The Toei Pinky Violence thread

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 14 Jul 2007, 16:59

Fans of Miki and Reiko (and pinky violence in general) might be interested in Hotwax’s Miki Sugimoto vs. Reiko Ike (杉本美樹vs池玲子) cd, featuring music and song from their movies. Myself I don’t usually buy movie soundtracks, especially prior to seeing the films but since many of these will never see the light of day on dvd I thought what the hell. The package is very nice and there’s a collectible card (b/w pic of the front cover) included (limited to first pressing I think) so it’s gonna be a nice collectors item as least.

Popping in the cd it took me about three second to realize I had hit the gold with this purchace. Pure awesomeness, polar bear coolness from the north pole. The cd opens with Miki Sugimoto’s Zero Woman – Red Hancuffs opening theme, followed by Shunsuke Kikuchi’s (Karate Bullfighter, Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion) super funky "driving tunes" from the same movie. Other recognizable tracks include for example Reiko Ike’s Criminal Woman – Killing Melody theme, opening and closing themes from Female Yakuza Tale and two tracks from Sex & Fury, among others. Some of my other favourites include the spaghetti western esque track from Terrifying Girls’ High School - Animaru Dokyusei, and Ichiro Araki’s ジュテームはさよならの始まり from an unrecognized (by me) movie. As as a single weakness the cd includes maybe one Zero Woman theme variation too many, and it doesn’t cover quite as many movies as I’d like it to. But all things considered, this is a kick ass cd.

Track List
01.０のバラード -女の瓜あと-(唄：杉本美樹) *
02.０課の女　赤い手錠 M-18(音楽：菊池俊輔)
03.女番長　タイマン勝負 M-5(音楽：広瀬健次郎)
04.０のバラード -女の瓜あと-part.2(唄：杉本美樹) *
05. 温泉みみず芸者 M-3(音楽：鏑木創)
06. 温泉スッポン芸者(唄：杉本美樹) *
07. 恐怖女子高校　アニマル同級生BGM(音楽：鏑木創)
08. 女番長流れ者(唄：杉本美樹) *
09. ふうてんぐらしpart.1(唄：池玲子) **
10. ０課の女　赤い手錠 M-20(音楽：菊池俊輔)
11. 不良姐御伝　猪の鹿お蝶 M-2(音楽：荒木一郎)
12. ふうてんぐらしpart.2(唄：池玲子) **
13. 温泉スッポン芸者 M-24(音楽：荒木一郎)
14. 温泉スッポン芸者テーマ(音楽：荒木一郎)
15. やさぐれ姐御伝　総括リンチBGM(音楽：鏑木創)
16. お蝶のブルース(唄：池玲子) **
17. 徳川セックス禁止令　色情大名 C-1(音楽：荒木一郎)
18. ジュテームはさよならの始まり(inst)(音楽：荒木一郎)
19. ０課の女　赤い手錠 M-9(音楽：菊池俊輔)
20. ０（レイ）のバラード -女の瓜あと-(カラオケ)
21. ０（レイ）のバラード -女の瓜あと-part.2(カラオケ)
22. ふうてんぐらし(カラオケ)
23. ふうてんぐらしpart.2(カラオケ)

For quick reference (aka you can’t read japanese) I’ve marked songs by Miki (*) and Reiko (**) with stars. For more information see Hotwax’s official site: http://www.ultra-vybe.co.jp/hotwax/sugimotovsike/

The movie in the poster is the first Terrifying Girls’ High School movie - (Onna) Boryuku kyoshitsu (恐怖女子高校女暴力教室) (1972).

For more information about Hotwax cds, dvds and magazines see the asiandvdguide Hotwax thread. Muldoon knows so much more about this matter than I do that I won’t even bother pretending I know what I’m talking about. So, go here: http://adg.invisionzone.com/index.php?s ... &hl=hotwax

Classique · Post by **Classique** » 14 Aug 2007, 21:34

HungFist wrote:Classique, I hope I didn't disencourage you to write reviews. I could really use some help with movie introductions and reviews, in case you any have interest for it. I'll see if I can get Tokugawa onna keizu, Love & Crime and Ooku jyuhakkei reviews done at some point but I probably won't have much time for anything else.

and btw, do you think we should start some sort of "japanese cult cinema thread" or something. For films that don't fit exploitation and chiba threads? (aka Toei dvd releases kick ass )

No actually I started playing a new video game and it's eating ALL my time.

The thing that actually kinda discouraged me was the fact that some of the stuff I listed like Gincho Watadori 1&2 and some of Meiko's other stuff has not been released on dvd and only vhs and I didn't know if that would be alright to put info about the films here since this is a dvd forum.

I too had thought about creating a thread that was one giant Toei love fest but maybe we should just turn this one in to it?! :twisted:

On other notes.

Rica - Not the greatest of it's kind but it is a blast.Even without any time i've managed to watch it twice now and I can't wait for the sequels.
The dvd, eh i'm not an expert but I saw one moment were an area of Rica's shirt looks "blotchy" in the beginning.Otherwise it's suffice to me.

And lastly a certain bootlegger I will not mention but i'm sure you know who i'm talking about has put the first Stray Cat Rock film in his 'upcoming titles' section which is were he puts everything that's essentially done sub wise and just has to be worked out for the rest of the stuff.
So the good that will come out of this is that we will be getting sub scripts to match up with the r2j's since he's going to eventually do the others as well!!

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 19 Aug 2007, 10:56

Rica (Konketsuji Rika) (1972)

Toho’s take on the Toei dominated bad girl genre doesn’t open so good. There’s certain off putting elements (related to pregnancy) and the shiny visuals of their competitor are nowhere to be found. I was already missing Toei’s iconic pinky violence queens. But I changed my mind real fast. 15 minutes in and I had realized Rica is a fucking fusion of great genre elements. It may not have the glossy look but but it’s got plenty of kick and ass. It’s mean, violent, fun and sounds good. Just like our lovely heroine, Rica.

Rika Aoki is something different from the usual genre stars. Her character is young and so is she. Toei stars like Reiko Ike and Miki Sugimoto were barely legal when they entered the business but they both looked and acted older. They were also more distant, more movie star kind of personalities. Rika on the other hand feels more like a real life girl. She displays more energy, less gloss and some great teen angst. You could argue she’s got lesser looks than her Toei sisters but in fact that made me like her even more. She’s far more approachable and she’s got more real eroticism that Miki and Reiko put together. Double the effect if you got a thing for school girls.

And lets not forget the final knock down; she sings in the movie. And she sings well, better than most genre stars. Her singing is included as a minor sub-plot (that won’t develop anywhere) which is good example of the movie’s structure. Appart from the firm backstory (rare in the genre) the plot is pretty much non-existent but the storyline makes great use of different elements from several sub-genres, mostly girl gang and high school films. You probably won’t notice the lack of actual plot until during the second half, which is a bit less wild than the first. The ending however is so damn cool that it’s easy to forgive. Besides, after the satisfying finale we’re treated with one of the coolest ending credits sequences I of the 70’s.

The R1 dvd release by Media Blasters’ sister company Exploitation Digital isn’t too bad. There’s a problem with pixelization in some scenes, and the sharp and grainy presentation doesn’t make it any less noticable. It bothered be a bit in the beginning, so I turned sharpness down by a bit which gave the image a more solid look. The transfer is also interlaced. Other than those problems this is very good job with minimal edge enhancement and excellent colours. No problems with sharpness or contrast levels either. Overall very acceptable presentation on smaller screens but I don’t know if this is gonna fare well on bigger screens. Extras feature a nice photo gallery, original trailers for the Rica series plus bonus trailers. The subtitle colour is yellow.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 22 Aug 2007, 22:45

Horrors of Malformed Men R1 reviews:
http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=65725
http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/Reviews/E-H/h ... d_men.html
http://10kbullets.com/?p=989

Snake Woman's Curse R1 reviews:
http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=65709
http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/Reviews/Q-T/s ... curse.html
http://10kbullets.com/?p=988

Looks like the transfers are as good as Panik House's pinky violence collection transfers were.

Classique · Post by **Classique** » 28 Aug 2007, 20:16

Sad to hear the disappointment for Snake Women's Curse as I was actually looking forward to that one more.

Still gonna pick it up eventually along with Malformed.

Noticed Discotek is eluding to a Teruo Ishii samurai pinky violence movie coming on the horizon.A guy at kfcc made a news post that it's may be Joys of Torture but for some reason i'm thinking it's Bohachi.
I haven't seen Joys of Torture but other then the setting/era it didn't look like something you'd call a 'samurai' movie.
Maybe you can fill me in on that one more Hung.

If that Norifumi Suzuki movie their talking about is Beatiful Girl Hunter I can't say i'm gonna be too interested.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 02 Sep 2007, 21:05

I wouldn't know about the reviews. I haven't read any of them.

Classique wrote: Didn't really care for Female Yakuza Tale to be honest.

You're weird

How about Tokugawa irezumi-shi: Seme jigoku?

**************

Ha, Quentin Tarantino is a Nikkatsu roman porno fan

"I even like — in fact, I'm quite enamored with — the whole Nikkatsu (studio) roman poruno thing ('70s, big-budget adult movies). I almost can't believe that that existed in cinema! The way they did it in the '70s, where they're real movies with real actors. The woman who played the proprietor in "Kill Bill" (Yuki Kazamatsuri), she was a roman poruno actress. I saw a couple of her films and I thought they were fantastic! Even the fact that the genitals were blurred out actually made it work even more!"
- http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ ... 816r1.html

The actress Tarantino is talking about is the woman who played Mayumi in Somai's Sailor Suit and Machine Gun

Classique · Post by **Classique** » 04 Sep 2007, 16:46

HungFist wrote:I wouldn't know about the reviews. I haven't read any of them.

Classique wrote: Didn't really care for Female Yakuza Tale to be honest.
You're weird

How about Tokugawa irezumi-shi: Seme jigoku?

I just thought FYT was a bit too much of a mess overall.
I actually liked Sex & Fury more but I still ended up selling them both off.
Both had great endings.May re-aquire S&F someday if I find it cheap.

Haven't seen Tokugawa irezumi-shi: Seme jigoku but I guess I need to.

I'm really hoping to aquire Horrors of the Malformed Man locally but getting the stores around here to stock stuff like it is a coin toss.
Whenever i'm hopeful they never have it and when it's something I figure I won't be able to find it pops up everywhere.

Would you say Teruo Ishii is your favorite pinky director?
I'd love to say Tai Kato for mine but did he really do much pink outside of the Sasori films?I may say him anyways just based on how amazing of a debut the first film is.

Yasuharu Hasebe is another pretty good one save for his entry in to the Sasori films he did the amazing Stray Cat Rock series.

Who knows :twisted:

Anywho guess i'm gonna have to break down and order Malformed and Snake Women pretty soon.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 10 Sep 2007, 08:35

This comes out of nowhere: Kino is apparently releasing four Masaru Konuma (Nikkatsu) films November 6, 2007. The titles are:

Wife to Be Sacrificed (Ikenie fujin) (生贄夫人) (1974) (+ Sadistic and Masochistic documentary (2000))
Tattooed Flower Vase (Kashin no irezumi: ureta tsubo) (花芯の刺青　熟れた壺 ) (1976)
Erotic Diary of an Office Lady (OL kanno nikki: Ah! Watashi no naka de) (ＯＬ官能日記　あァ！私の中で) (1977)
Cloistered Nun: Runa's Confession (Shudojo Runa no kokuhaku) (修道女ルナの告白) (1976)

Kino isn't known for their quality releases but the chances are these will be Nikkatsu/Geneon ports. The remastering of their recent R2J releases is very satisfactory although not on Toei's level. Some of their older releases however have lesser transfers. Out of these titles all are out on R2J. Erotic Diary of an Office Lady was released in 2005, Cloistered Nun in 2007, and the other two in 2006.

Tattooed Flower Vase and Wife to Be Sacrificed will also be released in France by Cinemalta (these are the two films in the Masaru Konuma box set aka Coffret Roman Porno Vol.1). Both films star Naomi Tani. Wife to Be Sacrificed has also been released in the US before (and by Kino) but I suspect that release wasn’t necessarily properly licensed.

http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/forums/showthread.php?t=32222

************************************

On other news, Nikkatsu will be releasing another notorious Yasuhare Hasebe title on dvd: Rape! 13th Hour (Rape! 25-ji bokan) (レイプ25時暴姦) (1977). The release date is September 21, 2007. Here’s the cover art:

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 12 Sep 2007, 13:25

After being so impressed with the Miki Sugimoto vs Reiko Ike cd I immediately ordered the next of Hotwax’s treasure collections: Sukeban Guerilla (女番長ゲリラ: やさぐれ歌謡最前線 ). It features 23 songs from the Sukeban and Terrifying Girls’s High School films. Unfortunately I didn’t find this cd nearly as impressive as the previous one. Technically it’s fine, and the poster (with liner notes and pictures on reverse side) that comes with it is a superb extra, but I found the music itself mostly average. There are some really good songs though, like the awesome 冷えた世代 (by Rika Sudo) from the end of Terrifying Girls’ High School – Lynch Law Classroom.

Tracklist:
01. 女番長流れ者（唄:杉本美樹）
02. 女番長　タイマン勝負テーマ（音楽:広瀬健次郎）
03. 女番長　タイマン勝負 M-17（音楽:広瀬健次郎）
04. ほれてふられてブルース(唄:津和のり子）
05. 女番長　タイマン勝負 M-4（音楽:広瀬健次郎）
06. 女番長　感化院脱走 M-15（音楽:荒木一郎）
07. 恐怖女子高校　アニマル同級生口笛のテーマ（音楽:鏑木創）
08. 恐怖女子高校　アニマル同級生　M-12 ウエスタン調（音楽:鏑木創）
09. 女番長ブルース（唄:八田富子）
10. 女番長　タイマン勝負 M-21（音楽:広瀬健次郎）
11. 女番長　玉突き遊び M-23（音楽:クニ河内）
12. 恐怖女子高校　女暴力教室（音楽:八木正生）
13. 好きではじめた女じゃないが（唄:太田美鈴）
14. 女番長ゲリラ M-5（音楽:津島利章）
15. 赤色エレジー（作曲:八洲秀章）
16. 冷えた世代（唄:須藤リカ）
17. 恐怖女子高校　不良悶絶グループ M-11&18（音楽:荒木一郎）
18. 恐怖女子高校　暴行リンチ教室 M-6 JAZZ（音楽:八木正生）
19. 女番長 M-2ずらかれ（音楽:八木正生）
20. 地獄の天使　紅い爆音 M-4A（音楽:忠治）
21. 女番長ブルース ENDING（唄:八田富子）
22. 番格ロック M-4（音楽:八木正生）
23. 恐怖女子高校　不良悶絶グループ M-16B（音楽:荒木一郎）

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 14 Sep 2007, 09:40

This November, Synapse Films goes Pinky – Pinky Violence, that is – and proudly unveils the LEGENDS OF THE POISONOUS SEDUCTRESS female swordplay series. THE THREE-VOLUME SAGA OF A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG SWORDSWOMAN ON A BLOODY TRAIL OF SAVAGE REVENGE. ONE OF THE MOST VIOLENT REVENGE TRILOGIES EVER MADE! THE BLOOD-SOAKED MODEL FOR THE PINKY VIOLENCE EXPLOSION OF THE 1970s!

Connected only by their theme of a beautiful young swordswoman who’s wronged, then seeks bloody revenge on her oppressors, the LEGENDS OF THE POISONOUS SEDUCTRESS series was produced at Toei Studios in the late 1960s, only a few years before the studio revolutionized the Japanese film industry with their “true-life” yakuza films, girl-gang sagas and modern-day violent thrillers. Set during the samurai days, when Japan was isolated from the rest of the world, the POISONOUS SEDUCTRESS series stars the beautiful Junko Miyazono, first as Ohyaku, then as Okatsu, women who endured humiliation and injustice for as long as they could…until they had to strike back with violence!

Each episode forms its own individual story, and will only be available for sale separately.

EPISODE 1: FEMALE DEMON OHYAKU

A quiet actress named Ohyaku is wrongly sent to prison, then pushed by her tormentors to the point of no return. With a demon tattoo splayed across her back and a sword in her hand, she embarks on a crusade of vengeance against all those who have wronged her, laying waste to man and woman alike in her quest for bloody retribution. A gruesome Pinky Violence classic, the film’s merciless parade of action, beheadings, tattooing and torture proved highly influential on later series of sexy action films from Toei Studios in the 1970s.

EPISODE 2: QUICK-DRAW OKATSU

The daughter of a swordplay instructor takes on a power-hungry magistrate in the second entry of the series, joined this time by Rui, a wild young swordswoman (Reiko Oshida). The two sexy avengers embark on a blood-soaked quest for revenge after Okatsu is raped and her father slaughtered by one of his assistants. From fencing schools to small-town brothels to the imperial city of Edo, Okatsu and Rui slash their way through dozens of evil men in order to settle the score with those who wronged them, in this swordplay classic which features some of the best fight scenes of the series.

EPISODE 3: OKATSU THE FUGITIVE

In the final episode of the series, the legendary beautiful swordswoman Okatsu is on the hunt for Judayu, a corrupt merchant responsible for the death of her parents. Betrayed by her fiancé, she finds herself aided in her quest by a handsome stranger (longtime yakuza movie star Tatsuo Umemiya) – who happens to be as handy with a sword as she is! What is the reason for his kindness, and will Okatsu be able to prevail against her nemesis, now a powerful businessman with scores of allies in high places? Whatever the end may be, the restless spirits of her murdered parents drive Okatsu along her crimson-colored road of vengeance.

Episode 1 directed by Yoshihiro Ishikawa (GHOST CAT OF OTAMA POND).
Episodes 2 & 3 directed by legendary filmmaker Nobuo Nakagawa (SNAKE WOMAN’S CURSE, JIGOKU).

The series features an all-star cast of famous faces from the best of Japanese genre cinema, including lead actress Junko Miyazono (ELEVEN SAMURAI, SAMURAI WOLF 2), two-time series co-star Tomisaburo Wakayama (LONE WOLF & CUB, BLACK RAIN), Tatsuo Umemiya (GRAVEYARD OF HONOR,
WANDERING GINZA BUTTERFLY), Kunio Murai (SNAKE WOMAN’S CURSE), Ko Nishimura (SNAKE WOMAN’S CURSE, HANZO THE RAZOR), Reiko Oshida (DELINQUENT GIRL BOSS), Yukie Kagawa (HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN, FEMALE CONVICT SCORPION – JAILHOUSE 41), and Yoichi Numata (JIGOKU).

Synapse Films’ LEGENDS OF THE POISONOUS SEDUCTRESS DVD Series Include the Following Special Features:

• New, fully restored anamorphic widescreen transfers mastered in high-definition from Toei’s original vault elements
• Japanese language audio with newly-translated, removable English subtitles
• Audio commentary on FEMALE DEMON OHYAKU and QUICK-DRAW OKATSU by Japanese film expert Chris D.
• Original Japanese theatrical trailers
• Poster galleries
• Liner notes and essays on the female swordplay genre
• Reversible covers with original Japanese poster artwork
• MORE!

Look for Synapse Films’ DVD premiere Special Editions of FEMALE DEMON OHYAKU, QUICK-DRAW OKATSU, and OKATSU THE FUGITIVE in stores on November 13, 2007 at a retail price of $24.95 each. Each title is only available separately.

- http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/pinky-v ... cations-c/

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 27 Sep 2007, 20:15

Tokugawa onna keizu (1968)

Tokugawa onna keizu, released is 1968, marked a turning point on director Teruo Ishii’s career. After having worked for Shin-Toho and Toei for nearly two decades and having recently helmed no less than 10 Abashiri Prison yakuza film instalments, Ishii had started losing his interest for traditional film making. At the same time the audiences were requesting for more daring content and Toei was more than willing offer it. Ishii’s transform into a smut master was however two-part, and and the second half wouldn’t be complited until later the same year with Tokugawa onna keibatsu-shi (The Joy of Torture). Despite the mysterious ’18’ rating Tokugawa onna keizu is a thoroughly unshocking piece of exploitation cinema, not least because of the complete lack any sort of violence, save for one stabbing and some ”forced sexual encounters”. The nudity bank however is exploded all over the harem walls.

This isn’t the first time Ishii more or less defines the movie to follow with the opening credits sequence. A harem full of topples women dancing and singing while the credits roll is something that is hard to follow without a bloody big grin on your face. At the same time it’s obvious this is another monumental glimpse of movie history. With all the gorgeous settings and costumes, high profile actors and first class technical execution mixed with pure exploitation this is something that could simply not be made anymore.

While the minimalistic storyline is more silly than wild Ishii keeps the movie moderately entertaining with the clash of soft-sexploitation and somewhat high profile period movie making. Those with language barrier (no translation available as far as I know) may not get very much out of the movie as it’s quite heavy on (apparently hilarious) dialogue. Genre fans are a different matter of course. Personally I found myself quite entertained till around the 60 minute mark. The last third is a bit less exciting although Ishii more or less saves the ending with a fantastic closing image.

The female dominated cast only features a handful of male actors. The shogun is played by Ishii reqular Teruo Yoshida, who’s role is maybe a bit more obscure than usual (Ishii often casted him as one of the more rational characters in his movies). Another very familiar male actor who appears in the movie, although only briefly, is Asao Koike. Yoshida and Koike would later appear together in several Ishii movies, most notably as the rivalry tattoo artists in Tokugawa irezumi-shi: Seme jigoku (Inferno of Torture). The vast female cast features some familiar faces like the ever cute Yukie Kagawa, and the pinky violence queen Yoko Mihara. Future Nikkatsu starlet Naomi Tani also appears in the movie although I was unfortunately unable to positively identify her.

Being the oldest movie in the Ishii collection the R2J Toei dvds shows a little more imperfections than the others. There’s some minor print damage and scratches every now and then (almost all of them lasting one frame only), and colour shifts appear sometimes at the end of the scene (usually lasting a second or two). I didn’t find these problems distracting at all. The colours are very good and edge enhancement practically doesn't exist. A very pleasing transfer for a 40 year old movie. The sound is fine, too. Original trailer and a picture gallery are included.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 11 Oct 2007, 21:26

Love and Crime (Menji, taisho, showa ryoki onna hanzaishi) (1969)

The graphic, maybe even slightly shocking introduction scene of Love and Crime is set in a mortuary. Naked body of a young woman is lying on a table, waiting for an autopsy. A doctor arrives, puts on his gloves and begins his work. Opening credits roll next to the blood spilling images.

What we see during the first few minutes of Teruo Ishii’s Love and Crime is almost like a celluloid depiction of the changes that were taking place in Japanese cinema in the late 60’s. Movie studios were losing their audiences to the television and had to come up with new strategies to attract people into cinemas. Sex, violence and directors like Ishii would be the answer. Starting with his Tokugawa series (kicking off with Tokugawa onna keizu in 1968) Ishii went looking for the limits, seeing how far the studio would allow him to go.

Love and Crime was released in 1969, the year when Ishii directed no less than eight feature length movies. He made brief visits to Nikkatsu studios in form of the Rising Dragon series (which concluded in 1970 with the Meiko Kaji starring Blind Woman’s Curse) but all of his Toei films fell strictly under the exploitation banner. Love and Crime follows the structure of Tokugawa onna keibatsu-shi (The Joy of Torture) (1968) by telling several short stories of love, passion and violence, all narrated by Ishii veteran Teruo Yoshida (Inferno of Torture, Yakuza’s Law).

The first story, which is also my favourite of the bunch, is a dark horror tale set in the early 1960’s. It follows a married woman (Aoi Mitsuko) who hooks up with a young man (Takashi Fujiki) and together they go for a killing spree. The characters are rather interesting and Ishii’s directing is captivating. He doesn’t hurry too much and allows some moody scenes. The use of music, and also the lack of it in certain scenes, creates nice old school horror movie atmosphere. The classic murder weapon, axe, is also used to a memorable effect.

In the second episode Ishii re-imagines the famous, often adapted Abe Sada story, later made familiar to international audiences by Nagisa Oshima in Ai no corrida (Real of the Senses) (1976). Ishii’s take unfortunately suffers in comparison because of the limited running time. The likes of Oshima, Tanaka (Jitsuroku Abe Sada) and Obayashi (Sada) would have the full running time for ”depicting” the famous true life events while Ishii only had 25 minutes to spare. The result is a decent but slightly underwhelming episode that has one rare selling point; a brief present day appearance by the real life Abe Sada. The core of the story however is set in 1930’s, with the lead role played by Yukie Kagawa.

After the Abe Sada story comes a very brief two part episode that runs only a few minutes. I believe Ishii only included this to arouse some conversation as there is not much storyline, just two single events. What follows however is the the longest running seqment in the film. Shot in black & white the fourth episode is a war time set story of a serial killer (Asao Koike). The beginning consist mostly of murder scenes, but the storyline gets notably more interesting when the killer meets a young woman (Yumiko Katayama) whom he doesn’t kill right away. The cinematography in this episode quite very good. The b/w image is used well to create a cold and minimalistic atmosphere and the framing is often impressive. War time stock footage is used to some extent.

The last story runs about 12 minutes and is maybe the most disturbing of the bunch, thanks to the main character’s husband, a seriously sick / deformed man. The storyline isn’t especially impressive but some images and contrasts are effective. Atsumi Hijikata of Blind Woman’s Curse and Horrors of Malformed Men appears briefly as an executioner. Although not one of the best episodes this serves a moderately satisfying ending for a good film that feels maybe a little more than the sum of its parts.

Our host Teruo Yoshida

The short stories

Director Ishii makes an appearance in the teaser trailer

Classique · Post by **Classique** » 16 Oct 2007, 21:44

Just watched Fury Bancho 2!

May have one of the greatest Toei endings ever and thats saying something or maybe I just haven't seen anything good since Rica. :twisted:
Not to mention i've come to the realization that if a Toei movie is subpar or just good for the duration their endings ALWAYS leave you satisfied.

Has Chiba and Bunta but they are not in it a whole lot but enough.
More of a Tatsuya Umemiya vehicle which I already knew and is fine by me since he's one of my favorite regulars and he more then carries the movie.
Has a pretty cute girl playing the Junko Fuji/Red Peony role but differentiates herself enought to make you forget that.
She does a better job then Meiko did in Ginza Butterfly 2 emulating the character.

Also caught the first Stray Cat Rock and it was a little underwhelming.
I just wasn't too crazy about the lead playing opposite Meiko in the film and it was basically the same as part 3 save for the racial factor and without as much polish.

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile Shura but i've been having some family/life issues taking up my time but i'm getting back in to the swing of things.
Should have Rica 2 pretty soon!Thoughts/Ramblings to come. 8)

Classique · Post by **Classique** » 18 Oct 2007, 15:41

Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter does not have any rape though some foreigners do try to force themselves on the girl gang before Meiko shows up to save the day.Don't think anything actually happened intercourse wise.

The irony of that whole film is Meiko Kaji is the character 'hunting sex' so to speak but all the male characters have all this pent up anger and issues and couldn't be bothered with sex but rather fighting amongst each other.

The whole rape issue thing.It's there.I'm not searching for movies that contain it but i'm not gonna let it stop me from watching a movie.
Is it done in bad taste more times then not?Yes.
I remember people talking how Killing Machine had Chiba's best filmed fight scenes and I really looked forward to it but was caught majorly offguard when a 10 year old girl was raped by a yakuza group.

I don't think everyone of these movies is automatically great because of the presence of boobs, blood and filth.
Their are some i've enjoyed as movies and some you couldn't force me to watch again like Female Yakuza Tale(Sorry Shura maybe the finale

)

BTW Rica 2 arrived yesterday gonna try to give it a go tonight. :twisted:

Classique · Post by **Classique** » 19 Oct 2007, 16:31

My top 5 list would be-

1.Female Prisoner 701:Scorpion
2.Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter
3.Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs
4.Female Prisoner 701: Jailhouse 41
5.School of the Holy Beast

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 19 Oct 2007, 21:05

Not meaning to diss Classique's opinions but I don't feel 701 and Zero Woman would be the best films for Brad to start with.

701 and Zero Woman were the first pinky violence films I saw myself. Back then I wasn't an exploitation fan yet, and neither of those films could turn me into one. I liked both, but I found 701 a bit heavy and dark, while I actually felt a little bit quilty about liking Zero Woman (due to the extreme violence). I rated both films 3/5. Sex & Fury was the third pinky violence film I saw (viewings these three films were not related in any way, I don't think I even realized they belonged to the same genre) and it hit me like 10 000 volts. When I later re-watched 701 and Zero again I became a big fan of both.

I feel like Brad is in a similiar situation now that I was a few years back. I know he's not familiar with exploitation cinema, and starting with the more extreme films might not be the best way. If he said his favourite directors were Ruggero Deodato and Lucio Fulci then I would have no doubts about recommending Zero Woman. But now, maybe not. 701 of course isn't quite that heavy, but for a beginner I'd rather recommend something more easy going (and visually extremely beautiful) like Sex and Fury.

But full respect for you considering Sex and Fury uneven. I don't agree (my rating for the film is still 4,5/5), but your opinion is as good as mine. I have seen many 7/10 rating for the film, so you're not the only one who didn't find it a masterpiece (and based on your comments your rating would be even lower).

EDIT: ah, finally Rica's moving. Hopefully won't take forever to arrive. Student budget means cheapest shipping method available

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 25 Oct 2007, 21:30

Derrick King at dvdmaniacs just posted the best news I've heard all year. Exploitation Digital will be releasing Delinquent Girl Boss: Blossoming Night Dreams on R1 in January. I love Reiko Oshida and Worthless to Confess and this is so great great great news.

http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.a ... &searchID=

I'll try to find out and post some more info about the film tomorrow, now it's time to go to sleep.

Classique · Post by **Classique** » 26 Oct 2007, 21:46

HungFist wrote:Not meaning to diss Classique's opinions but I don't feel 701 and Zero Woman would be the best films for Brad to start with.

701 and Zero Woman were the first pinky violence films I saw myself. Back then I wasn't an exploitation fan yet, and neither of those films could turn me into one. I liked both, but I found 701 a bit heavy and dark, while I actually felt a little bit quilty about liking Zero Woman (due to the extreme violence). I rated both films 3/5. Sex & Fury was the third pinky violence film I saw (viewings these three films were not related in any way, I don't think I even realized they belonged to the same genre) and it hit me like 10 000 volts. When I later re-watched 701 and Zero again I became a big fan of both.

I feel like Brad is in a similiar situation now that I was a few years back. I know he's not familiar with exploitation cinema, and starting with the more extreme films might not be the best way. If he said his favourite directors were Ruggero Deodato and Lucio Fulci then I would have no doubts about recommending Zero Woman. But now, maybe not. 701 of course isn't quite that heavy, but for a beginner I'd rather recommend something more easy going (and visually extremely beautiful) like Sex and Fury.

But full respect for you considering Sex and Fury uneven. I don't agree (my rating for the film is still 4,5/5), but your opinion is as good as mine. I have seen many 7/10 rating for the film, so you're not the only one who didn't find it a masterpiece (and based on your comments your rating would be even lower).

EDIT: ah, finally Rica's moving. Hopefully won't take forever to arrive. Student budget means cheapest shipping method available

Sorry my top 5 was more just my top 5 in general and not a top 5 recommendations list.

That said I agree about Zero Women.The first time I watched it when it finally finished the only thing I could think to myself was "That was fkn brutal"
I was actually contemplating keeping the dvd till I watched it again and after the intial shock of the first viewing wore off it wasn't that bad.
You just have to realize EVERY character in the movie is a HORRIBLE person.Even Zero herself just wants to get stuff over with and move on with her life.

I will disagree on Female Prisoner 701:Scorpion though.
I think the theater esque touches and trippyness/bizarreness/creativity of the film is what first made me realize this kind of movie could be more then just T&A and violence.
I remember showing this to a group of friends some of which would normally have no interest in foreign films in general much less ones that could be considered "sleazy" and after they all wanted to know if and when I was going to get the sequels. :twisted:

Funnily enough that was my first pinky violence movie as well.
The sequels would end up being the next ones and I can't remember what came after that.

I've been short on time lately but I watched about half of Rica 2...FKN AMAZING SO FAR!
Depending on how the second half plays out i'm already leaning towards the possibility of it being better then the first. :happy2:
Sorry Shura I know that's gonna make you want it more and probably hype it up too much making it a let down.

Brad- If you end up not liking S&F don't give up!
Try my pick 701 and then you can safely you don't care for the genre if you didn't like either.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 26 Oct 2007, 22:14

Blossoming Night Dreams (ずべ公番長　夢は夜ひらく) (1970) is the first film in the Delinquent Girl Boss series. Worthless to Confess, released by Panik House, was the fourth and final instalment. All films are directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi (Sister Street Fighter, Karate Bear Fighter) and star the lovely Reiko Oshida (probably the purest of all pinky violence stars). The supporting cast for this instalment includes at least the cute Yukie Kagawa (see Tokugawa onna keizu review, last screencap) Tatsuo Umemiya and Nobuo Kaneko.

The dvd cover art, spotted by Marshall Crist at dvdmaniacs:

Blossoming Night Dreams in the Sugisaku / Uechi book 'Pinky Violence – Toei’s Bad Girl Films'

And finally, a great Reiko Oshida pic from the same book:

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 06 Nov 2007, 16:25

R2 FR Pathe Sasori dvds

I have finished comparing the first four films:

Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion (Pathe vs HK Video vs Media Blasters)
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... php?t=2115

Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (Pathe vs Studio Canal vs Toei)
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... php?t=3693

Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable (Pathe vs Media Blasters)
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... php?t=4059

Female Prisoner Scorpion: Grudge Song (Pathe vs Media Blasters)
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... php?t=4060

Other comparisone here and here, plus review

To put it simple, Pathe's dvds for parts 1 and 2 are good, part 3 is not very good, and part 4 should be avoided at all costs. Extras are the same for all films; original trailer, filmographies and picture gallery. Teaser trailers have not been included. I'll be reviewing the New Female Prisoner Scorpion films at a later date.

The package is a 3-sleeve digipac, with two discs on each page. The design is not exactly great as the disc could easity get damaged while taking them out or stucking them back in. The artwork is nice, but overall the package leaves a bit cheap taste. No booklet is included.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 10 Nov 2007, 15:29

New Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701 (Shin joshuu sasori: 701-go) (1976)

The Scorpion saga continues, or starts again from the beginning, three years after Meiko Kaji left the series. Yumi Takigawa (School of the Holy Beast) stars as the new Nami Matsushima, a woman betrayed and sent to prison.

The new crew have thankfully refused the temptation to deliver a direct remake of the original Shunya Ito classic. Director Yutaka Kohira, who worked as an assistant director for some of the earlier instalments, is not in the league of his predecessors but is still very much capable of delivering a solid pinky violence movie. The new introduction sequence is rather good and the casting isn’t bad. As soon as you can stop comparing the new players to the old cast you’ll find a lot to enjoy. Especially the prison staff, including Rinichi Yamamoto as the warden and Kinji Takinami as one of the guards, features several great characters.

Audio-visually the film has a lot to live up to. The outcome is not too bad. The visual department offers some stylish images throughout the film, and the funky soundtrack (including a new theme song) works. Sex and violence have been toned down to some extent, though. There’s a bit of nice ultraviolence near the end, plus the compulsory shower scene, but that’s pretty much it when it comes to daring content. Certainly surprising from a mid 70’s women in prison film.

Most of the film’s problems appear during the middle part. The main character goes through a rather dull humiliation process, similiar to what we saw in the original film. Only this time the director is a bit less talented and doesn’t have the exceptional eye for details that Ito had. Yumi Takigawa’s work is interesting to follow, especially since silent roles suit her well, but she’s still no match to Meiko Kaji. From a fan’s point of view the film however remains interesting, even if not quite exhilarating, during the weaker parts also.

Regardeless of how much you enjoy the middle part it’s worth enduring as the real twist comes only near the end. The last 20 minutes is pure pinky violence perfection. This is where the images, music and and performances all come together. Above all, this is where the whole saga comes together, and a certain circle closes. The use of the Sasori mythology is first grade. For a fan of the series this was such a satisfying conclusion that my eyes were nearly watering. The film truly earned it’s existence.

Pathe’s La Femme Scorpion box marks the first time this film is released on dvd. The presentation is solid but not outstanding. The transfer appears to be converted from an NTSC master, although myself I didn’t notice any severe flickering during camera pans. The contrast level is set too high, but doesn’t cause awfully serious problems. The colours are very good and brightness level seems decent. Whether frames are missing like with 701 I’m unable to report. Despite the problems this is a very acceptable interlaced transfer that allows you to fully enjoy the film. Audio is slightly harsh a few times but perfectly adequate. Extras consist of filmographies, picture gallery and subtitled trailer.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 14 Nov 2007, 17:08

New Female Prisoner Scorpion: Tokushu-bo X (Shin joshuu sasori: Tokushu-bo X) (1977)

Ground zero. Appart from director Yutaka Kohira, who found time to helm one of the best Etsuko Shihomi films, Dragon Princess, in between the two New Female Prisoner films, the Sasori saga is given another clean start. The backstory has been changed once again, and the cast is loaded with new faces. The lead role is played by Sasori number three; Yoko Natsuki.

While Yumi Takigawa was able to adapt the iconic role with moderate success, the same can not be said about Yoko Natsuki. While she’s not terrible by any means, she does not manage to bring much life into the character. She looks good with the right clothing (and without, might I add), but that’s about as far as her special talent goes. On the positive side she is indeed the weakest link when it comes to casting. The supporting cast is excellent and offers plenty of reason to get excited about.

The new prison crew should receive any Toei fan’s acceptance. The warden is played by none other than Masashi Ishibashi. He doesn’t get to throw a single karate move in this film, but he’s definitely the man for the job. His right hand man is played by Hiroshi Tachi, who gives an incredibly cool performance that remided me a bit of Eiji Go’s work. Takeo Chii, who gives another badass performance, handles one of the most remarkable supporting roles. Finally, the cute Kaori Ono gives Sasori’s support as a fellow prisoner.

The film opens with a nice opening credits sequence, accompanied with a decent new theme song. After that the quality goes down a bit. The supporting actors alone can’t make the movie exciting enough, and Kohara’s attempts with surrealism end up more often amusing than impressive. Once again, for a genre fan it’s hard not to enjoy at least a little bit, but for casual viewers the first 50 minutes doesn’t offer that many thrills. There’s a moderate amount of sexploitation, though, and other highlights include the prisoners wearing a very nice t-shirt - shorts combination.

The last 30 minutes is what really makes the film worth a watch. The scrip takes a welcome and even somewhat original turn, and the film becomes visually more attractive. The actors also get more room to shine, and even Natsuki manages to impress a few times. The finale isn’t in the class of the previous film, but offers plenty of quality entertainment. Not a bad way to end the series.

Pathe’s disc doesn’t differ much from that of New Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701, but the transfer is better. Basic problems remain – interlaced and not from a native PAL source – but the problems are less visible than expected. There’s still some boosting, but colours and brightness seem excellent. The image is also nicely sharp. On smaller screens this transfer should look quite good. The audio features no problems. The excellent original trailer is subtitled in french, and the picture gallery is of high quality as with the other discs in the box set.

Masashi Ishibashi

Hiroshi Tachi

Takeo Chii

Yoko in the original trailer

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 23 Nov 2007, 15:27

Rica 2: Lonely Wanderer (Konketsuji Rika: Hitoriyuku sasuraitabi) (1973)

The second part in the Rica trilogy has, if possible, even less attempt for a senseful storyline than before. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, the film also lacks the wild mix of different genre elements that made its predecessor so damn enjoyable. To make matters worse, Rika Aoki’s charms aren’t used to the fullest. She does wear a couple of kick ass costumes, though.

The supporting characters are mostly less than memorable. Especially Kazumi Toshi’s character, who would perform one dull song after another, feels like a wasted opportunity. Thankfully Rika Aoki gets on stage as well, although her songs are not as good as last time. The most important male role is played by Ryonosuke Minegishi who does decent job in the role of a mysterious man helping Rica. Hitoshi Takagi and Kaoru Hama are okay as villains but hardly anything special. Surprisingly all the remarkable characters in the film keep their clothes on. The amount of sex and nudity is almost nonexistent.

After all that rant, is Rica 2 a bad movie? Hell no. It has notably less kick than the original, but it’s still a very decent genre film. It never gets boring, and there’s one scene early on that made me lose count how many ’what-the-fucks’ came out of my mouth. Setting the film in Northern Japan gives it a nice snowy twist. There’s a bunch of political references too, but nothing too interesting to be honest. The ending is pretty cool, followed by another awesome ending credits sequence. Good fun for genre fans, other may consider skipping.

Exploitation Digital’s transfer is both an improvement and a step back. On the positive side the encoding is now better than last time. Unfortunately the transfer is now soft. I hope it’s a print related issue, and that the company hasn’t been listening to people complaining about grain in the first film. Another problem is that the transfer is not as bright as it should, and also looks reddish from time to time. The overall look is very acceptable considering the origins, but far from pristine. Extras consist of trailers and photo gallery.

Classique · Post by **Classique** » 26 Nov 2007, 15:35

Seems like I did build you up too much for Rica 2.

I finally finished watching it and although I think I enjoyed it a bit more
then you did I will agree it was not as good as the first.

I'm actually really glad they went the route they did and didn't try to top the
first because it probably would have been a failure.
Instead they decided to have some fun and in turn I did as well!

I'm was really sad they didn't bring back the one baddie from the first film who jumped off the boat at the end before they could get him.
He had the greatest pick-up line ever- "Your cute.I want to fuck you."

I already ordered the third one straight from Media Blasters on ebay so I should have it before the end of the week. :twisted:

I skimmed the trailer for it and it appeared most of it's going to be taking place in reform school so we'll see how that turns out.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 28 Nov 2007, 15:39

From Outcast Cinema (check the link for the whole article, which includes a mention of a possible future pinky release (EDIT: he was talking about Bohachi Bushido))

"During the past week in Tokyo, we did a series of interviews with famed Toei sexploitation director Norifumi Suzuki."

"Suzuki-kantoku was kind enough to join us on successive Sundays at the amazing Laputa Cinema in Asagaya, on the west side of Tokyo, and spent several hours with our camera crew discussing his career and films. The interviews will appear on two DVDs due out next year, the initial one being the fourth Sukeban film, to be released by Media Blasters in February under the title Girl Boss: Revenge. Later in the spring, Discotek Media will release Suzuki's jaw-dropping, solitary entry into the Roman Porno genre, Star of David: Beauty Hunting."

"Suzuki sat with Japanese film critic and cult film writer Kiichiro Yanashita for a full-length audio commentary for Star of David, to be included on the Discotek disc. Not only is this the first time Suzuki has done a commentary, we believe it's the first time a Roman Porno director has done a commentary for one of his films! Of course, the commentary was conducted in Japanese and will be presented on the disc with English subtitles. Fans of Suzuki and of the Roman Porno genre in general should be very pleased."

Photo from Yanashita Kiichiro’s blog