Much like the Machine Girl phenomenon last year, the first teaser for Fuyuhiko Nishi‘s “High Kick Girl!” got a lot of bloggers’ attention a few weeks back, going mildly viral on some websites that normally have nothing to do with Japanese movies. But this one shouldn’t be mistaken for upskirt fan service or a gimmick flick. The actual storyline may be a smidge on the simplistic side, but the action scenes are taken seriously and many of the actors involved have extensive training in martial arts, including the film’s star: 17-year-old karate champion Rina Takeda.

Takeda is the real deal, having won a plethora of tournaments over the past 3 years. After the break you’ll find the full trailer for the film followed by a few additional demonstrations of her kicking power.

Fans of AKB48 will be happy to learn that team K standout Sayaka Akimoto has a role in the film, but they didn't bring her onboard strictly for her pop idol persona -- she's actually a 2nd dan black belt in Aikido and pretty damn tough in her own right.

Nishi has dabbled in martial arts-related films a few times in the past few years. He was a producer on both Shaolin Girl and Black Belt, and was also in charge of fight choreography for the latter.

Plot: A 17-year-old high school girl named Kei (Takeda) joins a karate dojo and makes short work of all the boys she faces due to her vastly superior athletic abilities. Thinking she has accomplished all she needs to, Kei quickly decides she deserves her black belt. However, her sensei Matsumura denies her -- citing the importance of mastering the kata (forms) first.

Brash and impatient, Kei joins a rival group of fighters called the Destroyers (Kowashiya) at the suggestion of her boyfriend. The Destroyers don't have strict guidelines like Matsumura, and even encourage their members to use their fighting abilities to earn quick cash.

Unfortunately the group's leader is recruiting fighters for a special purpose: to attack and destroy Matsumura. When Kei objects to the plan she gets kidnapped and dragged along anyway. Now it's up to the always non-violent Matsumura to defend his student.

"High Kick Girl!" is slated for Japanese release in May.

Trailer:

Board/bat breaking

This girl hates baseball bats!

Yes, a 5'2" idol could beat you up ♥

<Clip removed from YouTube by TV Tokyo>

High Kick Girl! official blog
Trailer via Twitch

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Tags: akb48, ayako sugiyama, fuyuhiko nishi, high kick girl, hisae watanabe, ichiro sugisawa, keita oosone, kumi imura, kyoji amano, misako nagashima, rina takeda, rumi maeda, ryoko gomi, sayaka akimoto, tatsuya naka, yu kamio, yu misato, yuka kobayashi