Vintage Pulp

April 18 2024

REIKO RIDES AGAIN

Oshida makes her mark and it looks like a swastika.

Above is a bo-ekibari style poster for the pinky violence actioner FuryoÌ‚ banchoÌ‚: Ikkaku senkin, aka Wolves of the City: Fast Money. This piece is cousin to the standard sheet for the film we shared a couple of years ago. Just as when we showed you that one we haven’t located the movie yet, but we’ll keep working on it, if only to find out why star Reiko Oshida has a swastika on her back. We’re guessing she’s in a motorcycle gang, and it’s their emblem. FuryoÌ‚ banchoÌ‚: Ikkaku senkin premiered today in 1970. You can see the other poster here, and that entry also discusses briefly the swastika symbol in Japanese culture.

Japan, Toei Company, FuryoÌ‚ banchoÌ‚: Ikkaku senkin, Wolves of the City: Fast Money, Wolves of the City: Instant Fortune, Tatsuo Umemiya, Reiko Oshida, Bunta Sugawara, poster art, cinema, pinky violence, pinku

Femmes Fatales

December 2 2023

ROTATOR CUFFS

She's a woman completely without restraint.

We bet you didn’t notice that Japanese actress Reiko Oshida is swinging handcuffs in a circle. We understand. You’d tend to notice other elements of the photo first, like the knife, the boots, the shorts, or the stripes. This promo image was made for her 1971 pinky violence actioner Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless To Confess, which was originally titled Zubekô banchô: zange no neuchi mo nai. A similar pose was used on the movie’s poster, which you can see here. And if you’re very interested, you can see alternate posters here and here, and Oshida with her crew of sword maniacs here. She shall return.

Japan, Zubekô banchô: zange no neuchi mo nai, Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless To Confess, Reiko Oshida, pinku, pinky violence

Vintage Pulp

September 22 2023

TOKYO DRIFTERS

Oshida and her friends run riot in the capital.

We’re sticking with Japanese posters today. Here’s one for the 1970 pinky violence flick Zubekô banchô: yume wa yoru hiraku, aka Tokyo Bad Girls, aka Delinquent Girl Boss: Blossoming Night Dreams. We showed you two other promos for this film, which were the standard and always fun tateken sizes. This is a rare bo-ekibari.

Japan, Toei Company, Zubekô banchô: yume wa yoru hiraku, Tokyo Bad Girls, Delinquent Girl Boss: Blossoming Night Dreams, Reiko Oshida, Keiko Fuji, pinky violence, pinku, poster art, cinema

Femmes Fatales

April 28 2023

LETHAL WEAPONS 5

We deal in human slaughter. But when the killing business is slow we also hire out to open Champagne bottles at parties.

We ran across this menacing promo image online showing the titular quintet of delinquent girl bosses from Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless To Confess, originally titled Zubekô banchô: zange no neuchi mo nai, and which premiered in Japan today in 1971. Reiko Oshida is front and center, flanked by Yukie Kagawa, Mieko Tsudoi, Masumi Tachibana, and Yumiko Katayama. We’ve shared plenty of promo art from the film, and discussed what it’s about. You can see all that by clicking its keywords below. And if you get the urge to be trendy and open a Champagne bottle with a sword, try to do better than these people.

Japan, Toei Company, Zubekô banchô: zange no neuchi mo nai, Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless To Confess, Reiko Oshida, Yukie Kagawa, Mieko Tsudoi, Masumi Tachibana, Yumiko Katayama, pinku, pinku violence

Vintage Pulp

April 18 2022

NEVER CRY WOLVES

Serious trouble just rolled into town.

FuryoÌ‚ banchoÌ‚: Ikkaku senkin, for which you see a killer poster above, was known in English as Wolves of the City: Fast Money, or sometimes Wolves of the City: Instant Fortune. It starred Tatsuo Umemiya, Reiko Oshida, and Bunta Sugawara, and we hear it’s good, but we weren’t able to find it to watch. We may circle back to it, though, because we located more promo art Toei Company made for it—for example the cool photos of Umemiya and Oshida you see below.

You notice the swastika tattoo on Oshida’s back? We’ve mentioned before that the symbol’s usage predates its appropriation by Nazi Germany, and has different meanings in Japan. However, in this case we suspect those meanings—good luck, eternity, etc.—have been set aside and the filmmakers meant to use the symbol’s association with Nazis to suggest rebellion or lawlessness. If asked, they may have claimed they weren’t, but they’d have been messing with people’s heads in the same way as the Prussian cross in this post was meant to. But we won’t know until we watch the film. We’ll keep the rest of our promo material in reserve in case our search is successful. FuryoÌ‚ banchoÌ‚ Ikkaku senkin premiered in Japan today in 1970.

Japan, Toei Company, FuryoÌ‚ banchoÌ‚: Ikkaku senkin, Wolves of the City: Fast Money, Wolves of the City: Instant Fortune, Tatsuo Umemiya, Reiko Oshida, Bunta Sugawara, poster art, cinema

Vintage Pulp

September 22 2021

BAD GIRL BUSINESS

The Zu animals break loose and Tokyo is never the same.

Above is a promo poster for Toei Company’s pinky violence hit Zubekô banchô: yume wa yoru hiraku, aka Tokyo Bad Girls, aka Delinquent Girl Boss: Blossoming Night Dreams, which premiered in Japan today in 1970. We already talked about the movie years back and showed you the tateken sized promo poster. Because we had this second piece of art, today we decided to be completist. Reiko Oshida and Keiko Fuji are still the main graphic elements, but some of the other bits have been rearranged. You can see the first piece, and also read about the movie, at this link.

Japan, Toei Company, Zubekô banchô: yume wa yoru hiraku, Tokyo Bad Girls, Delinquent Girl Boss: Blossoming Night Dreams, Reiko Oshida, Keiko Fuji, Masumi Tachibana, Yukie Kagawa, pinky violence, pinku, poster art, cinema

Vintage Pulp

March 9 2021

DISTINCT BOSSABILITY

Oshida shows how to wield authority with flair.

We have another bo-ekibari style Japanese poster today, the rare two-piece horizontal variety that you don’t see many of—except on Pulp Intl. This was made for Zubeko banchô: hamagure kazoe uta, aka Delinquent Girl Boss: Ballad of Yokohama Hoods, which premiered in Japan today in 1971 and starred Reiko Oshida and her katana, which is a useful motivational tool for management types. We shared another poster for the movie several years ago, which you can see here, and if you’re interested in bo-ekibari promos, we’ve posted some fun ones here, here, here, here, and here.

Japan, Zubeko banchô: hamagure kazoe uta, Delinquent Girl Boss: Ballad of Yokohama Hoods, Reiko Oshida, Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, poster art, cinema, pinku, pinky violence

Vintage Pulp

April 28 2017

WORTHY OPPONENT

To confess may be good for the soul, but it's bad for the life expectancy.

Above, another completist entry for you. We already showed you the standard poster for Zubekô banchô: zange no neuchi mo nai, aka Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless To Confess, and here you see the bo-ekibari, or two-piece horizontal style promo, which is slightly different. See our earlier write-up on the film here.

Japan, Toei Company, Zubekô banchô: zange no neuchi mo nai, Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless To Confess, Reiko Oshida, poster art, cinema, pinku, pinky violence

Vintage Pulp

March 9 2017

DRAMA IN YOKOHAMA

Operating at a whole new delinquency.

Above are two posters for Zubeko banchô: hamagure kazoe uta, aka Delinquent Girl Boss: Ballad of Yokohama Hoods, third in the Delinquent Girl Boss series, with Reiko Oshida reprising her role as the ass kicking Rika Kageyama. We managed to track down a copy of this and took a gander. It’s similar to other entries, with Oshida going from the frying pan to the fire—or more literally, from reform school to the mean streets, as shortly after arriving in Yokohama she gets tangled up in girl biker and organized crime weirdness. She proves her mettle to the girls, then sets about causing trouble for the boys. All this is wrapped around a subplot involving a deserter from the U.S. army.

One distinguishing aspect of Yokohama Hoods is that sex and nudity are de-emphasized throughout the proceedings, and we think this actually helps the movie. We’re still grappling with the often challenging role of sexual violence in pinku films, trying but not always managing to understand it in its cultural context, so Yokohama Hoods was refreshing for its lack. Other aspects are exactly as you’d anticipate—i.e. a climactic confrontation between the tough good girls and the superbad boys. Director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi goes all out, staging a waterfront fracas featuring speeding motorcycles, blazing machine guns, flashing swords, and more. If everyone actually aimed their guns rather than thrusting them wildly at their targets the fight might have ended sooner, but in any case Yokohama will never be the same. Zubeko banchô: hamagure kazoe uta premiered in Japan today in 1971.

Japan, Zubeko banchô: hamagure kazoe uta, Delinquent Girl Boss: Ballad of Yokohama Hoods, Reiko Oshida, Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, poster art, cinema, pinku, pinky violence, movie review

Vintage Pulp

September 22 2016

DREAM TEAM

Oshida and Co. may have been to reform school but once a boss always a boss.

First film in what would become the successful Zubekô banchô series, Zubekô banchô: yume wa yoru hiraku, aka Delinquent Girl Boss: Blossoming Night Dreams, aka Tokyo Bad Girls stars Reiko Oshida as a parolee from a reform school who takes a job in a Shinjuku hotspot called Bar Murasaki, but finds walking the straight and narrow a difficult ambition to fulfill. As usual in these pinku films set in and around nightclubs, a criminal syndicate wants to take over, which means she’s soon stuck between a resistant owner and an insistent Yakuza. Some girls she knows from reform school have also found spots at the club, and in addition to Yakuza problems, Oshida finds herself drawn into the issues of her friends.

But it’s good they’re around, these girl delinquents, because when the climactic brawl with the villains happens, Oshida will need loyal friends at her side. On the whole Blossoming Night Dreams is tamer than later entires in the Delinquent Girl Boss series, but considering the sexual violence that began to appear, most would consider that a good thing. Of course, it’s always important to remember that these films are counterculture in character, replacing the subservient women of previous eras with badass riot girls who always took violent revenge upon men who wronged them. The formula was both exploitative and pro feminist, with the sexploitation putting rear ends in the seats, whereupon the progressive message was hammered home.

Anyway, moving on to the poster, you may notice that, by a quirk of design, Oshida, star of the film, does not appear to be star of the promo art. The topmost position is given to Keiko Fuji. But a closer look reveals that Oshida gets a full body shot in the center foreground of the art, while Fuji is layered behind. It’s still unusual that Fuji is placed where she is, though. While she plays Bar Murasaki‘s headlining performer, she has far less screen time most of the other castmembers. But she’s good in her role, Oshida’s excellent, Masumi Tachibana, Yukie Kagawa, and the rest of the troupe are having fun, and everyone deserves credit for making the movie well worth a screening. Zubekô banchô: yume wa yoru hiraku opened today in 1970.

Japan, Tokyo, Toei Company, Zubekô banchô: yume wa yoru hiraku, Tokyo Bad Girls, Delinquent Girl Boss: Blossoming Night Dreams, Reiko Oshida, Keiko Fuji, Masumi Tachibana, Yukie Kagawa, pinky violence, pinku, poster art, cinema, movie review

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

September 19

1934—Arrest Made in Lindbergh Baby Case

Bruno Hauptmann is arrested for the kidnap and murder of Charles Lindbergh Jr., son of the famous American aviator. The infant child had been abducted from the Lindbergh home in March 1932, and found decomposed two months later in the woods nearby. He had suffered a fatal skull fracture. Hauptmann was tried, convicted, sentenced to death, and finally executed by electric chair in April 1936. He proclaimed his innocence to the end

September 18

1919—Pollard Breaks the Color Barrier

Fritz Pollard becomes the first African-American to play professional football for a major team, the Akron Pros. Though Pollard is forgotten today, famed sportswriter Walter Camp ranked him as “one of the greatest runners these eyes have ever seen.” In another barrier-breaking historical achievement, Pollard later became the co-head coach of the Pros, while still maintaining his roster position as running back.

September 18

1932—Entwistle Leaps from Hollywood Sign

Actress Peg Entwistle commits suicide by jumping from the letter “H” in the Hollywood sign. Her body lay in the ravine below for two days, until it was found by a detective and two radio car officers. She remained unidentified until her uncle connected the description and the initials “P.E.” on the suicide note in the newspapers with his niece’s two-day absence.

September 17

1908—First Airplane Fatality Occurs

The plane built by Wilbur and Orville Wright, The Wright Flyer, crashes with Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge aboard as a passenger. The accident kills Selfridge, and he becomes the first airplane fatality in history.

September 17

1983—First Black Miss America Crowned

Vanessa Williams becomes the first African American Miss America. She later loses her crown when lesbian-themed nude photographs of her are published by Penthouse magazine.

September 16

1920—Terrorists Bomb Wall Street

At 12:01 p.m. a bomb loaded into a horse-drawn wagon explodes in front of the J.P.Morgan building in New York City. 38 people are killed and 400 injured. Italian anarchists are thought to be the perpetrators, but after years of investigation no one is ever brought to justice.