Right here, right now, I’m going to declare Reiko Oshida‘s uber-plucky Rui, from the amazing Quick-Draw Okatsu, THE CUTEST SWORD GIRL EVER!
Rui is a free-spirited wandering fighter looking for a scrap. Luckily, she crosses paths with the often blood-spattered fugitive she-demon Okatsu and the requisite legion of male scumbags out to do her no good. Let the games begin…
Crooked gambling dens, gangs of sweaty roving rapists, conspirators ensnaring the innocent in their insidious schemes… none is safe from this bare-legged goddess of the wakizashi. Oh those cheeks!
The way the film plays out, Okatsu keeps getting outnumbered, takes a physical or sexual beating, Rui pops up just in time, Okatsu gets ahold of a stray katana, and the bloodbath begins. Rinse and repeat. There might not be a more satisfying sword girl movie than this.
Oshida, more often in switchblade fights with savage sukeban, is absolutely awesome in these fights. She’s totally credible as the tomboy with a short sword – great gestures and poses – and she never loses that chipmunk-cheeked smile. Rui loves to scrap!
This, however, is perhaps the single hottest moment of the film. I love the chambara cliche of the mystery swordsman in the gasa who lets an oppenent slash so close, the straw gets cut to reveal the steely eyes of the hero underneath. This may be the only time the hero under the hat is actually a hottie heroine! Okatsu is increasingly brutal and chillingly efficient with he swordplay as the movie escalates.
And then Tomisaburo Wakayama shows up as a proto-Shokin Kasegi for a bonus portion of violence.
Okatsu dawns this terrific outfit for the climactic home invasion and dishing-out-of-revenge-o-rama.
But it’s another adorable moment with Rui that punctuates the film. The bounty hunter gives her grief for her underwear showing, and she gets bashful all of a sudden.
This is the second major plug I’ve given for Quick-Draw Okatsu, and if THE CUTEST SWORD GIRL EVER doesn’t get you to buy it, you’re on the wrong website.
And if you want more Oshida, look for her Pinky Violence stuff on Amazon.
