| Vintage Pulp | Aug 12 2023 |
Zero to crazy in under ninety minutes.
We first shared a poster for the pinky violence movie Sukeban gerira, aka Girl Boss Guerrilla, years ago and said at that time we'd get around to talking about the movie. We subsequently shared a tateken style poster, but still didn't get around to the film itself. Well, it's finally later. Eleven years later, to be exact. We refreshed our memory with a new screening last night, and to accompany today's thoughts we're sharing a rare bo-ekibari style poster of this classic pinky violence actioner from Toei Company.
Miki Sugimoto and three friends, who comprise the small but spirited Red Helmet Motorcycle Gang, take a trip from Tokyo to Kyoto to see if they can hustle up some yen by whatever means they can manage—grifts, graft, blackmail, whatever. They make some cash but quickly run afoul of Ryôko Ema of the Kyogoku Group, head boss of all Kyoto's girl gangs, which leads to a Ryôko-Miki showdown for control of the city. Our advice: never fight in flip-flops. But then again, we're not as tough as Miki. She loses her flip flops, but wins the fight.
There's always a set of bad men in the background of a pinky violence movie, and it turns out that though Kyoto's girl gangsters are now under Miki's hard won control, all operate under the umbrella of the Tsutsui Gang, who are basically the Kyoto branch of the yakuza. Miki has to give regular tribute to the boys, obey the rules, or pay the price. She's
willing to toe the line, but her situation is quickly complicated when she makes a new pal played by Reiko Ike, who's disinclined to obey anybody, but particularly the local yakuza clan, one of whose higher ups is her big brother.
willing to toe the line, but her situation is quickly complicated when she makes a new pal played by Reiko Ike, who's disinclined to obey anybody, but particularly the local yakuza clan, one of whose higher ups is her big brother.Along the way to settling this mess you get fights, captures, torture, and nudity. Comedy and romance are part of the equation too, as is a bit of social commentary (a Red Helmet girl picking up gonorrhea from a priest is particularly biting). In the end a final throwdown is inevitable but how it turns out is anyone's guess. Nothing is guaranteed in a pinky violence movie—well, except violence.
Pinky violence movies can be fun, but the misses tend to be well wide of the mark, if not psychologically disturbing. Sukeban gerira is a nice example of the genre. It's wild, but never quite to the extent that it makes you want to run from the room. An excellent moment comes just a few minutes in, when Sugimoto aggressively bares a tattooed breast at a set of macho assholes, causing them to physically recoil. That sums up the best pinky violence: a new brand of feminine power that overcame any opposition set against it. Sukeban gerira premiered today in 1972.
JapanToei CompanySukeban geriraGirl Boss GuerrillaMiki SugimotoReiko IkeRyôko EmaNaomi Okapinkupinky violenceposter artcinemamovie review
| Femmes Fatales | Jun 13 2021 |
We couldn't let her slide any longer.
We've had this sitting around for ten whole years. We were reluctant to post it because it's so rare. This tug of war went on forever, but today we've finally overcome our reservations because, after all, even though the scan will proliferate on the internet—and possibly even end up on Ebay like some of our other scans—we still have the physical item. So above you see iconic Japanese pinku actress Miki Sugimoto, star of such films as Zeroka no onna: Akai wappa, aka Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs and Sukeban gerira, aka Girl Boss Guerrilla. A photographer named Takeo Sano was responsible for the image, and it was published as a four panel centerfold in the magazine Purei Comikku, or Play Comic, in 1973. Sugimoto has provided plenty of material for our website over the years. It's difficult to choose her greatest hits, but if forced, we'd say her best are here, here, and here. And maybe here too.
JapanPurei ComikkuPlay ComicZeroka no onna: Akai wappaZero Woman: Red HandcuffsSukeban geriraGirl Boss GuerrillaMiki Sugimotopinkupinky violencenudity
| Femmes Fatales | Apr 30 2016 |
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.
This image made by Susumu Murakami comes from an issue of the magazine Heibon Punch and is a large foldout we scanned in three pieces and put together in Photoshop. You're welcome. It shows Japanese actress Ryôko Ema, who appeared in such pinku epics as Onsen suppon geisha, Sukeban gerira, and 1973's all-time classic Furyô anego den: Inoshika Ochô, aka Sex and Fury. We've discussed all those movies, but Ema was a supporting character, which is why we never mentioned her before. Omission remedied.
JapanHeibon PunchOnsen suppon geishaSukeban geriraFuryô anego den: Inoshika OchôSex and FuryRyôko Emapinkupinky violencenudity
| Vintage Pulp | Aug 12 2015 |
Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday soon.
Above you see an alternate version of the promo poster for Sukeban gerira, aka Girl Boss Guerrilla, Miki Sugimoto and Reiko Ike’s classic biker-girl revenge pinku flick. The previous version is here. We also have a couple of rare promo images of Sugimoto and Ike below for your enjoyment, so you can appreciate them when they aren't trying to kill people. We have other promos that are even more rare, and we’ll see about sharing those later. Sukeban gerira premiered in Japan today in 1972.
JapanToei CompanySukeban geriraGirl Boss GuerrillaMiki SugimotoReiko Ikepinkupinky violenceposter artcinema
| Intl. Notebook | Jan 15 2015 |
This September pinku stars rage in central Europe.
We call it Pulp International because we try to feature pulp style art from all over the world, but this may be the first item we've found from Croatia. It's an eye-catching off-angle poster promoting a pinku film festival in Zagreb, which starts today at the Kinoklub Zagreb—a cinema first established in 1928—and runs through the end of this month. Our analytics tells us where our website visitors come from, and we do indeed get the occasional glance from Croatia, so for all of you in Zagreb and environs—go to this festival. You get Girl Boss Guerrilla, Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom, and School of the Holy Beast. We've done short write-ups on all three films, so if you want to know more check, respectively, here, here, and here.
CroatiaJapanZagrebGirl Boss GuerrillaSukeban geriraTerrifying Girls’ High School: Lynch Law ClassroomKyôfu joshikôkô: bôkô rinchi kyôshitsuSchool of the Holy BeastSeijû gakuenReiko IkeMiki Sugimotoposter artcinemapinkupinky violence
| Vintage Pulp | Aug 12 2012 |
Don't let the toplessness fool you—their plan is to kill you.
We have a poster here for the classic pinku flick Sukeban gerira, aka Girl Boss Guerrilla, with Miki Sugimoto and Reiko Ike. This is pretty hard to find. The movie premiered in Tokyo today in 1972, and we may discuss it more detail later.
JapanToei CompanySukeban geriraGirl Boss GuerrillaMiki SugimotoReiko Ikepinkupinky violenceposter artcinema
