Actress to Watch

Kyoko Fukada: The Prototypical Harajuku Girl

Kawaii - Gwen Stefani has been vigorously promoting this new “Harajuku girl” image through her music and fashion. Continuously impacting the youth culture in Japan, Kyoko Fukada, who appears in Lolita outfits in her latest award winning, internationally acclaimed film “Kamikaze Girls,” seems a perfect fit for the current pop entertainment theme on MTV, VH1 etc. in the States.

Kyoko Fukada was born in Tokyo on November 2, 1982. Her big break occurred in 1996, when she won a prominent talent agency audition in Japan, which became her career-defining moment. Soon after, she began appearing in numerous TV dramas, commercials, ads, and films. Her wide variety of roles, from a high school girl to a police detective, has solidified her multitalented acting reputation. She especially has garnered popularity among fans her age as an inspiring role model.

The domestic and international success of “Kamikaze Girls” is another turning point. The film won several awards in Japan and has been receiving positive responses from both critics and audiences in international film festivals, such as the NY Asian Film Festival and LA Film Festival. The film was also screened in limited theaters for the general audience in the United States this fall.

The right time has arrived - there have been only a handful of Japanese male artists and actors that have built successful careers in the U.S.; it is about time that Japanese actresses becomes popular as well. Will Fuka-Kyon be the first?

**References:

http://www.viz.com/news/newsroom/2005/08_kamikaze_release.php

http://www.kamikazegirls.net