“Prisoner 701 – Sasori” (2008) – Japanese/ Chinese Exploitation/ Action

This time out it’s more tough chicks kicking butt… and you know Neko just loves that! I’ve got the recent remake of the Japanese “Women in Prison” revenge classic “Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion” to review. Meiko Kaji is nowhere to be seen in this one, but thankfully we have the star of “Hard Revenge Milly”, Miki Mizuno to step in for the lead in “Female Prisoner 701: Sasori”.

You all know the story, but here’s a quick synopsis for those of you still woefully ignorant of the legend: “When a band of assassins invade the home of their target Hei Tai they find only his lovely, innocent, bride-to-be, Nami and force upon her a cruel dilemma: either she kills her fiancee’s sister or they kill her fiancee. Trapped, and unable to confide in the person she loves most, Nami kills her fiancee’s sister and is sent to prison where she survives only by becoming as ruthless as those around her. Trained to fight by a fellow inmate, Nami develops the skills and strength to escape and sets out on a quest for revenge. After killing two of the assassins she’s reunited with Hei Tai who’s still unaware she killed his sister. As their love is rekindled Nami decides to abandon her crusade of vengeance when the remaining assassin finds them and tells Hei Tai what Nami did. Nami realizes she can never rest until she finds and defeats the assassins’ employer, but now her beloved’s torn between helping her and his own personal desire for revenge.”

So… will this one equal the classic, or fall miserably on it’s butt? It’s got all the necessary prerequisites to succeed…. Women in prison…. brutal unrelenting violence and torture… a beautiful woman pushed to her extreme and honed into a lethal killing machine…. and, as the poster promises, “Lots of Girl-on Girl violence” all leading our Heroine to a well deserved vengeance by the film’s end. How can it fail? (But… as Neko well knows…. that somehow, some way, they can still mess it all up once in a while… so I’m keepin’ my lil’ paws crossed for luck!!)

Your Favorite Catgirl knows you like these unabashedly exploitative silly films too, so let’s all “Read On” and find out for ourselves!!

“Zombie Self Defense Force” (2005) – Japanese Zombie/ Horror

So…. What’s an October without Zombies? Lots and lots of Zombies? That question always keeps this lil’ Catgirl awake at night, and if you are regular readers here at the ol’ Litterbox then I just know such ponderings must occupy most of your waking moments too. Well worry no more, for our next Halloween themed review takes us back to the Land of the Rising Sun for more crazy Zombie bashing action, in “Zombie Self Defense Force”, just out on Region 1 English subbed DVD this last week.

Synopsis….? Naturally, and it goes something like this: “They thought it was an ordinary day in the Japanese countryside – a day of sightseeing for tourists, photo shoots for a pop-star model and her crew, routing training for a squad of JSDF soldiers, treachery for an adulterous couple and sudden murder for gangsters. Everything changes, though, when a UFO crashes and releases some form of strange radiation. Confusion turns to sheer terror and the grim, blood-soaked will to survive when the dead rise and attack the living in a mindless cannibalistic frenzy! Soon, the soldiers and a handful of civilians are holed up in a secluded hotel, surrounded by the zombie hordes. There are other dark secrets at work, though. One of the soldiers, Yuri, is having sudden, painful flashbacks to a mysterious operating room, and there’s that spooky legend about the ghostly, ultra-patriotic Japanese soldier from WWII lurking in a local cave…”

So it’s the Japanese army versus the Living Dead eh? Well dang it, I just know you are gonna wanna find out if they can outfight Japanese schoolgirls on this subject so lets all “Read On”, shall we?

“Zombie Hunter Rika” (2008) – Japanese Horror/ Action

Cute Japanese schoolgirls battling nasty evil Zombies….. Just what is it that is just soooo darn compelling about that recurring story theme? I’m not really certain…. but this notion always manages to make for some nice goofy exploitation film making so who is this little Catgirl to argue? Our latest review takes us back to Japan for a “Nekolishous” look at “Zombie Hunter Rika”…

Our quick synopsis tell us: “Typical Japanese schoolgirl Rika becomes a full-fledged zombie fighter when she travels to the countryside for a visit with her grandfather, and discovers his village has been overrun with the living dead. Rika almost makes it to her grandfather’s house in one piece, but a nasty run in with some particularly hungry flesh-eaters leaves her half the girl she used to be. Fortunately for Rika, Grandpa Ryuhei is a talented surgeon. In the process of patching his granddaughter up, Ryuhei goes one step further and turns Rika into the ultimate zombie fighting machine. But Rika’s ordeal isn’t over just yet, because Zombie Boss Glorian is still out there and thirsting for vengeance. Perhaps with a little help from her friends Takashi and Yuji, Rika will finally lay waste to the lowest of the low, and somehow find the time to keep up her good grades.”

I almost gave this one a pass…. as it was Part 3 of the same “Direct to DVD” series that also gave us the absolutely abysmal piece of craptaculous soft porn nonsense “Attack Girls’ Swim Team vs. the Undead” which you might remember I reviewed here at the Litterbox some time ago. That one left such a terrible impression on me that only my overwhelming need to watch practically every bad Zombie movie ever made gave me the strength to take a chance on this one.

So….. Let’s see if that was a big mistake or not…. shall we?

“Orochi” (2008) – Japanese Horror/ Fantasy

Tired of the cold and the snow, we’re off to Japan this time out by way of HK for “Orochi”, the latest DVD release inspired by the works of Kazuo Umezu, who also did the manga that gave us “Tamami, The Baby’s Curse” . If you are a regular visitor then you know I reviewed that one not so long ago here at the ol’ Litterbox. I really liked the Gothic atmosphere, simple, yet absorbing story, and general weirdness of “Tamami”, so will I get lucky again with “Orochi”?

Our quicky synopsis reads: “1950’s Japan. Orochi, a mysterious eternal wandering spirit in the form of a young girl, comes upon the mansion of the Monzen family seeking shelter from a storm, and goes to work there as a housekeeper. The current owner of the house is Aoi Monzen, the Japan’s greatest star of the silver screen in that era. Her life seems a dream come true for a woman in postwar Japan, and she has two pretty daughters, Kazusa and Risa.

But the Monzen family also has a deep, dark secret: the women of the family may be beautiful to all eyes, but once they pass the age of 29 a terrible curse strikes and that beauty crumbles, and gradually they become hideous, rot away, and die in madness.”

Hmmmm… now that certainly sounds promising. But Neko’s been fooled before…. Will it happen again, or will “Orochi” thrill and entertain this lil’ Catgirl? I guess the only way for you to know is to “Read On”!!

“The Masked Girl” (2008) – Japanese Action/ Adventure

It seemed to take forever….. but “The Masked Girl”, part two of the Japanese Grindhouse style “double feature” action extravaganza with “Hard Revenge Milly” finally surfaced in, of all places, Hong Kong, all subtitled and english friendly. Yay!

Our synopsis for it reads: “In “The Masked Girl” an ordinary high school student named Ai Hoshino (Yuki Shimizu) is kidnapped on her way home from school. She later wakes up and finds herself held captive in the hideout of “Joker” and the evil Black Maria (Aiko Sato). Luckily she’s able to escape with the help of Aoyama (Tsuyoshi Kida), but not before being genetically altered by Joker—giving her super-human powers. While being pursued by agents of Joker, Ai confides in her friend Yumi (Shizuka Nakamura), but discovers Yumi has also been altered by Black Maria and brainwashed into swearing allegiance to Joker. Ai is forced to fight Yumi, but more powerful enemies will soon arrive. Eventually Ai gets a superhero outfit from Aoyoma and becomes “The Masked Girl” to confront Black Maria’s minions.”

Soooooo then….. can super powered Japanese schoolgirl vs monsters action stand up to the violent butt kicking standards we saw in “Milly”? Let’s all “Read On” and find out!!

“Wandering Ginza Butterfly” (1971) – Japanese Action

Ah…. Meiko Kaji. My fellow Delirium Vault Blogger Kurtodrome’s recent wonderful review of her film, “Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion”, reminded me that I still had this one and it’s sequel lurking in my backlog of DVD’s just waiting to be watched. Why I haven’t ever gotten to it escapes me at the moment, but we can easily remedy that now can’t we?

Our synopsis reads as follows: “Nami (played by Meiko Kaji), leader of a juvenile gang, kills an executive member of a yakuza organization due to a territorial conflict and goes to a prison. Released from the prison three years later, she stays at a billiard hall and, through Ryuji, starts working as hostess in Ginza, where she instantly becomes very popular. In an attempt to take control of the bar, Owada, a local yakuza, kills Ryuji’s sworn brother. Enraged, Nami seeks bloody revenge!”

Mmmmm… Neko-chan has always liked Meiko Kaji ever since I first saw her on screen in the nifty swordplay film “Lady Snowblood”…. So cool…. so deadly, always soooo classy, sophisticated, and the just the epitome of the Japanese movie heroine of the 70’s. So it’s only fitting that I finally watch this one and give you my impressions.

Let’s get right to it then…. so “Read On”, gentle visitors!!

“Tamami: The Baby’s Curse” (2008) – Japanese Horror

It’s here!! It’s here!! More “Killer Mutant Baby” fun from the Land of the Rising Sun, it’s “Tamami: The Baby’s Curse” direct to your Favorite Catgirl Princess from Japan. I’ve been waiting for about a month for this one to arrive, but finally it showed up in the mail yesterday. Since I had Friday off, I promptly curled up on the couch with Goober and made an evening of watching it.

Our Synopsis for it reads as follows: “Yoko (played by Nako Mizusawa),  a pretty 15-year-old orphan girl, discovers that her family didn’t actually purposely abandon her as a baby, and having found her at last, now want her to come live with them in their sprawling mansion. What begins as every orphan’s dream come true turns into a nightmare as she discovers her mother is insane and a disgusting horrifying monster that lives in the attic wants to kill her. That monster is Tamami, the deformed twin sister that Yoko never knew she had. Jealous and enraged at Yoko’s beauty, Tamami will stop at nothing to rid the world of such a blatant reminder of her own hideousness.”

Yep…. this one sounds like Goober and I are gonna like it… but we’ve been teased by such promising descriptions before…. Does “Tamami” have the chills and thrills to make this lil’ Catgirl sleep badly tonight?

I guess we’ll just have to find out! So whatcha waitin’ for, Gentle Visitors? “Read On” !!

“Chanbara Beauty” (2008) – Japanese Action/ Fantasy/ Horror

Well, this time out, it’s some light entertainment for your Favorite Catgirl, the recent Japanese Fantasy film “Chanbara Beauty” aka “OneChanbara”… with so much crazy Japanese Cowgirl Zombie fighting weirdness to spawn both a video game and a movie. It’s taken some time to crawl up to the top of my DVD pile, but finally, it’s time has come…..

Our synopsis for it reads: “A mysterious scientist, Dr. Sugita, has invented a new medicine which can wake dead people up. The streets are filled with zombies. A beautiful girl, Aya, with a samurai sword who is seeking revenge for the murder of her father, keeps fighting with the zombies day and night. One day, she meets a girl called Reiko. From Reiko, she learns that her half-sister Saki is under the evil Sugita’s control…

Up-and-coming actress Otoguro Eri (from the American “Shutter” remake as well as “Shaolin Girl”) stars as the feisty heroine Aya, slashing her way through the movie in the character’s signature costume – cowboy hat, boots, long scarf, and naturally……a Bikini! To survive, she has to battle the quickly multiplying army of zombies that was raised from the dead by the evil scientist Dr Sugita. Aya is joined in her fight by lone biker chick Reiko (Hashimoto Manami) whose beloved daughter was killed by the living dead and who now lives only to seek revenge, and together they fight the undead army and battle Aya’s half-sister Saki (Nakamura Chise from “Swing Girls”) who suddenly shows up in a schoolgirl uniform with a saber of her own having joined the evil doctor in his twisted schemes.”

OMG!!! So… let’s get this straight now… it’s got Zombies… and a tough, tattooed, bikini clad Japanese cowgirl with a sword (… and you all know how much this lil’ Catgirl loves to play “dress-up”!!) so you gotta see how Neko’s already on board for this one, but it it actually going to be any good? I mean, the whole “inspired by the hit video game” thingee usually tells me a movie is destined to be fairly “crap-tastic”. (Or would that be “crap-tabulous”? Hehehehe!!) I guess I’m just gonna have to wade in and find out!! Why don’t you “Read On” and join me? (C’mon…. ya know ya wanna!!)

“Hard Revenge Milly” (2008) – Japanese Action/ Fantasy

Yep… it’s finally out on DVD… at least in Malaysia, anyway. “Hard Revenge Milly” was half of a “Grindhouse” style exploitation flick released in Japan just last year. Lots of tough girl action, guns, swords, and martial art mayhem to sate the most jaded of such fans.

Yes…. Milly’s here, but somehow she left “The Masked Girl” behind. Lambaian Filem out of Malaysia has released only the 45 minute first portion of that double bill. Neko’s the kind of girl who likes a good action film, especially when we girls get to smack around the bad guys instead of getting kidnapped all the time…. so of course I had to take a chance and snag a copy.

Was it worth my 8$US to buy? Let’s find out shall we?

“Cyborg She” aka “Boku No Kanojo Wa Cyborg” – Japanese SciFi/ Romance

If you’ve noticed by now, Neko’s tastes in film tend to run towards horror movies, crazy Asian exploitation and generally weird stuff. But……

Every now and again, your Favorite Catgirl Princess likes to break out the tissues, curl up and watch a sweet, heart touching romance. Mind you, I usually like a ghost or two in the mix, but aliens and time travelers are OK too…. So what could be more perfect than a Japanese Cyborg girl from the future on a mission to protect a hapless but goodhearted geek here in the present?

Our synopsis for this one reads: “Lonely and hopeless geek, Jiro Kitamura (played by Keisuke Koide) always spends his birthdays alone, buying his own gift, and having the same spaghetti dinner every year. It’s his standard routine year after year, but in 2007, he happens upon a girl (played by Haruka Ayase) whom he sees shoplifting a dress from a departmental store, and who unexpectedly crashes his birthday dinner. This begins a wild inexplicable evening in which he starts to fall for her quirky charms just in time for her to leave him just as mysteriously as she came. What is her secret, and will they ever meet again?”

Of course they will. But you are going to have to “Read On” gentle visitors, if you want to know more…..