Before I start I'd like you to go check out the trailer. Go on, I'll wait. Done? Welcome back. Now, considering your reaction to what you've just witnessed you will already know whether or not Dead Sushi is for you. If the idea of sushi coming to life, sprouting fangs, and flying through the air while chomping on hotel guests sounds appealing - then welcome. Of course, your enjoyment of such a thing does depend on a lot of factors. Did you happen to grow up watching Troma movies? Do you like a whole lot of randomness dropped in your lap? How about seemingly slapdash moments of exploitation and sexism? Do you dig the robot dance? If you answered an enthusiastic "Hell, yes!" to any or all of these quandaries, then read on.

From the director of Machine Girl and RoboGeisha to call this silly would be as obvious as calling Requiem for a Dream depressing. Hell, even mentioning this to people gets the best reactions ever - including my one friend who asked me if I was purposely trying to find the worst movie ever. Filled to the brim with ridiculous slapstick, some karate goofiness, a bunch of silly gore, and some really bad CG effects; I can enthiuastically tell you I had one Hell of a fun time with this.

Keiko (Rina Takeda) wants nothing more in life to become a master at making sushi. Unable to not quite reach the level of her father's teachings, she finds herself ashamed and runs away from home. Ending up working as a server girl at a cheap hotel, Keiko soon has to not only deal with a bunch of snobbish businessmen there to spend the weekend and partake of the hotel's famous sushi, but she also has to become a put-upon heroine (much like Ash in the Evil Dead flicks) when a homeless bum, who it just so happens worked for the same research company as the guests and was wrongfully dismissed, uses a formula that turns seemingly harmless sushi into killing machines. This leads to all sorts of mayhem as Keiko teams up with janitor Yamada (Kentaro Shimazu) and a cute piece of egg sushi (who is bullied by the other sushi in an amusing scene) to try and stop the invasion.

Really, you haven't lived until you've seen various pieces of sushi flying through the air and chewing on human flesh. Or at least until you've seen a squid that spears two kissing lovers together before, later on, stretching a guy's face out. Amongst all this over-the-top bloodshed there's ample doses of comedy, a truly gross moment involving "Japanese kissing", and a finale that contains rice spewing zombies, a tuna headed ax wielding baddie, and decently staged martial arts.

Takeda, who made her debut in the fairly well known High-Kick Girl three years prior, fills the hero role quite well and not only is convincing throwing down karate moves (there's a funny fight scene involving torn robes early on), but she also has a good grip on comedy delivery. As her sidekick, Shimazu reminded me of a Japanese Dick Miller and is pretty awesome with his goofy expressions and "wise man" wisdom. Hell, everyone here is a lot of fun because they buy into the silliness right away. A lot of the cast has also worked together multiple times on previous Iguchi flicks, so they have a natural chemistry together. But they all pale in comparision to Asami, who plays hotel matron Kumi with gusto and gets to not only do the aforementioned (amazing) robot dance but also steals almost every scene she's in - I had no idea she's mostly a porn actress until I started researching for this review - eat your heart out, Traci Lords!

Given that writer-director Noboru Iguchi was also responsible for a little ditty entitled Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead (I need to see it!!) to call him Japan's Lloyd Kaufman seems like an apt observation. This is the closest in spirit I've seen to Troma movies like The Toxic Avenger and Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. without it feeling like the makers are trying too hard to emulate them. This flick is just batshit crazy and I loved every single minute of it. I recently missed the opportunity to see it with a crowd of people in a local theatre, which is truly unfortunate because this is the type of thing that just demands to be seen that way. If you can gather together some like-minded friends you're sure to have a blast with Dead Sushi. (Chris Hartley, 4/22/13)

Directed By: Noboru Iguchi.
Written By: Noboru Iguchi.

Starring: Rina Takeda, Kentaro Shimazu, Takamasa Suga, Takashi Nishina.