Gyaru TV: Sunny, Our Hearts Beat Together (2018)

(Dani from OHNOESDANI also reviewed this movie recently, please check her post!)

I finally watched the Japanese remake of the Korean movie Sunny (2011)!

Sunny tells us the story of Nami, a middle-aged woman trying to reunite her old high school gang to fulfil her friend's wish, and, in different flashbacks, of how she befriended said group of friends (in the very iconic 80s Seoul!). The original movie was very popular in Korea, with various remakes being made (including - uff - Hollywood) , but why would this interest us gyaru?? Well, the Japanese remake decided to move up the high school storyline one decade to, you guessed it... the 90s kogal era!

I'm going to be honest with you, I was expecting a better remake. The original managed to be pretty funny and nostalgic with the fashion, music and pop culture of Korea in the 80s, but also juxtaposed them with the more serious political movements and protests that were happening at the time. The fight scene where rival girl gangs fight each other amongst the clashes between students and the military is iconic. All of this was cut in the Japanese remake, the fight scene is two minutes long and happens at an outdoor swimming pool, and while vintage Alba Rosa swimming costumes are gorgeous to look at, it just isn't the same.

I was hoping to have a glimpse into what being a teenager in Tokyo in the 90s was like, or even have a movie do for gyaru what Majisuka Gakuen and Kamikaze Girls did for yanki. And while the cast is stellar, all the cuts in each character's stories just made all the key moments fall flat (in my opinion). Maybe it is because I watched the original, but I just can't help but compare the two versions.

HOWEVER, having said all this, I really liked the styling! I can't find the costume designer for this movie but all the outfits were a cute nod to the era while also looking trendy in 2020.

The baddies looked too cute to hate.

Oversized newsboy cap, long lines, platform boots, got it!

Did the budget just allow for one hat? xD

All in all, I found the movie worth watching for the styling ideas! I would like to show you some coords I put together in a future post (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

I hope the slow/tentative gyaru comeback in Japan continues so we get more gyaru fashion and inspiration in the media! I hope you enjoyed this post, and thank you for reading <3

xx Shin