Iguchi Noboru's latest "Robo Geisha" is yet another addition to his bizarre, low-budget psychotronic films that while entertaining are a bit too off-the-wall, campy and juvenile to really appeal to audiences outside of the midnight film festival crowds or bad movie aficionado.
The film's premise seems almost like a bad joke - two sisters Natsuki Yoshie (cute Kiguchi Aya) and Natsuki Kikuei (Hasabe Hitomi) are recruited from the ranks of Kyoto Maiko (Geisha in training) to join a radical, Right-wing Japanese "Freemason-like" Secret Society called "Tengun" (a mash-up of "Tengu/Japanese Yokai Birds of Prey" and "Gundan/Army") to help rid Japan of its corrupt and weak politicians and bring in a "new order" headed by insane business tycoon Kageno Taro (Shigaki Taro) and his sadistic son Hikaru (the handsome Takumi Saito). They are forced to train as soldiers in Kageno's all-girl Geisha army and to aid them in their mad plans.
While Yoshie suffers under the cruel training rituals, Kikuei excels in them and even willingly allows herself to be altered with weapons that she can use on her victims. Yoshie is also forced to undergo similar bionic surgeries and receive enhancements but with the aid of an eccentric group of victims who have had their family members abducted/killed by the Tengun organization, uses her new-found powers to stop the Kageno family as "Robo Geisha".
It is no surprise that this film's main allure is the outrageous costume and SFX work of reigning Japanese special effects wizard Nishimura Yoshihiro, whose unique and inventive work highlights such films like "Kataude Machine Girl", "Tokyo Zankoku Keisatsu", "Kyuketsu Shojou Tai Shojou Franken" and "Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battle" among others. Nishimura is indeed a genius at creating truly bizarre, wacky and sometimes hilarious visual gags, gross-out splatter effects and costumes. He is like the Japanese Tom Savini in his masterful work.
While "Robo Geisha" certainly seems like a throwback to the Troma films of the 80's or Toei's "V-Cinema" films of the 90s, it also seems to want to be like the early works of Tim Burton (Beetle Juice) and Sam Raimi (Darkman, Evil Dead Trilogy), especially in terms of style.
While clearly partly influenced by Paul Verhoeven's 1987 cult masterpiece "RoboCop", "Robo Geisha" seems more in common with Troma's silly 1991 superhero parody "Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D." which also had its protagonist gain amazing powers with a decidedly "Japanese" influence.
"Robo Geisha" seems especially made to appeal to foreign audiences who are hungry for offbeat and non-traditional Japanese films like Miike Takashi's "Koroshiya Ichi" or Matsumoto Hitoshi's "Dai Nihon-Jin". Iguchi seems to lampoon every Japanese contrivance, stereotype and cultural reference with a knowing "wink and smile" (Yakuza, the Corporate Kaibatsu, Geisha, Ninja, Samurai, Sailor uniforms, kaiju, Tokusatsu etc.)
While Iguchi's rebel, non-conformist, punk aspects of the film are to be commended, "Robo Geisha" seems more like silly late-night TV, adult Tokusatsu entertainment than a movie. A silly one joke gimmick (and not a very good one) that you would see on "SNL" or more appropriately a Japanese comedy/variety show.
Iguchi has clever ideas and a biting sense of parody and humor and when complimented by Nishimura Yoshihiro's amazing costume work makes for a potent and powerful collaboration but I just wish that they would temper that with better stories which are not only fun to watch but also take it out of the realm of cheap, direct-to-DVD, juvenile lampoon. Edgar Wright, Miike Takashi and Ruben Fleischer have shown us that it can be done now it's up to Iguchi and Nishimura to step it up and show us what they can really do.
The film's premise seems almost like a bad joke - two sisters Natsuki Yoshie (cute Kiguchi Aya) and Natsuki Kikuei (Hasabe Hitomi) are recruited from the ranks of Kyoto Maiko (Geisha in training) to join a radical, Right-wing Japanese "Freemason-like" Secret Society called "Tengun" (a mash-up of "Tengu/Japanese Yokai Birds of Prey" and "Gundan/Army") to help rid Japan of its corrupt and weak politicians and bring in a "new order" headed by insane business tycoon Kageno Taro (Shigaki Taro) and his sadistic son Hikaru (the handsome Takumi Saito). They are forced to train as soldiers in Kageno's all-girl Geisha army and to aid them in their mad plans.
While Yoshie suffers under the cruel training rituals, Kikuei excels in them and even willingly allows herself to be altered with weapons that she can use on her victims. Yoshie is also forced to undergo similar bionic surgeries and receive enhancements but with the aid of an eccentric group of victims who have had their family members abducted/killed by the Tengun organization, uses her new-found powers to stop the Kageno family as "Robo Geisha".
It is no surprise that this film's main allure is the outrageous costume and SFX work of reigning Japanese special effects wizard Nishimura Yoshihiro, whose unique and inventive work highlights such films like "Kataude Machine Girl", "Tokyo Zankoku Keisatsu", "Kyuketsu Shojou Tai Shojou Franken" and "Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battle" among others. Nishimura is indeed a genius at creating truly bizarre, wacky and sometimes hilarious visual gags, gross-out splatter effects and costumes. He is like the Japanese Tom Savini in his masterful work.
While "Robo Geisha" certainly seems like a throwback to the Troma films of the 80's or Toei's "V-Cinema" films of the 90s, it also seems to want to be like the early works of Tim Burton (Beetle Juice) and Sam Raimi (Darkman, Evil Dead Trilogy), especially in terms of style.
While clearly partly influenced by Paul Verhoeven's 1987 cult masterpiece "RoboCop", "Robo Geisha" seems more in common with Troma's silly 1991 superhero parody "Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D." which also had its protagonist gain amazing powers with a decidedly "Japanese" influence.
"Robo Geisha" seems especially made to appeal to foreign audiences who are hungry for offbeat and non-traditional Japanese films like Miike Takashi's "Koroshiya Ichi" or Matsumoto Hitoshi's "Dai Nihon-Jin". Iguchi seems to lampoon every Japanese contrivance, stereotype and cultural reference with a knowing "wink and smile" (Yakuza, the Corporate Kaibatsu, Geisha, Ninja, Samurai, Sailor uniforms, kaiju, Tokusatsu etc.)
While Iguchi's rebel, non-conformist, punk aspects of the film are to be commended, "Robo Geisha" seems more like silly late-night TV, adult Tokusatsu entertainment than a movie. A silly one joke gimmick (and not a very good one) that you would see on "SNL" or more appropriately a Japanese comedy/variety show.
Iguchi has clever ideas and a biting sense of parody and humor and when complimented by Nishimura Yoshihiro's amazing costume work makes for a potent and powerful collaboration but I just wish that they would temper that with better stories which are not only fun to watch but also take it out of the realm of cheap, direct-to-DVD, juvenile lampoon. Edgar Wright, Miike Takashi and Ruben Fleischer have shown us that it can be done now it's up to Iguchi and Nishimura to step it up and show us what they can really do.