RoboGeisha

RoboGeisha
Release poster
Directed by	Noboru Iguchi
Produced by	Yoshinori Chiba Yōko Hayama Satoshi Nakamura
Written by	Noboru Iguchi
Narrated by	Aya Kiguchi
Starring	Aya Kiguchi Hitomi Hasebe Takumi Saito Taro Shigaki
Music by	Yasuhiko Fukuda
Cinematography	Yasutaka Nagano
Studio	T.O Enteratinment Pony Canyon
Distributed by	Kadokawa Pictures (Japan) Funimation Entertainment (US)
Release date(s)	October 3, 2009 (2009-10-03) (Japan)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Budget	¥19.2 million (approx. $250,000)

RoboGeisha (ロボゲイシャ) 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, Geishas who get abducted by a steel manufacturer in an attempt to transform them into murderous cyborg 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 Saito), 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 Saito as Hikaru Kageno
• Taro Shigaki as Kenyama Kageno
• Etsuko Ikuta as Kinu
• Suzuki Matuso as Kenta Gotokuji
• Naoto Takenaka as Rojin Kanai
• Asami Kumakiri
• Shoko Nakahara
• Asami Sugiura

Release and reception

RoboGeisha was released in Japan on October 3, 2009 by Kadokawa Pictures. 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 festivals 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".

Soundtrack

RoboGeisha Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Yasuhiko Fukuda
Released	September 30, 2009
Recorded	2009
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	71:55
Label	DAIZ Inc.

All songs written and composed by Yasuhiko Fukuda, except where noted. 

RoboGeisha Original Sound Track
No.	Title	Length
1.	"ゲイシャは踊る"	1:46
2.	"影が往く"	0:15
3.	"変身"	0:25
4.	"天軍 ダァッ!!"	0:50
5.	"死ぬのはお前だ～Life and Death～"	2:31
6.	"Geisha Chainsaw Massacre"	0:54
7.	"鋼鉄の舞妓参上"	0:18
8.	"21st Century Geisha Wars"	0:56
9.	"追憶"	1:17
10.	"梅にも春" (Koharu Yanagiya)	1:36
11.	"ヨシエ 怒りの電話帳"	0:28
12.	"白衣の吸精魔"	0:37
13.	"吸精魔大襲撃"	0:33
14.	"天軍ミルク"	1:23
15.	"姉妹のテーマ"	1:50
16.	"天国 または 地獄の門"	1:01
17.	"悪い奴ほどよく喋る"	1:57
18.	"裏芸者鋼鉄軍団"	1:31
19.	"支配者の紋章"	0:21
20.	"避けえぬ対決 (Part1)"	1:41
21.	"闘技場"	0:20
22.	"避けえぬ対決 (Part2)"	3:41
23.	"特訓！熱湯しゃぶしゃぶ"	2:10
24.	"Geisha Harakiri"	0:46
25.	"私を改造してください"	1:05
26.	"脇の下から刀"	1:19
27.	"金属剣士ロボ侍の猛襲"	0:46
28.	"すれ違う想い"	1:10
29.	"ヨシエ・ザ・アサシン"	1:41
30.	"救出の歌" (Demo Yamada)	1:43
31.	"決断の時"	0:29
32.	"秘密指令X17号"	0:44
33.	"Clock Work Geisha"	2:04
34.	"死ぬのはお前だ!～Life and Death～Ver.2"	2:32
35.	"腹腹時計が鳴る時"	0:41
36.	"菊奴"	1:24
37.	"ヨシエ"	0:44
38.	"家族奪還大作戦"	1:13
39.	"Geisha Transform"	0:35
40.	"爆走!!ロボ戦車"	1:01
41.	"偽りの謝罪"	1:14
42.	"弱者は権力の肥となれ!"	0:51
43.	"城型ロボット大破壊"	3:48
44.	"激闘!! 尻刀 VS 尻刀"	2:56
45.	"キヌ死す"	1:36
46.	"ヒカル～姉妹激突"	4:33
47.	"こころ"	3:11
48.	"戦え 合体ゲイシャ～The Sister Bomber～"	2:43
49.	"それから"	1:24
50.	"「救出の歌」(PV Version)" (Demo Yamada)	1:51
Total length:		71:55

External links

• Official website
• RoboGeisha at the Internet Movie Database
• RoboGeisha at AllRovi
• RoboGeisha at Rotten Tomatoes
• Official website from Funimation Entertainment