Shion (Makiko Kuno) is the most perfect killer in the Magnificat crime religion. Raised from birth to kill without passion or emotion by Father Kano (Koji Shimizu), she sees a photo of herself taken by a reporter named Ito (Johnny Ôkura). It shocks her into feeling something, as does his begging for his life on his knees, which soon turns into him going down on her, showing her that there is pleasure beyond being a mindless death giver.

Imagine a Hong Kong girl with guns movie, but add more sex- lots more- and base it on a manga, Shion by Mangetsu Hanamura, and you get a slight bit of what this is all about. It’s also better than you can imagine.

From BDSM electrical marital aid torture from fellow killer Mitsuko (Maiko Kazama) to having to choose between killing her new lover or giving up everything she has learned, this is a quick, down-and-dirty bit of V-cinema perfection.

Director Masaru Konuma made plenty of Roman Porno for Nikkatsu and the Woman In the Box movies. Star Makiko Kuno was a model—a Pocari Sweat girl, no less—and is a sommelier today. This is the second in the XX series, following XX: Beautiful Weapon, with XX: Beautiful Beast, XX: Beautiful Target, XX: Beautiful Prey, and XX: Beautiful Killing Machine also in the series.

If you ever said, “I wish La Femme Nikita felt like a rougie,” good news. This is it.

The Hitman: Blood Smells Like Roses is just one of the movies in the Arrow Video V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal set. The set includes a newly filmed introduction by Japanese film critic Masak Tanioka, an interview with screenwriter Hiroshi Takahashi, a video essay by critic and Japanese cinema expert Patrick Macias and a trailer. You can get this from MVD.