There are many Japanese musical films about aspiring rock and pop stars (though not Hollywood-style musicals, which are seldom made here.) Among the best-loved is "Linda, Linda, Linda," Nobuhiro Yamashita's 2005 film about four teenage girls who hastily form a band and wow the kids at a school cultural festival playing The Blue Hearts' tune of the title.
Although a hit in Japan and an audience favorite at festivals abroad, "Linda, Linda, Linda" spawned few successors. One reason is that actual teenage girls here would rather see movies featuring ikemen (handsome guys) burning up the stage.
Based on an original script by Kaori Tanimoto and directed by Shunji Muguruma, "JK Rock" cleverly combines a main story about hot-looking rockers with a subplot about a teen girl band (the "JK" in the title refers to joshi kōsei or high school girls).