Baby Assassins (2021)

Baby Assassins (Japanese: ベイビーわるきゅーれ, Hepburn: Beibī Warukyūre) is an action comedy crime film series written and directed by Yugo Sakamoto. The series follows two young women who work as contract killers, Mahiro Fukagawa (Saori Izawa) and Chisato Sugimoto (Akari Takaishi), as they struggle to adjust to modern society. The series, distributed in Japan by Shibuya Productions, consists of three films and a twelve-episode television drama.

Films

Baby Assassins (2021)

The first film in the series, Baby Assassins (Japanese: ベイビーわるきゅーれ ; Hepburn: Beibī Warukyūre)[ja], was released in Japan on July 30, 2021. The story follows two young girls, Chisato and Mahiro, who work as contract killers while living together as roommates in Tokyo. After their handler at the organization employing them instructs them to get jobs, Mahiro and Chisato struggle with fitting into society due to their propensity to resolve their social difficulties with violence.

Baby Assassins: 2 Babies (2023)

The second film, Baby Assassins: 2 Babies (Japanese: ベイビーわるきゅーれ 2ベイビー ; Hepburn: Beibī Warukyūre 2 Beibī)[ja] was released in Japan on March 24, 2023. The film continues to follow Chisato and Mahiro as they are hunted down by fellow assassins and brothers Makoto (Tatsuomi Hamada) and Yuri Kamimura (Joey Iwanaga). The film's theme song, "Jyanaindayo," was performed by idol group Atarashii Gakko!, who also make a cameo appearance in the film.

Baby Assassins: Nice Days (2024)

The third film, Baby Assassins: Nice Days (Japanese: ベイビーわるきゅーれ ナイスデイズ ; Hepburn: Beibī Warukyūre Naisu Deizu)[ja] was released in Japan on September 27, 2024. Taking place in Miyazaki, the film follows Chisato and Mahiro as they encounter the bloodthirsty and zealous freelance assassin Kaede Fuyumura (Sosuke Ikematsu), who they must race to dispose of before he kills both of them.

Television series

Baby Assassins Everyday! (2024)

A twelve-episode television drama series, Baby Assassins Everyday! (Japanese: ベイビーわるきゅーれ エブリデイ! ; Hepburn: Beibī Warukyūre Eburidei!)[ja], premiered on September 4, 2024, on TV Tokyo.

Documentary

Documentary of Baby Assassins (2024)

The film Documentary of Baby Assassins (Japanese: ドキュメンタリー オブ ベイビーわるきゅーれ ; Hepburn: Dokyumentarī Obu Beibī Warukyūre) was released in Japan on October 4, 2024. Directed by Akihiro Takahashi, it is a behind-the-scenes documentary about the filming of Baby Assassins: Nice Days. It follows the production's rehearsals and shooting of principal photography in Miyazaki Prefecture, featuring interviews with the main cast (Akari Takaishi, Saori Izawa, Sosuke Ikematsu, Atsuko Maeda, and Mondo Otani), director Yugo Sakamoto, action director Kensuke Sonomura, and executive producer Yusuke Suzuki.

Production

All three films are written and directed by Yugo Sakamoto, and feature action choreography by Kensuke Sonomura.

Baby Assassins (2021)

Crew:

Directed, written and edited by Yugo Sakamoto

Produced by: Yuji Okumura, Takeshi Hitomi, Ken Matsubara, Miokazu Kobayashi

Executive Producer - Yusuke Suzuki

Producers: Riku Tsunoda, Tsuyoshi Goto

Action Director: Kensuke Sonomura

Action Coordinator: Naohiro Kawamoto

Music producer: Ken Matsubara

Photography and lighting: Moritada Iju

Sound: Takeshi Igarashi, Naka Ueda

Art and decoration - Mirai Iwasaki

Baby Assassins: 2 Babies (2023)

Crew:

Director and Screenwriter: Yugo Sakamoto

Action Director: Kensuke Sonomura

Produced by: Yuji Okumura, Takeshi Hitomi, Ken Matsubara, Miokazu Kobayashi

Executive Producer - Yusuke Suzuki

Producers: Riku Tsunoda, Tsuyoshi Goto

Music producer: Ken Matsubara

Music - SUPA LOVE

Photography - Iju Moritada

Lighting - Hiroki Hibino

Recording - Takeshi Igarashi

Art - Mirai Iwasaki

Baby Assassins: Nice Days (2024)

Crew:

Director and Screenwriter: Yugo Sakamoto

Assistant Director: Wataru Kudo

Producers: Riku Sumida, Tsuyoshi Goto

Executive Producer: Yusuke Suzuki

Action Director: Kensuke Sonomura

Action Coordinator: Naohiro Kawamoto

Cinematography: Moritada Iju

Lighting: Masafumi Seki

Sound: Masato Komaki

Music Producer: Ken Matsubara

Music: SUPA LOVE

Theme song: ZIYOOU-VACHI

Reception

Robert Daniels of The New York Times regarded the first film in the series positively, describing it as "a colorful and wild blitzkrieg".

To commemorate the release of the second film, a stage greeting was held at Shinjuku Piccadilly in Tokyo on March 25, 2023. Featured in this event were the director Yugo Sakamoto, the lead duo Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa, the antagonists Joey Iwanaga and Tatsuomi Hamada, Atomu Mizuishi, and the members of Atarashii Gakko!, who performed the theme song live on stage.

References

Official website

Official website