Hana no onna sumô

Topless female sumo wrestling! Sounds like a surefire concept, doesn't it? Unfortunately, "Sumo Vixens" doesn't have enough vision to do the concept justice. The main problems with this movie are:

a) Too much (annoying) "comic relief" from some supporting characters.

b) Too much "story" - for example, the actual sumo tournament lasts only about 10 minutes, and when it's over the film needlessly goes on for 10 more.

c) Poor fight choreography - they should have either hired a good trainer, or let the girls completely improvise the fights themselves; they seem to have done something in-between, and it doesn't look too good.

It's not a total loss - after all, we ARE talking about topless female sumo wrestling here - and the actress who plays the bad girl nails her role, but it's something of a missed opportunity. (*1/2)