Movies, movies, and more movies! Our coverage of the Fantasia Film Festival is still in full swing and Tuesday night was a particularly busy one for us at Screen Love Affair! In the early evening, Adriana went to a screening of a new 4k remaster of Cube (1997), while I went to see Baby Assassins Nice Days. Afterwards, we met up and went to watch the highly anticipated Cuckoo together, so be sure to read Adriana’s review of that one!

Despite our busy schedules, I had the time and opportunity to see Baby Assassins Nice Days, and boy was I glad I did! 

This is the third entry in about as many years in the Baby Assassins franchise out of Japan. I admit, I was completely unfamiliar with these movies, so if you’re in the same position I was, I’ll bring you up to speed! The three films star Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa and are written and directed by Yugo Sakamoto. Takaishi and Izawa play Chisato and Mahiro respectively, two teenage girls who happen to be very talented assassins based out of Tokyo. 

The third movie has a beautifully simple synopsis that reads:

“Teenage assassins Chisato and Mahiro go on vacation to Miyazaki, Japan, and face their biggest opponent yet.”

All I knew beyond what I’ve already shared with you is that the fight choreography is supposedly incredible and that the previous two movies were a lot of fun. 

So, did these Baby Assassins hit or miss the mark?

My Thoughts

I already gave away my feelings about this one earlier in the review, but I am so glad I went to see this movie! I almost missed this one entirely due to our original schedule for Fantasia, but now I can’t imagine my first Fantasia Film Festival without it!

First things first, you absolutely do not need to see the first two Baby Assassins movies to enjoy this one. I didn’t have enough time to watch the movies before the screening, but the setup was all I needed to sit back and enjoy this movie.

What becomes apparent immediately is just how great both Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa are as the leads. From the beginning of the movie, we see just how much chemistry they have. Their friendship is one of the most organic and believable ones I’ve ever seen in a movie. Not only are they a ton of fun, but they also deliver some incredibly heartfelt moments as well. 

That’s the thing too about this movie; it has absolutely everything. It’s funny and heartfelt, but it also has some pretty dark moments. Credit has to go to writer/director Yugo Sakamoto, because these tones mesh perfectly together somehow, and the movie doesn’t suffer from any kind of tonal whiplash. It goes from incredibly light and funny in one moment, as our adorable leads are acting silly on vacation, to gritty and brutal, as those same adorable leads mow through waves of goons leaving nothing but blood and bodies behind them. Don’t worry, though, they’ve also got a cleaning crew to tidy up once they’ve finished their mission.

This movie is more proof that you don’t need incredibly elaborate plots to make a good action movie. I know I talk a lot about John Wick when I talk about action movies, but hey, I can’t help that those movies are the modern standard to which all other action movies are compared. Anyway, what the best movies in the John Wick franchise understand is that simple is enough. As an audience, we don’t need overly complex plots to feel progression in the story, we can get that from spending time with the characters and the world. Something as simple as having a beer with a friend can be a standout character moment that makes a movie with a simple narrative pack a ton of punch. The plot of Nice Days is very straightforward, but what allows it to shine is the time spent with our main characters and the action. 

And, oh boy, the action here is stupendous. I can’t find any details about the budgets for these movies, but these genuinely put most Hollywood action movies to shame with what is clearly a humble budget. While the visual and sound effects of the guns weren’t the best, it’s the hand-to-hand and knife sequences that shine here. They even tap in a bit to the ‘Gun-Fu’ style of the John Wick movies, but the sequences are extensively choreographed with minimal cuts and some fantastic oners. What’s even more impressive is that the main cast also perform these sequences themselves. I can’t talk about the action in this movie without also mentioning how spectacular Sôsuke Ikematsu is as Kaede Fuyumura, another assassin in the movie. He, along with our two leads, puts some great work into the action scenes, and that alone makes this movie worth the price of admission. The fact that they can draw so many different feelings and emotions out of me, too, is just wild. 

Verdict

Not only did they hit the mark with this one, they obliterated the target. I absolutely loved this movie and I can’t believe there’s a potential timeline out there where I went one more day without having experienced a Baby Assassins movie. 

With a straightforward setup, two powerhouse leads, a stellar supporting cast, and fight scenes that outclass $100 million blockbusters, Baby Assassins Nice Days isn’t just a great movie—it’s a must watch for anyone that considers themselves an action movie fan. 

Sometimes you just want to have an absolute blast watching a movie, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for low-effort mediocre slop. Movies like this show what’s possible when people with immense talent are able to create something purely to please and impress an audience. The range of emotions this movie pulled out of me stands as a reminder that you don’t need millions of dollars to create an unforgettable theatrical experience, you just need to give talented people a chance to create something truly special.