Ryohei Watanabe	...	(Director)
Ryohei Watanabe	...	(Writer)
Hiroki Horikawa	...
Gota Ishida	...
Juzo Kakei	...
Mimpib	...
Moriko	...
Isao Nakazawa	...
Ayumi Nigo	...
Nagi Sakamoto	...
Masataka Sanada	...
Ikuma Sato	...
Ayumi Seko	...
Naoyuki Chikatani	...	Composer
Katsuki Tsuji	...	Cinematographer
Ryohei Watanabe	...	Editor
Ryôhei Watanabe	...	Editor

Comments: Freaky wow Japanese indie debut. With style. It starts off like an after school ugly duckling special, then a friendship/romance between two bullied girls. Then it drives off into the weeds. Then you wonder how far off into the weeds it will go. There are a few moments you'll be searching for landmarks (I'm looking at you, mobile ring disguised as microwave done bell).

Nothing new content wise, but it's pulled off with personality. Subtle personality. It's a low budget film and some of the scenes aren't lit well, but the creative framing and angles of shots trump the price of the camera. It doesn't look cheap. Visual moods. Stupidly huge! The soundtrack is used to great effect, sometimes taking over scenes. Neoclassical choral says its own thing. The two leads are superb, as far as high-school girls go, but I single out the protagonist because the actress's name is mimpi*β. She gets an extra point for that.

I went into this film cold. At first I thought it was one thing, unimportant, then it became another thing, kinda creepy. Like a magic trick. It's not a big twisty mystery and it doesn't go anywhere new. The manipulation is obvious but it feels good, a little Sono-esque. Maybe it farts a little at the end. Endings are hard, especially when the film is more about style than story.

I'm keeping my eye on this director: Ryohei Watanabe. He's got a good sense of how to bring you into a scene and leave you stewing in it. His style is slow burn. Burning included.

Summary: Because of her last name "Kumada" (bear + rice paddy) and her appearance, Misa's high school classmates call her "Pooh" disparagingly. She obviously has no friends and can only let down her guard around her pet parrot and the goldfish in the science room at school. But then she finds herself quickly becoming best friends with Izumi, a cute and popular classmate. Although somewhat puzzled by Izumi's interest in her, Misa is excited about having a friend for the first time ever. But Izumi's initial angelic demeanor gradually transforms into a demonic one.