An enjoyable live action Manga from director Kenta Fukasaku that enters similar territory to Battle Royale, but let’s see some more yo-yo action next time…
‘K’ (J-pop star Aya Matsuura) is a fiery, martial art trained teenager who makes a deal with the Tokyo Police to free her mother – currently held under serious criminal charges by the US authorities. That deal involves becoming an undercover agent at the Seisen Academy, the origin of an underground website aimed at disaffected and suicidal students called Enola Gay, which has just started an ominous timer counting down.
Disguised as a high school transfer student called Asamiya Saki, she has only 72 hours to find out who’s behind the Enola Gay website, but she’s going to have to handle the school bullies first…
With its near hysterical, hormone ridden students driving all emotions well out of proportion, and Heathers/Mean Girls like dominance of girl bullies who dominate what’s (or who’s) cool and who’s not in school, Kenta Fukasaku returns to the hyper amplified high school world of Battle Royale. (Though it must be said this is a distinct improvement over his sequel, Battle Royale 2.)
Of course for British viewers recent events in Bridgend, Wales, potentially make the story come across as somewhat insensitive – seeming to make light of their self-harming and suicidal tendencies, without the cleverness of Kenta’s original script for Battle Royale – yet considering the source material you can hardly fault it for the film for comic book simplification?
Instead it’s all actresses who are quite obviously older than the age they are playing, running around dressed as school girls, which is always going to find an audeince. Yet for all its flaws its a likeable reboot of the Sukeban Deka (Deliquent Girl Cop) manga character from the 70s, the object of three live action TV series, an OVA and two live action movies. A previous Asamiya, Yuki Saito, even makes a cameo appearance as her mother.
Yet throughout Suki herself seems a little bit useless. Having proved her abilities against the US authorities, she seems unable to handle her schoolmates, spending much of the film recovering from one knock on the head or another. She only comes into her own in the finale, which itself is short-lived, and despite the involvement of World Yo-yo Champion Takahiko Hasegawa, you wish there was a lot more yo-yo action. (The mind overflows with the sort of trick shots that could be played – well, mine does anyway – but sadly the film doesn’t really deliver.)
The cast comes off well, with Riki Takeuchi (Dead Or Alive, Battle Royale II: Requiem) giving an enjoyable performance as Suki’s main contact Kazutoshi Kira, a man who has more of a connection to her than she realises. Overall, it’s an enjoyable yarn if nothing particularly special.
The DVD of Yo-Yo Girl Cop will be released in the UK on Monday 22 September by 4Digital Asia.
DVD details
Distributor: 4Digital Asia (UK)
The DVD will include:Making of Yo Yo Cop Girl; Original Japanese trailer; Press Conference; Premiere Press Conference; stars Aya Matsuura & Yuki Saito talk; Cast and Crew interviews.
