The Toei Pinky Violence thread

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Post by HungFist »

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.

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Post by HungFist »

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
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The short stories
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Director Ishii makes an appearance in the teaser trailer
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Post by Classique »

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)
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Post by Classique »

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 :P)

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

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
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Post by HungFist »

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 :lol:
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Post by HungFist »

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.

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Last edited by HungFist on 26 Oct 2007, 22:11, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Classique »

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 :lol:
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. :lol:



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.
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Post by HungFist »

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:
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Blossoming Night Dreams in the Sugisaku / Uechi book 'Pinky Violence – Toei’s Bad Girl Films'
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And finally, a great Reiko Oshida pic from the same book:
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Post by HungFist »

R2 FR Pathe Sasori dvds

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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.

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Last edited by HungFist on 30 Apr 2009, 13:48, edited 2 times in total.
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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.

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Last edited by HungFist on 15 Nov 2007, 15:02, edited 1 time in total.
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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.

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Masashi Ishibashi
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Hiroshi Tachi
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Takeo Chii
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Yoko in the original trailer
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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.

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Post by Classique »

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


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." :lol:


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.
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Post by HungFist »

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."


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Photo from Yanashita Kiichiro’s blog
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Ero shogun to nijuichi nin no aisho (1972)

Toei and Norifumi Suzuki know how to give pinku eiga an epic feel. Right from the beginning it’s clear that this is grand scale sexploitation. The budget may be small, but it doesn’t show. Loaded with some beautiful outdoor shots and typically impressive shogun’s inner palace footage Ero shogun to nijuichi nin no aisho is a good example an exploitation piece that could only have been born in Japan.

Ero shogun to nijuichi nin no aisho is not an action film. The main focus is on comedy and drama, spiced with soft core sex and occational brief swordfights. Some of the content is very silly, but sudden changes to more serious have never been a problem for Suzuki. The dialogue is plenty, but Suzuki’s direction is visually pleasing. The film is only hurt by the amount of flesh and carnal pleasures.

The cast is top notch. We’ve got Reiko Ike, who looks great with and without kimono, in a supporting role as a female ninja spy! The scene where she uses a sword hidden inside an umbrella to fight her enemies was later re-used by Teruo Ishii in the opening of Female Yakuza Tale. Also kudos to miss Ike’s hair stylish who has done excellent job in the movie. Reiko’s eternal rival Miki Sugimoto appears in the film, too, although her role is very brief. Other supporting roles feature Yoko Mihara, Emi Shiro and a quite few other pinky violence regulars.

The Toei dvd looks terrific. The image could be sharper, but everything else is top notch. Audio is clean as always on Toei dvds, and extras consist of the usual theatrical trailer and photo gallery (with some very nice production stills). Artwork is nice, but the reverse side is left empty. Toei used to print great b/w production photos on the reverse sides, but it seems like they’ve now stopped doing it.

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Last edited by HungFist on 28 May 2008, 21:44, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by HungFist »

Never mind about the ugly Wal-Mart covers on the Yoen dokufu-den films, as mentioned before the covers are fully reversible and look fantastic. No dvd logos, no english titles any of that shit on the reverse side. Great job Synapse.

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Post by HungFist »

Gotta be the best Meiko pic I have ever seen:

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Post by eddyospina »

HungFist,

Thanks for your work on this thread, it's been very interesting going back and reading the whole thread these past few days. I've been interesting in this sort of films since I caught a few at a Japanese film festival last summer. I wanted to order some DVDs but I've found it quite hard to find any information about them online so it's very good to find a thread like this one with so much information.

I was thinking of ordering a few DVDs you mentioned and I just had a few questions I thought you (or somebody) might be able to answer:

I wanted to order Sex & Fury but i've noticed the Panik House release seems to be out of print everywhere. Do you think it's worth paying extra for the OOP DVD or simply getting the UK version without the Chris D. commentry etc.?

I wanted to order the Pinky Violence Collection on CDWOW but I noticed it has two options listed by that title, one for 30GBP and one for 40! I assumed they'd be the same but the cover picture seems slightly different and the release date listed there is different too. Any idea why this is??

Any help would be much appriciated! :D
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Post by HungFist »

Thanks you very much.

Sex & Fury: If I were in your shoes my main concern would be the subtitle font, which was said to be "ugly" on the UK disc. The transfers should be next to identical. The commentary is not really worth extra money. Of course it's better than nothing and Chris D does know something about these films, but he's no Bey Logan when it comes to making entertaining commentaries.

PV box set: I don't know what's up with cdwow, but if I had to take a wild guess I'd say the cheaper one was added to the site before the box set was released (I don't remember the release date, but I think it was a little later than what they state... I think it got postponed from the original a bit... and the product description is partly wrong... claiming Criminal Woman to be a part of the Zero Woman series (wtf series?)) and the more expensive one was added later. But basically I think they are listing the same product twice (with different prices). I've seen it happen before. I'm quite sure the box set was never re-released.
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Post by HungFist »

oh, right, indeed. Welcome :D

Reiko gives you the girl gang greeting
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This is how I greet people nowadays, too :D
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Post by eddyospina »

Thanks guys, happy to be here :D

That greeting actually appeared in one of the movies I saw at the film festival, Suzuki's Sukeban Blues: Mesu Bachi no Chousen and the reaction from the crowd was unbelievable! Great movie too 8)

Thanks for the info HungFist, I took a risk and ordered the cheaper of the two sets, I'll get back to you on how it turns out. As for S&F, I may just go for the (cheaper but still not cheap!) UK version for the moment, hopefully I won't need the subs too much, unless I'm just overestimating my Japanese ability! If I enjoy it I'll probably go for the Panik House version of Female Yakuza Tale.

Also thinking of ordering Toei's recently reissued 4 Sasori films, on a bit of a Kaji Meiko kick right now :) Anyone heard anything about the quality these?

edit: spelling
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Post by HungFist »

Sukeban Blues (drooling). What else did you see?

For Jailhouse 41 you need to get the Toei, unless if you can't stand the cropping, in which case you should get Pathe's French La Femme Scorpion box set (actually, you should get it anyway as it's the only way to own the New Female Prisoner films :D ) but you can save on the rest by getting the R1 Media Blaster's box set (includes parts 1,3 and 4). Media Blaster used the Toei transfers, although part has lower bitrate, part 3 was said to have slighty different (better) contrast, and part 4 I don't know except that the source material should be the same.

But then again, it would be cooler to own all the Meiko film on Toei so I don't blame you if you wanna get those 8)

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Media Blaster vs HK Video vs Pathe: https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... php?t=2115

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

Beast Stable
Media Blasters vs Pathe: https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... php?t=4059

Grudge Song
Media Blasters vs Pathe: https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... php?t=4060

+

New Female Prisoner
Film review and Pathe caps
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... &start=247

Tokushu-bo X
Film review and Pathe caps
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... &start=248
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Post by eddyospina »

Ugh, I was hoping this at least would be an easy choice!

You'd assume the Japanese releases would be the best quality but looking at the Jailhouse 41 caps the Pathe release seems superior. It's not so clear cut with the others though.

I wonder if the new limited (12/07-3/08 ) Toei releases are remastered. Is that the version of Jailhouse 41 you used for your comparison or was it the older one? Those releases are pretty cheap right now and I could still probably get the Pathe box for around the same price as the 4 original films from Toei. Grudge Song on the Pathe looks awful though!
But then again, it would be cooler to own all the Meiko film on Toei so I don't blame you if you wanna get those
I must admit this is also a factor :D

Thanks for the info!
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Post by eddyospina »

I'm gonna get such as credit card bill come January... :cry:
Sukeban Blues (drooling). What else did you see?
They were having a Norifumi Suzuki retropective so, along with a talk with the man himself (which I unfortunatly missed) they screened:

Osaka Do Konjyou Monogatari: Do Erai Yatsu (1968 Debut)
Silkhat no Oo-oyabun: Chobihige no Kuma (1970)
Tokugawa Sekkusu Kinshirei: Shikijyou Daimyou (1972) - Brilliant!
Sukeban Blues: Mesubachi no Chousen (1972)
Truck Yaro: Boukyou Ichiban Boshi (1976)
David no Hoshi: Bishoujyo Gari (1979)
Igano Kaba Maru (1983)

Unfortunatly I only caught, Sukeban Blues, Tokugawa Sekkusu Kinshirei and Truck Yaro. The screening of Truck Yaro was great though, it was screen outdoor in the castle grounds on a huge screen. They actually brought in the original retooled Ichiban Boshi truck from the movie! Great atmosphere, great night.

The other highlight was the all-night screening of festival highlights at the reopened grindhouse cinema, 10:30pm-8:00am 6 films. Again a great place to watch this sort of movies. I'll admit I knew next to nothing about Japanese Exploitation cinema before that but it was a great introduction! :D

They also had Uchida Yuya and Ishii Sogo collections, but the highlight for me were definatly the Suzuki films. I don't know whether it's something they're planning to do annually but if they did I'd definatly go back for that :twisted:
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