Beibî Warukyûre / Baby Assassins (2021) - Underrated Action Comedy Gem That Breaks Conventional Genre Boundaries in a Refreshing Way - 8/10

Baby Assassins is a Japanese action comedy film with unconventional plot and intriguing characters that surprised me very positively. The movie is not as immature as its title or movie poster might suggest and actually has much to offer for teenage and adult audiences around the world.

The story revolves around high school graduates and teenage friends Chisato and Mahori. They have recently moved to a small but cozy apartment where they are living together in downtown Tokyo. Their characters couldn't be more different from each other. Chrisato is sociable, quirky, outgoing, humorous and adventurous as she is constantly trying to get new part-time jobs and meet new people. Mahori on the other side is unconventional, thoughtful, serious, quiet and antisocial and doesn't like getting side jobs or making new friends. However, the two young women have one thing in common: they are professional assassins. One day, they are instructed to kill a member of an infamous Yakuza family. The victim's colleagues try to find out who murdered him and soon start discovering, investigating and observing the two assassins. When two more important members of the same family are killed in self-defence, Chisato and Mahori must face off against the entire clan led by a vengeful daughter who hides sadistic tendencies under her joyful behaviour.

This unique movie managed to convince me on several levels. First and foremost, the three female lead actresses offer quite different acting skills and complement one another perfectly. Their characters are dynamic, intriguing and unique and make viewers care about them. It's also refreshing that none of these characters are dressed up in elegant ways or involved in any romantic relationships. The characters simply manage to shine brightly on their own without being associated to any sexist stereotypes or cumbersome side plots. Up next, the story might not be too complicated to follow but offers quite a few surprising twists and turns mixing hilarious situation comedy with brutal martial arts sequences. This movie feels like a rollercoaster ride as you never quite know what to expect from the next scene. The locations have also been chosen with care and vary from sinister hideouts over cozy apartments to colourful cafés. The film has a perfect length with ninety-five minutes and has entertained me from start to finish.

One could criticize that the plot needs some time to unfold and might be rather simple at the end of the day. Other people will complain that the movie is too colourful, experimental and weird. However, those elements haven't bothered me at all. I actually appreciated getting to know the two heroines and their environment before getting thrown into the main plot. The movie's quirky side represents contemporary Japanese culture in downtown Tokyo very well and makes me want to discover the country's bubbly side even more. I would even go as far to say that I would like to watch a sequel to this movie as I have grown to appreciate the two lead characters very much and think that their unconventional adventures could easily be made into a television or movie series. Coming from someone who usually despises sequels and barely watches any television series, this compliment is as big and sincere as it gets.

As you can read, my final evaluation of this film is very positive. If you like adventurous, colourful, contemporary, creative and diversified storytelling that breaks genre boundaries, then you can't get around this underrated gem that deserves more appreciation, attention and recognition. Baby Assassins certainly is one of the most entertaining movies I have watched in a long time and has left a lasting impression on me.

Beibî Warukyûre 2 Beibî / Baby Assassins 2 Babies (2023) - A Guilty Pleasure - 6/10

In the year 2021, unconventional action-comedy Baby Assassins was a remarkable success despite its limited budget thanks to creative characters, gripping martial arts elements and unpredictable plot elements. The idea to plan and film a sequel entitled Baby Assassins 2 Babies seemed logical and promising at the time. However, this second movie in the series only qualifies as just above average. Where did this film go wrong?

First of all, the plot is really paper-thin. Two male assassins want to earn more money and thus plan on murdering the two female assassins who are living and working together to take their places. This is it. The story doesn't have enough depth to carry this film through one hundred one minutes.

Up next, the side stories in this film simply repeat ideas from the first film on a less convincing level. Our unconventional heroines Fukagawa Mahiro and Sugimoto Chisato are training for their future missions. They are discussing food culture. The lead characters are taking on side jobs as mascots that are very annoying. The movie rehashes past ideas instead of adding anything exciting to the plot. The film's middle section thus has significant lengths.

Several scenes in this movie are executed oddly to say the least. The final fight that is supposed to be the film's highlight has a weird break that attempts to be creative but will leave viewers scratching their heads in confusion. The same could be said about the post-credit scene that shows the lead characters having a discussion about dumplings that is completely unimportant and abruptly ends right in the middle. That isn't how intriguing post-credit shots should be done at all.

However, this film still has some redeeming values despite its significant flaws. The two male gangsters are surprisingly sympathetic and seem to have a solid friendship. One of them is more serious, organized and cold as he also portrays excellent martial arts skills. His partner is funny, nervous and quirky and even too shy to speak to the waitress of his favourite restaurant that he would like to ask out on a date. In many ways, the new male characters are comparable to the two lead characters. The movie deserves respect for not attempting to create romantic side stories involving these four teenagers and instead confronting them in a matter of life and death.

The two lead characters continue to be intriguing. Sugimoto Chisato is emotional, outgoing and quirky while Fukagawa Mahiro is calm, socially awkward and rational. The challenges these two characters are going through are also fascinating. Sugimoto Chisato struggles with a gambling addiction. Fukagawa Mahiro fails her driving classes time and again. Both of them have significant financial struggles.

It's also interesting how this second movie continues to portray life in downtown Tokyo. It involves street gambling, enthusiastic lotteries and low-budget restaurants while also featuring hideouts for criminals and crime scene cleaners. The sum is certainly greater than its parts in this series.

At the end of the day, there are just enough intriguing elements that justify watching Baby Assassins 2 Babies if you are familiar with the first entry in the series. This movie convinces with two intriguing new male characters, the charisma of the unconventional lead characters and quirky details of life in downtown Tokyo. The film however suffers from a paper-thin plot, repetitive side stories and several odd scenes slowing down its fluidity. Despite such flaws, this series remains a guilty pleasure for me and I would watch a third film in a heartbeat. As I have been pointing out, this series is quite unique and you either like it for this reason or you don't. In my case, this series is exactly my kind of movie series and I will thus remain faithful to it.