O! MY ZOMBIE MERMAID  Â! Ikkenya Puroresu (2004)

This is my first film review, and boy, is it a doozy!I thought I would experience a relatively normal Japanese zombie mermaid movie. My mistake for not taking the "logic" of Japanese cinema into account!

The story is too bizarre. This is really weird to explain it all, but I'll give it a go .... Shinya Hashimoto is a legend in the Japanese pro wrestling. So I was expecting a lot from this legitimate wrestling legend, as he had to take on all kinds of bad guys and villains, awhile making his way through the Zombie Castle! Unfortunately Hashimoto has little charm as an actor. He's a big burly man you would not suspect as quick and agile as he is. And still some of his opponents manage to overshadow him. Especially Nicholas Pettas is amazing in his supercool fury ! He says nothing -because he's probably not fluent in Japanese- , but inside his body brews a bubbling volcano that could explode at any moment! And he maintains that feeling the whole movie through! Why Tthe Ichijo character, played by Pettas has such an intense hatred towards protagonist Shishio remains an absolute mystery to me throughout the film! Luckily he can finally unleash his frustrations on a battered Shishio .

Wrestler vs zombie, I guess (from the net)

And then we have come to arguably the best part of the film: The Castle of Terror, or whatever it is called : Shishio must journey to the ends of the castle by facing and besting a new challenge in each room! This has to be a Japanese TV producer's wet dream, to have a legendary wrestling hero sneak through a creepy house, and have him attacked by one of his enemies in every room! It has to be pure ratings gold! And it must be said, some of the battles are indeed more than worth watching! Most notably, the super muscular uber- Xena lady gives Shishio a sound and merciless thrashing. . And of course, the Final Battle between Shishio and súper impressive Ichijo ! Shinya can still move well for such a big heavy bear of a man. But Nicholas Pettas is the man! Pettas, who was a genuine fighter and kickboxer, is lightning quick, and hits without ever losing his cool. The fight might have been a little more balanced , but oh well . I will not give away the outcome , but it's exciting!

Female wrestlers at work (from the net)

The film around it was funny in its incomprehensibility. It made as much sense as one of the deliciously cheesy Mexican El Santo and Blue Demón wrestling films, with brilliant wrestling matches intertwined in the movie. I had a blast watching this! A totally incomprehensible film, but with some mighty fine ass kicking. I hardly noticed any zombies, by the way. And the mermaid, ummmm, sure ... I didn't miss her, but it would have been nice to see the titular mythical sea creature, I guess.

.For my bad ass Wrestling Xena and the ultra cool Nicholas Pettas, one gold starfish each, 2 * total.