Swing Girls

During a dull summer make-up class, Tomoko and the other girls coax their math teacher, Mr. Ozawa, into letting them deliver lunch instead of staying idle. They head off with the brass band toward a baseball game, hoping to be useful if a chance arises. On the train they share the meals, fall asleep after eating one lunch, and miss their stop.

On the return journey they let the heat spoil the lunches and most of them fall sick with food poisoning. Only Takuo Nakamura, the cymbal player who had missed his meal, stays healthy. The girls face the consequences of their impulsive plan and worry about how they’ll recover.

Takuo holds auditions for replacements to play at the upcoming baseball game. Only three girls audition: two former punk band members and Kaori Sekiguchi. The tryouts reveal little musical skill, but Kaori’s quiet concentration hints at hidden potential.

Takuo confronts the group, threatening to report them for the food poisoning unless they join the band. Lacking experience yet eager, the girls agree to become a big-band swing outfit to cover their gaps. They begin practicing in earnest, hoping to pull off a respectable performance.

Kaori’s natural talent starts to influence the others, and they begin to enjoy playing instead of goofing around. The team sheds their initial awkwardness as they train and tighten their ensemble. The idea of performing a real swing set starts to feel achievable.

Just as confidence grows, the long-awaited brass band members recover and the new group is threatened with being sidelined. The day before the baseball game, doubt returns and the girls wonder if they’ll ever perform publicly. They resolve to press on despite the setback.

In the new school year, Tomoko sells her PlayStation 2 and computer gear to buy a used tenor saxophone, which she soon damages by breaking a pad. While practicing, she stumbles upon Takuo quietly playing his keyboard, and they share a short duet of Take the A Train. The moment becomes a milestone that redefines the band’s direction.

To support the dream, the Swing Girls decide to buy their own instruments. They take supermarket jobs to earn money, but a cooking demonstration goes awry and triggers the store’s sprinkler system, wiping out wages. Undeterred, they continue practicing and plotting their next steps.

The girls spend a day mushroom-picking in the countryside, but a boar attacks. One girl accidentally kills it and they claim the reward money to protect crops. With the funds, they buy cheap but damaged instruments, later repaired by two ex-boyfriends who run a wrecking yard.

Swing Girls perform their first public show; the set goes awkwardly, but Kaori receives advice from a mysterious jazz fan. When the group approaches him, he bolts, and they discover he is actually Mr. Ozawa, an enthusiastic amateur with an extensive jazz collection. The revelation becomes a turning point.

They record an audition tape for a music festival, but Tomoko delays sending it and the band is rejected. Nakamura reveals Ozawa is not a professional saxophonist, and Ozawa begs him to keep the secret as he quits the festival with the group in embarrassment. The truth unsettles the band but they press on.

On the train to the music festival, Tomoko admits the group has no real place at the event and the mood dips. A snowstorm halts the train, and Ms. Itami arrives by bus with news that another band canceled, offering a last-minute chance. The Swing Girls rush to the festival, perform their set, and win over the audience including their classmates, Ms. Itami, and Ozawa.