Tag: MMA

I Am What I Am 2, Does Changing The Title To The Kung Fu Kid Hit Harder When ‘A’ Isn’t Used?

Well Go USA’s The Kung Fu Kid is actually I Am What I Am 2 (雄狮少年2), although neither the original title nor its status as a sequel is acknowledged. The film works as a standalone, but is altogether more powerful when Liu Jiajuan’s earlier life in the village is taken into account.

The Kung Fu Kid (I Am What I Am 2)Well Go USA
Now Streaming on Digital
Coming to Home Video on Sept 15

Fans of the Chinese animated film I Am What I Am (雄狮少年) may well be confused by the executive decision to release the second film in North America as The Kung Fu Kid. My theory is that some board of distributors believes a new and familiar-sounding title will draw in viewers who don’t know the franchise. As a standalone movie, it works, and newcomers may never realise they’re watching a sequel. But without knowledge of the first film, some of Liu “Gyun” Jiajuan’s motivations and character development are going to be lost.

That’s particularly noticeable because I Am What I Am 2 directly continues his story. The first film doesn’t magically solve this lad’s problems after the lion-dance competition. He still has to face reality, and that leads him to Shanghai, where earning money to help pay for his father’s medical treatment becomes one of his primary concerns. Strangely, according to China Daily, his name has become Ajuan, which can lead to momentary confusion.

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Blazing Fists or Blue Fight, Takashi Miike’s Latest Is No Bloodsport!

Takashi Miike brings flashes of his trademark energy to Blazing Fists, but this sports drama works better once its gangland edge takes over. While uneven in pacing and emotional payoff, the film still lands a solid message about friendship and brotherhood.

Blazing Fists Movie PosterWell GO USA

Although Takashi Miike is best known for his gonzo work in films like Full Metal Yakuza, and his lighter fantasy fare like The Great Yokai War, I was curious to see how he would handle extreme sports in Blue Fight: The Breaking Down of Young Blue Warriors. In North America, this movie is retitled Blazing Fists and it could have easily become a vanity project for mixed martial artist Mikuru Asakura, but instead it centres on Ikuto (Danhi Kinoshita), a young man with very little to hold onto and even more to lose.

After defending Ryoma (Kaname Yoshizawa) in a street fight, Ikuto quickly forms a bond with him. The two become fast friends and begin chasing a shared dream of appearing on the televised competition Breaking Down. A cameo from Asakura helps fuel that ambition, and soon both young men are fighting for a chance to be seen.

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