A high-school shodo club decide to set up a contest to bring new interest to their hobby. Head of the shodo club, Satoko (Riko Narumi), has seen membership declining under her strict leadership, with one of her best friends Mio having left after an argument. When a new teacher Ikezawa (Nobuaki Kaneko) arrives at the school and is put in an advisory role, another member Kiyomi (Mitsuki Takahata) also withdraws from the group, favouring Ikezawa’s passionate style as opposed to the austere reign of Satoko. The remaining girls decide to run a shodo competition, inviting local clubs in a challenge to show off their calligraphy skills.
Directed by Ryuichi Inomata, with a screenplay by Yuko Nagata, “Shodo Girls” is a by-the-numbers high-school club film. The problems the girls face are trivial, mostly involving interpersonal squabbles, and are all easily resolved. Ikezawa’s arrival is intended as a catalyst, but he actually contributes little to the dynamic of the main group, other than being a minor annoyance, perhaps providing an example to be avoided. The humour in the first half of the film is unfortunately one-note, with a repeated gag where people are splashed with ink. The three male members of the club serve as comic relief throughout, with no character development beyond a supporting role. The main cast do a decent job, Mitsuki Takahata’s Kiyomi is amusingly quirky, while Riko Narumi, Nanami Shinomori, Fujiko Kojima, and Rio Yamashita are believable as high-schoool friends, with chemistry and charm. By far the strongest part of the film is the final competition sequence, which shows of the talent and dynamism of shodo in a fantastically energetic way.
Shodo is the traditional Japanese art of calligraphy, with pieces being drawn on all sizes of paper, using ink and brush. There is a duality to shodo in it being both an introspective and expressive art form. This split nature speaks to the heart of Zen traditions in which balance is sought in all things. The girl’s final piece is entitled ‘Rebirth’, and it sees them finally realising their own will and enjoying life for what it is rather than what they expect it to be. Overall, a simple yet moderately enjoyable film about friendship, art, not being discouraged by setbacks, and speaking up for what you believe in, that closes strong.
