Sanrio's superstar character Kuromi, who celebrates her 20th anniversary this year and has seen her popularity skyrocket, is no stranger to fans. This year, she teams up with My Melody, celebrating her 50th, for a brand-new stop-motion animation series, "My Melody & Kuromi," which premiered exclusively on Netflix this July.
While it's an absolutely adorable stop-motion animation, the show's "fight scenes" have unexpectedly become a hot topic. Why? Because director Tomoki Misato just spilled the beans on their surprising inspiration – Hollywood assassin flicks!
The buzz started when Netflix Japan's official X account dropped a 50-second clip on August 11. The scene features My Melody's bestie, Piano, on a unicycle, locked in an intense battle with villains on two motorcycles. Wielding a long staff, she deftly weaves between the bikes, dodging attacks and striking back with fluid camera work. The whole vibe is anything but a typical cute anime!
Director Tomoki Misato retweeted the clip, spilling the behind-the-scenes secret: "Piano's fight scene was inspired by the motorcycle sequences in 'John Wick' and the Korean film 'The Villainess,' and brought to life by the 'PUI PUI Molcar' team."
Both the "John Wick" franchise and the 2017 Korean action flick "The Villainess" feature pulse-pounding motorcycle chase sequences. The fact that these two adrenaline-fueled action movies inspired the moves of Sanrio's super-cute characters left many netizens stunned. Comments poured in like, "She's literally The Villainess!" "That's a wild and lawless list of references," and "There's four times more detail in the homage than I ever imagined."
▼ "The Villainess" Japanese sword fight scene
Beyond the nods to "John Wick" and "The Villainess," the series also features a homage to the iconic motorcycle slide-brake scene from the classic anime "AKIRA," and even hardcore aerial gunfights! It completely shatters the stereotype that "Sanrio character animations are only about cuteness."
The Netflix original series "My Melody & Kuromi," all 12 episodes, is now exclusively available on the platform. If you're curious, go check it out and see if it gives you a whole new perspective on Sanrio works!