Available in The Pinky Violence Collection | Review by Crites
A group of female students at Akagi Reformatory is gathered for a screening of HOKKAIDO'S GREAT OUTDOORS, but instead find themselves cheering for screen idol Ken Taka Kura in ABASHIRI PRISON. The principal quickly catches on that this is not the educational film he was expecting and cancels the screening, nearly inciting a riot among the girl's school inmates. To cool off the girls strip down and hit the baths, where we're first introduced to the bad attitude of rose-tattooed Midori Muraki (Yumiko Katayama).
Upon her release a year later "sassy bitch" Rika (Reiko Oshida) pays a visit to Muraki Automotive in Shinjuki just as "old man" Muraki is being shaken down by gangsters for the debts racked up by his daughter and her worthless boyfriend Hamada. Rika had met Mr. Muraki at the reformatory when he had tried to visit his daughter and been rejected, and Rika remained touched by his devotion in light of Midori's apparent callousness. The kindly old man warns Rika away from the corrupt town but still offers her a job and a spare room to help her get on her feet.
Rika goes to see her old school chum Midori, now working as a go-go dancer, but Midori wants nothing to do with her or her father. Rika does meet up with a real friend from Akagi, Yuki, who is now working for her family's ramen shop and who demonstrates her overexcitement at seeing her long-lost friend by sliding a hand into Rika's jumper (providing a tantalizing hint at what life inside the reformatory was really like). Yuki's mother serves up a reunion dinner for her daughter and her young school friends, including Choko and Senmitsu from the Ginza Girls Cabaret who advise against looking up another pal, Mari, for reasons best left unspoken.
Rika visits Mari (Yukie Kagawa) anyway, and finds her friend working as a nude junkie-looking 'model' at a public 'art studio.' She lives with and cares for an ailing former yakuza boyfriend, Arai, and despite the poor circumstances the three of them manage to have a celebratory meal together. It even turns out that Arai's younger brother is truck driver Ryuji, who's had the hots for Rika ever since she and Mr. Muraki's dimwitted assistant Makao ran into him a day or so before.
Meanwhile Hamada's losing streak continues, he racking up gambling debts and beatings at a record pace. Mari has built up some debt herself in caring for her boyfriend, and by leaving them unpaid has made a bad name for herself around town. But seeing as how she's their "street sis," Rika encourages the girls to band together and help her out. Before long the group of them manages to wrangle Mari a job at the Cabaret performing as "Miss Akagi."
Some time later Ryuji pulls Rika out of an alley fight with members of the local yakuza faction the Ohya Family. As she'd been holding her own Rika is somewhat less than grateful, but Ryuji ends up so thrilling her on a near-death freeway ride that she has to ask him to pull over, her tough-girl facade having finally cracked.
Coming home Rika is none too surprised to find Midori ransacking her father's office. An emotionally charged scene follows, ending only when Mr. Muraki himself steps in. Midori runs away, and in the aftermath Muraki explains that she is the accidental child of a liaison with a geisha, and once Midori found out about this she started striking out against the world.
Mari's new job opens up a window for her and Arai, with the new income providing the possibility of a real hospital for him. However, as there must always be, there is a hitch; Mari has recently discovered that she's pregnant. Arai urges her to keep the baby, "this time," swearing that he'll raise the money for a new family somehow.
Meanwhile Muraki gets shaken down by the Ohyas yet again, who this time are joined by Hamada. Midori's boyfriend shamefully blackmails Muraki with the threat of what might happen to his daughter if the old man doesn't pay off her boyfriend's gambling debts. Muraki gives them his last yen, but with his property being held as collateral Rika and Makao fear that he may lose that as well. Paying a visit to the Ohya-owned club where Midori dances, Rika asks a favor from Mr. Ohya himself; return the money and she'll do anything. Of course the scar-faced gangster's first request is, "Strip naked right here," which Rika begins to do; but overhearing the party Midori bursts in and offers herself in Rika's place.
Both women are immediately taken hostage, and Ohya telephones Muraki to say that they will only be spared in exchange for the deed to his land. Muraki arrives at Ohya HQ, but instead of the broken down old man everybody expected he instead arrives as Tetsu the Razor - the very man who put the scar on Ohya's face during a gang war twenty years ago. His appearance so cows Ohya that he apologizes and lets the girls go. But not without some bad feelings; when Arai shows up to tell his former boss that he's leaving Shin-town for the fresh air of the country and a brand new start, Ohya charges him with one last job: Kill Muraki in exchange for the 300,000 yen they've just taken from the old man.
At a fish stew and sake shop that night Rika, Midori and Muraki share drinks, potatoes and family bonding. Midori is properly shamed by the fact that her father, who she has treated so badly for so many years, has come to her rescue, and he in turn is simply grateful to be back in her good graces. All seems well with them and with the world, and Muraki is so happy to have his daughter's affection once again that he stays behind when they leave to have another victory round. Drunkenly stumbling home later he provides a perfect target for Arai, yet unbeknownst to the gangster his Ohya cohorts have an assassination of their own scheduled as well. As Arai charges Muraki they're both run down by a pair of Ohya mob vehicles; good man that he is Muraki even pushes his assailant out of the way of the first truck, but the second gets them both.
Now completely alone in the world the five women forge a bond of revenge and, after a brief prayer for forgiveness, set off to wipe out the Ohya Clan. Storming yakuza headquarters the girls tear off their trenchcoats to reveal tight little go-go outfits - and short swords. They have at the astounded mobsters in a terrific and bloody battle that's the highlight of the picture - and the outcome of which you'll have to witness on your own.
Not as thrilling and gloriously sleazy as CRIMINAL WOMAN, DELINQUENT GIRL BOSS is still a great story with no shortage of violent action. And, need I say it, the two of them make a perfect double-feature. Special features include trailer, commentary, poster & still galleries, production notes and brief bios on the director and stars.
This looks to be great fucking box set. Four feature Toei Company films from the Seventies ("Presented for the first time anywhere") complete with plenty of extras, a CD of songs by "Pinky Violence icon" Reiko Ike and a special edition booklet, Toei's Bad Girl Cinema, written by Chris D. specifically for the set. Granted, Panik House only sent along two of the DVDs for review (see review of CRIMINAL WOMAN), but based on these two alone this limited-edition box set looks to be well worth the $99.95 price tag.
Re-mastered in crisp and colorful 16x9 widescreen, The Pinky Violence Collection is presented in original Japanese language with easy-to-read English subtitles. Highly recommended.
