Genre: Action

Director: Kurando Mitsutake

Cast: Tori Griffith, Damian Raven, Derek Nears, Joey Iwanga, and Shelby Lee Parks

Studio: Cleopatra Entertainment

Runtime: 122 minutes

Rated: Not Rated
Release Date: On Digital and Blu-Ray November 7th, 2023

Rating ★★★★★

In the not-too-distant future, after meteorites destroyed most of the planet, survivors live in Neo-Nippon under the totalitarian rule of the Fujinaga Clan, named after their shogun. The survivors also face the threat of monsters mutated by the asteroids called “Anorocs.” Botan , alongside her mentor and uncle, Ken Shishikura (Damian Raven), helps run a protective escort agency while moonlighting as the secret hero “Lion-Girl.” The two get a job guiding father and daughter Herbert (Matt Standley) and Mayumi (Shelby Lee Parks) across the ruined land in hopes of reuniting with their lost family. Things inevitably go awry when their paths cross with one of the emperor’s right-hand samurais’, Kaisei Kishi (Derek Mears), quickly realizing the job is more than they bargained for.

With a logline like that one could mistake this for any straightforward action flick; but after two hours, buckets of blood, and several flashbacks and forwards later, I can honestly say Lion-Girl is anything but. It’s an exercise in taking familiar superhero tropes and cranking the depravity up to 11. And while Mitsutake’s film isn’t going for broad appeal, if the copious amounts of blood and nudity don’t turn you away perhaps the sometimes stilted performances and awkward dialogue might, it’s hard to deny Lion-Girl’s charm. What should be a sleazy affair is captured with such self-aware silliness and tongue-in-cheek humor, not to mention the low-fi but surprisingly good special effects, that I couldn’t help but smile and have a good time.

I’m not sure at what point during Lion-Girl I realized it. It might have been during a news segment where a joyful anchor shouts the slogan, “Don’t live long, die while working” as he salutes the nation’s fascist dictator who had given a speech in front of a flag with the words: “Make Nippon Great Again” strewn across it. Perhaps it was one of the numerous scenes of a character being executed with a massive bullet hole in their head squirting out loads of fake blood. Maybe it was during the fight where our titular character Botan (Tori Griffith) fights a mutated woman shooting psychic beams from her bare breasts, which happens shortly after an opening where our heroine, while nude, faces off against a group of these also naked mutants in a sauna.

Whenever it may have been, the realization is that Kurando Mitsutake’s dystopian sci-fi action film has all the subtlety of a jackhammer. I shouldn’t be too surprised considering Mitsutake has made a name for himself directing grindhouse-style exploitation flicks with titles like Gun Woman and Karate Kill;  however, this being my first experience with his brand of filmmaking, I didn’t know what to expect given the seemingly simple set-up.

One of the film’s biggest strengths is the world-building at play here. Mitsutake teamed up with artist Go Nagai, a prolific manga author who has created legendary works like Cutie Honey and Devilman, to create the story and characters of this world and that influence shows. The way Bontan transforms into her Lion-Girl costume calls to mind the magical transformations of Honey that Nagai pioneered in the Cutie Honey, while the horned, fanged and possessed nature of the Anorocs call to mind the demons that appear in the Devilman. 

If there’s anything I wish Lion-Girl had is more of a visual flair to match the unhinged nature of the subject matter. Cinematographer Toshiyuki Imai opts for a style that feels noticeably restrained. Standard medium close-up of one character cut to a medium close-up to another for nearly every conversation, it feels at times as though Imai is playing catch up with whoever is the focus as though the cameraman forgot to pan over.  There are bursts of creativity throughout Lion-Girl with the use of split shots reminiscent of manga panels. Some sequences play with light and shadows that are striking, and film wipes that harken to Star Wars for transitions that make the film geek in me happy. There isn’t enough of these flourishes to make the film a visual feast. With how over the top the film gets, it’s in desperate need of a visual effects style to match the outlandish nature.

The performances are surprising even though you can’t shake the feeling that the entire cast knows how silly this entire affair is. Despite this, the leads still deliver the most absurd lines – a favorite of mine is “Remember, wherever you go, there you are” – with a sincerity that helps keep you interested. Griffith as our hero is fun and her commitment to the physicality of the role helps lend charm to her performance. Mears is also a standout, delivering most of his dialogue with a slimy attitude that makes him perfect as a villain.

As much fun as I had watching the film, it could benefit from a trim. Some sequences run on a tad longer than they should with shots that linger resulting in the off-balanced pace. At two hours, you can feel how stretched the film is. On one hand, the runtime matches how Lion-Girl revels in excess; however, there’s a tighter, more satisfying 90-minute movie here waiting to be edited. If you can get past the slow start,  the film gains momentum, especially in its last act; it’s a blast.

Lion-Girl makes no qualms in stating that its attitude comes from the mindset of a teenager obsessed with nothing but female anatomy and violence. Mitsutake directs this film with enough B-Movie charm as well as a crowd-pleasing mentality that you can’t help but have a good time especially if you watch it with a rowdy midnight audience. For that, I do recommend it.

For more on Lion-Girl Visit:
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15334154/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_lion-girl
Director’s Twitter: mkurando

All Photos: ©2023 Cleopatra Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.