If you’re an action cinema fan and you haven’t been living under a rock for the last few years, you’ve probably heard of the Baby Assassins films. Currently one of Japan’s finest exports, the series has balanced quirky comedy with slick fight choreography (courtesy of one of the best in the industry right now, Kensuke Sonomura), which is why action junkies were shocked when the teaser for BABY ASSASSINS 3 dropped.
Life is still as hard as ever for an assassin trying to make it in today’s economy with a decent part-time job. Such was the case in 2021’s Baby Assassins for endearing killer roomies Chisato (Akari Takaishi) and Mahiro (Saori Izawa) as the two stood toe-to-toe with heavily-armed yakuza gangsters with daily responsibilties to fulfill in between. Two years later, the oddball duo is still “killing it” while trying to get the hang of adulting in writer/director Yugo Sakamoto’s latest sequel, Baby Assassins: 2 Babies.
There’s something about watching a film about making a film that arouses the feels. It’s much ado with seeing group creativity in action, which is what makes it so fun seeing films that take on this particular story angle. Narrative and documentary films alike. I immediately point to recent Japan Cuts screenings like Night Cruising and It’s A Summer Film! as notable examples to introduce yet another fun addition to the subgenre as of late, with Ultraman vet Kazuya Konaka’s coming-of-age comedic drama, Single8, set in the late 70s as the fandom of a particular and newly-birthed sci-fi movie franchise began gaining ground around the world.
Bright and early to get our day started is a brand-new teaser promo for writer/director Hugo Sakamoto’s Baby Assassins 2. A new poster is up as well, signaling the return of Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa as two young misfit professional killers now struggling to fit into society after reaching adulthood.
The past few years have been two of Hugo Sakamoto’s best, with at least two of his films getting recognition in the U.S. along with distribution deals for A Janitor and the smash hit, Baby Assassins. The latter was especially the latest mile marker for action fans heavily glaring at their radar for titles to look out for and featuring stand-out performances by Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa, and now the team behind the pic, which also has action director Kensuke Sonomura back on the floor, is officially confirming its sequel with a first look teaser, and a pair of posters all announcing its March 24, 2023 release.
Originally published July 15, 2022: The last several years have seen a notable of proliferation of the newest J-wave of action cinema titles out of Japan. To this end, films like the HiGH&LOW franchise which remains on-going to this day, stars and figures like Shun Oguri, Tak Sakaguchi, Takumi Kitamura and Masanori Mimoto, and directors like Kensuke Sonomura have all been welcome assets amidst the emerging talents of late, and it’s not over yet with other filmmakers and performers bound to leave their mark in the coming weeks and months. This especially goes for director Hugo Sakamoto, who has been increasingly influential in his craft for at least six years to date, having since made waves stateside at Fantastic Fest last year with his most recent endeavor, Baby Assassins.
Published July 8, 2022: Director Hugo Sakamoto’s Baby Assassins is making a pit stop this month during the Kung Fu Extravaganza panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 21. That’s the day the official U.S. trailer will go live for Sakamoto’s latest action comedy, which will release exclusively on Hi-YAH! the following day before releasing on Digital, Blu-Ray and DVD on August 16.
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