Young women who fly their freak flag high occupy more pop cultural space in Japan than elsewhere, perhaps because their real-life counterparts don’t enjoy that freedom themselves. For many, the flag flies only on weekends. Otherwise, their Lolita outfits and cosplay gear stay firmly in the closet.
Based on her original script, Mai Sakai’s twisty and quirky romantic drama “Cha-Cha” features a protagonist who is about as untethered from conventional roles and rules as it is possible to be in Japanese society and still hold a normal job.
Called “Chacha” (Marika Ito) for reasons unexplained, she is an illustrator at a small design company and, despite being as messy with her paints and brushes as a kindergartener, is popular with clients, to the joy of her easygoing boss (an amusingly oblivious Takashi Fujii).
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