Virgin Punk: Clockwork Lady, which opened in solely a handful of U.S. theaters in 2025, is the epitome of artwork as animation. The anime movie has a runtime of not more than 35 minutes, which doesn’t sound like a lot. Nevertheless, when freelance animators like Daniela Padilla declare “a month of labor for one second of animation,” you understand Virgin Punk: Clockwork Lady may not be your typical anime. This obsessive stage of polish ought to come as no shock to Yasuomi Umetsu followers. The legendary director continues to be considered one of the vital gifted storyboard artists within the trade, and it appears his contact hasn’t been misplaced on Virgin Punk. Umetsu is greatest identified for stand-out hits from the Nineties and early 2000s, together with Kite, Mezzo DSA, and Mezzo Forte, and he’s behind a few of the most well-known anime opening and ending sequences of all time.
Virgin Punk marks Umetsu’s first unique work in over a decade. It’s additionally one of many solely tasks he didn’t immediately write or title, with these credit going to Yuya Takahashi of Lupin III fame. Clockwork Lady is meant to be the primary in a three-part sequence. Set within the 12 months 2099, the story facilities on the younger and witty bounty hunter, Ubu Kamigori, in her trifles towards criminals utilizing particular superior prosthetics known as Somadae. There’s nothing Virgin Punk is doing that Ghost within the Shell hasn’t accomplished already, however you don’t normally faucet into an Umetsu movie for the narrative. Umetsu is greatest identified for slick motion sequences, providing cinematic-level framing that feels such as you’re watching a live-action movie — particularly John Woo. These scenes show probably the most troublesome and time-consuming to animate, and all accounts appear to counsel Virgin Punk was an actual doozy to create. The manufacturing figures inform the total story. In accordance with each Umetsu and producer Ryuusuke Suzuki, Virgin Punk required a complete of 35,000 drawings to finish (and properly over 100,000 when accounting for tough sketches). It’s additionally made up of round 740 cuts, whereas the trade common for a 30-minute anime can be extra like 400, which implies many extra storyboards and scenes had been added properly into manufacturing. Umetsu isn’t one to overlook any particulars.
Picture: Aniplex/Shaft
This lends much more credence to Padilla’s claims {that a} month of labor was required for one second of animation. On this approach, Virgin Punk feels extra like a technical showcase and a testomony to Umetsu’s drawing capabilities. It additionally provides us an interesting peek at Shaft studio, which just lately celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. It’s nonetheless placing out a few of the most stunning animation work within the trade. A selected spotlight in Virgin Punk was director Takayuki Aizu, who was in a position to animate water refractions with lifelike element. The impact gives the look of sunshine passing by means of small droplets of water as they slowly slide down Ubu’s physique. It’s mesmerizing, but additionally a technical nightmare — and blood, which Virgin Punk is chock-full of, is even more durable to correctly animate. Shaft makes it look straightforward.
Picture: Aniplex/Shaft
These intricate particulars are what give Virgin Punk such an interesting layer of brilliance. It is really a one-of-a-kind expertise that blends a few of Umetsu’s greatest artistic parts into one action-packed thrill trip. Sadly, it is solely accessible on DVD and plans for a digital launch within the U.S. are nonetheless unknown at the moment.
It’s a disgrace that one of the vital detail-rich anime films of 2025 feels largely swept below the rug. If there’s wherever Virgin Punk belongs, it’s on the largest display accessible at max quantity. Simply one other 10 years to go for the sequel.
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