When going in to view Iron Girl, don't expect an A-grade science-fiction epic. Obviously constrained to a small budget, Iron Girl still manages to successfully do quite a lot, despite its limitations. Set in an unidentified post-apocalyptic future, there are many unanswered questions over the course of the plot that adds to the appeal of the world and its characters, the suspenseful conclusion leaving room for the sequel; Ultimate Weapon. Though much of the drab environment rarely screams an alternate reality, the fabulous musical score, consisting of a digital, retro vibe, helps set the scene.
During the film, it is discussed how the world has fallen into zones, each controlled by different factions. The two groups seen during the movie are the Just, a technologically inferior group who live in peace, and exhibit difficulty defending themselves, and the Crazy Dogs. Similar to antagonistic groups in other like genre films, this tyrannical, power-hungry cult, who dress in drag and exhibit homo-erotic ideals, are led by Crazy Joe (Mitsugi Koga), who wishes to destroy the peace-loving community.
The gorgeous Kiara Asuka, most notable for her adult film roles (I'm not implying my familiarity with these - that's my story and I'm sticking with it), portrays the unidentified lead protagonist, who is as strong as she is able-bodied, while additionally being cursed by amnesia. The Elder (Masahiro Noguchi) of the Just, believes the unidentified woman to be the iron savior of legend, who will rid the world of evil, the village identifying her as 'Iron Girl'. Led to their community by the incredibly sweet Anne (Rina Akiyama), a teenage girl, who is always seen holding a stuffed toy, the locals, including Wataru (Rakuto Tochihara), wish to learn from Iron Girl how to defend themselves, so they may live in prosperity.
The film creates a society where murder and molestation are no longer seen as crimes, but as a way of life, characters like Anne been very sympathetic, after having lost all of their loved ones because of the danger that exists around them, Iron Girl analyzing early on how people are simply killed for sport. Iron Girl is seen to be a very blunt young woman, who is quick to insult those she cares little for, some of her dialogue, and that of other characters, being quite humorous, though at the same time, immature, and the occasionally over-acted segments can take away from the reality of the feature. This aside, the movie surprisingly contains a number of philosophical notions that will make viewers think about humanity in general.
Ms. Asuka is both beautiful and sexy in her role, blessing the screen with her attractive features, the outfit she wears accentuating her beauty, whilst additionally being as futuristic as it is impressive, heightening the genre properties. Ms. Asuka reads most of her lines with little emotion, furthering her character's role as an iron weapon with no memory, however, it's her bodily and facial gestures that are indicative of her feelings, which in-turn make her all the more human.
The effects are kept to a minimum, though, when used, heighten the entertainment. The fight scenes are not exactly astonishing, though Ms. Asuka is certainly impressive in her role as a warrior, the final battle being sure to keep the attention of the audience. This aside, the film does not rely on buckets of violence or profanities to keep us entertained, the use of characterization and plot maintaining our attention.
Though more could have been done to heighten the romantic story-lines, and increase the poignancy of the drama that takes place, the movie, Iron Girl, despite its faults, manages to keep our attention with its interesting characters, discussions on morality, powerful musical score, and outstandingly sexy lead actress.
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