I’ve mentioned quite a few times on this blog about how certain j-doramas (YES, I’m calling them j-Doramas, what’s it to you, bub) become even better by having a kick-ass ending song, and The Esumi Makiko comedy SHOMUNI hits that one the head TWICE, having both a killer Ending song AND an awesome OPENING song, as well!
The opening song is a rocking little number called “SORE JYA BYE-BYE”, a slightly gangster-ish sounding tune performed by group SURFACE. In this opening, we see the cameras speeding in to the Business Building and zooming up to the various “members” of Shomuni, From Esumi Makiko through to Kyono Kotomi and Atsuko Sakurai(!), leading up to doddering old Leo Morimoto as he closes the ratty Shomuni basement door.
The ENDING song to SHOMUNI started off with a close-up of Esumi Makiko’s feet, and as the credits start rolling, the camera starts slowly pulling back until you eventually see all six of the SHOMUNI members in their “Kakkoi” stance”, and they looked VERY cool indeed!
The pullaway shot of the Shomuni Girls was intercut with various “stills” from the week’s episode, as the eighties flavored (Think “Be Near Me” by ABC and “Red Red Wine” by UB40) song drawled over the visuals…such a perfect mix! This song ALWAYS made the endings even better!
My earliest memory of seeing IZAM was back when Tower Records was selling J-pop Calendars, and this one girl went up to one of our managers, and showing him the calendar of SHAZNA, asked him which girl he thought was the prettiest. After perusing the calendar for a minute or so, decided on the lead singer. “Her, I Guess”, he offered, handing back the calendar to the girl...She sweetly took it back and said, “Oh, you think that one? Cool.” She was about to walk away when she turned and added, “Oh, By The way…these are guys.” My Supervisor made a stern face and then levelly but irritatingly said, “Don’t Do That.”. Ahahahaha! The “girl” he had picked was none other than IZAM!
Years later, when Me and Car dug out those old VHS tapes of SHOMUNI out to watch, she liked the songs so much I went to go look for live performances I had of both “Sore Jya Bye Bye” by Surface, and “Sunao o Mama De” on MUSIC STATION.
Car's been a BIG Culture Club fan from way back, she just LOVED Izam's flamboyant ways, but our 6 year old kid summed up the IZAM experience succinctly and dismissively by flatly stating out loud to us, “That singer looks like a girl!” Ahahahahahaa!
SHOMUNI itself would go onto spawning a couple of sequels and even a SPECIAL! The legend of those crazy Shomuni girls lives on!