"Virgin Punk": Yasuomi Umetsu and Shaft reveal dystopian anime project

The award-winning director Yasuomi Umetsu (A KITE, MEZZO FORTE) returns to anime direction after roughly a decade—with a dark original story: Virgin Punk (Japanese: Vājin Panku), a co-production with Studio Shaft (Madoka Magica, Monogatari Series). The first part of the series, Clockwork Girl, will premiere on June 27, 2025, in select theaters in Tokyo (Cine Libre Ikebukuro) and Osaka (Theatre Umeda).

At the center is Ubu (German for "innocence"), a young woman who survives as a bounty hunter in a society marked by violence and moral ambivalence. The series explores her inner conflicts as well as the explosive dynamics with ruthless employers, rival hunters, and mysterious adversaries. According to Umetsu, the story will address "the depths of human desire and the fragility of morality in a crumbling world."

Visual Style and Artistic Collaboration

A released key visual shows Ubu against an urban wasteland, surrounded by mechanical fragments and neon-colored light reflections—a homage to Umetsu's signature style, which blends brutal action with poetic symbolism. Shaft's influence is evident in the surreal-detailed backgrounds and experimental storyboard aesthetics.