‘All About Lily Chou-Chou’ (2001): The Requiem of Youth
What lies on the shadowy side of youth’s journey?
Japan is renowned for its coming-of-age films, so much so that there’s a dedicated term for this genre: seishun (青春). Seishun, translating to “blue spring,” implies that youth is akin to the blue sky of spring — full of promise and hope. Yet, even the clearest sky has days filled with dark clouds. All About Lily Chou-Chou is about when the sky turns pitch black, causing all the sprouts to wither.
The narrative of All About Lily Chou-Chou centers around two boys: Yuichi and Hoshino — the bullied and the bully — each grappling with their unique pain. On the surface, their struggles appear straightforward:
Yuichi is bullied and treated as less than human by his supposed friends.
Hoshino is misunderstood and labeled by everyone, even those who call themselves his friends.
Presented this way, these two seem to have little in common, except for their shared admiration for Lily Chou-Chou, a renowned female singer (discussed later). However, I believe that deep down, Yuichi and Hoshino share a common pain — the agony of not being heard.
Let’s take it back a little with the All About Lily Chou-Chou’s background. Filmed in 2001, during a period when Japan experienced a surge in juvenile delinquency and school violence, the movie reflected the aftermath of the economic crisis in 1991. Termed “the lost decade,” this era not only marked Japan’s economic downturn but also encapsulated feelings of loss and betrayal among the youth. Many creators attempted to capture those emotions in their movies, like Battle Royale (2000) or Suicide Circle (2001). Still, those movies leaned quite heavily into fantasy and/or ideas surrounding the supernatural.
That was when All About Lily Chou-Chou came to the scene.
Shunji Iwai, the director and scriptwriter, once emphasized the need to create movies that resonate with and depict the world of the youth in the book “Contemporary Japanese Film” (Mark Schilling, 1999).
“We have to make movies that appeal to them and reflect the world they live in.”
That’s why this movie is, very intentionally, devoid of supernatural elements. Only lonely teenagers grapple with their struggles in a world where no one listens. The adults in All About Lily Chou-Chou appear distant, whether it’s a mother oblivious to her son’s nightly escapades or a teacher offering empty words of encouragement. Shunji Iwai refrains from passing judgment on their actions, understanding their hardships while also acknowledging the consequences faced by the teenagers.
Yuichi, the first protagonist, fits the mold of the typical bullying victim. Timid and friendless, he hails from a regular family where his parents devoted most of their time to his younger brother. Forced to witness his once-best friend Hoshino transform into the leader of a delinquent gang, Yuichi himself becomes a pawn in their games.
After watching Yuichi’s journey, the opening scene where his mother claims to be fortunate for having a good son who’s never bothered by much is so ironically laughable. By the end of All About Lily Chou-Chou, Yuichi becomes a mere shell, losing faith in both real life and Ether (an online platform the boys engage with).
Meanwhile, Hoshino is introduced as someone who has it all: an only child from a wealthy family, blessed with intelligence and good looks. But all these things didn’t guarantee him popularity; instead, they made him a target for other delinquents. Eventually, he snaps and becomes the aggressor instead of the victim.
Hoshino’s loneliness is less apparent, conveyed through scattered lines he shared with Yuichi, such as “Nobody understands me”. His pain doesn’t stem from his family or other adults, but from his peers. The teenagers’ world is small, with family and friends as its core. Therefore, when your peers shun you, it feels like the entire world is against you. That may be the reason why when he lost his safe place called “family”, Hoshino had to establish another replacement at school, resorting to even violence. But, even so, Hoshino’s loneliness persisted.
Yuichi and Hoshino were on opposing sides in real life. However, due to a twist of fate, they share a connection through their love for Lily Chou-Chou. They became online friends on Ether, an anonymous website Yuichi created for Lily Chou-Chou’s fans under false names: Philia for Yuichi and Blue Cat for Hoshino. On that website, they share their feelings and even promise to meet at a Lily Chou-Chou concert.
Lily Chou-Chou, despite the fact that the movie’s name is All About Lily Chou Chou, is not the main character. In fact, she never makes an appearance. Only her songs resonate throughout the film, painting a picture of isolation and broken hearts with words. Although melancholic, her songs strike a chord with these lost boys, offering solace.
For Yuichi and Hoshino, the real world is where they merely exist as bodies without souls. Seeking refuge from reality, they search for an illusory world where they can express themselves and truly be heard. However, illusions remain just that. The day Yuichi and Hoshino meet turns into a disaster, shattering the few dreams that they have to hold onto.
The illusion is dissipated, plunging them back into the harsh reality. Even Lily Chou-Chou’s music could not save them.
Perhaps, facing harsh reality is a typical conclusion for youth. Whether you desire it or not, you are awakened to face reality. Music and the internet offer only temporary escapes, and you inevitably have to leave them behind. However, witnessing Yuichi at the end, disheartened to the point of resembling a walking corpse, I wonder whether staying on Ether, where his voice was heard, would have been a better choice.
