Showtimes: 6/23, 6:30pm at the Anthology [BUY TICKETS] and 7/1, 6:00pm at the ImaginAsian [BUY TICKETS]

A surprise hit in Japan , we should warn you that KAMIKAZE GIRLS is not about young women crashing planes into American battleships during World War II. It's about Momoko: a devotee of the Lolita style of fashion, her every outfit encrusted with frills, lace trim, petticoats and embroidery. She wouldn't dream of leaving her house without being fully armored in fluffy skirts, pink bonnets and a delicate parasol. She wishes she lived in 18th century France, or anywhere, really, rather than the provincial cow town Ibaragi. Enter Ichigo: a biker chick who rides a 50cc moped and takes every opportunity to spit. She snarls at the color pink, hates sentiment, worships the legendary biker grrl and gang boss, Himiko, and is also hopelessly trapped in Ibaragi.

Momoko and Ichigo meet, and it's mutual loathing at first sight. Momoko is cold and precious, Ichigo is loud and tacky. But the only way they can survive the stares and taunts of the style-less zombies of Ibaragi is to demonstrate solidarity in the face of conformity, and form an alliance. The movie unfolds like an exploding pinata, showering the audience with technicolored candy as the director unleashed a howling typhoon of animation, freaky digital effects, sight gags, radioactive colors, super-stupid hairstyles and bizarre narrative tangents. Paced at warp speed, this is comedy cluster bomb all about disgust for off-the-rack clothing, conformity and gross men. It's an anthem of liberation for those who'd rather die than shop at Wal-Mart.