RoboGeisha
Encyclopedia
is a 2009 Japanese
sci-fi
action
B movie
written and directed by Noboru Iguchi
, visual effects directed by Tsuyoshi Kazuno, and special effects directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura
. All three had previously worked together on The Machine Girl
, and Nishimura worked on Tokyo Gore Police
. The film premiered in theaters on October 3, 2009. The film's theme song is "LOST CONTROL" by Art-School.
The film is about two sisters named Yoshie and Kikue Kasuga, Geisha
s who get abducted by a steel manufacturer in an attempt to transform them into murderous cyborg
assassins.
), heir to Kageno Steel Manufacturing, takes notice of Yoshie and recognizes the repressed anger in her. He recruits and trains them to be mechanically enhanced assassins. His goal is to use them to fulfill Kageno Steel's goal in creating an "ideal world".
The story reaches a turning point when Yoshie is sent on a mission to kill a small group of people living near the Kageno Steel building. They turn out to be the parents and relatives of the other abducted women trained by Kageno Steel who simply want their family members back. Yoshie begins to question her actions and spares the families' lives, secretly relocating them. She is punished for not following orders, but is given a second chance. She is ordered to kill two brothers only to discover that Hikaru sent her out on a suicide mission. The brothers are suicide bombers planning to destroy Kageno Steel because of its evil intentions. The company plans on destroying all of Japan by dropping a powerful bomb on Mount Fuji so they can rebuild the country in their image.
Yoshie barely makes it out of the building as a bomb strapped to one of the brothers explodes. Yoshie loses her legs but wakes up with new ones, thanks to one of the grieving parents who has experience with mechanics. The protestors want a meeting to demand the return of their loved ones. They found a set of Kageno's blueprints for a bomb "17 times more powerful than the atomic bomb" and plan to blackmail the company in exchange for their families. Meanwhile, Yoshie wakes up to stop them from walking into a trap. She then discovers her sister Kikue has been brainwashed by Hikaru.
She battles with Kikue and the other geisha assassins in the Kageno Steel headquarters while it transforms into a large "Shiro (Castle) Robot" that starts walking to Mount Fuji to deliver the powerful bomb which will destroy Japan. Yoshie wakes Kikue from the brainwashing and they both fuse together to stop Hikaru and the robot.
. In January 2010, Funimation Entertainment
bought the rights to distribute the film. The film was released in North America on April 17, 2010 by way of ActionFest
, then in New York City
on May 18, 2010. The film circulated to different film festival
s before going to DVD
and Blu-ray on November 16, 2010.
The film received mixed reviews; albeit not having an actual critic-given review on Rotten Tomatoes
, the film has a 48% "Audience Rating".
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
sci-fi
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
action
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
written and directed by Noboru Iguchi
Noboru Iguchi
is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and actor. He has worked as a director in adult video as well as in the horror and gore genres.-Life and career:Iguchi was born on June 28, 1969...
, visual effects directed by Tsuyoshi Kazuno, and special effects directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura
Yoshihiro Nishimura
is a Japanese film director, special effects and makeup effects artist, and a screenwriter who has worked predominantly in the horror genre. Nishimura has been described as "a legendary director and effects artist" and "the Tom Savini of Japan" with "talent to burn"...
. All three had previously worked together on The Machine Girl
The Machine Girl
is a 2008 Japanese action shock/gore film written and directed by Noboru Iguchi with special effects by Yoshihiro Nishimura . The film stars Minase Yashiro in the lead role as Ami, Asami in the role of Miki, Kentarō Shimazu as the yakuza leader Ryūgi Kimura and Honoka as his wife, Mrs. Kimura...
, and Nishimura worked on Tokyo Gore Police
Tokyo Gore Police
is a 2008 Japanese gore film co-written, edited, and directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura and stars Eihi Shiina as Ruka, a vengeful police officer.Tokyo Gore Police was released to several film festivals in North America...
. The film premiered in theaters on October 3, 2009. The film's theme song is "LOST CONTROL" by Art-School.
The film is about two sisters named Yoshie and Kikue Kasuga, Geisha
Geisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
s who get abducted by a steel manufacturer in an attempt to transform them into murderous cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
assassins.
Plot
The film follows Yoshie (Aya Kiguchi) as she starts out as a clumsy geisha's attendant who is always looked down upon by her older sister, Kikue (Hitomi Hasebe). One day, Hikaru Kageno (Takumi SaitoTakumi Saito
is a Japanese actor, model and singer.-Movies:* Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - The Movie as Miles Edgeworth* Saijo no Meii as Saijo Mikoto* Space Battleship Yamato as Yamamoto...
), heir to Kageno Steel Manufacturing, takes notice of Yoshie and recognizes the repressed anger in her. He recruits and trains them to be mechanically enhanced assassins. His goal is to use them to fulfill Kageno Steel's goal in creating an "ideal world".
The story reaches a turning point when Yoshie is sent on a mission to kill a small group of people living near the Kageno Steel building. They turn out to be the parents and relatives of the other abducted women trained by Kageno Steel who simply want their family members back. Yoshie begins to question her actions and spares the families' lives, secretly relocating them. She is punished for not following orders, but is given a second chance. She is ordered to kill two brothers only to discover that Hikaru sent her out on a suicide mission. The brothers are suicide bombers planning to destroy Kageno Steel because of its evil intentions. The company plans on destroying all of Japan by dropping a powerful bomb on Mount Fuji so they can rebuild the country in their image.
Yoshie barely makes it out of the building as a bomb strapped to one of the brothers explodes. Yoshie loses her legs but wakes up with new ones, thanks to one of the grieving parents who has experience with mechanics. The protestors want a meeting to demand the return of their loved ones. They found a set of Kageno's blueprints for a bomb "17 times more powerful than the atomic bomb" and plan to blackmail the company in exchange for their families. Meanwhile, Yoshie wakes up to stop them from walking into a trap. She then discovers her sister Kikue has been brainwashed by Hikaru.
She battles with Kikue and the other geisha assassins in the Kageno Steel headquarters while it transforms into a large "Shiro (Castle) Robot" that starts walking to Mount Fuji to deliver the powerful bomb which will destroy Japan. Yoshie wakes Kikue from the brainwashing and they both fuse together to stop Hikaru and the robot.
Cast
- Aya Kiguchi as Yoshie Kagusa
- Hitomi Hasebe as Kikue Kagusa
- Takumi SaitoTakumi Saitois a Japanese actor, model and singer.-Movies:* Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - The Movie as Miles Edgeworth* Saijo no Meii as Saijo Mikoto* Space Battleship Yamato as Yamamoto...
as Hikaru Kageno - Taro ShigakiTaro Shigakiis a Japanese actor and voice actor.-Voice roles:* André Grandier in The Rose of Versailles* Franz, Fritz in Nutcracker Fantasy* Saki Vashtal in Area 88 * Soldier Blue in Toward the Terra * Siegfried in Swan Lake...
as Kenyama Kageno - Etsuko Ikuta as Kinu
- Suzuki Matuso as Kenta Gotokuji
- Naoto TakenakaNaoto Takenakais a Japanese actor, comedian, singer, and director from Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture affiliated with From First Production. He is married to idol singer and actress Midori Kinouchi.-Director:*Munō no Hito *119...
as Rojin Kanai - Asami Kumakiri
- Shoko Nakahara
- Asami SugiuraAsami Sugiura, who has also performed under the name is an award-winning Japanese model, actress and former AV Idol.-Life and career:Asami was born in Tokyo, Japan on September 19, 1985. At age 19, she appeared in the theatrical film , directed by Naoyuki Tomomatsu and released March 12, 2005 by TMC...
Release and reception
RoboGeisha was released in Japan on October 3, 2009 by Kadokawa PicturesKadokawa Pictures
is a Japanese movie studio.-History:One of the most famous studios in Japan and founded in 1942 as , it is best known for having produced the giant monster Gamera film series and the Daimajin Trilogy. It also produced the Zatoichi and Nemuri Kyoshiro film series and the television series Shōnen Jet...
. In January 2010, Funimation Entertainment
Funimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
bought the rights to distribute the film. The film was released in North America on April 17, 2010 by way of ActionFest
ActionFest
ActionFest is an annual film festival in Asheville, NC, started by Carolina Cinemas and Magnolia Pictures founder Bill Banowsky and action director/producer Aaron Norris...
, then in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on May 18, 2010. The film circulated to different film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
s before going to DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray on November 16, 2010.
The film received mixed reviews; albeit not having an actual critic-given review on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the film has a 48% "Audience Rating".
Soundtrack
External links
- Official website from Funimation EntertainmentFunimation EntertainmentFunimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...