Baby Assassins 2 Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Hugo Sakamoto
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Akari Takaishi, Saori Izawa, Joey, Tatsuomi Hamada
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
• Language ‏ : ‎ Japanese (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), Japanese (Stereo)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ Japan
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 42 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ April 2, 2024

        While I wasn’t entirely sold on the first Baby Assassins movie, the impressive fight choreography and execution in the final sequence was more than enough for me to forgive the narrative meandering that preceded it. Baby Assassins 2 seems to have learned some good lessons from what didn’t work in the first film, with more action spread throughout the narrative rather than reserved primarily for the climax. Unfortunately, the film also never reaches the same heights as achieved by the jaw-dropping final battle in the first installment. The resulting film sequel may be more consistently enjoyable, but also doesn’t come close to being as unforgettable as the original.

 

        As with the first film, wacky humor is as essential to the Baby Assassins experience as is the impressively violent fight sequences. Also, like the first film, a majority of the humor comes from the two young female protagonists being absolutely disastrous at ordinary adulthood. Baby Assassins 2 once again has young assassins Chisato (Akari Takaishi) and Mahiro (Saori Izawa) forced to find ordinary day jobs when they are banned from taking new hitman jobs for violating the organization’s rules. At the same time, the irresponsible criminals find themselves in debt after failing to cancel an automatic subscription, leaving them desperate for money and only legal means to obtain it.

 

While Chisato and Mahiro struggle to live a legal lifestyle, a pair of up-and-coming assassins named Makoto (Tatsuomi Hamada) and Yuri (Joey Iwanaga) see an opportunity to elevate their status by attempting to take out their competition. Although this job is unsanctioned and the hitmen have the element of surprise, there is never any doubt that Chisato and Mahiro will be able to handle themselves, making humor the emphasis over suspense even in the battle sequences. While the finale does have a couple tricks to keep the audience on their toes, the film never aims for much more than irreverent entertainment, and for the most part it is successful. A fight between Chisato and Mahiro while the pair are dressed in bulky mascot suits is a perfect indicator for the type of entertainment Baby Assassins 2 expertly provides.

 

The Blu-ray release for Baby Assassins 2 doesn’t offer much beyond the film itself, and even the high definition has the unintended effect of making the lower budget of the film more noticeable. While an improvement from the first film, some of the cinematography still looks a little rough in places, though none of that seems to matter once Kensuke Sonomura’s fight choreography begins. The disc comes with no special features worth mentioning.

 

Entertainment Value: 8/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 6.5/10

Historical Significance: 4 /10

Special Features: 0/10