Makiriko/Battler Sienna Matra (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

November 25, 2009 by Dennis Amith 

Have you always wished an anime series was a live-action film? Do you enjoy fan service and gravure models?  Then “Makiriko/Battler Sienna Matra” is definitely for you!  Two action-based films on one DVD and yes, plenty of fan service.

Image courtesy of © 2007 Zen Pictures.  All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Makiriko/Battler Sienna Matra

DURATION: Makiriko – 60 minutes/Battler Sienna Matra – 67 minutes

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

COMPANY: Zen Pictures/Switchblade Pictures

RATED: UNRATED – Contains Violence and nudity

RELEASED: December 1, 2009

Ma-kiri-ko

Directed by Hiroshi Nagai

Screenplay by Hiroki Yasue

Directors of Photography: Yuzuru Gomi and Yutaka Nagai

Battler Sienna Matra

Directed by Motoharu Takuji

Producer: Shin Iizawa

Screenplay by Hiroki Yasue

Stage Fighting Director: Masaru Okada

“Makiriko” Starring:

Kyoko Sato as Setsuna

Megu Fujiura as Sayaka Komaki

Ryoma Baba as Satoshi Shindo

Hirokazu Iijima as the Rotten Man

Hajime Tanimoto as Iwamura

Norikazu Azuma as Kima

Yukio Ohta as Professor Kajimoto

“Battler Sienna Matra” Starring:

Mari Sakurai as Matra

Asami Sugiura as Kisara

Akira Ideguchi as Hanzo

Morimasa Tanno as Grauzas

Ono Sword Association as the Ninjas

The monsters, maidens and mayhem are out of control as Switchblade Pictures dishes out a double helping of double-breasted demon hunting goodness! First up: MAKIRIKO, which transposes the perennial anime premise of high-school heroine with a giant sword into live action reality! When sailor-suited warrior Makiriko shows up at a new school, there are two immediate clues that trouble is brewing: 1) the soul sucking demons taking over the student bodies; and 2) the talking green demon thing sitting on her shoulder that tells her trouble is brewing! Then get ready for babes, blades and bare-chested battles galore as a nubile ninjette in training must confront her treacherous sister student, a possessed demon hand and the even more monstrous monster master to which the hand belongs. Why she thinks a tiny leather bikini is the appropriate garb for this is anyone’s guess, but that’s why she’s BATTLER SIENNA MATRA! Two totally twisted fantasy thrillers on one great Switchblade DVD… because we know you like things that come in pairs!

You have to give Switchblade Pictures some props for bringing out films that will appeal to anime fans, especially gravure idol fans.  Many fans of these films have wanted these live action films that star these women (known for not wearing all that much) to make it to the US and here is another release featuring two films on DVD.  What we get with this double feature presentation is “Makiriko” and “Battler Sienna Matra”, two films at around 60+ minutes and for the most part, are very different types of films.

For the first film “Makiriko”, the film plays off like a love story mixed with horror and action.    We see the opening shots of a student with his basketball walking through the lone hallway at his high school and next thing you know, his body is snatched and you hear screams.  Monster?

We are then greeted with an an unusual girl named Setsuna who is actually a demon hunter who must pretend to be a student in order to catch demons who are taking over bodies of students.  Meanwhile, we are treated to a storyline of a teenager named Komaki who seems to be your smart high school girl in love with a basketball jock.  But something is quite off about her.  What could it be?

Setsuna is your dangerous school girl/demon hunter that carries a sword (that eats monsters) but has this green demon that sits on her shoulder, giving her advice.

“Makiriko” plays off like a Japanese anime with the school girl demon warrior taking on the demons at a high school.    In this case, a monster who’s face and body is made of chains.

“Battler Sienna Matra” is quite the opposite of “Makiriko” in which the film stars busty gravure (a term for models in Japan who specialize in lingerie or bikini type of videos or photo books)  model Mari Sakurai in a film where she literally fights nude.

The film revolves around apprentice fighter Matra who has done well in her training and wants to learn the secret final technique from her martial arts master named Hanzo.  Of course, he will teach her the final move only if she can beat him.  But despite being advanced in her training, she’s still not up to defeating her master quite yet.

Meanwhile, as Matra is disappointed that she is unable to learn the final move from her master and leaves the area, her sister Kisara reappears to her former master and tells him that she has joined up with his evil nemesis Grauzas (who the master thought he killed long ago).

So, now Kisara has kidnapped the master in order to force him to teach her the secret final technique.  Will Matra be able to save him in time and defeat her sister?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

Both “Makiriko” and “Battler Sienna Matra” are filmed in digital video and are presented in 16:9.  So, it has that digital video style of appearance.  Outdoor scenes are colorful but it all comes down to how the films are in terms of costume design.

“Makiriko” goes for a more horror type of feel, almost similar to a “Blood the Last Vampire” style with the protagonist in her sailor uniform carrying a sword fighting in the corridors of a dark high school.

While “Battler Sienna Matra” is different and features plenty of outdoor scenes but the camera tends to aim on Matra’s boobs and butt.  As for costume design, the antagonist Grauzas looks like a nemesis from a tokusatsu show (think “Kamen Rider”), while the main protagonist Matra doesn’t wear much at all and thus, the film is fan service driven.

As for audio, audio is presented in Japanese 2.0.  Both films are front channel driven but I preferred to watch the film with stereo on all channels set on my receiver.  Audio is clear and understandable but for the most part, for those who don’t speak or understand Japanese can watch the film with English subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Makiriko/Battler Sienna Matra” comes with only trailers for upcoming films from Switchblade Pictures.

Have you ever watched an anime and thought…”I wish this anime was live-action”?  Well, with “Makiriko/Battler Sienna Matra”, those fans have gotten their wish.  Sure, these two are not based off of an actual manga or anime series but they very much carry those thematic elements of fantasy, fan service and crazy antagonists.

“Makiriko/Battler Sienna Matra” is an interesting double feature.  “Makiriko” is a pretty tame film (even the Switchblade trailers are wilder than this film) and more of a horror/love/action story.  But I have no doubt that those who will pick up this double feature DVD is to see gravure model Mari Sakurai in an action-driven film in which the model fights in scantily clad outfits and even features her in an entire fighting scene topless.  To tell you the truth, the whole film was more like a fan service tease until the nudity came into play in the second half of the film and I was not expecting it.

Personally, “Battler Sienna Matra” is more of a sexy, action-based film and you can tell they actually put in some time for actress Asami Sugiura (who plays Kisara) to learn how to take advantage of those fight scenes.  And as for Matra, the camera tends to be fixated on the T&A but I don’t think guys especially Mari Sakurai fans are going to do any complaining.

Overall, the two films are quite campy but then again, these films are not exactly the type of films where one should expect an award winning screenplay or wonderful acting.  If anything, “Makiriko” is all about the story and costume design, “Battler Sienna Matra” is about the titillating  fan service and action. Two different types of Japanese films on one DVD.

If you are a fan of campy but sexy Japanese films, definitely give “Makiriko/Battler Sienna Matra” a try!

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