Entertainment

CUTTING LOOSE

ABC Family just gets it.

Its newest show, “Samurai Girl,” is an action-packed, three-night martial arts miniseries that introduces girls to the world of Asian action flicks – which almost always include female martial arts heroines.

This series gives adolescent girls a martial arts hero to call their own – an impossibly gorgeous and very charismatic Jamie Chung as the Samurai Girl.

The story – hokey as every Hong Kong martial arts movie ever made but not as visually sumptuous as most of the newer ones – follows the traditional martial arts movie arc about an innocent who becomes a warrior to avenge the death of (pick one) the master, the father, the mother, the brother or the beloved lover.

The series begins with the arranged marriage of 19-year-old Heaven, who- as a 6-month old baby – was given her name when she fell from the sky, the only survivor of a plane crash.

She was adopted by a very rich Japanese family who protects and coddles her.

Although she doesn’t love her intended husband, a soulless scion of an equally rich and powerful San Francisco family, she is so grateful to her family that she will do their bidding without complaint.

Increasing her unhappiness is that fact that her beloved brother, Hiko, who left home after an argument with their dad and is estranged from the family, is not invited to the nuptials.

Dressed in a traditional kimono, the meek bride is about to take her wedding vows when hell breaks loose.

Yes, Ninja killers invade the joint and break up the ceremony. (I wish they’d thought to attack my wedding – it would have saved me a lot of aggravation later.)

Suddenly, her brother shows up to save her, but is killed in the melee.

With his last breath, he lets her know that nothing is as it seems with the family. There are secrets involving the Japanese Mafia and a family sword and she needs to locate a guy named Jake (Brendan Fehr), a martial arts expert, to find out about it all.

Along the way, the formerly protected young woman moves in with a couple of roommates (Stacy Keibler and Kyle Labine) and learns the ways of – no! you’re kidding! – the Samurai.

On the downside, Jamie Chung is no Michelle Yeoh.

But, like every young Samurai in every movie ever made, she needs time to master the ways of the ancients if she’s going to ascend to the mountain of the masters. Or something.

“Samurai Girl”