Once armed with a proper rewatch from first film to the third, I was ready to tackle the aptly named Baby Assassins 3 Nice Days, which made its debut at Fantasia Film Fest. Even after the latest, I had to revisit the prior films to remind myself about what made this slugfest fun. With this latest, the dynamic duo finally get to go on vacation!
This film written and directed by Yugo Sakamoto is an action packed doozy! I’m sure he drew upon some other classic anime girls with guns series when he first fashioned this concept. There’s Dirty Pair and Noir, but I swear, everytime I look at this live-action take, I’m constantly reminded of Laverne & Shirley! The comedy is familiar, even though the world these youths live in are very different.
When compared to the first, the relationship between the leads have gotten tighter over time. While their personalities remain the same, much has changed since. While the two try to enjoy vacation, they’re called back to work. That’s because there’s a target living in Miyazaki Prefecture and when they finally find that individual, they discover they’re not the only ones assigned to do the job!
Kaede (Sosuke Ikematsu) is a lone wolf who loves a challenge. Like the last film, there’s a question of who is the better killer. He instantly attacks Mahiro (Saori Izawa) and unless Chisato (Akari Takaishi) has to decide on whether to save her partner or finish the job. When this actor last played Shin Ultraman, I had to ask how can anyone fight him and not become overwhelmed? This action packed film has given him some fancy martial arts chops to admire. And it’s a thrill to see him play a bad guy. However, when the target escapes, the girls get reprimanded by the chief, and I can picture their new enemy pointing and laughing!
Although the plot between second and third films seem similar, at least this rival is not purposely out to kill them to be the alpha! The Agency (or Guild, as it’s referred to) has an issue with this renegade, and has to take charge! We get to learn more about this organisation than in previous works, and I feel there’s more meat to what they represent in this outing.
Also, Mahiro and Chisato now have Agency supervisors Minami (Atsuko Maeda) and Nanase (Mondo Otani) who watch over them, and I’m fairly sure they don’t enjoy having a surrogate mom and dad around. When they’re taking on even greater tests, the challenges and laughs associated with this franchise are brought up a notch, and I believe this makes for a stronger drama. To see them develop as best friends is well mapped out, and that’s why I love watching this franchise.
And I must note this movie offers more exciting hand-to-hand action than learning about what these characters use as firearms. I’m sure Kenichi Sonada (of Gunsmith Cats fame) would love everything that’s featured here! But for me, I’d need a guide; hopefully that’s being planned by Well GO USA for this latest entry’s eventual home video release.
4 Stars out of 5
Baby Assassins 3: Nice Days Movie Trailer
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