High Kick Girl!

This is not some gimmick image. Though the obvious draw of a high school girl in her school uniform shooting her leg straight up like that might be the intention of other kinds of films, lead actress Takeda Rina is the real thing. Buzz about this film spread like wildfire after a short clip made it to YouTube, a hilarious vignette that showcased Takeda's skill. That vignette has made it to the opening segment of the official trailer:



Through the film's official blog (Japanese only), the filmmakers have released segments of behind-the-scenes videos showcasing Takeda and the other cast members in rehearsal sessions. Most of them have been collected at this YouTube page and unfortunately, they seem to make up the bulk of the official trailer. Though the appeal is that these performers will perform their own stunts sans wires or CG, and that Takeda will be doing her own fighting, it leaves little room for selling what the film is about. What will be the tone of the narrative? Will we see a Karate Kid style "be the best you can be" feel-good story? By the little dialogue featured in the trailer, and the synopsis on the production blog, perhaps not. Imagine if you will, the character of Daniel rejecting Mr. Miyagi and actually joining the Cobra Kai because he thinks he is better than Miyagi gives him credit. That seems to be the journey of Takeda's character, Kei. Ultimately, she learns she joined the wrong side and... let the action begin!

Obviously, the film isn't going to be pontificating much. We have a protagonist who's appetite for skill outweighs her maturity; it's typical adolescent stuff. The hook will be her encounters with all manner of fighters as she tests her skills and is tested by others' skills. I think the filmmakers are aiming for more entertainment than another karate film that came out in 2007 called Kuro-Obi (Black Belt) which was certainly more philosophical and informative.

For a time during the 60s, karate films were the mainstay, with Sonny Chiba's adventures as the Street Fighter leading the way for other Japanese action films. When Bruce Lee appeared on the scene, filmmakers turned to kung-fu. I wonder if anyone these days would recognize the difference. I believe kung-fu became popular because it is more cinematic; it's graceful moves, when choreographed skillfully, is breathtaking on film. Karate, with it's more staccato, hard, linear nature doesn't photograph well, no matter how well choreographed. However, thanks to the emergence of Muy Thai films, it seems the world is ready to accept more hard-hitting, less "pretty" martial arts in their films, so I hope High Kick Girl will be just one in a growing list of karate films coming out of Japan.