Attack Girls’ Swim Team Versus The Undead: Unrated Limited Edition (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

September 22, 2009 by Dennis Amith 

“Blood, zombies and boobs… Oh my!  Overall, the film is laughable, low-budget horror fare but then again, this film was not exactly created to win awards for cinematography or best screenplay, this film was created to bridge the gap for those who enjoy horror, zombie and softcore films.  If you are a horror or zombie fan and has a perverted sense of humor,  “Attack Girls’ Swim Team Versus the Undead: Unrated Limited Edition” is definitely for you!”

Images courtesy of ©GP Museum Soft.  All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Attack Girls’ Swim Team Versus the Undead (aka Joshikyoei Hanrangun): Unrated Limited Edition

DURATION: 80 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Aspect Ratio: 16:9, Japanese 2.0 with English Subtitles

COMPANY: Switchblade Pictures

RATED:  UNRATED – Contains Violence, Adult Situation and Nudity

RELEASE DATE:  December 9, 2008

Directed by Koji Sawano

Screenplay by Satoshi Owada

Executive Producers: Kazuha Takagi, Robert Price

Produced by Yoji Hirako, Masami Teranishi

Starring:

Sasa Handa as Aki

Yuria Hidaka as Sayaka

Ayumi Tokito

Hiromitsu Kiba

Kiyo Yoshizwa

Hidetomo Nishida,

Sakae Yamazaki

Get ready for the worst first week of school EVER! No sooner has beautiful young Aki stepped on campus than she’s pressed into service replacing a girl beat up by the swim team’s over zealous male instructor.  Next a psycho scientist sent to inoculate the luscious young student bodies against a new virus makes a little error in judgement, result in a not-so-little flesh-eating zombie problem.  Now, with most of the school and all of the teachers running amok, eating each other, having rabid sex and juggling, it’s up to Aki and her new found allies on the Girls’ Swim Team to send these monsters to the shower scenes!  There’s blood, gore and hot girls galore in the greenhouse pulp extravaganza Asian Cult Cinema says gives “Dead Alive, Evil Dead” and Zombie a serious run for their money.  ATTACK GIRLS’ SWIM TEAM VS. THE UNDEAD!

Many countries have tried to test adult video with an actual storyline.  One film would be equivalent to an X-rated film and another minus the hardcore sex scenes and thus gets an equivalent R-rating.  In Japan, the film known as “Joshikyoei Hanrangun” aka “Attack Girls Swim Team versus the Undead” (or Nihombie 2), is a film directed by Koji Kawano (“Kyoshujo no Oneesan 2″, “Love My Life” and “Cruel Restaurant”) and a screenplay by Satoshi Owada (“Cruel Restaurant”) and features Japanese adult video stars Sasa Handa and Yuria Hidaka.

The film revolves around a new student in high school named Aki (Sasa Handa).   We hear various warnings of a virus in the area and all students and teachers must have a virus shot.  Unfortunately, the girls swim team is too busy with their upcoming meet and don’t get the shot.  Meanwhile, a girl named  Sayaka (Yuria Hidaka) pushes Aki who is looking at the pool into the water and she realizes that Aki is not a member of the swim team.  She eventual becomes friends with her quite quickly as the two take a shower together and Aki sees that she has a certain mark on her breast that she has.

While Aki is laying on top of the roof at her school, she is greet by Sayaka once again and notices the same birthmark on the side of her neck that she has.  Needless to say, the two quickly become friends (despite the other classmates thinking Aki is spooky because she never talks to anyone).

By this time, the school has changed for the worst as everyone who has received the flu shot are now turning to zombies.  In one class, a teacher uses his rulers as a weapon, chopping students up, while other students start eating each other.

Needless to say, the teachers and schools gone made but the swim team happens to be OK?  How come they are unaffected?  With the school now infested with zombies, will the girls swim team survive around the undead?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Attack Girls’ Swim Team versus The Undead” is presented in 16:9.  Its evident that the film was shot digitally, so it has that clean grainless look. For the most part, the film is shot inside a school, inside a classroom or swimming pool area and outside the school.  Very few scene locations but for this type of film, it’s not really needed.

As for audio, audio is in Japanese via 2.0 and English subtitles.  For audio setting, I had my receiver settings with stereo on all channels but for the most part, the film is front-channel driven.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features on the DVD, nor is their a menu.  So, expect the film to begin right after you insert the DVD inside your player.

“Attack Girls’ Swim Team Versus the Undead: Unrated Limited Edition” is marketed as a gorehouse pulp horror film and the cover with Japanese girls with weapons definitely will catch one’s attention.  But the film is not to be looked at as a “horror” film per se, possibly a watered down porno without the hardcore sex scenes but with a wacky “Resident Evil” meets “Dead Rising” but at a girl’s school type of storyline.

The film would definitely appeal to the Japanophiles or the curious horror fan but for the hardcore horror fans, you’re not going to exactly get those visually sickening scenes.  Even I have my limits to horror films but this film, was difficult to get scared because in one scene, you’ll see the main talent nude and then it cuts to a horror scene.  Sure, you get severed limbs and hardcore blood splatters all over the place but they look so low-budget that it becomes almost like comedy than horror.

And for those who are used to schlocky zombie films, “Attack Girls’ Swim Team Versus the Undead” maybe schlocky, especially when you find out what can make a zombie revert back to human but where zombie films focus a lot on the carnage, needless to say, this film probably leans less towards carnage and more to possibly getting the audience aroused.   I can see Japanese adult video fans wondering how far both Japanese porn stars Sasa Handa and Yuria Hidaka will go in this film and although this is an unrated film, let’s just say that Sasa Handa is probably not acting during those sexual scenes.  In fact, it made me wonder if this film was similar to “Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge” which also features adult video stars in a more story-driven film, but in “Pirates II”, that film was released in two formats (X-rated and R-rated).  I have no idea if there is an X-rated version of this film but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was.

Overall, the film is laughable, low-budget horror fare but then again, this film was not exactly created to win awards for cinematography or best screenplay, this film was created to bridge the gap for those who enjoy horror, zombie and softcore films and eventually brought overseas (and possibly a smart way for the Japanese to promote their AV stars outside of Japan).  You literally get a mix of all three in “Attack Girls’ Swim Team Versus the Undead”.

For hentai anime fans, yes you get the fan service ala pantie shots and even a sexy beam that is shot from Aki’s vajajay, what more can you ask for?  If anything, the weakest part about this DVD release is that there are no DVD menu and no special features and of course, the storyline and acting is not exactly something to rave about. And this is a low-budget film, so you’re not going to get a 5.1 soundtrack or awesome picture quality.

I’m sure there is a segment of movie fans who don’t mind being aroused without the hardcore sex scenes and I know there are plenty of people who dig these style of Japanese horror/softcore films, so if you are one of those fans, then this “Attack Girls’ Swim Team Versus the Undead: Unrated Limited Edition” is definitely for you!