Sukeban deka: Kôdo nêmu = Asamiya Saki

This remarkably silly film is taken dead seriously by the performers in it which helps in getting though a film that seems to be two thirds soap opera potboiler, and one third live action anime.

Anyway, it seems the authorities know they have only 3 days to stop a mass suicide at a high school by bomb and so of course do this not by closing the place down but instead by placing an untrained street urchin, with rad moves of course, undercover in the school in (she only agrees to do this so they'll let her mother out of lockup in American.) Armed only with a cell phone and a yo-yo, no really a yo-yo, and the occasional aid of the Colombo of Japan, she gets to the bottom of the whole affair.

However don't expect too much yo-yo fu, in fact we have to wait until the last 20 minutes before there's any real yo-ing battles.

Amusing if you don't expect too much from it

Aya Matsuura plays a secret agent who infiltrates a school in order to ascertain why a website called Enola Gay is starting a countdown. A countdown to what? Her job is to try to stop terrorists. Her weapon is a steel yo-yo (hence the title). The story unfolds by days, day one being 48 hours or so left. So, this is an agent posing as a high school student, schoolgirl uniform and all. Hot? Absolutely. She befriends a suicidal high school student and this helps her cause. The story is convoluted in its storytelling, but the action is good. Ms. Matsuura is very sexy, a major plus for this kind of film. I'm sure the filmmaker never set out to make Best Picture, but the story has some entertainment value. It probably should have had more action, but that is a judgment call. If you like this genre, by all means go to see it.

Sadly, this film didn't deliver on its promise or premise. On paper, it sounds great - in execution, not so much. It starts off well enough, introducing us to our leads: a juvenile delinquent, and a grizzled old ex-policeman working for some secret CIA-esquire unit. But then it stops making sense fairly quickly. Why is it that our heroine, able to single-handedly fight off a roomful of cops, is easily taken down by a few thugs? And why is it that later in the film she's able to take down the same group of thugs without breaking a sweat? The villains aren't particularly well fleshed out. No explanation is given as to why the head thug has amazing seductive powers over women, without even saying a word, yet it seems every female character falls madly in love with him. A sub-plot about websites for tormented teens, is convoluted and nonsensical. Ridiculousness abounds, and not in a good/funny way: at one point, for example, a ten-minute monologue takes place entirely by text messaging. Really? They couldn't just, say, call? But the main problem with Yo-Yo Girl Cop is simple: not enough yo-yo-ing! The yo-yo weapon is introduced early on, and then only teased at until the last reel. Even then, it's not terribly exciting to watch in action.

For those hoping this would be non-stop cute Japanese girls kicking ass with yo-yos, prepare yourselves for disappointment.

3/10 for the cute girls. The lack of yo-yo action left me feeling a little ripped off, though.

The first Subekan Deka in over ten years updates the special effects and boosts the star power to make for a pleasantly watchable entertainment that excels in its social conscience.

Former Deka entries, whether drawn or dramatized, have taken the usual hero vs. super- villain route, making them seem tired even before they've left the gate. In addition, they suffered from the basic limitations of the special effects at that time; the manga-inspired concept of razor yo-yos and killer cranes seemed less than convincing in a martial arts film. As the series progressed, the plots became almost as silly as the James Bond films of the period.

In Kodo Nemo - Asamiya Saki, director Kenta Fukasaku (Battle Royale 2) modernizes he action sequences and frames the story to reflect contemporary social realities - in particular, the prevalence of bullying in the Japanese school system. It comes to focus when an underground internet site counts down, and a teenage undercover agent - code-named Saki Asamiya - tries to uncover the mystery before it's too late.

As Idol Aya Matsuura is a good pick for the lead role, beautiful but tough in the tradition of the series (and a much better singer than any of the girls who preceded her). Matsuura is dynamic though (like former deka girls) lacking in a certain humor. The standout villain, played by Morning Musume alumnus Rika Ishikawa, is sexy in her faux-leather action outfit - a complete surprise. The normally demure Ishikawa is clearly having fun in her over-the-top role, and you wish she could appear more often.

The film could have used more hard-edged humor - something that Fukasaku might learn from the work of his latefather, the late Kinji Fukusaku. Also, the film's plot makes a high ratio of characters irritatingly geeky and impossibly suicidal. But these flaws are tolerable in the anticipation of a possible sequel, either on film or serial. Certainly there's enough talent in Upfront Management to cast several film projects. Aibon would be amusing in some suitably smoky role, Miki perfect as a villain, and Eri could be on hand for comic relief.

Yo-Yo Girl Cop starts with the incarceration and attempted escape of a juvenile delinquent (Aya Matsuura) deported from America. A mysterious group known simply as "K" believe she has the necessary skills and motivations to infiltrate a terrorist cell within a local high school. Do they train her? No. Do they give her a gun to protect herself? No. Do they give her information on possible suspects? No. They do give her a sexy school girl outfit and a yo- yo...so there's that.

For as ludicrous a title as Yo-Yo Girl Cop you'd think that it'd at least live up to its premise. There is a girl and she is a cop of sorts but the yo-yo is largely absent until the inevitable final showdown. The first time she brings it out she hits herself in the face which made me convulse in laughter. In fact, the film's only saving grace is the inclusion of so many sporadically and unintentionally funny moments. Characters get thrown around like rag dolls by semi-decent martial arts while bombs explode with all the might of Microsoft Movie Maker. In one spectacularly perfect slapstick moment, the main character outright face-plants into a pile of gravel and rubble leaving me and the friend I saw it with to laugh until we couldn't breathe.

Overall, Yo-Yo Cop Girl is about what you would expect from a movie called Yo-Yo Cop Girl. It's silly, it's insipid, it's lazily brought to life, it's exploitative but not demonstratively so. Overall not recommended unless you're really that curious.