Samurai Girl (miniseries)

Last updated
Samurai Girl
Written byLuke McMullen
Bryan Oh
Meredith Averill
Mimi Won Techentin
Directed byPat Williams
Starring Jamie Chung
Brendan Fehr
Stacy Keibler
Jack Yang
Anthony Wong
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes6
Production
ProducerBob Levy
CinematographyJoel Ransom
EditorsDarla Ellerman
Richard Schwadel
Production companiesSpace Floor Television
Alloy Entertainment
ABC Studios
ABC Family
Release
Original releaseSeptember 5 (2008-09-05) –
September 7, 2008 (2008-09-07)

Samurai Girl is a six-hour mini-series loosely based on the popular young-adult novel series by Carrie Asai. The event stars Jamie Chung, [1] Brendan Fehr, and Stacy Keibler. The series began its three-day premiere on ABC Family [2] on September 5, 2008.

Contents

Premise

This story follows Heaven, who at six months old was the sole survivor of a deadly plane crash. The press named her Heaven, because it seemed that she fell from the sky. Soon after, she was adopted by the powerful Kogo Family and lived a very privileged life. But 19 years later, things take an unexpected turn, when her wedding is attacked and her brother, Ohiko, is killed trying to save her, not before warning her that the Yakuza have infiltrated her family. She breaks free from her family and begins training to be a samurai and fight back against the Yakuza. [3] [4]

Plot

Part 1

Heaven sneaks maple glazed donuts into the compound and is startled by Hiko. Hiko tells Heaven that he is leaving to go to stay with his friend Jake in San Francisco and gives Heaven a necklace as a birthday present.

One year later, we find that Heaven's about to be wed to Teddy Yukimura. But as the wedding takes place, Yakuza ninjas attack her wedding. Her brother is killed trying to protect her, and her father is shot. Later, she goes to a party where she sees the hostess dumping her boyfriend. The next morning, the hostess Cheryl finds Heaven hiding in her closet. With Cheryl's friend Otto's help, Heaven finds Jake and find that Hiko left her a bag containing a fake passport to a Zen monastery in Indonesia. But, against Hiko's wishes, she returns to the Kogo Towers Hotel. As she is trying to access her fathers files, she is discovered by the maid and takes off running with the laptop and is rescued by Jake.

Later on, Heaven calls Otto to help access the laptop without a password and is able to access surveillance videos to find that her limo driver, Noriyuki, is being beaten up. As they are trying to find the source, the files are deleted but not before discovering that it came from a nightclub. Heaven and Jake head to the nightclub to rescue Noriyuki but are ambushed. After the ambush, they find Noriyuki as he was about to perform Seppuku. When they return to Jake’s loft, Heaven gives Noriyuki a package containing money to escape. Then he tells Heaven about a legend that involves her.

Part 2

Heaven begins training with Jake. Soon after, she discovers that Jake was a former Yakuza ninja and asks Jake to find the ninja that killed Hiko. When Heaven goes to the supermarket, she encounters a man named Severin, who tells her that he was building a case against her father and the Yakuza and asks her to return home. While at Cheryl's house to check her e-mail, two Yakuza ninjas attack. Cheryl, Otto and Heaven flee to Jake's loft. During a battle with the master assassin, Heaven discovers that her father organized the attack at the wedding. Severin again meets up with Heaven to tell that her necklace was also a tracking device and that he needs her help to take down her father's empire. After which Heaven agrees to return home.

Part 3

As Heaven is set to return home, Severin warns her that her father is a dangerous man. But she is still convinced that her father is innocent. Then Severin tells her that her father had murdered Teddy's father, Yuji Yukimura. She returns home and discovers that she is a part of an ancient prophecy. With the help of Severin, Cheryl, and Otto, Heaven sneaks into her father's office and steals the documents about the prophecy. After a meeting with Heaven's father, Teddy tells Heaven about the prophecy while he is preparing to leave.

Part 4

On the way back from Hiko's funeral, Sato tells Tasuke that her daughter was a spy and were heading to an unknown location when Jake rescues her and takes her back to the hotel to retrieve the sword. To avoid being seen by her father, Heaven and Jake share a long fake kiss. When they finally get back to Jake's loft, they find that Karen, who is Jake's ex-fiancée, has returned to the house. Heaven feels furiously jealous that Jake has a fiancée after they just shared their "first kiss." After Severin reviews the text, he hands it to a former professor to have it translated: He tells her that a secret decoder written on a series of bones sits at the Japanese consulate. So Heaven, Severin, and Cheryl head over to retrieve the bones.

After retrieving the bones, they discover that a piece of the prophecy is within the Sierra Nevada mountains. So Heaven and Severin set out to get that piece. Jake joins them but they discover that Sato and his men have started on the trail, so they climb up the face of Mount Kyra. While Dr. Fleming (who Cheryl has a crush on) examines the artifacts, Karen sneaks into his office and kills him. Meanwhile, two of the carabiners break free, pulling Jake and Severin down. Severin tells Heaven to cut one of them loose or lose both of them.

Part 5

Part 5 opens with Severin and Jake yelling at Heaven to cut either of their ropes. Heaven reluctantly cuts Jake's rope sending him falling backward down the mountain. Heaven stays frozen until Severin orders her to climbing so that Jake wouldn't have died in vain. However, Heaven and Severin are not successful in gaining the mirror and return home with nothing. Soon after, Jake, who survived the fall, returns with the mirror and a captured Sato. Otto and Cheryl tell Heaven of Karen's true identity, and Heaven becomes suspicious of her (without evidence) and refuses to confront Jake. After a botched sting operation to uncover Tasuke's money launderer, known only as Sonia, Karen stabs Sato and cuts herself to make it look like he escaped.

Part 6

After stabbing Jake, Karen beats up Heaven and kidnaps Cheryl. After seeing Jake at the hospital, she leaves for a location outside Kyoto, Japan. Meanwhile, Severin is interrogating Tasuke, who was arrested in a planned sting, during which he tells the history of the Morishi Protocol which included an underground bidding war. Heaven ends up killing Jake's ex and survives the Morishi Protocol even though her destiny was to die in the end for a person to survive. Heaven, Cheryl, and Severin return to the loft to find that Jake left. Five months later, we find Heaven working as a waitress. Otto brings Heaven a letter from Jake. At the end, on the way home, Heaven comes across Sato and is quickly surrounded by a gang of ninjas and she prepares to fight them.

Promotion

On the second day of the 2008 San Diego Comic-con, the cast and crew promoted the movie by signing autographs and participated in a question and answer session with attendees.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Showdown (Archie Comics)</span>

"Love Showdown" is a four-part comic book story arc, first published in 1994, featuring the characters from Archie Comics. Publicized as a possible resolution to the decades-long love triangle between Archie Andrews and his longtime sweethearts Betty and Veronica, Love Showdown received more publicity than any other event in Archie history. The story, written by Bill Golliher and Dan Parent, was originally published in Archie #429, Betty #19, Betty and Veronica #82, and Veronica #39.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanada Yukimura</span> 16th Century Commander and Legendary Warrior of the Sengoku Period

Sanada Nobushige, also known as Sanada Yukimura, was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He was especially known as the leading general on the defending side of the Siege of Osaka. Yukimura was called "A Hero who may appear once in a hundred years", "Crimson Demon of War" and "The Last Sengoku Hero". The famed veteran of the invasion of Korea, Shimazu Tadatsune, called him the "Number one warrior in Japan" (日本一の兵).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Little Match Girl</span> Fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen

"The Little Match Girl" is a literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. The story, about a dying child's dreams and hope, was first published in 1845. It has been adapted to various media, including animated, live-action, and VR films as well as television musicals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariko Yashida</span> Comics character

Mariko Yashida is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as Wolverine's romantic interest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makimachi Misao</span> Fictional character from Rurouni Kenshin

Makimachi Misao, in the Media Blasters dub, is a character from the fictional Rurouni Kenshin universe created by Nobuhiro Watsuki.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Burton</span> UK soap opera character (created 2003)

Justin Burton is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Chris Fountain. Justin arrived in 2003 and departed on 3 June 2009. Justin arrived in a family of six, however by September 2006, the Burton family had left the show. It was announced in March 2009 that Fountain had decided to leave the show and would depart in a 'major storyline which echoes the fire which killed his sisters'. Fountain was credited in a flashback episode broadcast on 1 December 2010. On 12 April 2023, it was revealed that Justin had been killed off-screen on 5 October 2022, nearly 14 years after his last appearance on screen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yukio (comics)</span> Fictional character in the Marvel Universe

Yukio (雪緒) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a female ninja of Japanese origin and a supporting character of the X-Men, particularly associated with Wolverine. Originally conceived of as a love interest of Storm, the characters' relationship was relegated to subtext after Marvel Comics' editor-in-chief Jim Shooter mandated that no same-gender couples could be depicted in comic books during his tenure at the company.

<i>Azumi 2: Death or Love</i> 2005 film by Shūsuke Kaneko

Azumi 2: Death or Love is a Japanese jidaigeki film written by Mataichiro Yamamoto and Yoshiaki Kawajiri, directed by Shusuke Kaneko, and starring Aya Ueto, Yuma Ishigaki, Chiaki Kuriyama and Shun Oguri. It is the only sequel to the Japanese film Azumi based on the manga series of the same title by Yū Koyama.

<i>Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales</i> Japanese anime television series

Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales, known in Japan as Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror, is a Japanese anime horror anthology television series produced by Toei Animation.

<i>The Departure</i> (novel) 1998 novel by K. A. Applegate

The Departure is the 19th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated primarily by Cassie and secondarily by Jake, who narrates several chapters towards the end of the story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvin Valentine</span> Fictional character from Hollyoaks

Calvin Valentine is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ricky Whittle. He arrived in July 2006 as a police officer with his mother Diane Valentine, his brother Sonny Valentine and his sister Sasha Valentine and made his final appearance on 21 May 2010 after he was murdered by Theresa McQueen. Whittle was credited for a flashback episode on 1 December 2010. Calvin appeared again as a ghost to tell his wife and Theresa's Cousin Carmel McQueen that his and Theresa's daughter, Kathleen-Angel McQueen, was fine with Theresa in February 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malachy Fisher</span> UK soap opera character, created 2007

Malachy Fisher is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Glen Wallace. Malachy first appeared in 2007 on a recurring basis and became a permanent character in 2008. The character has been noted for being at the centre of an HIV plot. In July 2010, it was announced that the character was to leave the show. The character was later killed off in a structure fire. He made his final appearance on 18 November 2010.

<i>Sengoku Jieitai: Sekigahara no Tatakai</i> Japanese television series

Sengoku Jieitai Sekigahara No Tatakai is a 2006 television series mainly based on the Sengoku Jieitai movie in 1979 and the 2005 movie Sengoku Jieitai 1549. Its director, Kōsei Saitō, had been involved in the creation of the Sengoku Jietai 1979 movie.

Samurai Girl is a series of six novels by author Carrie Asai. It tells the story of Heaven Kogo, who as a baby was the lone survivor of a plane crash and was adopted by the wealthy Kogo family. At age nineteen, she is arranged to marry Teddy Yukemura, but her wedding is crashed by a ninja that kills her brother. She escapes to find out her lavish life and family isn't what she thought it was and must train under her brother's friend, Hiro, the ways of the samurai to protect herself and loved ones.

Many significant Japanese historical people of the Sengoku period appear in works of popular culture such as anime, manga, and video games. This article presents information on references to several historical people in such works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl Brady</span> UK soap opera character, created 2008

Cheryl Brady is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Bronagh Waugh. The character first appeared on-screen on 25 November 2008, during the first series of the Hollyoaks spin-off Hollyoaks Later, as the former love interest of Malachy Fisher. She made her first appearance in main Hollyoaks episodes in July 2009, introduced to the serial by series producer, Lucy Allan. In 2010 when Paul Marquess began producing the serial, he felt that Cheryl was being used in the wrong way, subsequently making her a central character to the show. It was announced on 1 February 2013 that Waugh quit her role. Cheryl departed Hollyoaks on 22 March 2013, after four years on the show, along with her brother, Brendan Brady.

<i>Hyakka Ryōran</i> Japanese light novel series

Hyakka Ryōran: Samurai Girls is a Japanese light novel series written by Akira Suzuki with illustrations by Niθ to commemorate Hobby Japan's 40th anniversary. The first volume was released by Hobby Japan on February 28, 2009, with 17 volumes currently available in Japan under their HJ Bunko imprint. There are currently three different manga adaptations based on the Hyakka Ryoran universe published. An online anthology comic was serialized on Hobby Japan's media website Hobby Channel from June 1, 2010, and sold two volumes as of June 2011; a manga adaptation illustrated by Junichi Iwasaki began serialization in the November 2010 issue of Monthly Comic Alive; and another manga adaptation by Tatara Yano began serialization in Hobby Japan's online manga magazine Comic Dangan on December 23, 2011. A spinoff manga called Hyakka Ryōran: Sengoku Maidens, illustrated by Yuri Shinano, was serialized in the March 2009 issue of Dengeki Daioh and ended in the March 2011 issue, and released three volumes as of March 2012.

<i>Brave 10</i> Japanese manga series

Brave 10 is a manga series by Kairi Shimotsuki, serialized in Media Factory's Comic Flapper from 2006 to 2010. The series was resumed on June 15, 2011 and retitled Brave 10 Spiral, better known as Brave 10 S, serialized in Monthly Comic Gene. An anime adaptation by Studio Sakimakura and TMS Entertainment aired from January 2012 to March 2012. The original manga series is licensed by Tokyopop, though no volumes have been released as of 2012. The series is based on the legendary Sanada Ten Braves, a group of ninja that assisted warlord Sanada Yukimura during the Sengoku period of Japan. The series had been licensed for streaming on Crunchyroll.

<i>Altered Carbon: Resleeved</i> 2020 Japanese film

Altered Carbon: Resleeved is a 2020 Japanese anime film that is a spin-off of Netflix's Altered Carbon television series. The film is directed by Jō Nakajima and written by Dai Sato and Tsukasa Kondo. Set 253 years before the main events of season 1, and 283 years before the events of season 2, Takeshi Kovacs, on the planet Latimar, must protect a tattooist while investigating the death of a yakuza boss alongside a no-nonsense CTAC.

References

  1. ↑ "Jamie Chung Is Samurai Girl". MovieWeb. Accessed 2007-10-07. Archived 2008-08-20 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Michael Schneider (February 13, 2008)ABC Family picks up 'Samurai Girl' Variety Accessed 2008-13-02
  3. ↑ Samurai Girl: Jamie Chung Interview Accessed 2008-05-08 Archived 2008-09-08 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "Real World’s Party Girl is a Martial Arts Master". AsianWeek. Accessed 2008-09-10. Archived 2008-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.