Japan Video//March 2021
Mar 2 - Crazy Samurai: 400 vs 1 (Well-Go USA)
At festivals this went under the name Crazy Samurai Musashi (as in the famous swordsman who doesn’t need much of an introduction which might explain why in the film there’s barely any set-up). Apparently the film was shelved for some years but now boasts a 77-minute single take fight sequence. It’s hard to believe that the choreography will stay engaging and evolving for its entirety but Tak Sakaguchi is fun to watch.
Mar 9 - On-Gaku: Our Sound (GKids)
From our Favorites//2020 list:
”In most “let’s start a band” movies the type of music being created is pretty straightforward. There’s nothing wrong with that, the fun is the societal ideal of people (hopefully misfits) coming together and creating something awesome, but it’d be nice if they got a little freaky. The bandmates in ON-GAKU are bored delinquents who take up music on a whim. Their avant-garde lineup of two bass guitars and pared down drums is because those are the things they stole. The experimental sound comes from inexperience, they have no pre-conceived notions about what a song should sound like. This mentality is sort of matched by the lo-fi rotoscope visuals of the film. Their newfound interest in music has them crossing paths with a student into folk music and prone to psych-outs when performing and they have to juggle their bullying duties with practice sessions. Extremely deadpan when there’s no jamming but it builds to noisy transcendence in its finale. Plus like a good punk song it’s short and sweet.”
Mar 14 - The Invisible Man Appears/The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly (Arrow Video)
Per Arrow Video:
”Finally released outside Japan for the very first time, these unique riffs on H.G. Wells’ classic character (though undoubtedly also indebted to Universal’s iconic film series) are two of the earliest examples of tokusatsu (special effects) cinema from Daiei Studios, later the home of Gamera.
In The Invisible Man Appears, written and directed by Nobuo Adachi in 1949, a scientist successfully creates an invisibility serum, only to be kidnapped by a gang of thugs who wish to use the formula to rob a priceless jewel. In addition to being the earliest surviving Japanese science fiction film ever made, the film’s entertaining special effects were an early credit for the legendary Eiji Tsuburaya, five years before he first brought Godzilla to life.
Eight years later, Mitsuo Murayama’s exciting The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly tells the story of a series of mysterious murders where the only clue is strange buzzing noise at the scene of the crime… could this be linked to secret wartime experiments in shrinking humans to the size of insects? And can a scientist who’s just invented an invisibility ray be the one to stop it?”
Mar 16 - Flower and Snake (Nikkatsu Erotic Films) (Impulse Pictures)
Per Impulse Pictures: “Based on Oniroku Dan’s famous novel, FLOWER AND SNAKE is the first Nikkatsu erotic film to deal with the subject of sadomasochism. Makoto (Yasuhiko Ishizu) is a sexually suppressed man living with his mother Miyo (Hiroko Fuji) who owns an adult toy store. When he was a child, Makoto remembers shooting a soldier whom he found having sex with his mother. The elderly man who owns the company Makoto works for has an interest in BDSM and wants Makoto to kidnap and “train” his wife (Naomi Tani) to submit to him. With Makoto battling the demons of his past and unsure of the consequences of his own sexual awakening, what transpires is one of the most shocking, perverse and jaw-dropping Nikkatsu films ever made. Remastered by Nikkatsu Studios in high-definition, FLOWER AND SNAKE is one of Impulse Pictures’ most-requested titles to be released in our continuing Nikkatsu adult film collection.”
Mar 25 - Anatomia Extinction (Error 4444)
This is a pretty exciting release, not because it seems to come out of nowhere, but because this is the debut release from a new label. Error 4444 self-describes as “the premiere Asian cult/horror/exploitation blu ray releasing label in the U.S.” This is the first film from Yoshihiro Nishimura (Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl; Mutant Girls Squad) and dates back to 1995. The follow-up would come out in 2008 as Tokyo Gore Police.
Mar 28 - Pink Films Vol. 5 & 6: Underwater Love/Women Hell Song (Third Window Films)
Per Third Window Films:
UNDERWATER LOVE directed by Shinji Imaoka (2011, 83 minutes)
Asuka works in a lakeside fish factory. She is just about to be married to her boss. One day, she encounters a Kappa, a water creature living in the lake and learns that it is the reincarnation of Aoki, her first love. What ensues is a zany spectacle of love, music & sex.
WOMEN HELL SONG directed by Mamoru Watanabe (1970, 75 minutes)
Katori Tamaki, the star of the first ever pink film, Flesh Market (1962), stars as the roaming outlaw Okayo, also known as Benten due to the prominent tattoo of the Buddhist Goddess of Love emblazoned across her back. On the run from her persecutors, who seek to claim the tattoo and its skin canvas as a bounty, Okayo finds a safe haven in the arms of the mysterious shakuhachi (bamboo flute) playing Seigaku, himself tattooed with the image of Kisshôten, the Goddess of Prosperity.
Plus bonus film
FORBIDDEN TECHNIQUES directed by Kan Mukai (1966, 71 minutes)
After meeting a prostitute, a former box-champion recalls his past life.
*German dubbed with English subtitles