Battle Girls vs. Yakuza 2: Duel in Hell – Gyakushû! Sukeban hantazu: Jigoku no ketto (2010)

Directed by: Shin’ichi Okuda | 75 minutes | action | Actors: Asami, Naoki Kawano, Hitomi Miwa, Kenji Motomiya, Porche Okite, Yumi Yoshiyuki

Asami returns after three years of intense training as a Yakuza fighter. When she wants to visit her former master Inokuma, she discovers that his bar has been destroyed and that nothing is as it was.

Japan is completely obsessed with splatter movies. Recently, the most outlandish films have been appearing on an assembly line in which meters of gut, exploding skull caps and sawed-off hands are the most normal thing in the world. And why not? These movies are cheap to make, can be completely over the top (because that’s part of the genre) and there’s a market for them. ‘Battle Girls vs Yakuza 2’ also wants to join this trend, but that is quite misleading. This film is not gross, funny and crazy. Quiet, dingy and dated then again…

‘Battle Girls vs Yakuza 2’ revolves around Asami (played by the actress of the same name). This taciturn lady is a Yakuza hunter who visits her master Inokuma (Sakichi Sato) after years of absence. He is not doing well because the Yakuza (Japanese mafia) threatens him. Asami is placed with Inokuma’s friend Miki (Yumi Yoshiyuki). When the mobsters kill Miki and her baby, Asami vows revenge.

The synopsis promises a lot of bloodshed, but it’s not that bad. ‘Battle Girls vs Yakuza 2’ is mainly a melodrama with a few gore scenes in it. The film mainly focuses on the bond between Asami and Miki. Unfortunately, Asami is just about one of the most boring characters in film history. She is taciturn, constantly looking around in a daze and appears very distant. Miki is then again quite hysterical and exuberant. The friendship between these two women seems very unbelievable and is absolutely not interesting. The poor acting doesn’t make it any better. The biggest objection is that there is no humor in this film. It’s way too serious.

The flat characters don’t manage to hit a single moment and the special effects aren’t impressive either. The battle scenes look wooden and the soundtrack ‘borrows’ eagerly from Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill’. This splatter horror is just boring and way too good. Only once in a while does this debut by director Shin’ichi Okuda impress. In the beginning, a woman’s genitals are chainsawed (even though it looks very fake and a dress covers it up) and a baby murder occurs (which fortunately takes place offscreen). These scenes are disgusting, but they are the only ones that provoke some form of emotion.

Actress Asami may also provoke emotions, but that is due to her past in which she was active as a Japanese porn actress… Bet she acted better in those films?