Day 0: Thursday
Sandwich, flight, Tokyo, capsule. The usual drill.
Day 1: Friday
This was a busy day if there ever was one, straight from the start when I somehow managed to get lost at the Shibuya Station. It’s a small station and I’ve been using it for 15 years, but somehow I found myself in the third floor for the first time. I swear, there’s no exit there! Thankfully I did eventually find a way out and headed to my first stop, which was Teruo Ishii’s 100th Anniversary Retrospective at Cinema Vera.
For someone who doesn’t live in Japan it may be difficult to understand just how popular Ishii is among Tokyo cinema programmers. This was the 4th full scale retrospective held in his memory over the past 8 years, following Cinema Vera’s earlier retrospective in 2017, Shin bungeiza’s a bit smaller Ishii retrospective held sometime after that, and Laputa Asagaya’s massive Ishii retrospective in 2019-2020. And that’s not counting Bungeiza’s Ishii All Night in 2018. Ishii has been dubbed “The King of Cult”, and in Japan that certainly holds true to this day.
I was only on time for the last day of the three week retrospective, subtitled “Stylish Teruo Ishii”, which featured a selection of his gangster movies, noirs, ero-guro films, and rare television works. Except for the TV works and Shintoho movies, the movies screened from 35mm film prints.
Yellow Line and G-Men in the Pacific
First up was Villain Field (無頼平野) (1995), Ishii's first theatrically released gangster movie in almost 20 years, and only his 2nd theatrical production in since his heyday at Toei. This was clearly an ambition project as the film crafts a rather rich story with plenty of character development, while Ishii still remaining his usual devilish self, as evidenced by numerous grotesque details. Mainly it's a drama about a man working in the most despised of professions (extracting blood from placentas and dead babies for a blood bank) and harassed by gangsters who don't know who they're dealing with. There's gritty low key drama, romance, friendship, as well as sex and bits of Yakuza Law level violence. Teruo Yoshida pops up, as does Toru Yuri (surely everyone assumed he was dead already). As I was watching the film I thought it was just alright, but the more I think about it the more I feel this was a worthwhile watch.
Villain Field was shot on 16mm and blown up to 35mm for distribution. The print was appropriately grainy, and had a brownish tint which I don't know if it was intentional or not, but looked quite pleasing overall. Cinema Vera's projection also looked good - perhaps the print was a bit dark to begin with as it didn't look too bright like many projections at Vera these days. The theatre was hardly packed, no surprise at 11 am, but not empty by any means either.
Blind Woman's Curse and Bohachi Bushido: Porno jidaigeki
Up next was G-Men in the Pacific (太平洋のＧメン) (1962), one of the few gangster films Ishii did that focused on the law enforcement rather than the outlaws. This was made at New Toei, a lower budgeted sub-branch responsible for some of the breeziest and most energetic Toei programmers in the early 60s. Though not one of the best, this is still a fun film. The plot features Shinjiro Ebara as a crooked fisherman who picks up gangster property from the sea and finds himself between ruthless yakuza boss Tetsuro Tamba and lawman Chiezo Kataoka (why is this legendary tough guy actor who starred in over 300 films not better known outside of Japan?)
I had seen G-Men in the Pacific before on streaming. I remember it well because I watched the latest Mission: Impossible on the same day in IMAX and came out wondering why did the Hollywood spectacle look visually so much worse than Ishii's film? My expectations were hence set high for the 35mm screening. It was a decent presentation for sure, but Vera's calibration combined with a very slightly faded print meant my expectations weren't fully met. It still looked better than Mission: Impossible.
G-Men in the Pacific and Boss's Ruin
My original plan was to follow G-Men in the Pacific with yet another Ishii film, the 1969 semi-giallo Shameless: Abnormal and Abusive Love (異常性愛記録 ハレンチ) (1969). Not the greatest film, but I’ve always wished to see it in 35mm as it has some lovely visuals and a nice 60s swing. However, I felt there were more pressing reasons to dedicate the rest of the day to performing arts (I’ll get back to these reasons - why the Osaka police sucks - later on in this report). Hence I headed to Kawasaki Rockza, which is located just outside of Tokyo in Kawasaki and is a sister theatre to Asakusa Rockza.
I’ve already written aplenty about Asakusa Rockza, which is the biggest, oldest and most beautiful strip theatre in Japan. Asakusa is different from all the others as it’s the only place that does massive group performances, employs a professional choreographer who produces the dance numbers, and has their own costume department. In contrast all other strip theatres merely provide a stage for the dancers who perform solo and create their own performances (and travel to another theatre every 10 days). You should hence expect something on a smaller scale in these places.
This was my first time visiting Kawasaki Rockza. The theatre was much smaller than Asakusa. Even if you stood against the back wall you'd only be a few metres away from the stage. The place was packed and I had to stand through the first couple of performances. The audience profile seemed a bit different from Asakusa, perhaps a bit more traditional (greyer, geekier, some wearing fan t-shirts) than the trendy folks that go to Asakusa. However, the atmosphere was kind and relaxed with nothing but love towards the performers. There was even a "tambourine guy" playing a tambourine to liven up the atmosphere during the performances. There were also five women in the audience. I was the only foreigner.
The flow of the show is also a bit different from Asakusa, who do four two-hours shows a day, each consisting of seven performances. Kawasaki initially seems to follow the same format, but in reality it’s more like six separate performances repeated from noon till night without breaks. You can enter any time, even during a performance. Furthermore, each performance is followed by “Open Show” and “Polaroid Time” (more about that later).
(side note: from here on I'm going to be referring to the dancers in the Japanese name order. I know this may seem odd and inconsistent, but it's a world that exists almost exclusively in Japanese, and it drives me nuts reversing their names every time I write about them in English. Movie discussion is different since we all learned their names in the Western order. But the dancers I've literally never seen their names in the Western order until I forced myself to type them that way. But I'll stop that now for my own sake. So please bear with me even if it made no sense logically...)
This week’s performers were Mamiya Nagi, Kazahana Kafka, Tsubaki Rinne, ALLIY, Yukina, and Minami Mayu. I was familiar with all of them except for Kafka from Asakusa. With the dancers having to create their own performances from the scratch it would probably be fair to say what you see on stage reflects their personalities or at least artistic ambitions. It should then not be surprising that Mamiya Nagi did essentially a mini idol concert, even singing one song, before losing her clothes. Or that the much talked about and mysterious newcomer Kazahana Kafka lived up to the hype with her existential performance borrowing from the Old Testament and even featuring a clever chronology reversal where she becomes aware of her nudity and starts dressing up rather than down (even veterans commented they’ve never seen something like that before). I guess it figures, she even named herself after Franz Kafka. And she’s very pretty, looking like a Japanese 1980s idol with her long hair.
The absolute standout however was Tsubaki Rinne. Someone on Twitter gave a perfect description of her as “one woman British punk rock band” (who doesn't sing). Expect a lot of pink and purple. Early Sion Sono from his Tokyo Gagaga days, and Fight Club x Where is My Mind with added Japanese Lolita flavour also kept coming to my mind while I watched her dig a grave on stage and hug a plastic torso that had “FUCK” written on it. And she’s a terrific dancer. Every single movement and pose seemed carefully considered and designed to convey something.
I don't have stage photo of Rinne, but I'll try to convey a bit of her essence with these three pictures
The remaining performers were ALLIY, whose fun and light dance surprised me after seeing her in something much darker in Asakusa, Yukina who is so pretty that she reminded me of a young Audrey Hepburn, and main star Minami Mayu who always radiates warmth and friendliness (a lot of dancers say she’s literally the nicest person they’ve ever met). Overall it was a fun 2.5 hours, though with the exception of Tsubaki Rinne everyone seemed to be doing something a little simpler than the spectacle and visual feast you get in Asakusa. This one had more like a mini scale idol concert feel to a lot of it.
One more thing I should talk about in more detail, also to give background to the police case I'll be discussing in the next post. Like most of these smaller theatres, Kawasaki is referred to as a Pola-kan (Polaroid Theatre) because they offer the audience an opportunity to take a photo of the performer between the performances. The dancers are clothed during to the photo shoot though they lose the top upon request. The photo can only be taken with a camera provided by the theatre, and photos will be given back to the customers only after the show once the staff has inspected them to make sure there is not even accidental below-the-belt nudity. I’m not really sure what to think of the whole photo shoot thing, but in fairness three of the five women in the audience lined to take Yukina’s photo!
After Kasasaki it was time to head to the next show in… Asakusa Rockza. I’ve been reading quite a bit about Asakusa since my last post and finally found out who their choreographer is. It’s Miyabi Reika, a 57 year old former dancer who learned her craft in Las Vegas and debuted in Asakusa as a dancer in 1985. She occasionally does guest appearances on stage. With her and costume designer Noya working behind the stage, and the dancers on stage, you could say this is really a women’s vision what you see (not to mention the former president who ran Asakusa Rockza for decades was also a woman).
It was a full house with more than 130 people in the audience, including about 20 women (I later read three of the day's four shows sold out). As usual, the show was an absolute blast and I still can’t get the soundtrack out of my head. I actually found the full song list this time, so I can better guide you through the performances… it was 29 songs ranging from Perfume to Ryuichi Sakamoto and Godiego in a 1h 40 min show.
First up was the always delightful and super energetic Omi Haruka, with support from Suzuki Mint, Suo Ai and four back dancers, in the typically massive and carnival-like opening number. Their costumes looked like something from Earth Beat finale from earlier this summer. It was a good performance, but her solo part where she performs with two giant fans that looked like giant yellow/orange wings was incredible, especially her slow exist from the stage set to “Everybody is a Superstar (edit: US link, damn country blocks)”. Somehow it gave me serious Ninja in the Dragon’s Den vibes, no kidding! Oh and her ultra flexible moves and poses are also so cool! Best twitter comment: “Omi Haruka attempts to freeze time with her final (upside down) pose!”.
Omi Haruka.
Next up was Suo Ai with support from Suzuki Mint and Nagase Karen. Actually if you just look at the stage photo and play the first song (Peggy Lee – Fever) you’ll get the idea. The 2nd performance is nearly always something moody and low key, and this was kind of a perfect example of it. Not entirely my cup of tea, but cool nevertheless.
The third performance really took me by a surprise. At first I didn’t know what to think of seeing entire supporting cast (Omi Haruka, Irita Maya, Kasagi Ichika) dressed up as cute old grannies with canes and twisted backs, and Sakamoto Ryuichi & Sakai Syuko’s “Computer Grandma” blasting from the speakers, but this performance soon won me over and now I have to say it absolutely rocked! Nagase Karen, whom I saw for the first time, is the lead and the only one not dressed up as a grandma. Next the music switches to “Jennie wa gokigen naname”. The visual and audio design in her solo part (set to “Laser Beam” by Perfume) was a total visual assault, with the entire stage bathed in rays of blue from the lamps and giant mirror ball. Her exit from the stage sounded like the fucking Battle of Normandy had every solder had been carrying cannons instead of rifles! This was such an insane(ly good) performance. I regret I didn’t buy a stage photo.
As I was too dumb to buy a stage photo, here's what I could find online: an old photo of Nagase + Kasagi in grandma attire
The fourth performance confirmed my former suspicions that Sara, who’s turning 50 next month and first performed in Asakusa 33 years ago(!), might just be the most skilled dancer Asakusa has, and hopefully isn’t anywhere near retirement. There’s no one who moves as gracefully as she does, or who uses her arms with such precision. It was a pure bliss from the moment she appeared in a red suit and hat, set to “Educated Feet” but it got even better after she switched to a red dress. The entire stage was bathed in absolutely apocalyptic red light, and all I could think of was that I’m in the middle of a 1977 Dario Argento film. And how she turned her red dress into a stage prop after taking it off was genius. Sadly I couldn’t find the music for this online, but it sounded like a 70s black pop ballad.
Sara. I bought not one, but two photos of her. These are the two costumes she wears in the performance
Up next was a 10 minute break, which actually turned out to be one of coolest parts of the show. Why? Because they played a 10 minute highlights video from the first seven months of the year, featuring clips of every performance and performer. I wish Asakusa could make these videos public (with nudity censored) as the footage is amazing, but I guess music copyrights and other reasons prevent that.
Back from the break, we have Kasagi Ichika with Irita Maya, Suo Ai, Omi Haruka and Nagase Karen in full Christmas attire dancing to popular Christmas songs such as “Extraordinarily Merry Christmas”. A less remarkable performance IMO, but still a lot of fun due to the overwhelming energy and cuteness on display.
Clockwise from left: Omi, Nagase, Suo, Irita, Kasagi
I got through the first five performances without any major embarrassments, but then it happened. Suzuki Mint. Sakamoto Ryuichi. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. Tear ducts burst open immediately. Suzuki’s dresses (two traditional Japanese wedding dresses) were great. The final part set to “Tomodachi no Uta” by Nakamura Ataru was great, too. This was such as incredible performance. Now that I think about it, this isn’t the first (nor the second) time I’m in tears in the 6th performance. Miyabi san gets me every time, it seems.
Suzuki Mint in the middle. And that's Sara behind her
There were no great expectations set for the seventh performance, which saw Irita Maaya return on stage after her debut a few months ago. So how did it go this time? Holy shit! She was incredible, a total dancing queen moving to “Queen Bee” and four other songs. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone make such a miraculous improvement over a short time, be it dance or anything else. Last time she was like a 3/10, this time easily 7.5 or even 8/10. I knew she’d been studying hard and doing pilgrimage to just about every strip theatre in Kanto to watch and learn from other dancers (she’s been posting selfies with other dancers for weeks), but absolutely no one could have anticipated this kind of improvement. Correspondingly the whole venue nearly exploded from the audience excitement once everyone realized what they were witnessing.
From left: Kasagi Ichika, Irita Maaya, and guess who? Sara! That woman is incredible!
Finally, it was time to bid farewell to the performers in the finale which was set to Godiego’s Galaxy Express 999 soundtrack. Except the audience wouldn’t let the dancers leave. Continuing applause had the cast return on stage for an encore.
It was around 10:30 P.M. when I got out from Rockza. I still had a few more things to do before heading back to my hotel. I had not had dinner yet, so opted for a bowl of Kobe Beef Ramen almost next to Rockza. Also I finally remembered the check out Sensoji at night. I had seen the famous temple daytime, but I heard it’s worth seeing at night as well. Being located only a few hundred metres from Rockza this was the perfect opportunity.
Old meets new. Notice Tokyo Sky Tree in the background.
On my way back to hotel my I photographed this lonely kappa. There are many in Asakusa.
To be continued... Next let's talk about movies (Tsunehiko Watase retrospective & Sonny Chiba films)
