The Toei Pinky Violence thread

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Guro Taku
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

HungFist wrote:I need to write more about Ninja's Mark later when I have time. Let's just say it has a scene where a ninja turns a woman into a fish while she's having sex...
I don't think you ever got around to that, did you? Anyway, I was finally able to catch this on VOD and it really exceeded my expectations. When the above-mentioned scene happened before the 5 minute mark I figured it'd be all downhill from there but it just kept being awesomely insane. It really is something when you go for many years championing a cheap knock-off (Chusei Sone's FEMALE NINJA MAGIC: 100 TRAMPLED FLOWERS in this case) only to then magically discover the big budget masterpiece that clearly inspired it.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Guro Taku wrote:
HungFist wrote:I need to write more about Ninja's Mark later when I have time. Let's just say it has a scene where a ninja turns a woman into a fish while she's having sex...
I don't think you ever got around to that, did you? Anyway, I was finally able to catch this on VOD and it really exceeded my expectations. When the above-mentioned scene happened before the 5 minute mark I figured it'd be all downhill from there but it just kept being awesomely insane. It really is something when you go for many years championing a cheap knock-off (Chusei Sone's FEMALE NINJA MAGIC: 100 TRAMPLED FLOWERS in this case) only to then magically discover the big budget masterpiece that clearly inspired it.
Glad to hear you liked it.

No, I never got around to writing about it more. I wanted to write a full review but I needed to check Nakajima's kunoichi films first, then too much time passed and nothing came out of it...
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Thanks to Kemushi I noticed this old post of mine from 2014
HungFist wrote:btw, I took your advice and watched Onsen Suppon Geisha (1972). Not exactly my type of film but I enjoyed it. Silly but fun, high WTF factor, lots of cameos. Since it was a double feature I decided to stay for Onsen Mimizu Geisha (1971) as well, which was weaker but still ok. It was fun to see Reiko Ike acting almost like an idol and running topless on the beach. I recall there being a rumor she was underage when they filmed it, but I'm not sure if it's true. Looking at the dates, they had a few week windown to film and get it ready, which by the standard of that era could just be enough. If she was underage, we're talking about weeks or days.
I don't remember if I have explained this in another thread or not, but here's the thing. She was underage, possibly still 16 when Onsen Mimizu Geisha was filmed. She had lied her age to the filmmakers, and when Suzuki and the producer found out after the filming they panicked and forged her a new birth date May 25, 1953. However, in reality she was born 1954 (likely May or June 25, but I'm not entirely sure).

I don't remember where I read this but I deemed the source reliable as I think it was quoting Suzuki's own statement. Also, Nikkatsu's dvd booklet for Black Panther Bitch M confirms Ike was born 1954. Most sources, however, still refer to the Suzuki-created May 25, 1953. Understandably Toei is not keen on correcting the mistake as she's underage in all her early films (the first 7 to be precise) and they were branding her as "Porno Woman" back then.
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Varrick
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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HungFist wrote:Thanks to Kemushi I noticed this old post of mine from 2014
HungFist wrote:btw, I took your advice and watched Onsen Suppon Geisha (1972). Not exactly my type of film but I enjoyed it. Silly but fun, high WTF factor, lots of cameos. Since it was a double feature I decided to stay for Onsen Mimizu Geisha (1971) as well, which was weaker but still ok. It was fun to see Reiko Ike acting almost like an idol and running topless on the beach. I recall there being a rumor she was underage when they filmed it, but I'm not sure if it's true. Looking at the dates, they had a few week windown to film and get it ready, which by the standard of that era could just be enough. If she was underage, we're talking about weeks or days.
I don't remember if I have explained this in another thread or not, but here's the thing. She was underage, possibly still 16 when Onsen Mimizu Geisha was filmed. She had lied her age to the filmmakers, and when Suzuki and the producer found out after the filming they panicked and forged her a new birth date May 25, 1953. However, in reality she was born 1954 (likely May or June 25, but I'm not entirely sure).

I don't remember where I read this but I deemed the source reliable as I think it was quoting Suzuki's own statement. Also, Nikkatsu's dvd booklet for Black Panther Bitch M confirms Ike was born 1954. Most sources, however, still refer to the Suzuki-created May 25, 1953. Understandably Toei is not keen on correcting the mistake as she's underage in all her early films (the first 7 to be precise) and they were branding her as "Porno Woman" back then.

here http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/4309868/ Suzuki may be mentioning something about it...

...and did you see this ? http://promide.com/page.php?s=1235
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Varrick wrote: here http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/4309868/ Suzuki may be mentioning something about it...

...and did you see this ? http://promide.com/page.php?s=1235
Thanks. Yeah, he says there that she was 16 and they fabricated her a new birth date.

edit: the article disappeared all of a sudden, but I still had it open in a tab. Let me save that part here:

──聞くところによると、池さんはデビュー当時まだ16歳だったとか?

鈴木 そうなんだよな。いまだったら大変なことになるけど、あのころは「未成年じゃマズいだろ。じゃあ、隠そう」ぐらいのことで済んだんだ。

──プロフィールは完全に捏造だったわけですね(笑)

鈴木 まぁそこが、天尾(完次)プロデューサーのスゴいところでもあってさ(笑)。池より杉本のほうがちょっと年上だったけど、この『恐怖女子高校』のときでも、彼女たちはおそらく18、19くらいだったんじゃないかな。


edit: the site is gone, but found in archive
https://web.archive.org/web/20160305020 ... l/4309868/
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Varrick
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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HungFist wrote:
Varrick wrote: here http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/4309868/ Suzuki may be mentioning something about it...

...and did you see this ? http://promide.com/page.php?s=1235
Thanks. Yeah, he says there that she was 16 and he and the producer fabricated her a new birth date.
Did you ever run into a more recent picture of her? Both her and Miki Sugimoto became invisible... I heard that they were called/met by Panik House staff in the wake of the production of the "Pinky Violence Collection" boxset to add some comment/insight to the films but they both refused saying that they don't care of their past in movies. That's too bad because after having watched their work in Fukusaku films (Ike) and the ATG films (Sugimoto) they starred in following their pinky violence "career", I can say they both show a certain range as actresses. I would love to read a recent interview by them. In the west actresses with even just one major role (thinking of Tura Satana for instance) became cult icons that widely embraced their fame , while in modern day Japan it seems only Yumiko Katayama and few others are releasing interviews and openly reflecting on their past in cinema: instead Ike and Sugimoto seems feeling "ashamed" of their careers...
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Varrick wrote:
HungFist wrote:
Varrick wrote: here http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/4309868/ Suzuki may be mentioning something about it...

...and did you see this ? http://promide.com/page.php?s=1235
Thanks. Yeah, he says there that she was 16 and he and the producer fabricated her a new birth date.
Did you ever run into a more recent picture of her? Both her and Miki Sugimoto became invisible... I heard that they were called/met by Panik House staff in the wake of the production of the "Pinky Violence Collection" boxset to add some comment/insight to the films but they both refused saying that they don't care of their past as actresses. That's too bad because after having watched their work in Fukusaku films (Ike) and the ATG films (Sugimoto) they starred in after their pinky violence "career", I can say they both show a certain range as actresses. I would love to read a recent interview by them.
Sugimoto: I haven't heard anything about her.
Ike: She's sort of active still, at least some years ago, but I take my word for it, you don't want to know. Just remember her as she was in the 70s.

As for Miki's acting capabilities, she really surprised me in Preparation for the Festival. That was a fine performance that took everyone by surprise.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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HungFist wrote:
Varrick wrote:
HungFist wrote:
Varrick wrote:
As for Miki's acting capabilities, she really surprised me in Preparation for the Festival. That was a fine performance that took everyone by surprise.
Yes,she was great and the film is very good... I also enjoyed the first "new battles without honor and humanity" where Reiko portrays very well a woman very different from her usual "Girl Boss" role...
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Varrick
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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HungFist wrote:
As for Miki's acting capabilities, she really surprised me in Preparation for the Festival. That was a fine performance that took everyone by surprise.

HungFist, by the way, did you give a look at this?

Image

if yes, did you notice if it contains any rare, cool photo?
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Been on my shopping list forever.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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In case anyone is interested, I finally translated and slightly abbreviated my Finnish reviews of the two Kazuhiko Yamaguchi films I saw a few years ago:

Oh Wonderful Utamaro (1974)
https://sketchesofcinema.wordpress.com/ ... l-utamaro/

A Haunted Turkish Bathhouse (1975)
https://sketchesofcinema.wordpress.com/ ... bathhouse/

Image Image

Here are links to the pictures and info I posted in the Retro Cinemas thread in 2015-2016

Oh Wonderful Utamaro (1974)
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... 50#p176440

A Haunted Turkish Bathhouse (1975)
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... 25#p176190
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... 50#p176531
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Varrick
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Varrick »

HungFist wrote:In case anyone is interested, I finally translated and slightly abbreviated my Finnish reviews of the two Kazuhiko Yamaguchi films I saw a few years ago:

Oh Wonderful Utamaro (1974)
https://sketchesofcinema.wordpress.com/ ... l-utamaro/

A Haunted Turkish Bathhouse (1975)
https://sketchesofcinema.wordpress.com/ ... bathhouse/

Image Image

Here are links to the pictures and info I posted in the Retro Cinemas thread in 2015-2016

Oh Wonderful Utamaro (1974)
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... 50#p176440

A Haunted Turkish Bathhouse (1975)
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... 25#p176190
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... 50#p176531
good reviews, I was curious of Oh Wonderful Utamaro... I seem to remember Sharon Kelly also appears in Russ Meyer's Supervixens ......and I wonder what happened to that Norifumi Suzuki interview. :roll: . the people at TOEI read this board? :D
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Ahead of the Teruo Ishii retrospective that starts next month, I bought myself Inferno of Torture (1969) poster.

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Guro Taku
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

How much did you pay? I only own one Teruo Ishii poster but I made mine HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN. Bought it before ever being able to see the film. It set me back 13.000 Yen. I had it mounted and framed and it hung in my living room for a couple years but I moved and now I don't have any wallspace for it so it sits in a corner collecting dust. SAD!

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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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I only paid 1000 yen for it. It's the small スピード model (26x73 cm).

The Malformed Men posters are much more expensive indeed. Toei must have only produced a small number of them since the movie only played for a week or two...
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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I recently rewatched a whole bunch of Pinky Violence. Anyone who's been reading the other thread has already seen these, but I thought might put the new mini-reviews here as well.


Girl Boss Blues: Queen Bee's Counterattack (Japan, 1971) [DVD] - 3/5
The first film in the series. This was a bit of a turning point for girl gang films, which had started out light and breezy (Stray Cat Rock, and Delinquent Girl Boss). From here on they would get darker little by little as they'd go down the same path with male yakuza films. A new generation of meaner, sexier and dirtier girls lead by Reiko Ike (still underage here) and Miki Sugimoto would take over the screens from the previous generation (here represented by Yukie Kagawa, who gets her ass kicked by Ike). For these girls survival mattered more than honour. This film contains a whole bunch of iconic genre scenes like malfunctioning clothes in girl fights that would be later seen in countless other films, as well as some unique ideas like the "sex on motorcycle" competition . Yet, the film is uneven. It still includes large doses of silly comedy and a frustratingly strong focus on male supporting characters - both influences of the 60s yakuza films. It seems the filmmakers were not yet entirely confident with the girl gang formula - something that would change soon enough.

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Girl Boss Blues: Queen Bee's Challenge (Japan, 1972) [DVD] - 3/5
The second film in the series, with (the still underage) Reiko Ike continuing in the lead. Although the film lacks memorable scenes, it’s well made, with good looking visuals, decent characters and a milieu that feels surprisingly real despite some outlandish elements. There are also some quite funny scenes with the girls cheating horny men out of their money. The tone is still relatively light despite the genre already reaching towards the nihilism that would begin to dominate many Pinky Violence films from mid-1972. There are, however, a couple of harsh torture scenes, of which evil sister Chiyoko Kazama sticking shaken Coca Cola bottles to Sugimoto’s you-know-where leaves a bit of a nasty aftertaste. Tatsuo Umemiya makes a cameo as the “Delinquent Boss”, a character he played in his own film series that ran 17 instalments. Miki Sugimoto has a small supporting role again: she was playing second fiddle to Ike in all her early roles until Onsen Suppon Geisha (1972).

Girl Boss Guerilla (Japan, 1972) [DVD] – 3.5/5
Reiko Ike announced her retirement from film biz in 1972, which lead to Miki Sugimoto being cast in leading roles in this film and Onsen Suppon Geisha a month before. Ike's decision didn’t last more than a month or two, and she was back in time to land a “quest star” role in this film. Some say Ike regretted her decision when she saw Sugimoto crowned as the new queen of Toei Porno (yep, that’s how they were known back then). In any case, this film started Ike and Sugimoto’s silver screen rivalry. From here on Toei would often cast one of them as the heroine and the other as (friendly) nemesis. The film is one of the better ones in the series, a breezy biker girl flick shot in and around the beautiful Kyoto. There’s quite a bit of comedy, most of it funny, as well as some sadistic beatings. A better plot would have improved the film, which, it its current state, barely has any. Worth mentioning is the film has the best topless scenes in the series: these girls walk around with their tattooed breasts out if they feel like it cause they just don’t give a damn.

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Girl Boss: Revenge (Japan, 1973) [DVD] – 2.5/5
The 4th and weakest entry in the series. Despite the usual genre charm, this one suffers from suffocating sexism that leaves a nasty aftertaste. Now, someone might point out that hasn't the genre always dwelled in gratuitous exploitation of the female beauty? Of course it has, that why they are called exploitation movies. What makes the difference, however, is how women are portrayed within that context: as weak, disposable pieces of meat, or as bare-breasted amazons kicking ass. This film too often falls to the former category, as best evidenced by the scene where Ike and Sugimoto’s brawl is brought to an end by the former’s boyfriend who slaps Sugimoto in the face and drags Ike into the car. So much about strong women. Throughout the film women are constantly slapped, beaten and raped by the wimpiest of yakuza because, apparently, the gender is at fault. This approach is not only unfortunate but also very anti-climatic. See the 7th film in the series for a prime example of exploitation, with just as much nudity and even all the rapes, done with a genuine sense of female empowerment and ass kicking.

Girl Boss: Escape from Reform School (Japan, 1973) [DVD] – 3.5/5
Sadao Nakajima took over the directorial duties here, which was probably for the best as Norifumi Suzuki seemed to be running out of steam with the series. This is one of the best films in the series; a fast moving entry with only cool girls and not much in terms of frustrating comic reliefs. It's also a stylish one with solid cinematography, some cool action and a badass score that is played on repeat. As the title suggests, Sugimoto and her pals escape from a reform school, which gives the film a slightly road movie kind of structure. Ike also hooks up with small time goon and relatively nice guy Tsunehiko Watase. The nasty sexism of the previous entry is thankfully absent here. However, there is something that keeps the film just short of excellence. It's well made and entertaining, but ultimately not quite as catchy, stylish and anarchic as the very best pinky violence films.

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Girl Boss: Diamond Showdown (Japan, 1974) [DVD] - 3/5
Ikuo Sekimoto helmed the last two films in the series. This one, the 6th film in the series, plays it safe. Reiko Ike is a delinquent girl who once stabbed a gangster boss (Toru Abe) and is now being released from reform school. She’s soon back to her old habits. It’s an entertaining enough, but forgettable entry in the series. Occasional sadistic violence is mixed with comedy, and the soundtrack includes songs like “Funky Monkey Baby”. Bad girl Ryoko Ema, who gets a bit more characterization here than usual, seems to be wearing the same dress that Ike had in Lynch Law Classroom. Tsunehiko Watase plays a cool gangster always wearing sunglasses. This was the last film in the series with the original cast; neither Ike nor Sugimoto (absent here as well) returned for the final entry.

Girl Boss: Crazy Ball Game (Japan, 1974) [DVD] – 3.5/5
The final film in the series, done without its original stars Ike and Sugimoto, is perhaps the best. Yuko Kano is the new sukeban and although she was not a star of Ike or Sugimoto's calibre, she still owns the film. She’s got enough looks and attitude to convince and charm. It’s also a well made film with an energetic supporting cast, a groovy score, and a fast-paced script largely void of silly comic reliefs. The film is also enjoyably pro-women within its exploitation context: girls kick ass, nudity is often cheerful (wait for the ridiculous and awesome topless beach scene) and rapes only happen when the girls are outnumbered by yakuza gorillas, rather than women being at the mercy of any male by default. Any wrong doings are of course brutally avenged in the over the top final massacre that might have felt out of place in a more realistic entry, but was a perfect way to retire this series.

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Terrifying Girls' High School: Women's Violent Classroom (Japan, 1972) [DVD] - 3.5/5
A surprisingly mean spirited first film in the series with Miki Sugimoto as a nasty school gang leader. This film was remarkable not so much for being a side product of the Girl Boss series, but for being one of the movies that brought the Pinky Violence genre to darker grounds in 1972. Although the film is not terribly graphic, it is genuinely disturbing, not least because the heroine herself is a ruthless bully. A naive new male teacher tries to calm this down, but his attempts are futile with students greeting new teachers with knives and dead cats. The audience has to wait a good while for supporting star Reiko Ike to appear to find anyone to side with. Over-the-top action scenes are mostly missing, except for an iconic scene with two small school girl armies facing each other. The film also ends with one of the genre's defining moments as the girls burn their school uniforms at the school gate. Occasional silly humour does little to soften things; in fact it only makes the film feel dirtier. Masao Yagi's groovy score, on the other hand, ups the kick-ass factor.

Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom (Japan, 1973) [DVD] - 4/5
One of the finest films in the Pinky Violence genre, an anarchic, supremely stylish, erotic-grotesque end-of-the-world high school film. It is also, for its over-the-top nature, an easier movie to stomach than the first film in the series. Miki Sugimoto and her three pals (all brought into the film with ultra-cool introduction scenes) are bad girls coming to a new school to find who murdered Sugimoto's former gang boss. Turns out Ryoko Ema's gang is responsible; they've set up a torture lab in a classroom where they are draining poor victims out of their blood. The film's ending, where the entire school is demolished by the rioting students, is a dream come true to anyone who's ever felt frustration towards the educational system. However, the finest proof of director Norifumi Suzuki's talent is that he manages a handful of genuinely touching and beautiful scenes in the midst of all the chaos.

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Terrifying Girls' High School: Delinquent Convulsion Group (Japan, 1973) [DVD] - 2.5/5
The 3rd film in the series is a letdown after the supremely anarchic Lynch Law Classroom. This film doesn't really know what it wants to be. There's a bit of serious mother-daughter drama with Reiko Ike and Yoko Mihara, silly perverted high school teachers, the usual sukeban fights between rival gangs, and as a new addition, lots of gaijin raping high school girls. It all works alright as modest exploitation entertainment, but none of it packs too much punch. Director Masahiro Shimura seems to be to blame. He took over the directorial duties from Norifumi Suzuki for this and the following film, which remain his only directorial efforts. He also worked for Toei as an assistant director and contributing screenwriter. As a director he lacked the style, energy and kick ass factor that Suzuki was able to vent into the first two films.

Terrifying Girls' High School: Animal Courage (Japan, 1973) [DVD] - 2/5
The last and the least in the series. This one is a notch more realistic than some of the earlier films in the series, but in Masahiro Shimura's direction that only translates to increased dullness. The film lacks both the groove and the nastiness of the first two films, and adds very little of its own. Reiko Ike is a new student who enters a school where two girl gangs are fighting while the corrupt management enjoys exploiting the students. Old stuff. Minor genre charm aside, probably the most enjoyable thing about the movie is comedic relief Akira Oizumi as a horny English teacher. Oh, and Ryoko Ema is basically a good (bad) girl here for once. I guess that counts for something. The ending is rather good as well, but that comes too late and offers too little.

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Criminal Woman: Killing Melody (Japan, 1973) [35mm] - 4.5/5
This is the most feminist of all the Pinky Violence films, in addition to being one of the best. Reiko Ike is the daughter of a murdered man, sent to prison after she fails to kill the yakuza boss responsible. She makes friends with a miscellaneous bunch of girls (each given the coolest introduction scenes since Lynch Law Classroom) who team up with her after they're out of the slammer. It's a relatively simple story told with impeccable style, superb pacing, functional plot and likeable characters. Especially notable is how the heroines are handled by the filmmakers with worshipping rather than sleazy hands. That's not saying the film is lacking it in the nudity and sex department, even featuring the infamous chainsaw intimidation scene and the longest girl fight ever filmed (with malfunctioning garments, of course). However, the approach is quite different compared to some other films in the genre. These women are goddesses, and the sleazy guys are doomed from the start. The men ain't got nothing on these girls.

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Sex & Fury (Japan, 1973) [DVD] - 4/5
Most foreign viewers fail to put this film into a context. As much as a Pinky Violence film, it was also a late descendant of Toei's 60s gambler/yakuza movies. Once a hugely popular genre, Toei was still trying to keep it alive in the early 70s. After their biggest female star Junko Fuji retired, Toei tried finding a substitute. All attempts failed, and each new female yakuza film came out sleazier than the previous. Sex & Fury was the film that essentially burned all the bridges as it wholeheartedly crossed to the exploitation side. No more straight female gamblers were to come. Reiko Ike stars as a female yakuza on a mission of vengeance, while Christina Lindberg (drafted by Toei during a flight from Paris to Stockholm!) is a British (!) spy whose boss is trying to start an opium war in Japan. The storyline is messy with political aspects that director Norifumi Suzuki has no patience to develop; however, the film is visually stunning. Nowhere is that better evidenced than in the scene where Ike, attacked by enemies while taking bath, takes out the whole gang with a sword while in the nude in a snowy garden. The hypnotically choreographed carnage makes that one of the greatest scenes in exploitation film history.

Female Yakuza Tale (Japan, 1973) [35mm] - 3.5/5
Fun but hastily made sequel to Sex and Fury. Teruo Ishii directed the film, but it seems he didn't have much of a script to work with - more like a plot draft written in a hurry. There's a lot of incoherent nonsense between the opening and ending scenes. Ishii makes up for it with colourful images, a plot that revolves around a yakuza gang using girls who smuggle drugs in their vaginas, and a number of fantastic set pieces including the apocalyptic final massacre with two dozen naked ladies slaying yakuza with swords, nails, guns and hand grenades. There's a certain charm to seeing trash like this done with relatively amazing production values, something that would never happen in modern cinema.

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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

The long interview with Yuuji Makiguchi published in the Japan Cult Film Collection series' volume on Torn Priestess/Nuns That Bite is a real treasure trove for great behind-the-scenes stories.

Talking about SHOGUN'S SADISM, Makiguchi relays a story about the scene in which the Shogun (played with sadistic glee by Akira Shioji) tortures a woman who is trapped in a glass cage by pouring snakes in with her.

Makiguchi says it was 100 Japanese rat snakes (Elaphe climacophora) and he was wrecking his head trying to figure out where he'd find an actress willing to agree to such a scene. Then producer Tatsuo Honda brought a woman all the way from Tochigi Prefecture who he had seen on TV in a report about people who like snakes. The woman told Makiguchi she keeps 3 or 4 big snakes at home and rolls around with them before bedtime in order to cool down. So he had found a woman who had no problem with the scene but he struggled to get a terrified performance out of her. Apparently most of the time her face looked more aroused than scared. After filming was completed, she actually asked Makiguchi if she could take the snakes back home. He allowed her to keep an "unnoticeable" amount and she selected the ones she thought were the cute ones and went home with a big smile.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Hah, awesome story!
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HungFist
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

Finally managed to snatch this for a reasonable price!

Delinquent Girl Boss: Tokyo Drifters (1970)
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The size is 140x51cm.

I'd been keeping an eye on this poster for a year but could never afford it as it was listed at 10 000 yen (about $100). Last week finally another copy appeared at Yahoo Japan Auctions and I managed to get it for 1600 yen (about $16). Condition is inferior, but good enough for me.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

Picked up another poster.

Girl Boss: Diamond Showdown (1974)
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140x51cm.

Got this for 1200 yen (approx. $12). And it's in terrific condition!
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

Guro Taku wrote:
HungFist wrote:Some ofthe discs have audio commentaries. Most have just trailer and photo gallery.
I think Wife's Sexual Fantasy 妻たちの性体験 夫の眼の前で、今・・・ (1980) is the only one that has an audio commentary.
According to Nikkatsu's website the following 2017 releases have audio commentary:
- Red Vertigo (Takashi Ishii) [BD]
- Carousel Maki: Yoru wa watashi o nurasu (Maki Carousel) [DVD]
- Love Hunter: Lust (Mari Tanaka) [DVD]

They've taken the 2016 site down, so I can't check, but I think at least Love Hotel (Noriko Hayami) was supposed to have a commentary track
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Just got this!

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Can't express how happy I am I finally managed to snatch this after a few years worth of lost auctions. It's a rare item and very much in demand.

Exceptionally, there were two copies for sale at the same time, the one closing first listed with a notably higher starting price. I figured I'd get this for a semi reasonable price by bidding on the more expensive one. That's because that would send other bidders to the cheaper one which, however, because it closes later and it is only human that in a bidding war people end up bidding more than they planned on the last minute, would end up going for a higher price in the end. That's exactly what happened! I got mine for 4600 yen (with shipping), the other copy went for 6300 (with shipping).

I've seen this poster going for 7000 - 8000 yen before... which was too much for my budget.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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I'm not a huge Wakamatsu fan, but I loved this film so much I gotta post a bit about it.

A Pool Without Water (水のないプール) (Japan, 1982)
An absolutely astonishing, almost hypnotic dive into the psyche of a man who becomes a morally corrupted but not downright evil rapist. Yuya Uchida, a rock star turned absolutely fearless actor, is excellent as bored, sexually frustrated family man who discovers he can take advantage of women during their sleep without getting caught using chloroform. Feeling quilt, he actually prepares breakfast and does the house cleaning for his regular victim. It is for its refusal to outright condemn its protagonist that the film is so unique, challenging and thought provoking, tied to Japanese society and its film history of sympathizing otaku, and frankly couldn't exist in almost any other country. It is also darkly humoristic, but strictly labelling it as black comedy would be an attempt to avoid facing the film as what it is. One of Koji Wakamatsu's best films, greatly aided by Katsuo Ono's stunning score and Uchida's amazing performance. He gave fantastic performances in films like Erotic Liaisons (1978), Rolling on the Road (1981) and No More Comics (1986), playing a fallen detective, asshole rock star, and paparazzi, not afraid to show himself in a negative light or sympathize low lives.

The recently released Japanese rental/retail dvd by Happinet looks good enough but the audio features a lot of hiss. I assume this is a re-issue of the old Pioneer DVD. I also don't know how the French dvd compares.

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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Sadao Nakajima Toei Sex Doc x 3. All are available on Toei DVD.

Nippon '69 Sexual Curiosity Seeking Zone (にっぽん69 セックス猟奇地帯) (1969)
Student demonstrations, plastic surgery, body painting, 8mm porn film shoot, strip joints, underground theatre groups and a man who wishes to be treated as a dog and wants to drink his mistress' pee (this may have been an inspiration to Teruo Ishii's Shameless: Abnormal and Abusive Love, 1969). A commercial shock documentary in the tradition of Italian mondo films, which had been remarkably popular in Japan based on the sheer amount of them that got released throughout the 60s in the land of the rising skirt. The disgusting plastic surgery footage aside this Sadao Nakajima film is quite tame, with sexual content limited to a fair few topless shots. It is a little more rewarding as late 60s time capsule featuring real underground figures and street footage, also the 60s student movement and street demonstrations prominently in presence.

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Pilgrimage to Japanese Baths (驚異のドュメント 日本浴場物語) (1971)
A strange, semi-authentic documentary exploration of Japanese public baths and hot springs. The entirely fictional frame story features a man burdened by a mother complex journeying around Japan in search of a great bath. The Eiren synopsis speaks of nostalgia and tradition tied to spiritualism and health, contrasted to the modern era and captured with hidden cameras. It is questionable how much of that actually comes through in this 18 rated (by 1970 standards) film where half of the time you know the scenes are staged. That being said, its R18 labelling seems extremely dated by today's standards (toplessness, c-section, Turkish bath footage with no explicit sex). It's one of those cinematic oddities that don't exist anymore in the internet era.

Twisted Sex (セックスドキュメント 性倒錯の世界) (1971)
"Modern Japan. Sex is everywhere. There we have a woman with a woman. Or is it a man after all? What is a man or a woman anyway?" The third and final in Sadao Nakajima's sex doc series covers transvestites, gay men, lesbians, tattoos and S&M. This one is actually interesting in parts, especially in its romantic portrayal of gay men, something which is greatly aided by Ichiro Araki's cool score that blesses the entire film. There's also some interesting footage with Nippon Irezumi Club needle masters creating sadistic full body tattoo art with the kind of visions of torture hell familiar to viewers from Teruo Ishii's ero guro films. The doc gets less interesting when it moves to S&M content (Oniroku Dan also appears here). Again, the film is perhaps more valuable as cinematic curiosity and time capsule than as informative doc. Oh and the words quoted in the beginning? The voice belongs to narrator Ko Nishimura, probably best known to foreign audiences as the priest in Lady Snowblood (1973).

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Gay guys
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Lesbian gals
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Nippon Irezumi Club (Japan Tattoo Club)
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Oniroku Dan on the left
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Hot Springs Geisha 2 (温泉ポン引女中) (1969)
The first Hot Springs Geisha (1968) film, a harmless sex comedy and one of Teruo Ishii's dullest efforts, only managed to sneak in one or two brief topless shots. This sequel does more in the opening credits scene alone. It's a skin flick in and out, but thankfully one with an enjoyably laidback swing, drenched in 60s aesthetics, and without too many boring bits. And just when you're about to get a bit tired of it, it throws in a bizarre nude party scene with Tatsumi Hijikata's Butoh dancers! And then there's a super violent shocker final reel that makes you wonder if the filmmakers decided they should've gone the Joy of Torture (1968) route instead. Though unjustified quality wise, you can't quite help but to see the Beneath the Valley of the Dolls (1970) parallels. This is as good if not better than the two Norifumi Suzuki directed instalments (parts 4 and 5).

The lovely Ishii muse Masumi Tachibana
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Yumiko Katayama!
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My idol Osman Yusuf
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Tatsumi Hijikata's Butoh gang
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