Chanbara Striptease

Directed by: Akira Hirose

Starring: Ryo Akanishi, Sasa Handa

Synopsis:

On her 20th birthday, young Lila accepts the responsibility of continuing the traditional and deadly martial art of Sayama Hashinryu, which has been passed down the generations through the female members of her family.

Upon drinking some ceremonial tea, Lila finds herself transported back in time, totally naked, with only her swordswoman costume at hand. Lila comes to the rescue of a pregnant woman called Miss Yae, who is being attacked by grotesque looking ninjas from the Yamishika gang, and soon meets Hikoichi, Miss Yae’s brother. Lila’s prowess with the sword and her special “ability” make her a target for the ninja gang, who try to turn the villagers against her.

Review

Chanbara Striptease isn’t exactly the low-brow, bawdy comedy action flick you’d expect with such a title. Yes, there are boobs aplenty, but the film plays it all with a relatively straight bat that the sexploitation tag hardly sticks – at least until the laughably OTT finale.

The martial art that Lila has inherited largely involves bearing her breasts when fighting. Lila needs every help she can get, because the actress playing her hardly knows one end of the sword from the other. The woman playing her stern-mouthed grandmother looks as if she’d be more handy with a blade, and yet she doesn’t so much as touch a sword.

The swordfights are a bit dismal, lifted somewhat by some judicious editing. However the “Boobs out” aspect is kept reasonably tasteful for until the finale. Lila is perplexed by her new prowess and is more than a little perturbed by the fact that she has now killed someone (albeit in self-defence). Her grandmother’s warning that the art of Sayama Hashinryu only has one purpose – to cause harm unto others, keeps haunting Lila as she tries to come to grips with her predicament.

Lila believes that she has travelled back in time to meet the woman who founded the martial arts school that produced the Sayama Hashinryu. When she initially fights the female leader of the ninja gang, it transpires that she has developed the same skill and may in fact be the founder. This puts Lila into a dilemma: if she fights and kills the ninja gang leader, there will be no one to start her martial art and she might disappear into a time paradox! However, if she doesn’t kill the ninja gang leader, she will continue to terrorise the village.

As I mentioned, the fights, such as they are, are quite tastefully done considering the flesh on show. However for the final confrontation, tact and taste get thrown out of the window. It’s a sublimely ridiculous moment which will definitely provide an after-pub laugh.

Verdict

For all it’s boobery, Chanbara Striptease actually carries a lot of charm. The character of Lila is well developed and quite sympathetic. It’s a pity the swordfights were so badly staged – especially considering there are production links between this and the much superior Chanbara Beauty .

6 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)