MovieChat Forums > Kyûketsu Shôjo tai Shôjo Furanken (2009) Discussion > Watched It Unsubbed And Still Enjoyed It

Watched It Unsubbed And Still Enjoyed It

posted 14 years ago by iceanvil
6 replies | jump to latest

I recently got my hands on the original Japanese version of this movie that just hit the streets and watched it without any kind of translation and still managed to understand the movie perfectly and had a great time while doing so.

For those, like me, who have this on their radar because of Tokyo Gore Police: this is definitely more on the comedy side of things than Tokyo Gore Police or Machine Girl. In the first hour, there are maybe only 3 good gore scenes. The rest of the scenes are a parody of standard Japanese high school movies/TV shows/pop culture.

When the gore does hit, it's definitely over the top and for a laugh. The "singing in the rain, only in arterial spray and blood" scene is a classic as is the final battle between the two girls. Both actresses are great and the male lead, with his narration, lead an almost Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya-tone to the entire movie.

I can't wait until the UK release, scheduled for next week, hits the net with subtitles, because I'll definitely watch it again and again!

Fun fact: The titular battle is a battle of loose socks (Vampire Girl) and Zettai Ryouiki (or Absolute Territory, when a girl wears high stockings and a miniskirt with thigh exposed, as worn by the more gothic lolita Frankenstein girl). Zettai Ryouiki has recently taken over loose socks as Japan's new favorite fashion trend.

[–] TheBeardedWonder 14 years ago

I saw the subbed version just for clarification. But I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. Loved machine girl as well, about to start on Tokyo gore police. Highly recommend this flick, it's great over the top fun for the whole family.

Interesting note about the socks debate too. I'm not too familiar with Japanese culture, but the 'fad' idea seemed to be a common theme. The socks as you said, the people going through great lengths to look/act urban, etc...

In-film effects > CGI

[–] iceanvil 14 years ago

I finally saw it subbed as well which made an already good movie great.

I especially like Vampire Girl's feelings towards the narrator, especially before the big battle where she says she was just there because she was bored.

If you just watched Machine Girl and are about to start Gore Police, might I also recommend Meatball Machine and Hard Revenge Millie to you? Both feature the same gore effects from the same people and over the top battle scenes.

[–] TheBeardedWonder 14 years ago

Nice, thanks for the recommendations, i'll grab those as soon as I can, as this is fast becoming my favorite genre (is there a specific name for it by the way?)

I'd heard of 'meatball machine', but not 'hard revenge millie'. Also remembered I really enjoyed Samurai Princess for the same reasons as this, what did you think of that one iceanvil?

And yeah, vamp girl actually just needing a new assistant was a pretty classic touch...

In-film effects > CGI

[–] iceanvil 14 years ago

Samurai Princess is also good, though it does have a bit more of a limited budget than other titles. It also feel a bit more like an anime thanks to its costume designs, a lot of weird colored wigs and such. Still definitely worth a look!

I don't think there's a specific genre for these movies other than Japanese exploitation/gore. They definitely have that Grindhouse feel to them right down to the opening title sequences and the musical score.

Ichi the Killer definitely was the inspiration for these movies in terms of the gore effects. That movie is quite a bit longer and serious than these ones, though, so I'd recommend it if you are in the right mood. The complete opposite would be the live action Cutey Honey movie. Most of the people working on these films actually started in shows like Ultraman and other Japanese sentai shows, so a live action version of those television shows means you can see where most of the over the top fighting styles and such comes from.

Movies you might want to keep an eye out for that come out this year, all featuring special effects and/or direction from the people behind this movie:
Gothic + Lolita Girl
Mutant Girl Squad (This movie is being directed by the directors of Tokyo Gore Police, Machine Girl, and Hard Revenge Millie, promising to focus on the specialties of all three: Gore, Comedy, and Action Sequences)
Robo-Geisha

Future movies by these directors should be hitting the US faster, they recently pooled their resources together and are backed by a new company called Sushi Typhoon that specializes in Japanese movies that appeal to US markets. Gothic + Lolita Girl will be one of their first releases.

[–] timgc 12 years ago

I call 'em Splatter Films!

[–] iceanvil 12 years ago

I've taken to calling them that, too, or simply Japanese Grindhouse.

I'm surprised, with the underground success of these movies, we haven't seen more US attempts at the high pressure blood splatter effects lately. The Hatchet series kind of has a bit of it, and Laid to Rest 2 had some good kill/gore effects, but neither really had the fun, "we know this is overkill, laugh along with us" of Helldriver or Vampire Girl.