FANTASIA FEST 2022: ‘Baby Assassins’ Is an Amusing Buddy-Assassin Comedy

Mahiro (Saori Izawa) and Chisato (Akari Takaishi) are two best friends and teenage assassins forced by their employer, in accordance with the company’s rules, to seek normal side jobs besides their hitwomen duties. This turns out to be a nightmare for both of them. Such a unique premise should be more than enough to convince you to watch Yûgo Sakamoto’s amusing oddball buddy-assassin comedy Baby Assassins.

In the memorable opening scene, an annoyed Mahiro kills half a dozen convenience store employees trying to avenge their boss, now dead after a job interview gone wrong. Unfortunately for the introverted Mahiro, this carnage is only an illusion formed in her mind while being in the actual job interview with who would probably be a very toxic boss. For her, going up against a store full of highly-skilled fighters would be easier and more fun than having to endure a socially acceptable job. Meanwhile, extroverted Chisato isn’t faring any better while working serving waffles in a cafe: any slight disturbance triggers her most aggressive instincts. 

There are few stakes here as Sakamoto mainly focuses on the relationship between the contrasting Chisato and Mahiro and how they handle their often frustrating job hunt. Some tension, as well as a motif for a cool third-act showdown, is introduced through a menacing yakuza family searching for the girls after they murder one of their own. 

Your enjoyment of Baby Assassins depends mostly on your affinity with over-the-top anime humor. The characters are loud and exaggerated, there are plenty of awkward situations, and its eccentric sense of humor, with shades of black, can be hit or miss depending on your tastes. For instance, I found myself cringing at the preposterous behavior of one of the villains and didn’t connect with the black humor. Still, I definitely had a blast during a scene involving the yakuza and a hostess cafe. The comedy grows on you with each passing scene and the development of its main characters.

But when it comes to the action scenes, it doesn’t matter if you are on board with the outlandish tone of the plot or not because Sakamoto delivers awesome fighting and choreographies that will make you forget about everything else. Besides doing a terrific job as a teenager with social anxiety, Rurouni Kenshin and Snake Eyes stuntwoman Saori Izawa kicks serious ass during the two hand-to-hand combat sequences orchestrated by action director Kensuke Sonomura (Manhunt). Although Akari Takaishi doesn’t have these specific types of scenes to shine, she’s tremendous when going full assassin mode; she has this very dangerous aura when handling a gun.

Not everything is about kicks, yakuza, and hostess cafes, though. Baby Assassins is also a coming-of-age about two teenagers learning to navigate the adult world. And to do that, they have each other. Sakamoto gives us a handful of awkwardly funny scenes where Mahiro and Chisato are just goofing around in their apartment, using their smartphones, chatting, or figuring out how to use the washing machine. Despite the large differences between their character’s personalities, Takaishi and Izawa have great chemistry, allowing this buddy dynamic to flourish. There’s no in-depth exploration of the anxieties of Japanese teenage life here, but there’s enough character growth to keep things moving and help you engage with the friendship story at the film’s core.

Clocking at just 95 minutes, Baby Assassins is an entertaining film that, despite its mixed bag of jokes, delivers excellent action, an amusing story, and two effective performances that complement each other to engage the audience.

Baby Assassins screened at Fantasia Fest 2022 and is now available to stream on HI-YAH!.