Fantasia 2024 Review: BABY ASSASSIN NICE DAYS, Third Chapter Does The Same Things Over Again, Just Better

In the ongoing adventures of Chisato and Mahiro, our teenage assassins are on vacation in Miyazaki, Japan, for a little bit of work and a whole lot of rest and relaxation. A last minute dropout from another assassin in the guild means that the girls have to pick up the slack and carry out another job. At the site of their next target they come across freelancer Kaede, who got ahead of them and is about to take out the same target. The mark escapes and the battle with Kaede leaves the girls broken and their confidence shaken, especially Mahiro. 

 

Because Kaede intends to steal a job from the guild they’ve put out a hit on him and it's up to the girls to kill him and restore everyone’s reputations. The repercussion for their mistake is they are to work together with Riku - former bodybuilder, turned businessman, turned assassin - and their impromptu handler, Minami. She speaks on behalf of the guild and even though they’re only seven years older than the girls she acts like they’re a whole generation apart. The girls are about to face their biggest opponent yet and everyone needs to get along to do so.

 

Chisato (Akari Takaishi) and Mahiro (Saori Izawa) are back in the third chapter of the hit comedy action franchise Baby Assassins, titled Nice Days from series writer and director Yugo Sakamoto. For fans of the series nothing has changed, their roles are the same. Chisato carries much of the cuteness and comic relief, while Mahiro (Izawa, a professional stunt actor) is in the bulk of the mele scenes and always the climax. Just because nothing has changed doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. Fans know the roles and what to expect and Nice Days delivers on both fronts. It is a formula that has provided comedy and action in abundance before so why mess around with success. 

 

The key villain in the third film is Kaede, a freelance assassin played by Sôsuke Ikematsu. Deadly if not a little psychotic and mental, Kaede will be the girls’ toughest challenge yet. The third film opens with Kaede completing their latest kill, out in the forest in their boxers. What kind of psycho kills someone while in their boxer briefs? Mental state aside, Ikematsu, near as we can tell, is not widely known for action chops but they are equal to the task and do an amazing job with the action scenes and choreography. 

 

Yugo Sakamoto is in full control of this franchise. At the helm since the first film (and onto a series this September) Sakamoto has steered the course towards action and fun. However, the third time around we do feel that the slacker element is starting to wither away. We do not feel that this is a bad thing at all as this third chapter still made us laugh a whole lot/ Understated and low key delivery is still part and parcel for the girls. The only bursts of energy here should only be in the action scenes. Takaishi’s face pulling though is delightful and some visual gags fill out the rest of the comedy in the flick. 

 

Recurring guests are a pleasant surprise for fans of the first two films. Even something like the nod to desserts was well received. If you’ve been with us for all three films they’ll mean more to you than those who are coming into this series for the first time on the third film. 

 

Action director extraordinaire Kensuke Sonomura is back once again to direct the action. The hand to hand combat is awesome, with the sound of rustling clothing entering each fray as a third character. At its core it is a lot of grappling and fist/limb throwing. There is also a lot of maneuvering, ducking and crawling, in and around foes and bodies as the fights go on. Write this one down, human shields are an integral part of each ammunition reload. 

 

Also, is it worth noting that there are as many misses as there are hits? Well, I’m writing it down so it must be. Not every punch thrown lands, sometimes entire volleys swing overheard as someone ducks out of the way.  We figure it ups the ante and the anticipation of what will happen when blows hit their target. Make no mistake, this is a violent film once the action pieces start - lots of guns and blades enter the mix every time. There is a lot of blood spilled in this one. 

 

Baby Assassins films all follow the same structure, Nice Days is no different. Introduce your characters and watch them work, present them with personal hurdles to overcome before the climactic fight where Saori Izawa takes over and proceeds to throw fists at the chapter’s villain(s). Write in some very dry and understated comedy then hire one of the best action directors in Japan to make up sweet, sweet action scenes to give your audience an adrenaline rush in fights and shootouts. 

 

Itis a winning formula that keeps on working and just gets better with each chapter and should carry on into the series Baby Assassins Everyday! this September in Japan.