Gothic and Lolita Psycho: A Movie Review

Director: Gô Ohara

Writer: Hisakatsu Kuroki (screenplay)

Stars: Rina Akiyama, Ruito Aoyagi and Asami

The Japanese certainly love their fetishes. The product does not have to be just the obligatory panty shot, but in the magazines, books or films that are exported to other countries, those booty shots certainly gets plenty of attention. Or one can simply watch Gothic and Lolita Psycho. This film explores more than just its namesake. It gets tongue-in-cheek in its tale of thirst and revenge.

The budget may be cheap, but that's the style director Gô Ohara likes to use. Special Effects creator Yoshihiro Nishimura is not at the top of his form this time around. Unlike Tokyo Gore Police or Frankenstein Girl vs Vampire Girl, the gore is very tame in comparison. Some of the maiming happens off screen and when it comes down to straight decapitation, there isn't that much innovation going on. There is blood, guts and gore, but what exists is mostly huge buckets of blood that Yuki (Rina Akiyama) leaves behind.

She is on the hunt for her mother's killers. She found okāsan executed in a ritualistic style and her baptism in blood results in a change within her. The flashbacks round out the tale and also serve as breaks in between the video-game style executions that happen.

A few of them are done with Dragonball Z style finesse. The first fight is perhaps the most entertaining and the music that moves with it is engaging. Another one–a cute eye-patched girl with guns–nearly steals the show with her squeals of delight and stabs into cel phone culture. To see how these two face off, however, is a bit tortuous.

Akiyama’s fighting style is not as smooth as a swan, and has not mastered the fine art of combat with the parasol. This umbrella is not a graceful weapon to use despite its choreography in video-games made in Japan. Some fights are like kicks to the groin to watch and others are like a striptease. Fans of Nishimura's work will want more death-defying gore.

With Akiyama's buns of steel, one can only hope she'll find better roles to take than to participate in genre films. There's potential in her as she does play her role well. She can switch from child-like innocence to melancholy very easily. The only problem is that she needs ballet lessons before she can become a convincing on-screen fighter, which is ironic when considering she played a role in a martial arts television show, Kamen Rider Agito.

This film is certainly no Kung Fu Hustle. At least that has highbrow style versus the lowbrow choreography that Gothic and Lolita Psycho will be remembered for.

Overall: 7.5 out of 10.

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