Cyborg She

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Cyborg She
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKwak Jae-yong
Written byKwak Jae-yong
Produced byJi Young-jun
Hidemi Satani
Mataichiro Yamamoto
StarringHaruka Ayase
Keisuke Koide
CinematographyJunichirô Hayashi
Edited byKim Sang-bum
Shuichi Kakesu
Distributed byGaga Corporation
Release date
  • 12 May 2008 (2008-05-12)
Running time
120 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box officeUS$7.2 million[1]

Cyborg She (僕の彼女はサイボーグ, Boku no Kanojo wa Saibōgu) is a 2008 Japanese science fiction comedy-drama film directed by Kwak Jae-yong, starring Haruka Ayase and Keisuke Koide.[2]

Plot[edit]

It is 22 November 2007. Jiro Kitamura (Keisuke Koide) is spending his 20th birthday alone. As he buys a birthday present for himself in a shopping mall, he gets the attention of a 'cute girl' (Haruka Ayase) and she surprisingly smiles at him. Afterwards, she successfully steals a pair of clothes, which Jiro notices, but he ignores it as she walks away in front of him, and he is distracted by her beauty. The mystery girl, who seems to be interested in him, follows him to a restaurant, where he eats spaghetti on the advice of his grandmother (later revealed to be his mother who gave birth to him in old age) for a longer and peaceful life. She suddenly appears and sits with him, stating that it's 'her birthday too'. The two of them then exchange birthday presents. The girl, who seems unused to everything, behaves very boldly and suddenly rushes with Jiro out of the restaurant without paying the bill, provoking the manager to chase the two through Tokyo. As he spends time with the girl, Jiro finds himself charmed by her. But, after a few hours, the girl insists she has to leave and goes with a tearful goodbye.

The story then jumps to one year later, as Jiro again celebrates his birthday alone in the same restaurant. All of a sudden, the same-looking girl appears in front of him. Jiro's older self from 65 years in the future had sent this girl to save him from a disastrous fate. She was actually a cyborg, modelled after the girl he met a year before in 2007. While he rejoices in her presence, the restaurant is suddenly attacked by a gunman, but she saves him and the other guests by throwing the gunman out of the window. Despite her 'cute' outward appearance, she is incredibly strong and behaves erratically. Later, in Jiro's home, she reveals her true identity by showing him a 3D projection of a video in which an elderly Jiro from the future warns him about an upcoming disaster. The old Jiro told him that the shooting at the restaurant paralyzed him for life. However, a lottery ticket he bought earlier was fortunate for him. He spent all his time and money on one thing: creating the cyborg girl to save his past self about 60 years ago. Now, he has recreated the history of his timeline by sending her. This was not supposed to happen, but things would correct themselves by recalibrating to the right dimension. In a short span of time, she becomes Jiro's protector as well as a loyal friend and they both share some wonderful moments. She also saves many other lives from tragic deaths that old Jiro had regretted witnessing.

Over time, Jiro not only becomes dependent on, but also falls in love with her. However, when she cannot return his feelings, he gets irritated and forbids her from seeing him unless she can do so. He begins to regret this, especially when it becomes apparent that she is still helping him while staying out of his sight. Another disaster soon occurs: a gigantic earthquake completely devastates Tokyo. As his apartment block collapses, she appears to help him, but even her superhuman strength isn't enough to save him. After telling Jiro that she now understands his feelings, she is destroyed while saving him. Later, distraught, Jiro finds her body and spends the next 61 years trying to rebuild her. He eventually succeeds but dies shortly after.

Further in the future (63 years later) in 2133, a girl is told by her friend that there is a cyborg on display that looks just like her. She is curious and buys the now defunct cyborg to experience the memories stored in her hard drive. Intrigued, she then decides to fulfil her wish of going back in time to meet Jiro. She is revealed to be the actual girl who met Jiro on his 20th birthday (22 November 2007), who did so because she wanted to meet him before the cyborg did. After the events of the story, she comes again to the moment when Jiro weeps over the destroyed body of the cyborg. She then says, "I can feel his heart," and decides to live with Jiro from then on, changing his fate again.

Timelines[edit]

While revealed dramatically in different manners throughout the film, the narrative includes three distinct timelines that intertwine to form the full story.

Timeline 1[edit]

On his 20th birthday (22 November 2007), Jiro is visited by a mysterious girl who charms him but leaves suddenly after telling him that the man living in Jiro's house jilted her. Jiro buys a lottery ticket shortly before his 21st birthday (22 November 2008). On that day, he is tragically shot and wounded by a crazed gunman at the Italian restaurant. Although paralyzed for the rest of his life, he is able to fulfill his childhood promise to his (grand)mother and become a scientist, using his lottery winnings to create a cyborg in the perfect image of the girl who charmed him on his 20th birthday. From his high-tech wheelchair complete with robotic arms, he records a message to his younger self, embeds the message in the cyborg, and sends her back to 22 November 2008 to meet himself on his 21st birthday and prevent the shooting.

Timeline 2[edit]

On his 21st birthday (22 November 2008), he is suddenly visited by the same girl from one year earlier, who now rescues him from the shooting and proves to be a cyborg. Jiro spends some amount of time with the cyborg (probably many weeks), falls in love with her, but sends her away in a drunken rage, only to be rescued again by her in the Tokyo earthquake where she perishes. Jiro takes possession of the cyborg torso and spends the rest of his life reconstructing her and builds several exact copies. The cyborg is finally able to "feel his heart" and Jiro (this time in a normal wheelchair) dies happy. Decades later, the cyborg girl ends up in a museum where a human girl who looks just like her learns their story (via Jiro's writings also acquired by the museum). A few years later, the human girl's rich father helps her purchase the cyborg in an auction. Using that future's technology, she downloads the cyborg's memories into her own brain. She falls in love with the memories of Jiro and obtains special permission to use a time machine to visit the past for a few hours. She travels back in time to Jiro's 20th birthday (22 November 2007) when she charms him but tearfully must leave him due to the limitations of that time trip.

Timeline 3[edit]

After returning to her own time in the future, the human girl again uses the time machine, this time returning to the exact point in time when Jiro finds the cyborg torso in the ruins of Tokyo. She announces that she has decided to live the rest of her life in young Jiro's timeline.

Cast[edit]

  • Haruka Ayase as the girl, an unnamed girl who suddenly appeared before Jiro whilst he was celebrating his birthday alone
    • Ayase also portrays the cyborg girl, the unnamed cyborg who the future Jiro sent back in time to protect his younger self from a terrible fate
    • Ayase also portrays the future girl, who learns about the cyborg girl's past, and travels back into 2007 where she meets Jiro
  • Keisuke Koide as Jiro Kitamura, a university student who has bought a present for himself and gone to eat spaghetti at the same restaurant every year for his birthday.
  • Kenta Kiritani as Kenta Sato, Jiro's friend
  • Kazuko Yoshiyuki as Jiro's mother
  • Hiromasa Taguchi as the unnamed shooter, who seemingly lost his mind in the restaurant on 22 November 2008

Filming Locations[edit]

Their first day together[edit]

  • As the movie opens, Jiro is at the window of a watch shop. This exterior is Kamine Toa Road Store (カミネ トアロード本店) at 3-1-22 Sannomiyacho, Chuo Ward, Kobe.
  • The stores have changed and the building facade has been remodeled a bit, but the iconic scene where she flirts with him as they walk down opposite sides of the street was definitely in 浪花町筋 in Kobe, specifically in front of “Bar & Bistro 64” at 64番地 Naniwamachi, Chuo Ward, Kobe.
  • The exterior of the fateful Italian restaurant is Old Kobe Residency 15th Hall (旧神戸居留地十五番館) at 15 Naniwamachi, Chuo Ward, Kobe.
  • The dining room was a set built inside a gymnasium on the campus of the Kobe Municipal High School of Science and Technology (神戸市立科学技術高等学校) at 1-4-70 Wakinohamacho, Chuo Ward, Kobe, although it is unclear whether the original gymnasium still stands or it was replaced at some point.

They flee through Chinatown[edit]

  • Choanmon Gate (長安門) at 1-1-1 Motomachidori, Chuo Ward, Kobe is where they enter Chinatown
  • Mitsugi Shoten (三木商店) at 1-3 Sakaemachidōri, Chuo Ward, Kobe is where they steal apples
  • One of the distinctive landmarks they run past is Nankinmachi Square (南京町広場) at 1-3-6 Motomachidori, Chuo Ward, Kobe.
  • They “exit” Chinatown through the main gate of Kuan Ti Miao Temple (関帝廟) at 7-3-2 Nakayamatedori, Chuo Ward, Kobe.
  • Mikage Public Hall (神戸市立御影公会堂) at 4-4-1 Mikageishimachi, Higashinada Ward, Kobe contains the stage where the “Peking Opera” was performing, as well as the staircase where the policeman grabbed the wrong actors.
  • Hanadokeisen Street (花時計線通り) across from Daimaru Department Store is where they shed their costumes, most recognizably the real-world storefront with “Isola Di Motomachi signage at 3-1 Sannomiyachō, Chuo Ward, Kobe (seen as Iba Clinic on screen).
  • The steps down which the girl leaves Jiro with his eyes closed (the same steps at which he sends the cyborg away later) are near Roppongi Hills in Tokyo, right next to the Belle Maison Roppongi Towers (ベルメゾン六本木タワーズ) which is at 7-20-8 Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo.
  • Just before the title card, when we hear Jiro reminiscing about the events of that day, we get a glimpse of the huge TV screen on the M-INT Kobe building (7-1-1 Kumoidori, Chuo Ward, Kobe) in the background. The vantage point is from Sannomiya Station Portliner East Entrance.

The Cyborg arrives[edit]

  • The cyborg arrives to her past amid lightning and chaos in the intersection at the Akashichosuji Former Settlement Free Walk (明石町筋 旧居留地 フリーウォーク) near 47 Akashimachi, Chuo Ward, Kobe.
  • She battles pickpockets in the alley beside the Minato Bank Headquarters building (みなと銀行本店ビル) at 2-1-1 Sannomiyachō, Chuo Ward, Kobe.
  • She acquires shoes and a new dress at Daimaru Kobe, 40 Akashimachi, Chuo Ward, Kobe. Behind the shoe department you can see Caffera which is on the first floor.
  • HARBS Kobe Clefy Sannomiya Store (HARBS 神戸クレフィ三宮店) at 1-4-3 Sannomiyacho, Chuo Ward, Kobe is where she points at the birthday cake in the display, but when she walks out the door carrying it, the scene is at Doutor Coffee half a block down at 1-3-15 Sannomiyacho, Chuo Ward, Kobe 650-0021

Their daily life together[edit]

  • Jiro’s apartment was a set built inside a gymnasium on the campus of the Kobe Municipal High School of Science and Technology (神戸市立科学技術高等学校) at 1-4-70 Wakinohamacho, Chuo Ward, Kobe, although it is unclear whether the original gymnasium still stands or it was replaced at some point.
  • In the background of their morning walk is the large stainless steel sculpture in Yoyo Square (ヨーヨー広場) at 2-3-1 Minatomirai, Nishi Ward in Yokohama, with the vantage point being approximately at Gran Mall Park Fountain (グランモール公園 噴水) at 3-4-1 Minatomirai, Nishi Ward, Yokohama
  • A few seconds later they arrive at Jiro’s college campus whose generic exterior scenes were filmed somewhere in Nishonomiya City east of Kobe.
  • Real-world Kobe University Rokkodai 2nd Campus (神戸大学 六甲台第2キャンパス) at 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nada Ward, Kobe served as Jiro’s college when building exteriors were seen.
  • The interior of Jiro’s part time job with its mint green walls and distinctive chairs seems to be Freshness Burger Sannomiya-chuo-dori (フレッシュネスバーガー三宮中央通り) at 1-3-3 Sannomiyacho, Chuo Ward, Kobe, although what we see outside the windows does not seem to match with reality. It’s possible that they decorated another location to look like that particular Freshness Burger branch on the inside.

Jiro’s hometown[edit]

The village of Gujo Hachiman in Gunma Prefecture was used as Jiro’s hometown.

  • When they get off the bus and look down at the village, the vantage point is from the grounds of Gujo Hachiman Castle (郡上八幡城) at 一の平 659, Hachimancho Yanagimachi, Gujo.
  • The festival parade crossing the bridge at dusk is on Miyagase Bridge (宮ヶ瀬橋). The procession crosses from real-world south to north into the Honmachi neighborhood and the couple is going the opposite direction into Shimadani.
  • The small red bridge seen in the distance at one point during their walking tour is Shimizu Bridge (清水橋) at 493 Hachimancho Osakicho, Gujo.
  • The scenic stream with moss and bridges they walk along is the Otohime River near Sakyo Inari Shrine (左京稲荷神社) at 770-1 Hachimancho Shimadani.
  • The shrine at which they wave to people as they walk by is Hiyoshi Shrine (日吉神社) at 683 Hachimancho Shimadani.
  • Behind the couple when the little girl shows them the fossils is Ishiyama Kimono (石山呉服店) at 828 Hachimancho Shimadani.

The Cyborg’s jealous rage and other antics[edit]

  • The courtyard scenes outside Jiro’s rooftop apartment were filmed on the roof of the Kobe Center for Overseas Migration and Cultural Interaction (海外移住と文化の交流センター) at 3-19-8 Yamamotodori, Chuo Ward, Kobe.
  • The distinctive building visible from Jiro's apartment, that the cyborg throws an empty can at and hits the Sanyo Bank sign, is the Kobe Kanden Building (神戸関電ビル) at 6-2-3 Kanocho, Chuo Ward, Kobe.
  • The schoolgirl rescue from the knife-wielding madman was filmed at a real school – Takatsuki Minami High School in Osaka (大阪府立高槻南高校), which was already closed and vacant at the time of filming. The entire campus has since been razed and replaced by a residential area and the brand new Shibo Elementary School at 3-30-1 Shibocho, Takatsuki, Osaka.
  • After the disco date, the trio walks to Higashi Yuenchi Park (東遊園地公園) at 6-4 Kanocho, Chuo Ward, Kobe. In early 2024 the park was bulldozed and rebuilt from scratch, so if you go there now you won’t be able to recognize the fountain or any other specific locations.
  • The earthquake and disaster scenes were filmed in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture (いわき市) but the large set was mostly contained and no real world elements of Iwaki are recognizable. The only lasting evidence is that some local firefighters got their names in the credits.

The future[edit]

  • The grand staircase that the cyborg walks down was filmed in the Gunma Prefecture Showa Government Building (群馬県庁 昭和庁舎) at 1-1-1 Otemachi, Maebashi, Gunma.
  • The other interiors of future Jiro’s house – the room with 3 large windows, the ballroom, and the dining room – were filmed inside Hyogo House (兵庫県公館) at 4-4-1 Shimoyamatedori, Chuo Ward, Kobe.


Adaptations[edit]

A manga adaptation by Akihiro Nakamura was released on 17 October 2008 (ISBN 4063755746). Based on the film, it was published in Kodansha's Young Magazine.[citation needed]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Box office by Country: Cyborg She Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-06-04
  2. ^ Gray, Jason (13 May 2008). "Gaga's Cyborg She finds real-life home with Bogeydom". Screen International.

External links[edit]


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