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Well, it's time now a review of a GIGA flick. Today's review will be of Giga TBB-16. I review this one with mixed emotions. This movie features Rico Tachabana, who not only has the best legs of any AV star, but good other stuff. More importantly she's a credible actress and can sell a gimp scene better then most. The plot sounds like something I could have written as a custom. Her costume is good and she isn't covered with a helmet (one of my beefs in some Giga movies). The villains are imposing enough with one exception, and yet it doesn't quite work. Perhaps it's because it's one of the earlier GIGA movies and the production values seem to be affected by budgetary constraints.
The Scenes:
Like most Giga flicks this starts off with the costumed heroine fighting ninja types, who are hopelessly overmatched against our super heroine. Kudos to Giga for at least having here take a few punches. All in all it's a C-, but then most of these scenes are.
In the next scene she sneaks into a warehouse where the rest of this low budget romp is filmed. She fights a few more ninja types who she handles easily and then an ape-like creature appears. He is apparently remote controlled by a green alien as the fight scene is interspaced with the alien handling controls and mumbling Japanese in the most irritating high pitched voice ever to grace the silver screen. The fight is fairly even at first but ultimately the Ape creature takes control and begins to land some good blows. Rico's reactions are excellent and very believable.
The scene was evidently filmed by a 4' tall camera man as almost all of the scenes are shot from a low angle. There is one scene when the ape is stomping on Rico, where the whole scene just shows the foot coming down from below? Why? Ugh? All in all a good scene, But the production hurts. B+
The next scene has the ape wrap a chain around Rico's neck and two of the Ninja types hold the chain. She is then whipped by the ape. While Rico sells it and Giga usually does a good job on this stuff, the low camera angle and position (not AOH) detracts from the scene. At the end of the scene, Rico grabs the whip and defeats the ape creature, all the while interspersed with the mumbling alien and still shot by the midget camera man. What could have been a A- ends up a C+
Then she goes up some stairs and is immediately challenged by another creature. This one is a leather bound robot, who easily defeats the weakened Rico. With the exception of the interspaced mumbling alien and the midget camera angle this is a pretty good scene, ending with Rico writhing on the floor in pain. I'll give it an A-
In the next scene she wakes up suspended with her arms to the side (like crucifixion). First she is beaten with body blows. I like stomach punches, so I should have loved this scene but the low camera angle and far two many close ups killed it. Shot from above doofuses, it implies you're looking down on a victim. Anyway, it was a decent scene, another should have been. I'll give it a B-
The next two scenes she is in the same position. First her uniform is pulled away so her lovely tits are exposed. She receives numerous body blows. Again the shitty camera angle screws it up, by this point I'm yelling at the screen. She is then forced to drink some kind of liquid that has the consistency of motor oil. Probably bad Scotch, LOL. Again, Rico sells it, great set up, lousy execution. B-
The last few scenes she is laying down with her tits exposed and her arms tied down. First they film her in her humiliation, only decent camera angle the entire movie. Then they poor a boiling blue liquid on her, and she is writhing and screaming during the process. Then they use an electrical torture on her tit, but only one shot as she appears to expire. Then they pull her top down and slap her a bit and the movie ends. Decent scenes, Rico does a better job selling it then most. All in all an A- for what it is
Overall grade B-, but a must have for Rico Tachabana fans. Great actress, Great plot, decent villains, piss-poor production values.
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