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I prefer to know at least a bit about the source material before delving into its movie version especially if it is something that I intend to review. I do this just to ensure consistency: A number of reviews on this site are written from the angle of a viewer who is not exactly a fan, but is relatively well acquainted with the source material and can appraise the work both on its own and as an adaptation. Regardless, the information available on Renji Asai’s assassin manga The Violence Action is so scant that I must approach it as a stand alone original movie.
Violence Action revolves around the life of Kei (Kanna Hashimoto) who is a college student by day perfect cover, but an assassin by night. She works with her overpowering boss Tencho (Fumika Baba) and obnoxious handler Zura (Takashi Okamura), both of whom operate from a ramen restaurant. At one point, a classmate who has an overwhelming crush on her gets involved. The trio finds themselves caught up in a feud within the Denma Gumi crime family, which is led by the Sandaime (Jiro Sato). But the whole narrative is quite unclear because of how bad the jokes are. There are also incoherent scenes and mediocre action sequences. Terribly, no offense if my summary does not fit the full narrative, but that is what I was able to clarify with my rapidly declining focus.
So you are one of those who does not know this is a manga adaptation. Don’t get me wrong; so did I. Regardless of what I might have expected, the first two minutes immediately reveal the root of the deception. Over-stylized fighting sequences and a deluge of fake wigs do me in. The only reason I didn’t pass out on the spot is because I stood the place attempting to rationalize it all. For manga adaptations of anime, the trend appears to be the same as most people, because the truth is: the rest of the interpretation ensures that the acting sinks into the void of irrelevance. Everything that happens around an audience becomes so unsamable that by that forty five minute mark, slipping into a trance is entirely plausible. What can be expected by that point is anyone’s guess.
Not that things become much more engaging beyond that. The story feels generic and is filled with characters and scenes that seem as if they were intended for larger plots. They probably were larger plots, back in a manga that I’m sure is at least decently good but that thanks to this film I could not care less about. The stylised schoolgirl assassin thing was already tired when Snyder did it to death over a decade ago. With the right writer or director, some new blood could have been inserted into this movie, but that is not the case here. The neon aesthetic, the fantastic assassin team, and even the funny comic book acting are all done greatly in a million other movies. This is a movie for no one: I assume fans will dislike it, and new people won’t be excited by the marketing campaign. Perhaps the sequel they advertise so heavily will be better. You know, the one that is certainly never going to happen.
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