What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

[HungFist]

Roman Porno treasure hunt

Crimson Night Dream (紅夜夢) (Japan, 1983) [VoD] - 2.5/5
This film is director Shogoro Nishimura's own A Woman Called Abe Sada. The subject however is not Abe but Oden Takahashi, the last woman who was executed by beheading in Japan. Her tale has been adapted into numerous films by Shintoho and Toei, including Teruo Ishii's ero-guro episode in Love and Crime (1969) and Yuji Makiguchi's feature length film Decapiation of an Evil Woman (1977). This Nikkatsu version isn't as wild, but it really isn't too bad a film. Acting and directing are subdued, making things a bit unexciting at times but allowing the film to slowly build up for a rather powerful drama climax.

Sukeban Flesh Slave (スケバン肉奴隷) (Japan, 1987) [VoD] - 2.5/5
Relatively speaking, this is a surprisingly "accomplished" ex-delinquent girl drama for a project that 9 times out of 10 would've been meritless junk. It's really a sex flick about a former sukeban girl trying to hide her past and lead straight life as an OL, and her ex-boyfriend who likewise left biker life behind to run a small bar. Lots of screwing takes place, and most of the Sukeban content is limited to brief flashbacks. But there's no denying the film actually manages to flesh out its characters with bits if solid drama, humanity, and stylish images. Director Yoshihiro Kawasaki seemed to possess this kind of ability, often bringing just a little bit of extra life and energy to films that could have been abysmal. It also helped that his eye for erotica was a notch above his colleagues, making the compulsory sex scenes more watchable than usual.

[HungFist]

Roman Porno treasure hunt

Female Convict 101: Sexual Hell (女囚１０１　性感地獄) (Japan, 1976) - 1/5
Thoroughly uninspired and unsexy women in prison Roman Porno without a single noteworthy scene. Rumi Tama is a woman sent to prison for strangling a man who was trying to rape her; Naomi Oka is the bad girl calling the shots behind the bars. The rest of the film plays out exactly the way you'd expect. Followed by a sequel or two. Some have suggested this film was Nikkatsu's attempt to cash in on Female Prisoner Scorpion's popularity, but that's not likely as the original Toei series (1972-1974) came out way before this, and the reboot series (1976-1977) didn't start until after this movie. Instead, this film seems like a follow up to Nikkatsu's own True Story of a Woman In Jail series (1975-1976).

Rope Hell (団鬼六「やくざ天使」より 縄地獄) (Japan, 1978) [VoD] - 2/5
Vengeful gangster joins the competing gang after being forced to cut off his finger for trying to rape yakuza sister Naomi Tani. A slightly more watchable SM tale than usual, thanks to it being a yakuza story (based on Oniroku Dan's novel Yakuza Angel). It's a little short on SM actually, and out of the two victims Tani's turn doesn't come until the film's final third. The best thing about the film is villain actor Hitoshi Takagi's enjoyably sleazy performance as a gang boss. He had an odd career that went from Nikkatsu's gangster films via Toho (e.g. Lady Snowblood) to Roman Porno and eventually My Neighbor Totoro. Side note: this is yet another film the Weissers gave an "in depth" analysis without actually having seen the movie - and got it all wrong. Their argument about the film's morale was based on a plot twist very typical to Dan films, but actually not found in this movie.

[HungFist]

Roman Porno treasure hunt

Tattoo (刺青 IREZUMI) (Japan, 1984) [VoD] - 1/5
Tiresome late Chusei Sone film is mainly "remarkable" for being the Roman Porno debut of 70s pop idol Sakiko Ito, whose film career started and ended with this movie. She plays a pop star abducted and tattooed by the yakuza. Relationship problems ensue. Sone's direction is uninspired, terribly pedestrian and merely seeks to transfer the script to celluloid. Speaking of the script, the film was based on the Jun'ichirô Tanizaki novel that Yasuzo Masumura filmed in 1966. The Roman Porno version was written by Machiko Nasu, Toei director Hiroyuki Nasu's wife. She originally entered Nikkatsu via a screenwriting competition with the excellent Girl's Pleasure: Man Hunting (1977). All that talent considered, Tattoo is a terribly disappointing film.

Rope Torture (団鬼六　縄責め) (Japan, 1984) [VoD] - 3/5
Here's something a bit unusual with Toei director Ikuo Sekimoto (Girl Boss: Diamond Showdown, 1974) gravitating to Nikkatsu for work. It was usually the other way around with successful directors climbing the studio ladder to Toei. He made two Oniroku Dan adaptation for Nikkatsu, both starring Miki Takakura whose Roman Porno career only lasted for five films until she quit. She was one of the several successors to Naomi Tani, none of whom were especially successful. Despite some unfortunate genre trappings, this film is better than your usual Dan Oniroku junk thanks to brisk pacing, beautiful score, a decent visual touch, and the big breasted Takakura who is not only easy on the eye but also had a rather melancholic presence. The most delighting part, however, is the "feminist" twist at the end. It would be interesting to know if that ending originated from Oniroku's novel or if it was conceived by the filmmakers. Screenwriter Masahiro Shimura was a mainstream Toei veteran who wrote several yakuza and pinky violence films, and directed the last two Terrifying Girls' High School movies.

[HungFist]

Roman Porno treasure hunt

Double Rope Torture (団鬼六　縄責め) (Japan, 1985) - 1.5/5
This was a sort of follow-up to Ikuo Sekimoto's earlier SM film Rope Torture (1984), also starring Miki Takakura. Curiously enough, it's yet another film about two sisters, a theme Sekimoto had tackled multiple times in his Toei films (The Story of a Nymphomaniac, Tenshi no yokubo). Takakura stars as the older sister, a kimono dressed Ginza woman sold to a rich scumbag for some sexual torture. Her little sister shows up one day and seems to be heading towards the same path, to which Takakura obviously has objections. Sekimoto was a better filmmaker than many of Nikkatsu's SM directors, and here he at least refrains from the more disgusting content that one often encounters in the genre. Unfortunately the storyline is uninspired and the film lacks style and memorable moments. It's not terrible, just terribly forgettable.

Skin of Roses (団鬼六　薔薇の肉体) (Japan, 1978) [VoD] - 2/5
Perhaps more notable than the film itself, is the fact that SM queen Naomi Tani got nominated for Best Actress at the Japanese Academy Awards for this film. It is a little puzzling what exactly got Tani nominated, though. One can only assume the jury had a soft spot for SM sleaze, and this, being perhaps the most restrained of all Oniroku Dan films, seemed like a safe pick. Anyway, the film is a tale of two young lovers and an older "sister" who do live sex shows with two sided mirror to pay off a debt, then later proceed to blackmailing with sensitive photos, which finally lands Tani the long overdue rope punishment as the victim was yakuza affiliated. Curiously enough, all the rope action is limited to the last 10 minutes of the film; possibly due to some sort of artistic ambition. Highlights include Tani as a dominatrix (a fun reversing of roles) and a lesbian scene between Tani and Ako, something I normally wouldn't mention but Ako happens to be one of my favourite actresses. It's a shame she doesn't have too much to do in the film despite her large role. Story wise the film is passable and probably had a few more pages in its scrip than usual.

[HungFist]

Roman Porno treasure hunt

Female Teacher in Rope Hell (団鬼六 女教師縄地獄) (Japan, 1981) [VoD] - 1.5/5
Nikkatsu's 2nd generation SM queen Junko Mabuki stars as a female teacher who is raped, locked in a dungeon and sexually tortured for the rest of the film. I don't often describe movies as misogynist (I feel the term, at least in its most negative sense, is often unwarranted when discussing exploitation films which provide visual entertainment for their selected audience demographics, usually without any deeper ideological "hate" towards any sex). However, this film's exceptionally iffy display of endless sexual torture of a single woman, almost entirely void of psychological or even stylistics merits, makes one wonder if the term was indeed in place here. The film's only saving graces are a handful of over-the-top moments, including a ridiculously stereotypical homeless rapist character, and a strange appreciation for the fact that sleaze like this once passed for "mainstream" theatrical entertainment.

Carousel Maki: Yoru wa watashi o nurasu (カルーセル麻紀　夜は私を濡らす) (Japan, 1974) [VoD] - 2/5
This is one of the oddest entries in the Roman Porno series for it stars Maki Carousel, a famous transsexual actress. He first got himself castrated at the age of 19, then later travelled to Morocco for a sex change operation that nearly killed him, after which she spent some time working in bars in Paris, which is something she also did in Japan before finding a career in movies. That she would be cast as the lead of a relatively high budgeted mainstream erotic film in the year 1974 in Japan is a bit surprising indeed. In any case, curiosity value aside this Shogoro Nishimura film is nothing special; just another standard tale of a singer/hostess and her troubled (thanks to a tattoo she has on her leg) love life. It is a bit curious though that there is an apparent disparity between the film's inner reality and the filmmakers' approach to filming it. The storyline treats Carousel's character as just an ordinary woman, but the camera hardly shies away from showing the actress's unusually masculine features, which can only be deemed intentional.

[HungFist]

Roman Porno treasure hunt

Female Teacher: In Front of the Students (女教師　生徒の眼の前で) (Japan, 1982) [VoD] - 2/5
A female teacher is raped in school by a masked assailant. She decides to find out who was it. More sex and rapes ensue in a relatively standard narrative that gains some psychological interest towards the end. I must say I laughed a bit in the scene where a girl is having sex with a guy and eating banana at the same time. Other noteworthy points include a male teacher's cool moustache and a very warm looking sweater worn by a rapist. There was another film in the series later called Twice Raped. This one could've been called Raped Six Times.

Love Beast: Hunt (愛獣　猟る！) (Japan, 1983) [VoD] - 2/5
The next most unusual thing in the Roman Porno catalogue after a film starring a transsexual actress (Carousel Maki: Yoru wa watashi o nurasu, 1974) was this tale of Japanese girls hitting on black US navy soldiers around the Yokosuka base. The tagline could as well have been "The most black men you'll ever see in a Japanese movie!" Consequently nearly all of the film's male characters are American and a large portion of the film's (frequently terrible) dialogue is spoken in English. Director Yasuaki Uegaki was known for tackling trendy topics (e.g. his Pink Curtain trilogy) and this film certainly fits the bill. He was also an over-rated filmmaker who sometimes used trendy topics to hide mediocre storylines and unremarkable filmmaking. This movie fits that bill as well. It's a curiosity with some stylish scenes, but ultimately a bit pedestrian.

[HungFist]

Roman Porno treasure hunt

Zoom Up: Graduation Photos (ズームアップ　卒業写真) (Japan, 1983) [VoD] - 3/5
This one, at first, comes a bit out of left field. It's the zillionth entry in the Zoom Up / Zoom In series, which started out as violent pinks but then turned into standard smut, often with photography theme. This one begins with a girl auditioning as a photo model and learning that the job involves posing nude. From there on the film starts developing unexpected quality with bits humanity mixed with biting black humour, tender characterization, and of course sheer voyeurism. It even turns critical on its very own existence, which I cannot remember witnessing in any other Roman Porno, in a wonderful scene where a school girl raped by boys she accidentally caught touching themselves while reading a porn magazine, walks into the studio and starts yelling what the hell are they doing publishing smut like that? Unfortunately the film then begins to devolve to cruder paths, undoing some of its earlier accomplishments. Nevertheless, it remains an oddly pleasing piece of 80s Japan.

Beauty Rope Cosmetology (団鬼六　美女縄化粧) (Japan, 1983) [VoD] - 1.5/5
Standard SM junk with one point of interest; the professional abductor who kidnaps wealthy daughter Miki Takakura and begins to discipline her for a new buyer is played by Miike/Kitano regular Ren Osugi. Even at the age of 32 he looked old, and with a moustache made a suitably sleazy villain. The rest of the film is unremarkable and a bit boring unless you're a major SM fan, though it does feature the pretty Takakura and due to its somewhat restrained nature it's not as disgusting as most of director Katsuhiko Fujii's films.

[HungFist]

Roman Porno treasure hunt

Blazing Bondage Lady (団鬼六　縄炎夫人) (1980) [VoD] - 1.5/5
Revenge story and an atmospheric score make this Oniroku Dan film almost watchable. It's about a couple who accidentally run over a yakuza bondage master's wife, and pay the price when the tough guy abducts his wife and her sister. Unfortunately character depth is nil and Katsuhiko Fujii's directing is terribly TV film like, only with excessive sex and SM thrown in. Still, it could've been worse.

Beauty in Rope Hell (団鬼六　美女縄地獄) (Japan, 1983) [VoD] - 3/5
This film epitomes the romantic approach to abducting beautiful women, as seen in Japanese films from time to time. Capture and discipline, but do it gently. Right. The film stars Miki Takakura as a rural beauty abducted by a wartime mailman who turns out to be a bit of a romantic dreamer who wishes to live happily ever after with her. Although an SM film, it more closely resembles the 90s and 2000s Perfect Education films which also had a dubious romantic undertones. They are all boyish fantasies, notably softer than the sleaze fests that usually resulted from Oniroku Dan stories, and as such, this film has proven less popular with certain audiences. As a film, however, it is better written, filmed and acted than most, and features the 23 year old Takakura at her most beautiful (I guess I must admit I've been having a slight crush on her). This and Ikuo Sekimoto's Rope Torture (1984) are her best films. This film's biggest flaw is a bunch of unnecessarily long SM scenes that take place in a brothel and feature neither one of the main characters.

[HungFist]

Roman Porno treasure hunt

Sex Dynamite: Madonna no shizuku (ＳＥＸダイナマイト　マドンナのしずく) (Japan, 1988) [VoD] - 2/5
This was one of the last Roman Porno films as adult videos were killing the franchise. It is then perhaps not surprising that the borders had already blurred to some extent. Here we have a pink film director helming a second party production for Nikkatsu distribution, with popular baby faced big boob AV actress Eri Kikuchi as the lead. Co-star Yui Maisaka was an AV performer as well. Indeed, although Roman Porno was a soft-core series (except for some Roman-X releases in the mid 80s that may or may not have been hard core), the sex scenes in this film don't really differ from (censored) hard core. The film is basically a theatrical, story driven AV shot on 35mm. The good news is, Eri Kikuchi is cute as a button, and director Kin Ishikawa has some talent as a filmmaker as the movie is often funny, even adorable at times. It is just too bad the film ultimately doesn't do much with its characters other than engage them in sex scenes long enough to make even Roman Porno fans blush. One feels there was potential for more. The male lead, btw, is played by the highly successful modern pink director Kazuhiro Sano, and his colleague Yutaka Ikejima makes a brief appearance as well.

Bed-In (ベッド・イン) (Japan, 1986) [VoD] - 3/5
This is one of Masaru Konuma's underrated small films, a tender relationship drama about a Tokyo woman in love with a pretty nice guy who happens to have a wife and kid. I was quite reserved at first, figuring this would be another dull 80s human drama, and wondering why should I care, but little by little the characters and the actors won me over. There are also some small funny moments, such as the scene where the guy is standing in traffic lights with his family and suddenly notices his girlfriend, who was there by chance, standing next to him with a jealous look on her face, and even a romantic bit that skip over the sex scene. Speaking of which, lead Miki Yanagi is the only woman getting naked in the film; there is no "supporting character sex" at all in the film that is very much a one woman character study. I did not realize until the ending credits that the film was scripted by screenwriter extraordinaire Haruhiko Arai (Rape Ceremony, Rolling on the Road, Distant Thunder, Vibrator, Kabukicho Love Hotel). That explains something.

[HungFist]

Roman Porno treasure hunt

Subway Serial Rape: Office Lady Hunting (地下鉄連続レイプ　ＯＬ狩り) (Japan, 1986) [VoD] - 1/5
The original Subway Serial Rape (1985) was a bit of an odd for an 80s Roman Porno because it was a hybrid between pink and action film. Director Shuji Kataoka seemed to have been influenced by Charles Bronson flicks. This sequel throws in even more gangster stuff but somehow completely misses the target. The film plays out like Z-grade gangster film with no style or no punch to speak of, and even the score is lame as mineral water (unlike the in the 1st film). The only fun bit is when a girl takes a shower with sunglasses on. The rest of the film is a bore. The title refers to a gangster's girlfriend who, of course, meets the promised fate. The series later continued with an equally dull third film before climaxing with the ballsy, media critical 4th film that was surprisingly the best in the series.

Orgasm Mariko (オーガズム・真理子) (Japan, 1985) [VoD] - 2/5
This bloody revenge film has one of the most ridiculous premises in recent memory, courtesy of writer Chiho Katsura (Assault! Jack the Ripper, House, Zoom Up: Rate Site). A girl is proposed by her boyfriend by the highway while they're having sex, and seconds later he's already is dead thanks to a truck driver who threw a glass bottle out of the window as he passed. She turns into a vengeful Charles Bronson on her period (no kidding, there's menstruation blood in every sex scene) who seduces truckers and other sleazy men and stabs them to death during sex. Also, there an odd sex scene where she and her partner keep squeezing grapes throughout the sessions. It is a shame that ultimately the film isn't better despite pairing Katsura with the visually talented Fumihiko Kato. There are enough odd and bloody moments, plus potential for all kinds of interpretations about menstruation and female psyche, to keep you moderately entertained, but the film isn't especially well made or stylish. Director Kato is best remembered for two unusual SM films, the psychological neo-noir Girl and the Wooden Horse Torture (1982) and the occult horror influenced Exotic Mask in Hell (1988), both of which are better films than this. Still, Mariko is obviously of some interest to genre buffs.

[HungFist]

Roman Porno treasure hunt

Blue Lagoon: A Summer Experience (ひと夏の体験　青い珊瑚礁) (Japan, 1981) [VoD] - 1.5/5
Director Toshiharu Ikeda famously said he was forced to direct this film as a penalty for Sex Hunter (1980), which the producers found too dark. He didn't object too much as he didn't mind a "free Okinawa vacation" as he described the filming experience. Anyway, the film is about a girl (Mayumi Terashima) who goes to Okinawa to lose her virginity and meets a couple of people who like sex. Not much interesting happens - even Ikeda called the script "stupid". Oddly enough, it was written by Haruhiko Arai. Perhaps he was being punished for something as well? In any case, the film is at least technically accomplished, with beautiful Okinawa landscapes expertly captured on film. I suppose this served as better travel advertisement than Toei's Okinawa Yakuza War.

Bu-ra-i no onna (ＢＵ・ＲＡ・Ｉの女) (Japan, 1988) [VoD] - 4/5
There's that extremely rewarding feeling when, after countless by-the-numbers Roman Pornos, you sit down for one more and suddenly you're witnessing a young talent directing with a crazy inspiration, completely ignorant to low expectations, transcending the whole genre. Nowhere is this more evident than in the scene where two people who know they have no future meet in a hotel room, in what is the best love scene in the history of Roman Porno, and he is so hesitant that they end up spending most of the time just looking at each other. It's magical. The storyline is about a young yakuza chinpira (Hitoshi Ozawa) sent to his native Okinawa to carry out a hit ordered by his boss (Hideo Murota). Not up to killing another man, he ends up spending desperate hours lying alone in his hotel room and listening to live music in a bar. He also hooks up with two old pals who are considering getting married (though he also always had feelings for her). Meanwhile his superiors are starting to get impatient about the assassination. Though namely a Roman Porno production, it would be wrong to call this anything but an extraordinary gangster drama. Hitoshi Ozawa (you may not know the name, but you know the face; he's the most recognizable DTV actor after Takeuchi and Aikawa) wasn't necessarily the greatest actor but here he gives his everything to portray an interesting character.



Treasure discovered, hunt completed.

[HungFist]

Dokyumento: Seijuku genchizuma (ドキュメント 性熟現地妻) (Japan, 1995) - 2.5/5
A pink film docudrama about a Shinjuku club hiring and exploiting Chinese women as sex workers. It should be noted that the word "documentary" in the title accounts for little more than a real life topic being the centre of an otherwise fictional film. It is, however, a surprisingly decent film for a "sex flick" as I found myself somewhat caring for the characters towards the end. While director Shigeo Katsuyama's primary ambitious may be centered around large breasts, there is more than that to the film, including bits functional characterization, social commentary, and a 90s atmosphere slightly reminiscent of Miike's Shinjuku Triad Society (minus the violence and madness).

Two Bitches (二匹の牝犬) (Japan, 1964) [35mm] - 4/5
Terrific, gripping drama about a Tokyo prostitute (Mayumi Ogawa) seeing marriage with a clueless businessman as her way out of the sex labour, until her seemingly innocent and ultra-cute little sister (Mako Midori) shows up and turns out a completely sociopath. She secretly starts whoring on her own and even seduces her sister's fiancé who is unaware of the two women being sisters. Director Yusuke Watanabe (of miscellaneous gangster films and a few entries to the popular Detective Story film series) is not know as one of the greats, but here manages strong drama, some fantastic camerawork (including a long tracking shot, the kind Shinji Somai would do two decades later) and absolute powerhouse performances by Midori and Ogawa. Midori especially was a terrific and underappreciated actress, best known to Western audiences as the female lead of Masumura's Blind Beast (1969). As an interesting trivia, although Two Bitches has since been forgotten, it played in various European countries in the mid 60s, including West Germany, Denmark, and Finland.

[HungFist]

Wrath of Daimajin (大魔神逆襲) (Japan, 1966) [35mm] - 3/5
Enjoyable fantasy with a nice sense of adventure and bits of genuine movie magic. Being the only Daimajin film I've seen I cannot compare it to the first two, but that did not hamper my enjoyment of this film. It's also a typical Daiei film in the sense that it's well made but a bit safe and conservative in its approach, which means there are no major surprises. The special effects are fantastic.

Military Comfort Woman (従軍慰安婦) (Japan, 1974) [35mm] - 2/5
A little known Toei film about a Japanese WW2 era brothel and its women, written by Teruo Ishii and directed by Ryuichi Takamori. Unfortunately we get the worst of both gentlemen here; Takamori's sloppy handling of drama and Ishii's dumb humour. Add bad acting, especially by Yutaka Nakajima, and it becomes impossible to tell if the film was supposed to be taken seriously or not. What is clear though, is that a sexploitation flick it is not as nudity is very sparse. There is some fun to be had, though, the highlight being a scene where a hooker saves the day on the battlefield by pissing on an overheated machine gun. Not every film has quality stuff like that on offer.

Seven Bullets (七つの弾丸) (Japan, 1959) [35mm] - 3/5
Toei docudrama about a man (Rentaro Mikuni) who robbed a bank in Osaka in 1955 and left multiple people dead before his arrest. Well made and gripping film spends almost all of its running time paralleling the daily lives of the bank robber and his soon-to-be victims prior to the incident. The amount of attention given to the victims is interesting but excessive considering most of them get killed in a matter of seconds during a sequence where the audience's attention is anyway drawn to action and a desperate escape attempt rather than victims.

[HungFist]

Secret Turkish Bath (（秘）トルコ風呂) (Japan, 1968) [TV] - 1.5/5
A remarkably tame sexploitation tale of silly country girl Reiko Ohara running into playboy / pimp Tatsuo Umemiya in Tokyo. Toei produced quite a few of these type of films with Umemiya as the lead. They seem to have been aimed at relatively conservative audiences since they remained very tame well into the 70s. In this film nudity accounts to a couple of blink-and-you'll-miss shots with extras, and sex equals to hugging with clothes on. Toei's advertising campaign that billed it a "sex movie" with "orgies, lesbianism and prostitutes" was hyperbole at its best. Ohara, although cute at first, also becomes quite annoying with her silly I-don't-get-the-city-mentality act. Director Shinji Murayama was usually a competent director, but in this film he can't help the pointless screenplay that fails to construct any kind of meaningful storyline. A few frames of late 60s street and disco footage are the only worthwhile bits. For a much better film see the similarly themed Bitches of the Night (1966), also directed by Murayama, with largely the same cast. It has even less sex, but comes with a far better screenplay.

Ninja Hunter (忍者狩り) (Japan, 2015) [Hulu] - 2.5/5
Seiji Chiba's mini-budget ninja actioner is sloppy cinema, but comes with an amazing finale that that rivals anything in The Raid. The storyline is a crossover between Rashomon and Memento, with a ninja (Masanori Mimoto of Alien vs. Ninja) waking up in a cave, minus his memory, and surrounded by corpses. Another ninja (Bushido Man's Mitsuki Koga) shows up, claiming to be a fellow Iga warrior, but something stinks in his story. The rest of the film is spent with the ninja recovering his memory little by little in reverse chronological order. There are some slightly original ideas, such as seeing one fight 4 times from different perspectives, as well as infuriating visual effects every time the film shows a flashback (which is about 20 times) and lots of bad acting. But the plentiful action by Japan's best choreographer Kensuke Sonomura is entertaining, and in case of the 8 min finale, breathtakingly furious, some of the best ever filmed in Japan. What's best, the fight is expertly captured with clear cinematography and logical editing, unlike some other recent action films (e.g. nonsensically edited John Wick 2, shakycam Raid 2).

[chazgower01]

Hot Springs Snapping Turtle Geisha (温泉スッポン芸者 Onsen suppon geisha) (Japan 1972) (Blog Stream) 3/5
Having seen a couple of Miki Sugimoto movies, this one sort took me by surprise. Sure, there's no shortage of her naked and of course she has her head back in love scenes, showing off those pouty lips and making wonderful little noises - but she doesn't beat anyone up! This is a comedy!
Of course she looks great - we get a strip tease, a panty scene, numerous love making scenes... oh and there's a sort of story too. This was an undubbed/unsubbed version, so I take it as - she needs money, so she becomes a geisha. Well sure! What's a girl to do when she needs money?
Apparently her vagina won't let go of someone once they enter her, and so numerous times, she ends up in the emergency room. When she finally decides to quit, because she falls in love, she has a 'sex' showdown with her boss. Somewhere in there, a weird guy turns one of the girls into a black girl. All in good fun of course!
It also includes Miki giving us a sneak peek of just a tiny bit of hair from down there...can I post that here?

[HungFist]

Saw that in 35mm a few years ago. It was a double feature with Onsen Mimizu Geisha (starring the then underage Reiko Ike, and featuring Sugimoto in a small supporting role). I recall Onsen Suppon Geisha being the better of the two.

Those are parts 4 and 5 in the Onsen Geisha series. The series started in 1968 with Teruo Ishii's (terribly boring) Hot Springs Geisha, which was actually the 2nd movie in the "Abnormal Love" series (preceded by History of Shogun's Harem, and followed by The Joy of Torture, Orgies of Edo, and Inferno of Torture) but I think people have pretty much forgotten that connection and all the better for it because the film doesn't fit in the Abnormal Love series very well and turned into a series of its own later...

Oh, and we are not afraid of hair

(there are no specific rules about NSFW material... basically goes by common sense. We're not afraid of a bit of nudity, although in case of this thread perhaps a link would be preferable to an image since more people might be reading it in public places. In film/genre specific threads, especially those for exploitation films, there is surely no problem with images since readers should expect the images/screencaps to match the films that are being discussed there).

[chazgower01]

Thank you! Hopefully this link works as I've made a video clip to better see what I'm talking about.
https://picturesofcomicbooks.blogspot.com

Watching Onsen Mimizu Geisha now... the opening credits of Reiko running nude are already worth it!

[chazgower01]

Though this shot of my favorite, Miki Sugimoto may top them all! LOL

[chazgower01]

Hot Springs Earthworm Geisha (温泉みみず芸者 Onsen mimizu geisha) Blogstream (Japan, 1971) 3/5
As I seem to be watching this series backwards, this is apparently number 4 of the 5 in the group (no dvd box set?) - it's basically a silly comedy based around the idea of a pretty girl who gets in financial difficulties, becoming a geisha for money, and (at least in the two I've seen so far) having a vagina of special abilities that she eventually uses to 'defeat' her boss who doesn't want her to leave the business after she falls in love.
This one features a reportedly just under the legal age Reiko Ike running naked in the opening credits, as our featured rookie Geisha, and she of course plays the part like a pro. It's hard to believe this is a first movie for her, as she plays the focal point of the camera like she's been doing it her whole life.
Playing her kid sister, and 'practicing' on a banana in a short scene made just for those lips, is Miki Sugimoto, who LOOKS younger (she is by 5 months), and thus, keeps her clothes on throughout. Still, in a school girl outfit, or rockin some hot pants, she looks amazing. She does get dragged into a love scene near the end, but, once again, she is covered, and only has a smaller role - this is definately Reiko's movie.
It's a fun movie, I guess, and certainly a departure from what they would end up playing regularly, so it's worth a look.

[HungFist]

Playing her kid sister, and 'practicing' on a banana in a short scene made just for those lips, is Miki Sugimoto, who LOOKS younger (she is by 5 months)

Small correction: Sugimoto is older than Ike (although she looks younger). Most sources report May 25th 1953 as Ike's birthday but that is false. She was actually born in 1954. She had lied her age when she got the role in Hot Springs Earthworm Geisha, and when Norifumi Suzuki and the film's producer discovered that they created her a new "official" birthdate May 25th 1953. Suzuki has stated it in interviews several times that he made up that birthdate...

Toei hasn't been keen on correcting the info and no wonder since Ike is underage in all of her early films (probably until summer 1972. I haven't been able to confirm the exact correct birthdate, but it is probably May 25th 1954).

Sugimoto, if her reported birthdate (Jan 28, 1953) is correct, was 18 already at the time of her debut.

number 4 of the 5 in the group (no dvd box set?)

No box set, but Toei has released all of them on dvd. There are 6 films actually (for quick reference, see Geo's rental listing of the series).

Reiko Ike running naked in the opening credits

Ah, yeah, that's the one scene I remember from the film! Probably everyone who saw it remembers it

[chazgower01]

Very interesting, thank you!

I can see why NOBODY wants to update that info...LOL

[HungFist]

Zatoichi on the Road (座頭市喧嘩旅) (Japan, 1963) [BD] - 3.5/5
Part 5. As Chris D pointed out, this film's title merely states the obvious as Zatoichi is always on the road. The title is especially apt in case of this film, however. I think there also lies one of the main charms of the Zatoichi films. From a modern person's perspective, it's almost enviable to see a man who is not in a hurry anywhere, walking the earth, running into new adventures and inhaling the fresh air as he passes the ever changing beautiful landscapes. It is a romanticized dream and perfect escapism for a modern viewer. This film does fine job capturing all that via lush cinematography and fine score. Katsu's performance is also wonderful. Supporting characters are unfortunately limited to the usual crooked villains (including one especially ungrateful female role) and a helpless pretty girl in a need of a bodyguard.

Chivalry of Judo Life (任侠柔一代) (Japan, 1966) [TV] - 2.5/5
Before Toei got into mass producing martial arts movies (other than samurai flicks), there was a handful of films to that mixed yakuza storylines with hand to hand fighting. This one is a ninkyo yakuza judo film. Hideo Murata is an honourable gangster who tries to assassinate rotten boss Hosei Komatsu but gets his own ass kicked. Young judo fighter Hiroki Matsukata comes to rescue. Meanwhile Komatsu gets bodyguard Tomisaburo Wakayama to look after him. Wandering karate fighter Saburo Kitajima who dislikes both Komatsu and Matsukata appears and further complicates things. Though the fights are old fashioned and a bit slow, they are quite nicely staged. Unfortunately there are too few of them. As a ninkyo film the movie is technically well done but not especially engaging. Drama lacks the kind of strong moral conflicts that you find in better ninkyo films, and it's not always clear who is supposed to be the main character. Not that bad, but not great either. The nice theme music sounds like it could be from a Zorro movie.

[chazgower01]

Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom (恐怖女子高校　暴行リンチ教室 Kyōfu joshikōkō: bōkō rinchi kyōshitsu) Part of the Pinky Violence Box Set ( March 1973) 4/5
Now THIS is a rebel movie!
Man, I don't even know where to begin, though ultimately I'll say this should be used as one of the highest examples of Great Lowbrow Art. It really is a wonderful example of fantastic sleaze entertainment!
Even though Reiko Ike is in it, her role is pretty small - this is Miki Sugimoto's movie - and they play her character to the hilt - tough, pissed off, and doesn't say much, but when she does it says a lot. The torture is gruesome (Miki's character says, whatever, bring it on), all the male characters are complete sleaze balls - even kind of the good guy a little bit - and the girls are... well, they're sadistic, violent, perverted, and ready to fight!
The movie is about a girls rehabilitation school that has a whole lot of underhanded stuff going on, including a savage group of girls on the take from administration, who dole out their own brand of social justice. When Miki's boss gets offed by them (in a classic first scene of the movie), she ends up there hell bent on revenge.
It just continues to ramp up from there, right up to the amazing, epic riot at the end of the movie.
Director Norifumi Suzuki has made some true classics of the genre and this is one of them!

Miki Sugimoto on a motorcycle - as iconic as it gets!


DO NOT CLICK if you're offended by NUDITY - It's an accidental beaver shot in the movie, early on when they strip down a member of Miki's gang....
https://picturesofcomicbooks.blogspot.com

BUT as Miki's character remind's us:


Though apparently later on she unfortunately has changed her fashion habits....


...while in the process of getting tortured!


Though you know ultimately, she's going to get the upper hand...

[HungFist]

Fight, Zatoichi, Fight (座頭市喧嘩旅) (Japan, 1964) [BD] - 2.5/5
Part 8. Zatoichi on the road with an infant. He's assisted by a female pickpocket who agrees to help in taking care of the baby. They of course both fall in love with the baby which they are supposed to take to his father, which produces some annoying melodrama to accompany the rather comedic narrative. For some reason this is one of the most popular films in the series. "Zatoichi changing a baby's diapers" is basically the film in a nutshell. There is, however, a genuinely touching scene near the end with Zatoichi meeting a temple priest (Yoshi Kato, whose face should be more familiar to most viewers than his name) that alone makes the film feel somewhat rewarding.

+ Sonny Chiba Special: Part 64

Truck Yaro: Dokyu Ichiban Boshi (トラック野郎　度胸一番星) (Japan, 1977) [DVD] - 3.5/5
This enormously popular series is what director Norifumi Suzuki is best known for in Japan. The series was essentially a truck variation of the good old wandering hero / watadori / matatabi concept, with Bunta Sugawara and Kinya Aikawa as carefree trucker behind the wheels of gorgeously decorated vehicles (which used to be a subculture of its own in Japan). Sonny Chiba co-stars in this film, the 5th in the series. It's also one of the better Truck Yaro films, repeating the usual formula with all the comedy, drama, nudity, and local festivals, and featuring one of the best climatic chase scenes when Sugawara has to drive a truckload of fish from Kanazawa to Niigata, making an 8 hour drive in 5. Chiba plays the rival trucker, the leader of the Jaws gang whose vehicles are numbered Jaws I, Jaws II, Jaws III, Jaws IV and Jaws V. In addition to being badass and demolishing a small village with his truck, he also has an incredibly silly and very funny fist fight with Sugawara. Speaking of which, many Western viewers who only know Sugawara from his yakuza roles may be surprised to see him doing physical slapstick comedy here.

Robot Keiji: The Movie (ロボット刑事: 劇場版) (Japan, 1973) [TV]
Despite the title, this is not so much a "movie" as a theatrical 25 minute edit combining scenes from multiple episodes from the Robot Detective TV series. It was created for the Toei Cartoon Festival, an anime and superhero film event held by Toei during holiday seasons and aimed at children. The original TV series, which ran 26 episodes, was an early entry in the Metal Hero genre and followed a robot detective who would dress in casual clothes on his free time. Sonny Chiba appeared in one episode, and his brother Jiro had a role as a (human) detective. The Movie Version compiles selected scenes from episodes 1-9, 11 and 12. As such, it's quite difficult to follow unless you've seen the original TV series as there is clearly too much content crammed into 25 minutes. It has also been cropped from its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio to theatrical 2.35:1, which causes major amounts of information to be cut off from top and bottom. That being said, the original TV series seems fun. Being more of a special compilation than a movie, I shall refrain from rating this version. Chiba appears in it briefly.

[HungFist]

Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom (恐怖女子高校　暴行リンチ教室 Kyōfu joshikōkō: bōkō rinchi kyōshitsu) Part of the Pinky Violence Box Set ( March 1973) 4/5
Now THIS is a rebel movie!

One of my favourites as well. I especially love two scenes in the film: the opening with the badass character introductions, and the school riot. And of course Ike's introduction too. And that scene where the old teacher is fired which perfectly demonstrates Suzuki's skill to craft a genuinely sad scene in the middle of all the mayhem. Actually, there's loads of great scenes in the film...