I have to confess the weird title and sexy pictures of its star on the DVD box were what first attracted my attention with this film, that and the fact it was directed by one of the minds behind Battle Royale. In fact the box cover suggested this would be another bloodbath-style film along the lines of BR or Suicide Club. But while the film does follow some of the similar theme lines as those two films (I don't know if I'd ever have wanted to go to school in Japan with all the suicides that are apparently going on!) Yo- Yo Girl Cop is far removed from these other shows.
As I understand it, Yo-Yo Girl is sort of a female James Bond or Doctor Who in that it's a venerable role that has been featured in several other films and TV shows over the years and played by different women (the actress who plays Saki's mother in this film was the first to play the role and she's treated with the same reverence you might see if Sean Connery appeared in a Bond film today). As a result, there are a few things Western viewers might not get, such as the significance of the Yo-Yo for example. Or why when the villain suddenly reveals that he has brightly dyed hair that this is somehow significant. The entertaining behind-the-scenes featurette also reveals that the somewhat stilted proclamation Saki makes before her big battle at the end is a traditional part of the franchise (much as 007 saying "My name is Bond, James Bond" is a moment everyone waits for in the 007 films; this film also pays homage to that tradition, too).
Western viewers might also not get the fact that this film's star, Aya Matsuura, is sort of a Hilary Duff type over in Japan (actially, I think all the female leads are singers. Aya does a great job, and I could see how this role might make her a film star over there. (Apparently she did all her own stunts, which involve some slapstick action of the type you'd never expect her counterparts in America to do). Rika Ishikawa, as the resident bad girl, steals every scene she's in, which in true Bond fashion is what a good bad girl is supposed to do.
There are a few inconsistencies that detract from the film. You have to take it as given, for example, that Saki is able to heal a rather serious-looking eye injury within the matter of only a few hours, and also become a master of yo-yo flinging (although to be fair the film does show her screwing it up initially). And the revelation as to the true origin of the Enola Gay "suicide club" is very disappointing. But the performances, humor and action - not to mention the cute girls - make up for it.
One good thing, though, is unlike the horrific experiences with the North American DVD releases of Cashern and Avalon, there doesn't appear to be any indication of major editing or alteration of the film. Hopefully that means distributors are finally starting to understand that North American viewers aren't interested in bastardized versions of these films.
However, do NOT watch the English-dubbed version. I usually prefer watching the versions with the original language and subtitles, but understand those who don't want to "read" their movies. But in this case the dubbing was pretty awful and would definitely give first-time Wetsern viewers a bad impression.
PS. Since writing this review I've read some very negative comments about this film on websites and forums where this new film is being treated the way most TV show remakes are treated - with contempt. Well, just to add to my earlier comments, I was able to enjoy the film in part because I approached it from a completely fresh perspective. It may or may not be better or worse than the original series, but I'm definitely going to try and track down episodes of the original show if I can.
As I understand it, Yo-Yo Girl is sort of a female James Bond or Doctor Who in that it's a venerable role that has been featured in several other films and TV shows over the years and played by different women (the actress who plays Saki's mother in this film was the first to play the role and she's treated with the same reverence you might see if Sean Connery appeared in a Bond film today). As a result, there are a few things Western viewers might not get, such as the significance of the Yo-Yo for example. Or why when the villain suddenly reveals that he has brightly dyed hair that this is somehow significant. The entertaining behind-the-scenes featurette also reveals that the somewhat stilted proclamation Saki makes before her big battle at the end is a traditional part of the franchise (much as 007 saying "My name is Bond, James Bond" is a moment everyone waits for in the 007 films; this film also pays homage to that tradition, too).
Western viewers might also not get the fact that this film's star, Aya Matsuura, is sort of a Hilary Duff type over in Japan (actially, I think all the female leads are singers. Aya does a great job, and I could see how this role might make her a film star over there. (Apparently she did all her own stunts, which involve some slapstick action of the type you'd never expect her counterparts in America to do). Rika Ishikawa, as the resident bad girl, steals every scene she's in, which in true Bond fashion is what a good bad girl is supposed to do.
There are a few inconsistencies that detract from the film. You have to take it as given, for example, that Saki is able to heal a rather serious-looking eye injury within the matter of only a few hours, and also become a master of yo-yo flinging (although to be fair the film does show her screwing it up initially). And the revelation as to the true origin of the Enola Gay "suicide club" is very disappointing. But the performances, humor and action - not to mention the cute girls - make up for it.
One good thing, though, is unlike the horrific experiences with the North American DVD releases of Cashern and Avalon, there doesn't appear to be any indication of major editing or alteration of the film. Hopefully that means distributors are finally starting to understand that North American viewers aren't interested in bastardized versions of these films.
However, do NOT watch the English-dubbed version. I usually prefer watching the versions with the original language and subtitles, but understand those who don't want to "read" their movies. But in this case the dubbing was pretty awful and would definitely give first-time Wetsern viewers a bad impression.
PS. Since writing this review I've read some very negative comments about this film on websites and forums where this new film is being treated the way most TV show remakes are treated - with contempt. Well, just to add to my earlier comments, I was able to enjoy the film in part because I approached it from a completely fresh perspective. It may or may not be better or worse than the original series, but I'm definitely going to try and track down episodes of the original show if I can.