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I’ll plead ignorance in claiming that I don’t know if “Yo Yo Girl Cop”
was either an anime or manga (the latter, actually), because after
reading the description of the back of the movie case, this apparently
is a revamping of a prior mythos where the former Yo Yo Girl Cop’s
daughter is now taking the role of crime fighter. It’s a movie filled
with girl cops who fight crime not with guns, clubs, or sticks, but with
metal yo yo’s that smack the crap out of assailants; I mean how could I
not have risked buying it without viewing it? A concept this original
has to be witnessed and I took a risk. Hey, sometimes being adventurous
with your money can benefit you in the end.
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For a movie about a girl who fights crime with a yo yo, “Yo
Yo Girl Cop” is surprisingly very good. It’s not just the
original concept that works for it, but the way the story is
composed that keeps the film from becoming a C grade camp
fest, and firmly places it in a more stern tone, with the yo
yo becoming more of a weapon and less of a plot gimmick. |
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What also benefits the film is the strong performance from Atsa
Matsuura, who is quite memorable as the new Yo Yo Girl Cop. Her hero
origin is typical, but nonetheless entertaining, as she’s forced to work
as an agent at the ransom of her mother. Fukasaku’s film explores an
awfully entertaining crime ring involving suicide bombers, and bullied
school children, all the while presenting Asamiya as a consistently
complex, and just heroine forced to take on a mission bigger than she
realizes. “Yo Yo Girl Cop” will likely achieve brief cult status, and it
will earn that status thanks to its entertaining story and villains.
One
of the major disappointments for this film is that for something called
“Yo Yo Girl Cop,” there’s surprisingly very little yo yoing to be had.
In fact, there’s little to no yo yos seen for at least an hour, unless
you count one scene meant more for comedy purposes. It’s sad that a
movie that boasts about a crime fighter with a yo yo really just doesn’t
have what you’d expect in terms of the title. There’s very little fight
sequences, there’s not much creative play with an actual yo yo, and
until the last forty-five minutes, there’s not a single yo yo in sight.
It’s a shame that such a major lure for me, would be rather
conspicuously missing from the actual plot. For a movie named “Yo Yo
Girl Cop,” this is a film that also takes itself much too seriously.
Much of the movie is played with an utter straight face and deals more
in a suicide bomber cult, and social politics in school, along with
Asamiya trying to endure bullying. There’s nothing really too
fantastical and the expectations are sadly never met, here. I wanted a
higher dose of camp, and more of a cop kicking ass with a metal yo yo,
instead I received a much more dramatic crime actioner, with barely
anything resembling a yo yo for at least ninety minutes.
I’m surprised
that a Japanese action film named “Yo Yo Girl Cop” would approach itself
with such a straight face, but lo and behold, it takes itself much too
seriously with very little yo yo action to be had. That’s thankfully
salvaged though by the strong performance by Aya Matsuura, and the
fascinating mystery.
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