Kissy Suzuki
Encyclopedia
Kissy Suzuki is a fictional character in Ian Fleming
's 1964 James Bond
novel, You Only Live Twice. Despite Bond's womanizing, Kissy Suzuki (at least the literary version) remains the only character known to the reader who bears a child by him. She is also one of the only known Bond girl
s (also in literature) to have died as a result of a non-violent, natural death.
ese Secret Service and is, therefore, asked to assist Bond.
Bond stays with Kissy's family on an island near the castle, where Ernst Stavro Blofeld
maintains a "suicide garden" where people come to die (and are killed by the "gardeners" if they change their mind), and Bond is seeking revenge for the murder of his wife at the conclusion of the previous novel, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Bond enters the castle alone and succeeds in killing Blofeld and then destroying the castle.
Bond then sustains amnesia
in the aftermath of his attack with Blofeld and is believed dead by his superiors; in reality, he comes to believe he is a fisherman and lives with Kissy for several months. Kissy deciding that she will not stop him if he decides to pursue his true identity but will encourage the cover story that allowed him to stay with her until something else happens. When Bond decides to leave for Russia
, believing the answers to his identity are there, Kissy does not follow; unknown to Bond, she is pregnant with his child.
Kissy Suzuki does not appear again in the Bond canon
, and Bond's child does not appear until "Blast From the Past", a short story
published in 1996 by Raymond Benson
as a direct sequel to You Only Live Twice. By the time of this story, Kissy is now deceased, having died from ovarian cancer
a few years before the story's timeline, and Bond is contacted by his Anglo-Asian son named James Suzuki.
, Kissy is a ninja
agent working for Tanaka. Bond and Kissy eventually find Blofeld's secret base, hidden within a volcano and Kissy is sent to alert Tanaka. While swimming to her destination, she is pursued and fired upon by a SPECTRE helicopter, but her experience as a pearl diver
enables her to dive underwater and stay there long enough to convince her pursuers that she drowned. After alerting Tanaka, she joins the raid that manages to foil Blofeld's scheme, thereby averting the outbreak of World War III
.
The treatment of Kissy varies greatly between the novel and the film. In the film, she is never identified by her name, no family name appears in the closing credits, and the film ends in the usual Bond-style happy ending.
In the movie, Kissy is played by Mie Hama
. She was originally cast to be played by Akiko Wakabayashi
; however, Hama had trouble learning English for the much bigger role of Aki
, so the two decided to swap their roles. When Hama became ill during shooting, Sean Connery
's wife Diane Cilento
doubled for her in the swimming sequence.
A limited number of Kissy Suzuki dolls were produced in 1967; today, these dolls are valuable on the collector market. Mie Hama also appeared in Playboy
magazine in a 1967 nude pictorial "007's Oriental Eyefuls", causing much controversy in Japan as the first Asian woman to appear in Playboy.
, this also looks extremely out of place. Similarly inconsistent is her acting, which is charming but forgettable;" however, a retrospective CBS
featurette called her "stunning".
She was also ranked #18 by LIFE Magazine on the list of The 20 Best Bond Girls, and shared #4 with Akiko Wakabayashi's Aki on a list of best Bond girls by Examiner.com
("Both actors exuded charm and exotic dignity, making it impossible to choose between them.").
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
's 1964 James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
novel, You Only Live Twice. Despite Bond's womanizing, Kissy Suzuki (at least the literary version) remains the only character known to the reader who bears a child by him. She is also one of the only known Bond girl
Bond girl
A Bond girl is a character or actress portraying a love interest, of James Bond in a film, novel, or video game. They occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as "Pussy Galore", "Plenty O'Toole", "Xenia Onatopp", or "Holly Goodhead"...
s (also in literature) to have died as a result of a non-violent, natural death.
Novel version
In the book, Kissy is an Ama diver and former Hollywood actress. She is distantly related to an agent of Tiger Tanaka, head of the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Secret Service and is, therefore, asked to assist Bond.
Bond stays with Kissy's family on an island near the castle, where Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Ernst Stavro Blofeld is a fictional character and a supervillain from the James Bond series of novels and films, who was created by Ian Fleming and Kevin McClory. An evil genius with aspirations of world domination, he is the archenemy of the British Secret Service agent James Bond and is arguably...
maintains a "suicide garden" where people come to die (and are killed by the "gardeners" if they change their mind), and Bond is seeking revenge for the murder of his wife at the conclusion of the previous novel, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Bond enters the castle alone and succeeds in killing Blofeld and then destroying the castle.
Bond then sustains amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
in the aftermath of his attack with Blofeld and is believed dead by his superiors; in reality, he comes to believe he is a fisherman and lives with Kissy for several months. Kissy deciding that she will not stop him if he decides to pursue his true identity but will encourage the cover story that allowed him to stay with her until something else happens. When Bond decides to leave for Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, believing the answers to his identity are there, Kissy does not follow; unknown to Bond, she is pregnant with his child.
Kissy Suzuki does not appear again in the Bond canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
, and Bond's child does not appear until "Blast From the Past", a short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
published in 1996 by Raymond Benson
Raymond Benson
Raymond Benson is an American author best known for being the official author of the adult James Bond novels from 1997 to 2003. Benson was born in Midland, Texas and graduated from Permian High School in Odessa in 1973...
as a direct sequel to You Only Live Twice. By the time of this story, Kissy is now deceased, having died from ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses....
a few years before the story's timeline, and Bond is contacted by his Anglo-Asian son named James Suzuki.
Film version
In the 1967 film adaptationYou Only Live Twice (film)
You Only Live Twice is the fifth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fifth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's screenplay was written by Roald Dahl, and loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1964 novel of the same name...
, Kissy is a ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
agent working for Tanaka. Bond and Kissy eventually find Blofeld's secret base, hidden within a volcano and Kissy is sent to alert Tanaka. While swimming to her destination, she is pursued and fired upon by a SPECTRE helicopter, but her experience as a pearl diver
Pearl Diver
Pearl Diver was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from 1946 and 1948 he ran thirteen times and won four races...
enables her to dive underwater and stay there long enough to convince her pursuers that she drowned. After alerting Tanaka, she joins the raid that manages to foil Blofeld's scheme, thereby averting the outbreak of World War III
World War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
.
The treatment of Kissy varies greatly between the novel and the film. In the film, she is never identified by her name, no family name appears in the closing credits, and the film ends in the usual Bond-style happy ending.
In the movie, Kissy is played by Mie Hama
Mie Hama
is a Japanese actress, best-known outside Japan for her role as Kissy Suzuki in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice.-Career:...
. She was originally cast to be played by Akiko Wakabayashi
Akiko Wakabayashi
is a Japanese actress, best known in English-speaking countries for her role as Bond girl, Aki in the 1967 James Bond movie You Only Live Twice. Before this, she had made many movies in her native Japan, especially Toho Studio's monster movies such as Dagora, the Space Monster and Ghidorah, the...
; however, Hama had trouble learning English for the much bigger role of Aki
Aki (James Bond)
Aki, played by Akiko Wakabayashi, is a fictional character in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice.- Creation :Aki does not appear in Ian Fleming's 1964 novel. She was originally named Suki in Roald Dahl's screenplay...
, so the two decided to swap their roles. When Hama became ill during shooting, Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
's wife Diane Cilento
Diane Cilento
Diane Cilento was an Australian theatre and film actress and author.-Biography:Cilento's parents, Sir Raphael Cilento and Lady Phyllis Cilento, were both distinguished medical practitioners....
doubled for her in the swimming sequence.
A limited number of Kissy Suzuki dolls were produced in 1967; today, these dolls are valuable on the collector market. Mie Hama also appeared in Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine in a 1967 nude pictorial "007's Oriental Eyefuls", causing much controversy in Japan as the first Asian woman to appear in Playboy.
Reception
According to UGO Networks, "Although Mie Hama is attractive in her bikiniBikini
The bikini is typically a women's two-piece swimsuit. One part of the attire covers the breasts and the other part covers the crotch and part of or the entire buttocks, leaving an uncovered area between the two. Merriam–Webster describes the bikini as "a woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit" or "a...
, this also looks extremely out of place. Similarly inconsistent is her acting, which is charming but forgettable;" however, a retrospective CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
featurette called her "stunning".
She was also ranked #18 by LIFE Magazine on the list of The 20 Best Bond Girls, and shared #4 with Akiko Wakabayashi's Aki on a list of best Bond girls by Examiner.com
Examiner.com
Examiner.com is a media company based in Denver, Colorado, that operates a network of local news websites, allowing "pro–am contributors" to share their city-based knowledge on a blog-like platform, in 238 markets throughout the United States and parts of Canada with two national editions, one for...
("Both actors exuded charm and exotic dignity, making it impossible to choose between them.").
External links
- Kissy Suzuki (Character) at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- KISSY SUZUKI - Bond Girls: Declassified at Yahoo!Yahoo!Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
- James Bond multimedia | Mie Hama (Kissy Suzuki)
- Kissy Suzuki - James Bond Wiki