RoboGeisha Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

RoboGeisha Blu-ray Movie Review

RoboGeisha is an over-the-top Japanese action movie. Produced by Naobumi Ashi, Akira Mark Fujita, Kazunari Ôkuma, and Yui Shibata. Executive produced by Satoshi Arashi, Manabu Harada, Takeichi Honda, and Hirofumi Ogoshi. Starring Hitomi Hasebe and Aya Kiguchi.

Kikue Kasuga (Hitomi Hasebe) is a well-established Geisha who is known for her beauty and glamour in the field. Yoshie Kasuga (Aya Kiguchi) is her younger sister – she is both banished and abused. The two sisters find themselves transformed by a shadowy corporation into mecha machine Geisha and now have skills unlike anything ever seen before. An epic and violent showdown awaits. Who will be victorious?

The performances are decent given the type of material. The lead performances by both Hitomi Hasebe and Aya Kiguchi manage to make an impression. The actresses play well off of each other in their roles.

Composed by Yasuhiko Fukuda (Ghost Squad, The ABCs of Death), RoboGeisha is a solid soundtrack and the score adds to the energy of the production. The music is a good backdrop to the action scenes. An engaging effort all around.

The cinematography by Yasutaka Nagano (The Machine Girl, Psycho Shark) is well done. The visuals add a lot to the mayhem of the filmmaking. Nagano did a solid job with the visual language of the film and added a lot of zaniness to the production through the cinematography.

The production designs by Gen Itô and Aya Suzuki (Shibuya ku Maruyama cho) add to the over-the-top aspect of the filmmaking. The settings are abundant and offbeat and add a sense of bizarre uniqueness to the filmmaking. A well-done effort by the designers.

The action stunts coordinated by Masaki Suzumura (Shinjuku Incident, High & Low: The Worst X) are reasonably engaging. The action can seem over-the-top and unfocused at times but it is still quite entertaining. A decent action movie and the action choreography is solid enough to entertain.

Written and directed by Noboru Iguchi (The Machine Girl, Mutant Girls Squad), RoboGeisha is such a strange and quirky movie. The filmmaking is offbeat and weird. The story is so strange and unusual. There is a lot to consider parody within the script and the filmmaking reflects that comedic style. Audiences who enjoy unique B movies will find something interesting here – sure, it isn’t close to perfection, but it is entertaining.

RoboGeisha Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, RoboGeisha is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high- definition in the theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition video looks quite impressive on the release. Colors are well reproduced. The clarity and detail are enormous. The presentation highlights the cinematography well.

RoboGeisha Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The lossless Japanese audio impresses. An engaging sound mix and soundstage. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The English subtitles are well done and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

RoboGeisha Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The first print run includes a nicely designed o-card slipcover. The slipcover features unique key artwork different from the artwork highlighted underneath the slipcover. The overall effect is a "dual artwork" packaging presentation. The slipcover certainly adds to the collectability and will please collectors looking for a nice edition.

On disc supplements include:

Director and Cast Commentary

GeishaCop: Fearsome Geisha Corps – Go to Hell (HD, 16:51)

Original Trailer (HD, 2:02)

RoboGeisha Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

RoboGeisha is over-the-top and ridiculous. It is far from being a perfect film. Even so, RoboGeisha is an entertaining B- movie and one that is well worth watching. The zany action scenes and comedic style make it easy entertainment even if it is almost too-offbeat for its own good. The Blu-ray release has impressive video, lossless audio, and a selection of bonus features. Recommended.