Like the series it inspired, Kellermans award-winning 1986 debut novel combines police procedure, via hard-boiled LAPD detective Peter Decker, with Judaic rites and rituals courtesy of its heroine Rina Lazarus, an ultra-Orthodox widowed mother of two. Decker and Lazarus are brought together by the brutal rape of a young bride-to-be at the mikvah (a bathhouse used in the purification ritual) that Rina manages in the Hollywood hills.

Kei (Rina Takeda) joins a karate dojo and quickly proves herself to be the most skilled fighter amongst all her male peers. However, her sensei Matsumura still refuses to give her the coveted black belt until she learns all the kata (forms). Too impatient to wait any longer, Kei hastily joins a fighting group called the Destroyers.

Real life Ryukyu Shorin-ryu Karate champion turned action movie actress Rina Takeda follows up her debut “High Kick Girl!” with “Karate Girl” (or “K.G.”), offering fans more of the same as she kicks, punches and chops her way through swathes of bad guys while wearing a cute high school uniform. Despite its similar title, the film bears no relation to its predecessor, though it does see original scribe Kimura Yoshikatsu taking the director’s chair, with co-scripter, producer and choreographer Nishi Fuyuhiko also returning. Boasting the same brand of old school, no wires, no CGI high impact martial arts, the film attempts to go one better by teaming Takeda with another young female karate expert in the 14 year old Tobimatsu Hina.

Kei (Rina Takeda) joins a karate dojo and quickly proves herself to be the most skilled fighter amongst all her male peers. However, her sensei Matsumura still refuses to give her the coveted black belt until she learns all the kata (forms). Too impatient to wait any longer, Kei hastily joins a fighting group called the Destroyers. The Destroyers don’t care about anything but fighting and earning money, and this suits Kei just fine. But when she finds out their true purpose - to destroy Matsumura - she decides she must do whatever it takes to put a stop to them.