Friday, May 14, 2010

DVD Doppelgängers: Onechanbara Vs. Samurai Princess and Frankenstein Girl Vs. Vampire Girl

It's time for another edition of DVD Doppelgangers, in which I call out art directors who deliberately copy DVD covers and posters of popular movies, hoping to fool the public into buying their knock-off version.

Tonight we turn our gaze to the Far East, as we see that DVD Doppelgangers aren't just an American phenomenon. It happens in Japan as well. We'll also learn the meaning of the word "blatant."

First up is the 2008 movie Onechanbara. It's based on a popular video game that I've never heard of, and features a bikini-clad, zombie killing young woman looking coyly over her shoulder as she brandishes a couple of samurai swords.

Apparently the designer of cover of the 2009 movie Samurai Princess was such a fan of the Onechanbara cover that he or she copied it pretty much verbatim. Samurai Princess features a bikini-clad, robot killing young woman looking coyly over her shoulder as she brandishes a couple of samurai swords.

You probably won't be able to read the title, but the third entry is the poster for the 2009 movie Frankenstein Girl vs. Vampire Girl. That's Vampire Girl there on the cover. In a burst of originality, this cover features a school uniform-clad, monster killing young woman looking coyly over her shoulder as she brandishes a samurai sword.

I don't know anything about this movie, but with a title like Frankenstein Girl vs. Vampire Girl, I have got to see it.

Obviously the designers of these Japanese covers know what sells, and they clutch their tried and true formula like grim Death.

2 comments:

  1. There should be a new name for the 3-ways, like Triplegangers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maybe the same designer did all three and the poor bastard is a one-trick pony.

    ReplyDelete

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