Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl.

There's something about Japanese cartoons that just doesn't click with me about 95% of the time.

So when I saw that an animation company was somehow involved in the distribution of Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl, I cringed.

Fortuneately, it was live action and I was quickly able to realize that it was a... let's be generous and say satire of the horror genre.

Monami is the new girl at school who has fallen for Mizushima, boyfriend of Kieko.

Monami is a vampire and soon turn Mizushima. Keiko is killed, but her father, the assistant principal, is also somehow related to Frankenstein and brings her back to life.

There's some massive and bloody catfighting.

The effects were awesome. When Mizushima has his first vampire moment, he's seeing his class mates as walking circulatory systems. Lots of crimson CGI.

But I just couldn't get into the whole school girl thing. And you know the standard high school cliques thing in the States- jock, stoner, nerd, etc? Well, there were two in VG vs FG that I hadn't encountered before: Cutters and "Ganguro."

We've got Cutters in the States, but the ones in the movie had a club based around it.

And Ganguro.

It's...

Well...

In the movie, anyway, there was a Blackface club. Yes, like Al Jolson.

These girls felt they had more in common with Africa rather than their Japanese heritage. To the degree that they'd blackfaced themselves. One of the girls carried a shield and spear.

I'm sure if this movie had been on a wider radar, it would have really annoyed several parents groups.

That said, it wasn't too bad. I think I might have even enjoyed it after a couple of glasses of sake'.