Blu-ray Review: BABY ASSASSINS

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Aug 14, 2022 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Teenagers Chisato (Akari Takaishi, Distant Thunder, A Janitor) and Mahiro (Saori Izawa, A Janitor) are just about to graduate high school, but they are already working as highly-trained professional assassins. However, their boss has ordered them to move in together, and get part-time jobs to help them blend into society and serve as cover. The only problem is, they are terrible at interviewing, and don’t feel any motivation to get another job, especially Mahiro, who usually gets annoyed or bored before her interviews are over, and dreams of killing her potential new boss (and sometimes really goes through with it). While the girls are good at their main jobs, they seem to have a knack for finding trouble, much to the annoyance of their handler, who usually has to relay the news to the big boss, and clean things up. Sharing an apartment also starts to wear down on the girls and cause a rift between them. But after they accidentally draw the attention of the yakuza, the girls are going to need to get over their differences and work together.

Baby Assassins has a great belnd of action and humor, often embracing and doubling-down on the completely ridiculous and absurd. The friendship between Chisato and Mahiro is a lot of fun. When they’re on a job, nothing seem to phase them, and the killing is all just part of the routine. Whether it’s a half-dozen guys with guns, or just one martial arts master, Mahiro and Chisato make easy work out of their attackers, throwing kicks and punches, dodging attacks, or using any weapons they can get their hands on to neutralize the threat. This leads to some incredibly impressive action sequences and fight scenes. When the girls aren’t kicking ass or killing people, or accidentally getting themselves into some new sticky situation, they’re often sitting at home, either exhausted or lazy, having some ridiculous discussion or once again complaining about having to find a job.

In addition to following the girls on their various missions, failed job interviews, and getting reprimanded by their handler, the film also shows us the crazy family life of the yakuza boss Ippei Hamaoka (Yasukaze Motomiya) and his young adult offspring, who have a sibling rivalry going over who should be the next in command. Son Kazuki (Satoshi Uekiya) assumes he should be in charge since he his male, but his father wants the yakuza to be less sexist and more welcoming to women, so he encourages his daughter Himari (Mone Akitani) in her interest in following in his footsteps, giving her more responsibility and teaching her the business. However, despite being ambitious and enthusiastic about running a criminal empire, neither of these children are the brightest. This leads to some hilarious moments as Himari builds this one-sided rivalry/friendship with Chisato that she’s not even aware exists.

There are several other fun side characters who pop up throughout the film, but one who really stood out was when the girls attempt a part-time job at a Moe café, where they have to dress up like maids and treat the customers like children. This leads to some hilarious moments as they meet their enthusiastic coworker (Nagiko Tsuji), who is constantly going on about lunch budgets and how expensive sandwiches are. While Chisato actually doesn’t mind this ridiculous job, it is the antithesis of Mahiro’s personality, and she doesn’t fit in or feel comfortable there.

The film does a nice job of setting up all these characters and allowing them to grow, while also building to a big final action sequence. While the movie feels like it tells a complete story, it definitely leaves you in a place where you want to see what wacky adventures come next for Chisato & Mahiro. I would definitely welcome a sequel.

Well Go’s Blu-ray release only includes the original Japanese audio—there is no English dub offered this time around. The audio track does a nice job of putting the viewer into the action, whether it’s the gunshots echoing across the room, or the thud of every kick and punch landing on their targets. The video has a bit of a washed out look to it, but it felt like this was the aesthetic that the filmmakers were going for, rather than a quality issue with the presentation, and is quite pleasing in all other respects. Action sequences always look clear, no matter how fast everything is moving. And the film makes use of some creative camera shots, such as one scene where we see the girls placing something in the freezer from the POV of inside the freezer.

The Blu-ray release is pretty much barebones, only including the film’s trailer, along with some previews for three other Well Go releases. The disc comes packed in a locking HD keepcase, and doesn’t include a digital copy. Our review copy included a glossy, embossed slipcover.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:35:05)

1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: Japanese DTS-HDMA 5.1, Japanese Stereo
Subtitles: English

Extras:
All remaining trailers play back-to-back after starting playback for one item.

Trailer (2:10)
Previews
- Ip Man: The Awakening (1:34)
- Spiritwalker (1:47)
- Seobok (1:37)

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

Baby Assassins is a unique, fun action-comedy that puts its main characters in some ridiculous situations, not taking their jobs as teenage assassins too seriously. But when it comes to the big action scenes, they feel like something out of a straightforward action film. The choreography and execution of the fight scenes are very impressive, and these are balanced well with the more humorous moments. Well Go’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, but doesn’t include any bonus material. The release is definitely worth a look for anyone looking for a quirky, different, and funny action-comedy.