Wesley R. Ball’s review published on Letterboxd:
Imagine if Gillian Flynn wrote Gone Girl in Japan. While dropping PCP.
Imagine if Sion Sono directed the film adaptation.
The World of Kanako is guaranteed to reach these heights of insanity, and even has an enticing plot to boot. It delves into the mysteriously maniacal underbelly of Japan, and the style draws from an insane variety of films- from Oldboy and I Saw the Devil to the wacky styles of Quentin Tarantino and yes, Sion Sono. It's a formula that might seem unoriginal at first, but really works perfectly well with the story and its pace. A few times, a much-needed injection of adrenaline is put into the story, picking up the more expositional parts and running away at full speed.
Sometimes, Kanako is horrifyingly brutal as well. It clearly covers a wide range of film styles, but rather than trying to cram them all into 119 minutes, the director dishes out a nice, evenly paced story that matches the promised insanity to ensue.
Brutal at times, intoxicatingly insane at others, The World of Kanako is an investigative procedural unlike anything I've seen. Asian cinema knows better than anyone else how to take a seemingly boring and pointless plot and turning it into an insane mashup of action, comedy, and drama. It's a charming style that has stuck with the majority of mainstream Asian cinema for many years, and a formula I expect to continue on for many years to come. The even dispersement of various appropriate film styles, along with fascinating homage tributes, makes this a surprise and a well-produced fare. A riveting suspense-fest that will shock you probably almost as much as confuse you.