For some people, martial arts appear like violent dances but for many others their sport-like qualities are more apparent. Still, it was only in 2002 that Stephen Chow successfully married Shaolin kung fu and association football (with dollops of comedy) in Shaolin Soccer. A box-office hit in Japan as well as those parts of Asia with significant ethnic Chinese populations, it has inspired other hybrid martial arts and sports films: notably Jay Chou’s basketball-themed Kung Fu Dunk which was one of this year’s Chinese New Year film offerings; and, also, this Chihiro Kameyama and Stephen Chow co-production that features a lacrosse-playing Japanese Shaolin girl.

A cartoon-like work, notably in the one-dimensional nature of many of its characters and visuals (especially the heavily CG-dependent beginning of the movie and its too fantastical climactic fight sequence), Shaolin Girl stars cutie Ko Shibasaki as spunky Rin Sakurazawa, a Japanese gal whose beloved late grandfather ran a martial arts dojo in their hometown. Sent to China’s Shaolin Temple to complete a 3,000-day training programme, Rin emerges from the experience with a great enthusiasm to pass Shaolin kung fu on to more Japanese. 

Upon her return to her native land, however, she quickly realizes she faces an uphill battle spreading the sport in a place where few people have any idea of what the martial art is. Worse, her grandfather’s dojo has closed down, its disciples having decided they no longer want to practise martial arts as “we’ve grown up”. Additionally, although Rin takes a while to realize it, there’s a ‘dark side’ to Shaolin kung fu – much like with, you know, Star Wars’ The Force – represented by the brooding president (Toru Nakamura) of the university Rin enrolls in at the behest of a new friend, the Tai Chi-practising, lacrosse-playing Minmin (Kitty Zhang).

Watching Rin and Minmin’s interactions, particularly some of the affectionate glances they cast at each other, one is liable to anticipate that Shaolin Girl will end up as a full-blown lesbian romance. But while love plays a significant part in the often mind-bogglingly hokey movie, like so many other elements in this work, it isn’t deep enough to be much more than a platitude, even if platonic. 

If the pretty, laughable Shaolin Girl has any positives, one is giving Kitty Zhang a greater opportunity to shine than CJ7, her earlier – and just as cartoon-like – collaboration with Stephen Chow. Top-billed Ko Shibasaki is admirably game for many things but quite a few of her action movements are too obviously unskilled for someone supposedly a Shaolin kung fu expert. And while lead actor Yosuke Eguchi is charismatic as Iwai, Rin’s former martial arts teacher turned Chinese restaurant cook and lacrosse team coach, it’s difficult to see the need for his character – never mind those of Shaolin Soccer-team members Lam Chi Chung and Tin Kai Man – in the movie, especially as Iwai turns out to be such a failure at his chosen role as Rin’s protector. 

As I’ve been given to understand, Shaolin Girl didn’t perform as well during its Japanese theatrical run as hoped, and it’s hard to see it being all that popular here either. However, I can see it being a hit in Mainland China. At the very least, there is the novelty of seeing a largely Japanese film with a Japanese character so in love with certain aspects of Chinese culture, at times even at the expense of Japanese ones.

Yvonne Teh