Bruce Von Stiers

Asia Pulp Cinema is a division of Central Park Media. They provide some of the live action productions that come from Japan. One of the series that Asia Pulp Cinema has been putting out is Tokyo Mafia. This series stars Riki Takeuchi as Ginya Yabuki. The latest release in this series is Tokyo Mafia: Yakuza Blood.

In this film Yabuki is sort of off his game. He is called “the legendary assassin” but he hasn’t been acting like it. He’s been getting the jobs done, but most of the time while being drunk.

Along comes this young guy named Rio. He happens to see Yabuki take out a whole room full of guys without getting a scratch or even emotional. Rio decides that he wants to be an assassin just like Yabuki.

Rio starts following Yabuki around, trying to be allowed to do a hit. He also begins bothering the man who gives out the killing assignments. He begs for a chance to take on a hit.

Unbeknownst to Yabuki, he still has an enemy or two out there. One of these people sets him up for a hit. Only it doesn’t go down that way. And then Yabuki tracks down the man and seeks revenge all over again.

In the meantime, Rio has picked up a new girlfriend and begins on a path to learn how to be an assassin. But Yabuki tries to caution him and let Rio know that there are choices in life to make, and this career path might not be the best one.

In typical pulp fashion, there is a lot of shooting, cursing and bloodshed. There is a tiny bit of nudity but nothing to get shockingly pink about.

The dubbing in the show wasn’t the best. I know that the words are hard to match, but the synching could have been a little better. But on the positive side, dubbing has come a long way. I remember watching the “chop socky theater” martial arts films during the ‘80’s where the dubbing was horrible.

The action is also typical of the pulp genre. Rio gets smacked around a little by a gang he gets on the wrong side of. Yabuki shoots his victims showing no emotion. And where does everybody get all their guns from? It seems like every other person in the film is packing at least one piece. In one kind of funny bit, Rio has run out of bullets and is asking people to help him get more. He has a mini arsenal of weapons that he gathered after the hit where he first saw Yabuki.

If you have an hour and a half to waste, then Tokyo Mafia: Yakuza Blood might not be too bad. But if quality viewing is your pleasure, then this is not one to take home from the video store. There is plenty of action (someone is getting killed about every five minutes or so), but the plot is kind of thin. The shooting is plenty but the gore is minimal. Women might like the rugged looks of Riki Takeuchi, but for the guys looking for some T & A, forget it. Rio’s old girlfriend gets some decent camera, but not too much. And his new girlfriend is more of a waif than a beauty.

Tokyo Mafia: Yakuza Blood should be available soon at movie retailers. You can also check out the Asia Pulp Media web site if you are interested in the film or some of their other titles. The web site is www.asiapulp.com. If this is not your style, then the parent company, Central Park Media, might have something else that’s more your taste. Their web site is www.centralparkmedia.com