of a then-unknown Beat Takeshi) gives her a mixtape labeled "Do Re Mi Fa."
If you’re a fan of quirky Japanese cinema, a devotee of cult oddities, or simply someone looking for a movie that will completely surprise you, seek out The Excitement of the Do-Re-Mi-Fa Girl . Prepare for a joyful, chaotic, and unforgettable trip back to 1985, where one girl's blood begins to roar and a directorial legend took his first, strangest steps toward greatness. The elusive Yoshioa, who has faded from the
Before he became world-renowned for haunting psychological horror films like Cure (1997) and Pulse (2001), Kiyoshi Kurosawa was a young, rebellious director in his early 30s, cutting his teeth in the world of roman porno , a uniquely Japanese genre of softcore erotic films produced by the major studio Nikkatsu.
(1985), also known as Bumpkin Soup , is a surrealist cult classic that remains one of the most enigmatic entries in Japanese cinema . Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (later known for the masterpiece Cure ), the film is a playful yet deeply weird subversion of the "pinku" (erotic) genre that has gained a dedicated following for its absurdist humor and Godardian flair. A Journey into Academic Absurdity
, describe the film as "nonsensical Godardian". It is frequently studied for its use of musical numbers, non-sequiturs, and its rejection of typical erotic film expectations. 3. Production History (The "Rejected" Film) She was waiting for it
Kiyoshi Kurosawa Release Date: November 3, 1985 Runtime: 83 Minutes Why It Matters Today
Visual and cultural context (1985)
The narrative of The Excitement of the Do-Re-Mi-Fa Girl flows like a surreal dream rather than a traditional three-act drama. The story follows (played by Yoriko Doguchi), a naive and optimistic young girl from rural Japan who travels to a Tokyo university. Her primary objective is to track down Yoshioka (Kensô Katô), her high school sweetheart who previously bragged about being the charismatic leader of a legendary campus rock band.