Here’s the Japanese trailer for the latest live-action film from Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Avalon) courtesy of Nippon Cinema. Assault Girls is a continuation of a couple previous short films. Meisa Kuroki, Rinko Kikuchi and Hinako Saeki star in the feature film. The plot synopsis goes something like this:
In the aftermath of global thermonuclear war, the Earth’s surface has been turned into a desert battlefield. Three beautiful female hunters: Gray, Lucifer, and Colonel traverse the barren landscape armed with powerful assault rifles to fight a group of deadly sand-dwelling monsters called “sunakujira” (sand whales). When the epic battle eventually seems to be coming to an end, the sparkle of muzzle flash dies down and assault ship flies overhead. Suddenly, a gigantic super mutation called “Madara Sunakujira” attacks.
Of Oshii’s live-action work I’ve only seen Avalon but it was solid enough, and virtually everything he does is at least interesting in some way, if not always anywhere near as profound as he believes (I’m looking at you, wafer-thin The Sky Crawlers). I just hope the ear-piercingly awful J-pop music doesn’t rear its head in the actual film.
Assault Girls will begin its Japanese release in December.
