Night Is Short, Walk On Girl + Kick-Heart
115 minutes
Enter a hallucinogenic night filled with booze and outlandish characters.
Everyone starts somewhere... so just start!
A spiritual sequel to The Tatami Galaxy series made with the same creative team, Night is Short, Walk on Girl is a dazzling and nocturnal journey through the psychedelic streets of Kyoto. Masaaki Yuasa's second feature, after the seminal Mind Game, follows an alcohol-induced night in the life of an unnamed young woman. Determined to make the most of her evening, she hops between bars, meething shady and outlandish characters along the way. Meanwhile, an awkward upperclassman who's secretly in love with the girl, attempts to orchestrate a series of "coincidences" to win her heart. Their intertwining adventures lead them through underground book markets, a raucous book - all under the spell of an endless, dreamlike night.
In Night is Short, Walk on Girl, Yuasa embraces the fluid, hyperbolic and freewheeling style he perfected in projects like Mind Game and The Tatami Galaxy. Mirroring the unpredictable energy of youth and nightlife, the film is a rapid-fire series of absurdities, pushing reality into fantasy and vice versa. It's like living inside a fever dream on fast-forward. Beneath the surreal chaos, however, lies a sweet, surprisingly profound story about fate, courage, and taking chances. This is the kind of masterpiece that makes you want to grab a drink, take a walk, and see where the night takes you.
Night is Short, Walk on Girl is preceded by a screening of Yuasa's short film Kick-Heart
An offbeat love story set in the wild world of professional wrestling, this short film by Masaaki Yuasa follows the masked wrestler Romeo, a seasoned fighter with a secret passion for masaochism, who finds himself captivated by a mysterious new opponent, the fierce and enigmatic Lady S. Funded through Kickstarter, Kick-Heart is a whirlwind of rapid-fire storytelling, and Yuasa's signature surreal humour.
This program screened as part of Kaboom Animation Festival 2025
Showing in this program
Night Is Short, Walk On Girl
In this comedy about one epic night in Kyoto, a college sophomore goes on a series of surreal encounters with the local nightlife, all the while unaware of the romantic longings of her classmate Senpai.
