Flying colours (2015)

	Also Known As: Biri Gyaru
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Nobuhiro Doi
	Actors: Kasumi Arimura, Atsushi Ito, Shuhei Nomura
	Country: J
	Genre: Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 26.05.2016, Mousonturm Saal, Japanese with English subtitles, NCF2016
Synopsis: Sayako Kudo (Arimura) is a gyaru wearing blond hair and spending so much time with her girlfriends, that she does not study in the high school. Her mother pushes her to enter any university by subscribing to extra Seiho Cram School. The teacher Yoshitaka Tsubota (Ito) finds a specific way for her to learn. Other students are in the same extra school, like Reiji (Nomura).
Review: The movie is based on the Japanese best seller by Nobutaka Tsubota about the education conditions in Japan, where most of the school students attend a second school to have better rates in the entrance exam.  The story is told with rythm, even if it is continuously focused on Sayako's growing in her relationships with her girlfriends and her family. The cost being to sleep during normal school times. The sevral secondary characters, like the girlfriends and Reiji are just supporting the image of Sayako changing. The teacher Tsobuta shows how psychology and dedicated education can work. In Japan people invest a lot on education. There are parallel stories in Sayako's family and among the teachers.  The roughness of Japanese education does not show up much, unfortunately. But many hints are given here and there.  Many parts of life of the group of gyarus are like of any Japanese: food, karaoke. The special thing being the outfit only.  A feel-good comedy for teenies and young adults.
Rating: 6 /10