Yo-Yo Girl Cop (2006)

- Sukeban Deka: Kôdo nêmu = Asamiya Saki
I really wanted to like this movie, 4 March 2008

I really wanted to like Yo-Yo Girl Cop and, for a while anyway, I thought I was going to. To begin with, just take a look at the DVD cover – a Japanese school-girl complete with uniform and a lethal yo-yo striking a pose in front of a fiery explosion. How awesome is that? And the plot sounded very promising: Saki Asamiya (Aya Matsuura is terrific in the role), a very troubled and violent teen, is hand-picked by a secret government agency to infiltrate a group of would-be high school terrorists. The group has already killed at least one other agent. They tied her hands together, strapped a bomb to her, and sent her out into the crowded streets. Nice, huh? On the group's website, they've started a 72 hour countdown clock, but a countdown to what? It's Saki Asamiya's job to find out – and do it before time runs out. The film gets off to a great start with the whole explosion in the streets scene, Saki's fight on her first day at school, and a chase through a crowded mall. Add to that a funky vibe that runs through much of the movie, the incredibly stylized look, and a nice score, the makings were here for a real winner. Unfortunately, Yo-Yo Girl Cop abandons the promised action and all but slams on the brakes in favor of melodramatic, teen-angst clap-trap during the second act. It was enough to make me want to hurl. Life's tough – get over it already and get back to the yo-yo butt-kicking! The movie does redeem itself somewhat in the finale as Saki and her female nemesis don leather outfits for the highly anticipated all-girl yo-yo fight to the death. As cool as that may be, it comes way too late to save Yo-Yo Girl Cop from being anything other than average at best.

5/10