Femmes Fatales

October 18 2023

BAR HOPPER

What's a girl have to do to get service in this joint?

In this photo from a 1972 issue of Heibon Punch we see cinema star Reiko Ike, who decided to hit the Kyoto nightlife scene, but after terribly slow service was forced to take matters into her own hands and hop across the bar in an effort to get a mai-tai. In the bartender’s defense, he didn’t ignore Reiko intentionally. He fainted when she came in the door. This is (or was) a real world Kyoto bar that appeared in the pinky violence flick Sukeban gerira, aka Girl Boss Guerrilla, which Reiko had a major role in. The photo isn’t an official promo from the film. At least, the magazine text doesn’t mention it. But we recognized the place. In any case, Reiko got her mai-tai. Until the bartender regains consciousness drinks are on the house, and she’s the toast of the town.

Japan, Kyoto, Heibon Punch, Sukeban gerira, Girl Boss Guerrilla, Reiko Ike, pinku, pinky violence, nudity

Vintage Pulp

August 12 2023

TOP GERIRA

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.

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.

Japan, Toei Company, Sukeban gerira, Girl Boss Guerrilla, Miki Sugimoto, Reiko Ike, Ryôko Ema, Naomi Oka, pinku, pinky violence, poster art, cinema, movie review

Femmes Fatales

June 13 2021

SLIP YOU A MIKI

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.

Japan, Purei Comikku, Play Comic, Zeroka no onna: Akai wappa, Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs, Sukeban gerira, Girl Boss Guerrilla, Miki Sugimoto, pinku, pinky violence, nudity

Femmes Fatales

April 30 2016

BODY AND SOLES

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.

Japan, Heibon Punch, Onsen suppon geisha, Sukeban gerira, Furyô anego den: Inoshika Ochô, Sex and Fury, Ryôko Ema, pinku, pinky violence, nudity

Vintage Pulp

August 12 2015

PAYBACK EQUALITY

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.

Japan, Toei Company, Sukeban gerira, Girl Boss Guerrilla, Miki Sugimoto, Reiko Ike, pinku, pinky violence, poster art, cinema

Intl. Notebook

January 15 2015

FIGHT KLUB

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.

Croatia, Japan, Zagreb, Girl Boss Guerrilla, Sukeban gerira, Terrifying Girls’ High School: Lynch Law Classroom, Kyôfu joshikôkô: bôkô rinchi kyôshitsu, School of the Holy Beast, Seijû gakuen, Reiko Ike, Miki Sugimoto, poster art, cinema, pinku, pinky violence

Vintage Pulp

August 12 2012

GERIRA WARFARE

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.

Japan, Toei Company, Sukeban gerira, Girl Boss Guerrilla, Miki Sugimoto, Reiko Ike, pinku, pinky violence, poster art, cinema

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

October 4

1957—Sputnik Circles Earth

The Soviet Union launches the satellite Sputnik I, which becomes the first artificial object to orbit the Earth. It orbits for two months and provides valuable information about the density of the upper atmosphere. It also panics the United States into a space race that eventually culminates in the U.S. moon landing.

October 4

1970—Janis Joplin Overdoses

American blues singer Janis Joplin is found dead on the floor of her motel room in Los Angeles. The cause of death is determined to be an overdose of heroin, possibly combined with the effects of alcohol.

October 3

1908—Pravda Founded

The newspaper Pravda is founded by Leon Trotsky, Adolph Joffe, Matvey Skobelev and other Russian exiles living in Vienna. The name means “truth” and the paper serves as an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991.

October 3

1957—Ferlinghetti Wins Obscenity Case

An obscenity trial brought against Lawrence Ferlinghetti, owner of the counterculture City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, reaches its conclusion when Judge Clayton Horn rules that Allen Ginsberg’s poetry collection Howl is not obscene.

October 3

1995—Simpson Acquitted

After a long trial watched by millions of people worldwide, former football star O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Simpson subsequently loses a civil suit and is ordered to pay millions in damages.

October 2

1919—Wilson Suffers Stroke

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson suffers a massive stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed. He is confined to bed for weeks, but eventually resumes his duties, though his participation is little more than perfunctory. Wilson remains disabled throughout the remainder of his term in office, and the rest of his life.

October 2

1968—Massacre in Mexico

Ten days before the opening of the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, a peaceful student demonstration ends in the Tlatelolco Massacre. 200 to 300 students are gunned down, and to this day there is no consensus about how or why the shooting began.