Product Info

Studio

Shaft

Director

Yasuomi Umetsu

Genre

Action, Adventure, Animation

Rated

NA

Theatrical Release Date (NA)

Nov 11, 2025

Film Length

35min

Purchase From

Virgin Punk: Clockwork Girl, distributed by Fathom Entertainment, is the latest short anime series by Yasuomi Umetsu. It is a stunning thirty-five minute animation that premiered in theaters. However, some viewers may find themselves wanting more than just this one part.

Runtime Disclosure

Before diving into the film, the runtime listed on theater websites is one hour and thirty-four minutes. However, there’s a catch: the animated film itself is only around thirty five minutes long, with the remainder being a documentary about the film. THis unexpected twist can catch viewers off guard and send mixed messages. Ideally, this information should be disclosed to the audience before they decide to watch the animated film.

Mind of a Human, Body of a Force

©YASUOMI UMETSU,SHAFT/ANIPLEX

If you’re familiar with Yasuomi Umetsu’s previous work, such as Kite (1998) and Mezzo Forte (2000), you know what to expect. His previous works in these films bear a great resemblance to Virgin Punk, featuring a young female assassin. Bringing back this familiarity and his hand-drawn animations gives the film a familiar ’90s anime style.

 In the year 2099, Somadea technology is used to replace lost limbs or transfer brains into android bodies. However, this new technology has fallen into criminal hands, causing havoc in public. The police are useless, and it seems that bounty hunters are the only ones who can stop these Somadea criminals. The city feels like a modern civilization with some cyberpunk vibes from the criminals.

 Meet Ubu Kamigori, a young woman who was at death’s door and had her brain put into a Somadea body. However, this body closely resembles her younger, fourteen-year-old body. Mr. Elegance, who operates a bounty-hunting organization, is responsible for placing Ubu into her new body. He is portrayed as a creepy character who can control Ubu’s life with a specialized controller. Having had his eyes on her for years, he is wildly obsessed with her, giving her fluffy and petite dresses to satisfy his taste, treating her like his own personal doll. However, he has Ubu work as a bounty hunter under him. With a human brain intact in her new body, she can at least think negative thoughts about her new boss and seek revenge for having her life flipped upside down.

©YASUOMI UMETSU,SHAFT/ANIPLEX

While the story doesn’t delve very far into the reason Ubu was killed, it does foreshadow that there is more to it than what the movie explains, leaving the audience pondering and wanting to know more. The short film delves into Ubu’s past a good portion in the beginning but doesn’t explore Mr. Elegance and how he became a creepy bounty hunter. The film is gory, though not as gruesome as previous films from the earlier years of anime, featuring some female nudity and spot-on action scenes.

The film also briefly portrays other female characters who may also be bounty hunters, but it doesn’t delve into that. Instead, it leaves you with questions and the urge to know more. Unfortunately, the timeframe for a potential next film is unknown. Based on Yasuomi Umetsu’s previous work having multiple episodes, fans should expect more to come, hopefully without a long wait.

A Piece of Work

©YASUOMI UMETSU,SHAFT/ANIPLEX

Those who attended the theater received bonus content after the film. It wasn’t new information about Virgin Punk: Clockwork Girl, but rather a behind-the-scenes documentary featuring Yasuomi Umetsu and his team discussing how the short animated film was created. The documentary is about an hour long, and if you are interested in understanding the animation process, it’s definitely worth watching. Otherwise, your time at the theater is most likely your shortest yet.

The team interviewed discusses the details of using hand-drawn animation versus only digital methods. For instance, Yasuomi Umetsu explains the concern of how water and blood would look and “feel” if drawn digitally versus by hand. The decision to go with hand-drawn animation and blend with digital was a good one, as the water looks transparent and real in this style, while the blood appears thicker and stickier as it splatters across Ubu’s face and other surfaces. 

The coloring and background designs are vibrant and gorgeous. While viewers may be focused on the characters, the backdrop helps set the scene. For example, in a scene where Ubu walks to her apartment at dusk, the orange glow from the sun seeping through the window and reflecting off her and the hallway looks stunning.

The sound effects, from a gun cock to the destruction of buildings, enhance each scene without overpowering the action. It’s difficult to determine if there was a soundtrack playing, except for Laco’s “Breakin’ Down” lyric score. If there was, it wasn’t particularly memorable given everything else happening on screen.

The Final Shot

Virgin Punk: Clockwork Girl, distributed by Fathom Entertainment, is a stunning animation created by Yasuomi Umetsu and his talented team. This original film, running just thirty-five minutes, is sure to dazzle fans and leave them eager for more. With multiple unresolved story lines, hopefully a new animation will come soon to answer them.

Tickets were provided by Fathom Entertainment for the purpose of this review. Virgin Punk: Clockwork Girl will be showing in theaters on November 11th and November 13th, 2026. Tickets can be purchased at your local theater or online through Fandango. Fans can visit the official website for more information.