BABY ASSASSINS 3 Review: A Killer Threequel That Thrills
BABY ASSASSINS 3 stars Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa, and Sosuke Ikematsu
BABY ASSASSINS 3 stars Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa, and Sosuke Ikematsu
The film arrives on digital and Blu-Ray on August 26!
Coming to digital and Blu-Ray in August from WELL GO USA!
Writer and director Yugo Sakamoto’s new action thriller is well on the way with Baby Assassins: Nice Days, now third in line to a franchise that is also still growing with an upcoming spin-off drama in the works as well. The film just awarded its helmer the coveted Daniel A. Craft Award For Excellence In Action Cinema and, as we speak, is screening for eager Fantasia Festival attendees this week. The film rejoins Saori Izawa and Akari Takashi for another run as buddying assassin duo Chisato and Mahiro, whose latest work-cation hire soon pits them against a seemingly unbearable assassin, played by none other than Sosuke Ikematsu (The Last Samurai, Killing). The film also stars Atsuko Maeda and Otani Mondo, along with a new high energy title track that now stands incumbent with the film’s forthcoming marketing. I loved this film, and it just so happens that contributing writer Shaun […]
A twelve-episode series is in order at TV Tokyo for a continuation of the Baby Assassins franchise. Actors Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa will reprise their roles as portrayed in the current films from writer/director Yugo Sakamoto. The announcement comes off the heels of the teaser for the third and latest feature installment, Baby Assassins: Nice Days, which arrives on September 27 in Japan. According to the film’s official website, the series will broadcast in the weeks leading up to the film’s release. In addition to Sakamoto, who is penning and directing the show, action director Kensuke Sonomura (Hydra, Bad City) will set the stage for the show’s action sequences. Plot details remain under wraps, as does the show’s broadcast plans outside Japan. 2021’s Baby Assassins became a mid-pandemic hit, following the killer exploits of two highly-skilled assassins, high school girls, Chisato, and Mahiro. Their resolve is tested upon gradutation when […]
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. There looks to be a distinct lack of their trademark comedy this time around. It feels much darker in tone and dare I say that the film might have more action? Check out the teaser and the first poster below. Yugo Sakamoto returns to the director’s chair and, of course, Saori Izawa and Akari Takaishi return as the titular assassins. Baby Assassins 2 is currently out on Blu-Ray in the US courtest of WellGo USA and hits their HI-YAH! […]
It took scrolling to a random tweet in the past week or so to inform me that a third installment of the hit lo-fi hit Baby Assassins franchise is well on the way for later this year. So, I guess we can add this on our 2024 calendars going forward. In the meantime, the second and latest release from Well Go USA with Baby Assassins 2 is coming next week to Digital and Blu-Ray, and we’ve got two Blu-Rays to give out to the masses. All you need to do is share with us your favorite action scene from any of the works of the film’s action director, Kensuke Sonomura, and write your answers to filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com. This contest expires after 11:59pm EST on April 1, and is available only to residents in the United States. Good luck, and be on the lookout for the film’s Hi-YAH! streaming launch on July […]
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. Caught between trying to beat the clock on long-overdue bills while abiding by their assassin guild’s strict policies and dealing with life’s inevitable incidences, Chisato and Mahiro find themselves suspended from the guild and right back at square one, with no choice but to pound the pavement for work. In the interim, little do they know that they have become the targets of Makoto (Tatsuomi […]
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. Both actresses are now joined by the newly-added Joey Beni (Enter The Fat Dragon) and Tatsuomi Hamada (Brave: Gunjyo Senki) who play brothers opposite the duo who are also vying for their economic security, and as new story details revealed on Monday, the hustle and bustle for both pairs will see them going toe-to-toe with one another. Best of all is the last shot of the new promo below with Izawa and Beni whetting our appetites with some serious close-quarters action, per the physical stylings of action director Kensuke Sonomura, and coordinator Naohiro Kawamoto. Also starring are Atom Mizuishi, […]
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. Check out all the assets below and stick around as we await more into the new year!
Think Candyman meets Halloween with a story about the sole survivor of a series of college beheadings who vows vengeance against the evil entity that emerges when a certain name is uttered, sending Japan into a frenzy… Such is the case for Mr. Okamuro, the feature headhunting thriller from freshman filmmaker Yuuki Matsuno, following her Audience Award win at the Kanazawa Film Festival for the controversial 2021 short, “Full Body Criminal.” Hailed as the second feature project out of media company, Cyzo, the new urban legend thriller marks Matsuno’s feature debut and now has a gory, violent official trailer out as of last week or so. Mr. Okamuro stars Reika Yoshida and Baby Assassins star Saori Izawa, along with Seirai Anzai, Shorin Ishikawa, and Rio Yoshida, among others, for its October 14 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. The film is still trekking the festival circuit in North America, and in no short order looks to be a solid […]
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. Baby Assassins is latest film from Sakamoto who scored the Jury’s Special Award at the 2022 Fantasporto Film Festival back in April, with audience favor earned from screenings at Glasgow and Fantastic Fest. The film, which will also make its run this summer at Fantasia Festival, also marks his second turn at the helm following his January 2021 action crime thriller, A Janitor, whose featured cast were actresses Akari Takaishi and stunt professional Saori Izawa. Sakamoto reunites with both screen talents this time with a […]
If director Hugo Sakamoto’s name doesn’t ring a bell and you a read sites like this, you’ll be pleased with comes next as a warm welcome to your senses… You can begin by familiarizing yourselves briefly with his action crime thriller breakout, A Janitor, which centered on a high school janitor thrust into action when a gang war between families puts his own cousin in the crossfire. Apparently that film came out in January, and while there wasn’t any information logged in any of the English-friendly info sites, I certainly hope this helps puts eyes on Sakamoto’s newest female-fronted effort, Baby Assassins, starring Akari Takashi and actress/martial artist and another favorite of The Hit List, Saori Izawa in a debut lead role. Chisato and Mahiro, a pair of high school girls who are assassins, have to become “members of society” to disguise their true identities from tomorrow. They are tangled […]
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