The Tale of Kso-Wi 2

The Tale of Kso-Wi 2 mixes teenage drama, martial arts and anime sentimentality to produce a flawed but passionate sequel that continues Joshua Kowi’s love letter to Japanese culture. This student film is packed with heart and manages to communicate a definitive style despite plentiful technical hiccups.

Following the defeat of Akuto, Kso-Wi (Kowi) settles into life at a new Ninja Arts Academy designed to train the next generation of martial artists. Wrestling with his feelings for Mai’Man (Jon Cornwell) and trying to abide by the rules of Principal Sensei (Jamelia Fulton), any chance of a normal upbringing is threatened by new student Diamant (Matthew Duck), who comes into possession of a form of dark magic.

Student films are for nothing if not experimentation and passion. Both exude from The Tale of Kso-Wi 2. Viewers without any familiarity with anime stylings are likely to be left baffled – but this live-action homage works as a loving parody of the tropes usually seen in Japanese animation. The cast are clearly loving the repeating musical interludes wherein characters lay bare their emotional baggage and exposition is dumped shamelessly. Joshua Kowi stands out in these sequences. Clearly the film’s biggest personality, his Kso-Wi is missed when not on-screen (particularly in the second act) thanks to his willingness to throw himself entirely into the ridiculousness of the film’s storytelling. Matthew Duck is similarly a joy as the villainous Diamant, his sinister cartoonishness missing only a moustache to twirl.

These sequences allow for some of the funnier moments in the film as the cast break out into song, but the writing results in great humour too. The name ‘Mai’Man’ is mined for as many laughs as can be extracted, and Jon Cornwell demonstrates his physical comedy chops in some of the fight sequences. The teen drama wouldn’t look out of place in a more traditional high-school comedy, though it taking place with samurai swords and headbands galore adds a splash of colour that is welcome.

It's natural that flaws will be present in an amateur production. The sound levels are off in many scenes making some of the dialogue difficult to hear. Fight sequences are poorly edited (perhaps intentionally if going for authentic old-school Japanese style though, it must be said…), and anyone without at least an appreciation (if not an outright love) for anime or Japanese culture more widely will quickly become tired of the eccentricity and musical breaks.

The Tale of Kso-Wi 2 is clearly made for its cast to enjoy more than anything, and their passion for their idea justifies this purpose. Out of this context it is at times funny, at times baffling, at times tiresome. But really it deserves credit as an overall production and for working as a loving parody of its creator’s shared passion. It speaks of a promising set of filmmakers who understand the mechanics of the screen, and who will thrive with a bigger budget to play with.