Battle girls vs. Yakuza – Sukeban hantâzu: Sôkatsu nagurikomi sakusen (2010)

Directed by: Kazushi Nakadaira | 93 minutes | action | Actors: Asami, Rena Komine, Jirô Satô, Misato Tate, Rumi Hiiragi, Yûki Matsumura, Yûta Sone, Kenji Motomiya, Sôkô Wada, Shûji Yamamoto

The gore genre of the film world in Japan is very popular not only in its own country but also in the rest of the world. ‘Tokyo Gore Police’, ‘The Machine Girl’, ‘Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl” and “Mutant Girls Squad” are just a few of these highly successful titles that are full of revenge, gory killings and scantily clad ladies. Also ‘Battle Girls vs. Yakuza’ pretends to be delicious bloodshed for an hour and a half, where the enthusiast could lick his fingers.

Asami returns to her old girl gang in the city after two years. The city has since been taken over by the yakuza. Asami and her girl squad decide to take revenge and kill every yakuza. At the top of her list is one of her old partners who betrayed her in the past. A bloody quest for revenge begins…

What ‘Battle Girls vs. Yakuza’ also pretends to be, enjoying it is certainly not. The makers try to achieve the typical pulp look with sounds from the eighties, fighting ladies in miniskirts, the too colorful and extravagant clothes, samurai swords that are twisted around and somehow also seem to hit and clap people during fights that never hit anyone. Surely all these ingredients could make for a delicious slasher? Nothing is less true.

Director Kazushu Nakadaira’s film hits the mark. What the viewer sees is an accumulation of fights that are not properly portrayed. In addition, the level of intelligence of the film does not match that of a single cell.

Of course, the Japanese gore movies have to rely on something other than intelligence, but unlike, say, ‘Mutant Girls Squad’, the gore in ‘Battle Girls vs. Yakuza’ not to be seen and that is disastrous here. Add to that the fact that the acting is of a questionable level and a true flop was born. Actress Asami, who gained some sort of cult status with her role in ‘The Machine Girl’, says in ‘Battle Girls vs. Yakuza’ unfortunately also somewhat disappoints. but that’s not surprising in this dramatically poor production.

‘Battle Girls vs. Yakuza’ actually fails in every way a film can fail. It’s better that some yakuza with a shining samurai sword cut the film to pieces.