6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.1 |
To help them achieve their goal of taking over the world, a megalomaniac Japanese businessman and his son recruit a vicious gang of Geisha assassins. These include two feisty sisters with an amazing range of surgically added weapons.
Starring: Asami, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Naoto Takenaka, Aya Kiguchi, Hitomi HasebeHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 86% |
Martial arts | 17% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 2.0
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 2.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
It can sometimes take a strong stomach and a profound leap of faith to jump into the film productions of a different culture. In America, we assume our various forms of mainstream media fit within a certain set of established boundaries that cannot or will not be stretched by the heavy-hitting Hollywood studios. Sure, we may find the occasional outlier such as Lloyd Kaufman’s Troma Entertainment, who which finances and distributes independent b-grade films full of shocking gore and outlandish humor, but such studios rarely attract more than a cult following of non-conformists. What we quickly learn when we turn our attention to the non-domestic market is how varied cultural acceptance can be. For instance, how many businessmen would you expect to find on your local transit system playing a handheld video game system, or reading what we would label a comic book? Likewise, how many adults in the USA would feel even remotely secure discussing the latest television cartoon series around the workplace water cooler, unless they’re referring to their child’s fascination with “Dora the Explorer”? In Japan, the comic book I’m referring to is known as manga, and the cartoon I mentioned is anime, but my point still remains valid. What’s often embraced in one culture could be deemed quite foreign to another, leaving members of both populations to ponder why such trivial questions are relevant in the first place. Having said all of that, we can proceed with the reason you’re here in the first place - to find out more about this strange little film known as RoboGeisha, and determine if you’re one of the few film collectors that might find such entertainment intriguing.
Despite the low budget, the film incorporates some creative angles in the cinematography.
Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 15Mbps), RoboGeisha looks surprisingly clean in its transition to high definition. Nobody ever expected a film with such a low budget to reach demo-worthy heights, so perhaps my enthusiasm should be tempered by an acknowledgement of my low expectations at the outset, but even with the inexpensive sets and awkwardly incorporated CG effects, the film retains a level of clarity that falls in the above average range. Likewise, the use of color throughout the film is quite vibrant, bringing out the crimson tones of Yoshie's cloak, while subsequently delivering skin tones that never veer away from a naturalistic palette. The depth of the image is further enhanced by spot-on contrast differentiation, which highlights such things as the reflection of light on a blade (see screenshot #1), or the subtleties of background props during low-light sequences (see screenshot #2). This wouldn't be possible without precise black level depth, allowing shade variation more room to work within each shot. All in all, this is proficient visual presentation courtesy of FUNimation, further demonstrating the potential for low budget films to impress in high definition.
Although the technical merits of the visual presentation emerged victorious, the same can't be said of the audio offerings on the disc. I'm sure FUNimation did everything they could given what they have to work with, but when you have front heavy sound design on the native track, there's not much a lossless upgrade can do. Sticking with the Japanese mix, we get reasonable clarity and volume balance, but there's a great deal missing in the immersion department. This is a zany movie to its core, but when the audio is this subdued, it honestly feels as if you're missing a key component in the overall equation. Matters improve somewhat on the English 5.1 track, but unlike the dubbed presentation of anime, live-action films are difficult to stomach without the voice-acting of the original actors. Lip movements don't blend seamlessly with the spoken words, dialog has a tendency to lose a fraction of the intended message (a by-product of translation), and it's just plain difficult to put an English spin on a production this culturally defined. Don't get me wrong, the English dub certainly delivers the sense of immersion that's missing in the Japanese offering, but it still felt like I was choosing between the lesser of two evils. In the end, both audio tracks remain serviceable from a technical standpoint, but remain far from ideal in comparison with the best Blu-ray has to offer.
Offering a recommendation on RoboGeisha is like telling someone they're bound to enjoy raw eel. Many people will despise it, a few may feel ambivalent, and the remaining ragtag group will somehow find it the most delicious thing they've ever tasted. I fall among the ambivalent crowd – resistant to the hatred of the masses, yet unwilling to endorse the production as anything more than an adult-oriented version of "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers". Such films certainly deserve a place among the international community (especially given the cultural dichotomy I described in the opening section of this review), but at the end of the day we can still call it what it is – mindless, goofy, ridiculous, incomprehensible, and a bit off-putting.
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