Review: You’re Under Arrest The Movie (1999)

Directed by: Junji Nishimura | 100 minutes | action, animation, comedy

If you can’t get away from the terribly chewed quote “for the fans”, it shows how difficult it is to promote a certain product. Yep, “You’re Under Arrest The Movie” is such a product that is only recommended for a specific target audience. So for the fans …

In “You’re Under Arrest The Movie,” police women Miyuki and Natsumi must apprehend a terrorist. This villain wants to blow up all bridges in Tokyo. He has also ensured that all traffic lights in the city have gone wild. This dangerous madman must be stopped at all costs.

The Japanese television series “You’re Under Arrest” tells about the experiences of Miyuki and Natsumi. These two women work at a rather chaotic police station where they perform all kinds of bizarre antics. “You’re Under Arrest” is a Japanese franchise. The manga – on which this film is based – has resulted in a three-season television series, a series of films made for the DVD market, a live-action film and now also a cinema version of the cartoon. If you want to enjoy this movie, you will need to be familiar with all the characters and the setting. The film is set in Tokyo and floods you with sights from this Japanese city. Nice for the connoisseur, confusing for anyone unfamiliar with this city.

If you have not followed the television series, then this film is not for you. The characters are barely explored and director Junji Nishimura scatters names, locations and references to previous events that were seen in the television series. Fans of the series will love this film with a more serious tone. The police chief’s past is also further explored. The action scenes look fine in themselves, but are now a bit dated. The animation is not that smooth.

“You’re Under Arrest The Movie” is a skillfully made movie. Fans will appreciate the speed and the smooth action scenes. The dark tone is also new for this usually cheerful series. If you are not familiar with this franchise, you will find this film confused. So for the fans …