The Machine Girl Asami Minase Yyashiro

(aka 'Kataude mashin gâru' or 'The Machine Girl' or 'The One-Armed Machine Girl')

Directed by Noboru Iguchi
Japan / USA 2008

Now Noboru Iguchi’s latest work is not for everyone. His earlier film “Sukeban Boy” already showed that he’s not afraid to stretch a concept beyond it’s ripping point if it means he can get an extra laugh or a gasp (or both!) out of his audience, and in “The Machine Girl” he goes nuts.

This film falls happily into the “mega-gore” category. Everyone who gets wounded in this film starts spraying gallons of fake blood around, interspersed with some smoke from the pneumatic systems used to propel all these fluids. Knives, chainsaws, katanas, shuriken, a flying guillotine, a drillbra, the aforementioned super machine gun… all feeble excuses to show as many outrageously bloody effects as possible.

All this of course is shown in the film without taking itself the least bit seriously, and the end result is a comedy. Even the tragic deaths of the innocents are played for laughs here, either by their outrageous nature or by the cartoonish evilness of the murderers. When a schoolfriend gets killed by Ami’s enemies, the leader of the group tells his underlings to rape the corpse, saying the opportunity to have sex with a college girl doesn’t come by every day (upon which command the goons start disrobing enthusiastically).
In bad taste?
Sure!

But it’s so over the top silly that you cannot take it serious, therefore the overall tone remains light as a feather. And seeing these evildoers get their due punishment later on is all the more fun because of it.

Excerpt from Twitch located HERE.

Posters

Theatrical Release: February 8th, 2008 - European Film Market

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Tokyo Shock - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Tokyo Shock - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:37:03
Video	1.78:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 9.46 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1), (Dolby Digital 2.0), DUBs English (Dolby Digital 5.1), (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Tokyo Shock Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Featurette: Behind the Scenes of Machine Girl (10:02) • Original Trailer DVD Release Date: June 3rd, 2008 Keep Case Chapters: 16

Comments:

Obviously utilizing some of the kitsch surround Rodriquez' Planet Terror with Rose McGown frequently sporting a prosthetic weapon, this Japanese wannabe film has the conceptual idea but incorporates some excessive, although cartoonish, violence for this reviewer (I may avoid Sushi for a while). I can, however, see many getting a lot of entertainment value from The Machine Girl.

In regards to the image quality - perhaps it was intentional but the low-level contrast exposes some unhealthy noise and a bit of chroma. The disc is dual-layered, progressive and anamorphic with an excessive bitrate (if we can trust it). The film itself may have been going for a certain style but I don't find it transfers well to SD-DVD. It was easily watchable and the occasional weaknesses could be considered giving it a kind of 'grindhouse' effect. I didn't see theatrically so I can't be sure. Good news is that I don't see excessive manipulation and the image is fairly clean.

The audio comes in flavors of original Japanese (5.1 and 2.0) and two similar English DUBs (which the 5.1 English appears to be the default setting). The English subtitles don't match the DUB that's for sure - although both export the, usually unimportant, scripted dialogue well enough to know what's going on (not rocket-science here folks).

Supplements include a 10 minute, interlaced, 4:3, 'Behind the Scenes' with input from the cast as they go through their paces post or pre-scenes. The length is about right as it doesn't have much in-depth information to express. There is also an original trailer and some previews.

Well, I imagine all interested parties will know what they are in for and... not to dissuade - but it might 'look' more entertaining than it turns out although I'm no expert on this sub-sub genre and don't have much to compare it with. I did get a kick out of Planet Terror and this only has a minority of that film's 'camp' appeal. I admit I was chuckling through much and that has to be worth something in itself. Certainly the price is right for this Tokyo Shock DVD. Japanese schoolgirl revenge appears to be on the rise - cinematically speaking. With the fervor surrounding this - I expect more forthcoming. Beware evil-doers!