After meeting one another in juvenile detention, Ikuto and Ryoma both pursue a career in professional fighting. However, the journey to get there may be more of a fight than a tournament ever could be.
Blazing Fists (Blue Fight: The Breaking Down of Young Blue Warriors in Japan) tells the story of Ikuto and Ryoma, two troubled teens who meet in juvenile detention. The facility is visited by Mikuru Asakura, a real world mixed martial artist, who gives the group of delinquents a motivational speech, encouraging them all to pursue whatever dream they have upon their release. While some of the youth mention careers ranging from animal care to management, both Ikuto and Ryoma make a pact to professionally fight like Asakura. Their ultimate goal is to compete in Breaking Down, another element lifted from Asakura’s real life journey. Breaking Down is a Japanese show that features amateur fighters competing in MMA tournaments that feature minute-long rounds. To paint a picture for our western audience, this film’s concept is comparable to Dana White telling kids in juvenile detention that they can do whatever they want, and two of them decide to work their way up to the UFC.
Despite being tethered to a real fighter, and an actual tournament, everything about Blazing Fists is pure fiction. What we get is something less like Blood Sport and more akin to an anime adaptation without an anime to base itself on. With acting that would feel at home within animation, in a video game, or perhaps in a manga, I found myself taking it far less seriously than I initially expected. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the film has plenty of charm to help keep a viewer invested. This is thanks to the writing of Shin Kibayashi who’s written for video games such as Fire Emblem: Fates, and the series of Young Kindaichi manga adaptations. If you’re a fan of the kind of character behavior seen in shows like Dragon Ball Z or Haikyu, then Blazing Fists is a live action film meant for you. You’ll see friendships tested, find yourself liking villains you initially despised, and then long for a followup after an abrupt ending that leaves you with questions. Blazing Fists makes every anime storytelling move I can think of, for better or for worse. The unconventional story still won me over, likely due to the directorial work of Takashi Miike, the iconic Japanese director who brought us 13 Assassins, Audition, and Ichi the Killer. With fantastic cinematography, beautifully choreographed fights, and hard hitting sound work, Takashi Miike makes this melodramatic melee a journey worth taking.
The only flaw I can’t escape involves the unanswered questions you’re sure to have when the film ends. There’s a love triangle that’s hinted at, but never sees a resolution. Beyond that, there’s a huge motivator for Ikuto’s personal reasons for wanting to enter Breaking Down and it’s never concluded. Finally, Ryoma has skeletons in his closet that loom over him for the duration of the movie, and are shrugged off through a quick dialog exchange. There are moments where I begin to wonder if the story was designed just to carry us from fight-to-fight, or if a sequel is possibly in the cards. Most of the narrative’s problems either linger after the film ends, or wrap up within the movie to minimal fanfare. During my viewing it became clear that we’re not here for Never Back Down or Bloodsport. We’re here to see teenage drama that would be at home in Cobra Kai, mixed with the kind of fight scenes I hope to see in a Street Fighter movie.
If anyone watched Blazing Fist’s trailer and expected non-stop action, I’m afraid you’re going to have to sit through plenty of plot development before you get there, and your invested interests may or may not pay off. However, the basic goal of seeing some solid fight scenes is guaranteed to be met. Overall, Blazing Fists avoids being mediocre thanks to its endearing characters and cheesy dialog that’s more amusing than distracting. Everything about the presentation itself hits every entertaining note, and delivers a good time despite some narrative flaws. Japanese film fans can look forward to seeing Gackt as the film’s “big bad” villain, Shizuka. A keen ear may recognize Konatsu Kato as Yukina, the love interest. She recently voiced Shimizu Hinako in Konami’s latest horror entry, Silent Hill F. The rest of the cast is made up of fresh faces who all bring their best to this feel-good story about brotherhood and alliances forged through conflict. At the very least, Blazing Fists is an entertaining one-off. At its best, it’s an introductory film for young viewers who might be introduced to MMA movies.
An acceptably flawed fray of furious fighters and frivolous fall-outs… Blazing Fists punches its way onto Digital, DVD, and Blu-Ray on March 31st from our friends over at Well Go USA.