As a huge fan of the Oneechanbara series, I was excited to hear that it was adapted to film.
The film is low-budget, but then so are the games. The effects are good for what they are, and for what budget the film had.
It tries. But while there are elements that seem lifted directly from the games, most of the film is completely unlike them. Who did they think their audience was supposed to be? The only character resembling her basis is Aya, and that's generally because Otoguro Eri is never allowed to emote, nor is anything done with her character other than a few flashbacks that tell us nothing we couldn't have guessed.
The rest of the game characters in the film are tremendously disappointing. Saki is not the insane little bloodthirsty terror from the games, she's just a dullard. Reiko is played by the only actress allowed to do anything with her part, Hashimoto Manami, but it's a paper-thin part. While the actress is unquestionably talented, the direction and the script are only a disappointment. Since Reiko is my favourite regular character in the main series, it was especially sad to see her handled so poorly in the film. She doesn't even wear the glasses that the character is known for! The attempt at turning her into some sort of sympathetic tragic heroine completely fails and only manages to disturb the pace. After Reiko's part was done, I was through with the film. It didn't have enough in the remaining story to make me care about the rest.
So Aya and Saki are fighting...who cares? Saki is barely shown and only built up in flashbacks and incoherent, inexplicable cutscenes that have no reason for existing and do nothing for her since, like Otoguro Eri, Nakamura Chise is never allowed to emote even slightly. There is no real resolution to anything, and as it constantly diverges from the game's continuity, it's a constant exercise in frustration. The games may not be brilliant, but at the very least they are consistent in their own continuity. The film tries to be something different and manages to overcomplicate a fundamentally simple premise, while simultaneously underdeveloping it, which leads to abysmal failure.
Suwa Tarou as the superfluous Dr. Sugita is suitably despicable, but his part in the proceedings manages to give the impression that the scriptwriters didn't feel comfortable having a main antagonist be female. If Sugita had been omitted and Saki actually developed as the main antagonist, it would have at least been a stronger story and the final confrontation more satisfying.
Similarly, Waki Tomohiro is generally charismatic as Katsuji, but the part is terrible. He often acts completely illogically for anyone in his situation, and although we are almost moved to sympathy for him at one point, it quickly vanishes due to his persistent ineptitude and selfishness. That he essentially gets the only fulfilling victory of the entire film is nothing short of inexcusable; this is supposed to be about Aya and the others, not about a comic relief bumbler who ceases to be amusing less than halfway through the film.
The zombies are well made up, but they are inconsistent with the game here too. They move too quickly and too ably. In the games, excepting special types, they generally have speeds from 'shuffle' to 'shuffle a little more quickly'. I was especially disappointed that none of the special zombie types appeared in the film, not even the iconic mud creatures that present a ubiquitous challenge.
The fight choreography is fantastic, and the stunts are very good. If only there were more types of the zombies! The premise also doesn't fit with the games, as in the film the world has been ravaged by a sudden, vast zombie plague. Amusingly, this originates at the D3 Corporation, which is an inside joke: D3 Publishers are the game series' publisher.
All in all, the film is a tremendous disappointment for any fan of the series. It isn't a game series just about some random emotionless girl in a bikini and a cowboy hat, but that's exactly what the film feels like: people cosplaying as characters from the game, who are actually nothing like them, in a situation that isn't particularly similar to the game, except in a superficial way. The overall tone is one of subtle yet annoying sexism; I know it seems odd to say that, since the games can be taken as sexist. However, the games chronicle the adventures of a group of very capable, strong, decisive women who can save the world. They are often opposed by other powerful women. Certainly, there's titillation. Games need it to sell. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't love to see a male character or two pop up in a future Oneechanbara title, or for there to be an male equivalent game, but at the same time, I wouldn't be buying it for the titillation...I'd be buying it knowing I'd have a great deal of fun fighting zombies with interesting, colourful characters in an absorbing world.
The film just did not deliver. I wanted very much to enjoy it, but it didn't happen. Perhaps if it hadn't dropped the ball on all the characters and failed to develop Aya or Saki, changed Reiko too much and ended up unsatisfying, and added token male characters who really did nothing for the plot, it would have been enjoyable. But it wasn't even watchable. It smacked of the same half-effort that marks most game-to-movie conversions: superficial similarities in some ways, a few references for fans, and an otherwise completely incomprehensible production.
With a series this much of a niche title, one would think that the makers would have made it more faithful, because mainly the only people seeing it were going to be the fans. Apparently they thought differently.
Play the games instead. They'll entertain you for much longer.
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