[Trigger Warning: This review covers a film that touches on some sensitive subject matter. Namely, a villain with a lolita fetish and a main character being forced into a younger version of her body and being controlled by said villain. There is – thankfully – no sexual violence depicted in this film, but I felt the need to put a disclaimer anyway.]

During Aniplex Online Fest 2024, a trailer dropped for a film that instantly captivated my attention like nothing else. A cyberpunk action story, but one that traded the traditional neon-drenched eerie gloom for a bright, sun-drenched European-inspired city that might look utopian if it weren’t for all the blood being shed. Gunfights, explosions, sinister men, and amid the chaos, a young woman in a cybernetic body, dragging a large attache case and toting a mean-looking pistol. This was Virgin Punk, and I couldn’t fucking wait to watch it

It was to be the start of a new series from Yasuomi Umetsu, a beloved director and animator behind Kite (1998) and Mezzo Forte (2000), two OVAs famed for their gunporn, to say nothing of the actual porn in their extended editions. Yep, they were hentai, albeit with enough exciting action and competent attempts at weaving revenge stories and crime thrillers that they could cut out the sex entirely and still find an audience. And that’s exactly what happened when the OVAs found their way overseas, not that there was much choice when the uncensored versions were banned in multiple countries.

But see, I didn’t like Kite. It’s actually one of my least favorite anime. I found it a little gross, to be honest, and even the highs of the action weren’t enough to compensate. It was heralded as a classic, but I found it lacking, such that it stained my perception of the director and his work. You might wonder why I’d be so excited for Virgin Punk in that case, but I think the trailer speaks for itself. There’s just one problem: the trailer speaks for itself, and once it got subtitles, I feared that this new film would fall victim to the fetishes of an unfortunately cracked director.

What Is Virgin Punk Even About?

The year is 2099. Cybernetic technology called “Somadea” has revolutionized the way people live, yet also opened the door for dangerous, illegal modifications. Criminals can be stronger than ever, and the police are useless to stop them, so the government had no choice but to create the Bounty Hunter System; Ubu Kamigori is one such bounty hunter. 10 years ago, she was a young girl who dreamed of engineering Somadea. Instead, she grew up to hunt criminals abusing that tech, and it doesn’t take long to see that she’s one of the best. Sadly, that puts a target on her head.

After a fatal incident, she wakes up in a body – her body, but not quite the same. It’s a replication of herself from the age of 14. It’s all according to the specifications of Mr. Elegance, the head of the bounty hunting group ARCHIMEDEATH, and a twisted man who’s been obsessed with Ubu since she was a child. So begins a psychological thriller in which Ubu unwillingly plays the role of a doll for her egotistical “guardian,” slowly plotting her revenge and the reclamation of her independence. Until then, she’ll do what she does best: hunt criminals with elegance.

Execution, Restraint, and the Lingering Male Gaze

As soon as I learned the finer details of the premise, my biggest concern became that this film would leave me feeling just as grossed out and disappointed as Kite did. I’m not saying that stories shouldn’t try to tackle more uncomfortable ideas, but I am saying that execution is everything, and I personally wasn’t confident that Umetsu could tell a story like this without over-fetishizing it. I’d be lying if I said this concept wouldn’t intrigue me from the get-go in the hands of other directors; it’s just that all the artists who I imagine could tell it properly are women.

Sure enough, Umetsu does go overboard at times, namely the explicit shots of Ubu’s naked underage body. There’s this lingering male gaze that makes me question how much Elegance’s depravity is really being criticized by the artists in that moment. I only say “that moment” because, for the most part, the film is far less egregious than I feared. There is never an ounce of doubt that Mr. Elegance and his actions – which incite the bulk of this plot – are deplorable. It’s effectively disturbing on a conceptual level. He has created an environment that gives Ubu no privacy and is constantly ogling her with his only prosthetic limb: his eyeball, which doubles as a camera.

A Matter of (Extremely Careful) Execution

He is a villain whose hopefully gruesome death is the carrot dangling over the viewer until the cliffhanger, and Ubu’s strength in the face of such a uniquely terrifying situation makes you want to root for her more. What spares this film from becoming too gratuitous (besides the aforementioned underage nudity) is that the fear of what Elegance could do to her is largely the extent to which the film explores this horror. Meaning, thankfully, there are no on-screen depictions of sexual assault in this film, nor implications of assault happening or having happened off-screen.

The biggest saving grace is that, unlike Kite or Mezzo Forte, this film wasn’t animated by a porn studio, so there wasn’t a mandate for more explicit explorations of the premise. Instead, it’s just animated by the closest thing to a porn studio in anime, which is Studio Shaft. I mean that mostly in jest, but they have a history of praiseworthy artistry that simultaneously appeals to niche otaku fetish culture and aesthetics. If anyone was going to do Umetsu’s work justice, it was them, for better or worse.

Is Virgin Punk Too Short?

I could have asked, “Is Virgin Punk Worth the Price of Admission?” but A) the two-day only theatrical run is over, and B) it’s owned by Aniplex, so the Blu-Ray is gonna be expensive no matter what. But at only 35 minutes, it’s fair to ask if it was worth seeing this in theaters, and this is probably where most of my astonishment with this film stems from. Yes, it was 100% worth it, so much so that I almost went again on Thursday and would have happily paid for a full ticket again.

As a disclaimer, I feel compelled to say that everyone’s life is different. I am fortunate enough to afford to go to the cinema semi-frequently, so it’s a bit easier for me to say that. Although I would also add that even with feature-length films, I only exhibit such enthusiasm to spend more money when I REALLY like something. And let me tell you, never has a 35-minute runtime been so worth the price of admission. And I’m not even talking about the added bonus content (we’ll get to that), I’m talking about how it feels like an hour of story told effortlessly in half the time.

Viscerally Efficient Storytelling

Before the film started, with the first of what would be many interviews with Umetsu and the other creative staff, the director expressed how much the writing took precedence over the action. Initially, I found myself doubting this somewhat, admittedly because of my preconceptions about Umetsu, but I was happy to be proven wrong. The best way to describe this film is “efficient.” There is no wasted dialogue or needless exposition. In describing the writing process, Umetsu said something akin to there being “no room for idle chatter,” and I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Apart from Ubu and Elegance, we’re also introduced to Maggie, Lewis Gaudi, and our (other) main villain of the episode, Tommy J, none of whom feel wasted because they are written boldly and memorably. Maggie wasn’t in the film very long, but her role helps to elevate Ubu while also informing aspects of the worldbuilding. Lewis is clearly being set up as one of the main characters of this film series, who will likely grow closer to Ubu and possibly help her find freedom. Finally, Tommy J is just a simple and fun psychopathic villain crafted for the climax.

Every line and accompanying image serve to explore the world and the characters’ relation to it, especially early on. Within just the first ten minutes, we witness a defining moment of Ubu’s childhood, followed by a 10-year timeskip, when she’s already a bounty-hunting savant. After an already explosive opener, we’re treated to one of the coolest, tightly-paced, and visceral gunfights I’ve seen from anime in years.

Virgin Punk’s Psychological Horror Thrives In Short-Form

And the quality of this whole scene actually contributes to the drama of the inciting incident that follows it. Ubu wasn’t just a bounty hunter; she was completely human yet still outperformed full-body cyborgs. Watching her triumph, you gain an appreciation for her as a confident, content, highly motivated young woman who is already one of the coolest and strongest figures in this world. It makes her “death” and subsequent “rebirth” so much more tragic and scary because even in such a short time, there’s an attachment to the character as she is in this moment in life.

The body horror is real, especially when we see Elegance actively destroying the original body in acid, evaporating even the most far-fetched hope of a return to a normal life. Once Ubu has faced the reality of her circumstances, the film sets up the climax, which serves as Ubu’s first steps toward freedom, as well as the thesis of this first episode, and the promise of what is to come next. You’ll be craving more, but what is here will keep you well fed, especially the action scenes.

A Masterclass in Beautiful Violence

Tons of anime have incredible action, from swordfights to magical duels to straight-up fisticuffs, but gun action in anime has somehow always felt like a delicacy. You can point to contemporary hits like Lycoris Recoil, cult classics like Gunglinger Girl, or “classic” classics like Black Lagoon, but as iconic as they are, they stand almost as exceptions. Other flavors of action are in abundance, but while there are a number of anime that adorn themselves in gun aesthetics, only a special few fully utilize their talents to deliver unforgettable gunfights on screen.

There’s a reason why Kite and Mezzo Forte are as beloved as they are, and it’s not solely Umetsu’s distinct art style, but his penchant for delivering bombastic and detailed gunplay. With a studio like Shaft supporting him and an extremely generous production timeline of nearly a decade, Virgin Punk is at once a return to form for Umetsu, yet also him at his most unleashed. The explosions are not only louder, but bigger and more beautiful. Gunshots are similarly percussive, but the effect they have on bodies, be they flesh or metal, is visceral, gnarly, and never without great attention to detail. These are probably the best gunfights I’ve ever seen put to animation.

Developing Character Through Action

It’s not merely the destruction or the back and forth between combatants that makes these shootouts so memorable – it’s the creativity behind how each character fights and their chosen tools. Ubu’s signature pistol alone is iconic, but paired with her large attache case full of other goodies, or the collapsible chakram that cuts through bounties like butter, a lot of thought has been put into how she fights. It’s an expression of character through action that – in a story with such an already tight runtime – is invaluable.

That same attention to detail can be seen in every character, like Tommy J’s miniaturized rockets fired from his arms or his employment of SMGs with little consideration for accuracy. Maggie’s attachment to her mag-loaded LMG, both before and after the timeskip, gives off an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude that informs her personality. Lewis uses a modified Vector SMG with an extended barrel that, paired with his cocky attitude, feels like he’s overcompensating before Ubu arrives to show him how it’s done. Even Elegance’s engraved 1911 feels so fitting for such garish egoism. As Big Boss once said, “Engravings offer no tactical advantage whatsoever.”

Blood, Bombast, and a Girl with a Gun

During the post-show, Umetsu spoke of his desire to get the look of blood just right for this film. There are plenty of scenes with fluid animation, typically CGI, but there was a commitment to drawing the blood by hand. The way it spews from an open gunshot, the way it paints surfaces, and the way it flies through the air. It’s a small element in the moment, but to hear how important it was after the fact made me appreciate Umetsu’s approach to crafting action.

At times, he does for animation what John Woo did for action films at his peak. It makes me wish Umetsu had been given more opportunities with even half of the creative control received here, to say nothing of the generous schedule. There is beauty in violence, and with the conclusion to this first chapter, the team behind Virgin Punk labors to create a climax as beautiful as possible. It is the moment that Ubu begins to take back the power that was taken from her, even if it’s only the first step on a long road of misfortunes.

The Big Problem With Virgin Punk (In Theaters)

By now, it’s pretty clear that I really enjoyed this film. I’ve even stopped correcting myself and saying “short film,” because I truly believe the length of the project works for the kind of story being told. However, I also went into this film knowing that it would be 35 minutes long, and as I’ve worked on putting my thoughts together for this piece, I’ve realized that a lot of people probably didn’t. I’m certainly not going to tell them they’re wrong to feel that way, either, because looking at how Fathom Events marketed Virgin Punk, I don’t blame them for feeling duped.

Let’s address the elephant in the room: discounting the pre-show interview, the bonus features after the main event are longer than the actual film. However, Fathom Events included everything in the total runtime, meaning that people who expected a 90-minute feature got a third of that instead, and I feel horrible for them. With ticket prices being what they are, the trailers on Aniplex and Fathom Events’ social media really should have stressed that this was a short film. Not everyone looks into production details of everything they’re slightly interested in on MAL or ANN. Not everyone is like me, for crying out loud.

An Appropriately Maddening Thought Experiment

So now, I want you to put yourself in the shoes of someone who was expecting 90 minutes of beautifully animated carnage. You sit through a pretty low-energy interview with Umetsu, alongside a producer from Shaft, as well as the head of the studio. Then, the film comes and goes, and suddenly, you’re checking the time on your phone, slowly dreading that the experience is over and that all that is left is a very slow behind-the-scenes showcase. It’s not hard to see why some people were pissed.

And you wanna know the worst part? Even as someone who genuinely gained a lot of insight into the production thanks to the bonus content, I think the editing was abysmal. After years of seeing theatrical anime releases with staff interviews, I’ve come to the sad conclusion that the way a lot of anime directors talk about their work can be really boring. I don’t know if it’s a lack of media training, a different style of training, or poor translation, but no matter the underlying reason, the editing room failed this theatrical event. There are a lot of moments where Umetsu or someone else would just repeat information/anecdotes that were already expressed. Likewise, some moments could have been cut entirely for lack of meaningful commentary on the project.

The Yasuomi Umetsu Glaze-a-thon

More than anything, I find the near-constant glazing of Umetsu throughout the bonus content to be incredibly amusing, and that’s not to say I don’t think he deserves praise. In a lot of ways, I think the overwhelming strengths of Virgin Punk validate a lot of the love that’s been directed toward him over the decades. But then, I imagine myself in the shoes of someone who felt cheated by this film, and suddenly, all of the praise comes across as masturbatory. It’s like it’s trying to gaslight you into believing the ticket price was worth it and that Umetsu is Miyazaki-tier and always has been, and that’s just not the vibe I’ve gotten over the years.

To his credit, Umetsu does have an extraordinarily keen eye for detail, from pre- to post-production. We see him request corrections to the slightest details in a given cut of animation or direct the sound team to boost certain effects, or add more sounds like bullet casings. His desk is littered with anatomical diagrams and notes detailing the characters’ dominant hands and preferred weapons. Said weapons are themselves painstakingly detailed. They talk about how Ubu’s pistol is based on the CZ P-10, and how much time was spent just making the gun’s slide look accurate.

A Celebration of Hard Work

What I find fascinating is that the charm of this is not necessarily in what sets Umetsu apart from other directors, but rather in how his style harkens back to a bygone era. A staggering amount of the film’s art was created analog as opposed to digital, and not even because of personal preference. Umetsu simply states he doesn’t have time to learn digital animation. The result is a film that painstakingly evokes the OVAs of the 90s in its very bones rather than merely wearing a nostalgic veneer.

Of course, there are digital components and CGI, but in the areas where CGI is used, such as robots and drones, its application is consistent to not create a disconnect in the visual presentation. I also want to say that the scale of the spotlight and how it celebrates the individual members of the production is really cool. Even if this film was a fleeting thrill, the work that went into it was incredible, and I’m glad that the post-show gave some love to the whole team and not just Umetsu.

The Bigger Problem, Looking Ahead

Virgin Punk represents the best-case scenario of what can come from our nostalgia-obsessed culture, constantly chasing a specific idea of greatness rooted in classic or even cult classic media. The reason it’s the best-case scenario is that it didn’t appear to set out with the intent of capturing that feeling artificially. It was a project dreamed up by a director who rose to prominence in a particular era, who was fortunate to have collaborators who believed in his vision, such that he had a decade to make something out of it.

God knows how much of those ten years was actually spent making the damn thing and how much was just about getting ideas written down or a script finished. Either way, it took time. The problem is that it took all that time, and yet we only got 35 minutes, and I know I’ve defended the runtime up to now, but unfortunately, this isn’t a standalone work. It’s the first chapter in a series, the total number of which we don’t know yet. Most concerningly, throughout the entire post-show, there was never an indication of how soon to expect the sequel, or if it was even being worked on.

The Start of a Series? Or Just One Ambitious Pilot?

If anything, Umetsu spoke as if the sequel’s existence was contingent on him being “allowed” to make another one. I also recall him saying that for the sequel, he wants the same quality of content but with fewer cuts to decrease production time, but again, that’s if a sequel is greenlit. It’s all very concerning because I really fucked with this film, and I want more, but Umetsu is not getting any younger, nor is anime production getting any easier. It’s particularly maddening because when this shit was announced, it was announced as a series.

Look, I know that tons of movies never get expanded on past the first entry, but it’s my personal opinion that you should avoid announcing something as a series if you have no certainty that you can make more than one. Just say, “Hey, we’re making this one film, and if it’s successful, we might make more.” Then, like, I don’t know, tell people it’s gonna be only 35 minutes long, de-emphasize the decade-long production timeline that’ll only raise eyebrows, and maybe put it in theaters for more than two days.

An Increasingly Passionate Diatribe

Like, fuck, they better be in talks with Crunchyroll about streaming this shit right now, because god knows they’re the only anime streaming service that can market for shit. Beyond that, though, the Blu-ray sales are probably the biggest hope to secure a sequel, and even then, it’s a matter of waiting, unless they’ve already started production and are just waiting until it’s basically done to announce it. After all, that’s basically what they did for the first part, and we had no idea how long it was in production. I still don’t entirely believe them when they said it took a decade anyhow.

I could go on, but I’m only this aggravated because I really liked this movie, and I was not expecting to. I was certain the pedo vibes would be rancid, and instead I got a pretty good cyberpunk/ body horror/ psychological thriller/ action extravaganza with only some minor male gaze bullshit stuffed in. It’s such a case study in good pacing and effective storytelling through action that I could see myself coming back to analyze it more when it’s finally released on streaming/ home video. Virgin Punk: Clockwork Girl is a fantastic action spectacle that I can’t wait to spend way too much money on when Aniplex drops the Blu-ray.

8/10

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This was a long one to write, and I think it’s partially because I had such apprehension towards the director before seeing Virgin Punk, only to be surprised by how much I loved the film. I really wanted to balance my praise while also laying out the kind of story being told so that those who might be put off by certain elements could steer clear. In the last few years, I’ve gotten to know more people who are put off by depictions or even connotations of sexual violence because of their own trauma, and thus, it’s made me hyper aware of places where such things pop up.

This is why trigger warnings are important, even if you or I might be capable of stomaching certain content. Some people can’t, and that’s okay – it’s not about the strength of the person who is potentially triggered, and it’s not about judging those who can tolerate sensitive content. It’s simply about understanding where people’s lines are, taking small steps to accommodate, and most importantly, not being a dick about it.

Anyway, that rant kinda came out of nowhere, but I felt it was important to say. Thank you so much for reading. Stay healthy, stay safe, fuck ICE, and as always, I’ll see you in the next one.