Nora-neko rokku: Onna banchô

In the first of what would become a successful five-film series, Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss is a passable and sporadically entertaining introduction to the 'girl gang' genre and one of the key entries in a series of films known as 'pinky violence'. Anchored by a performance of undeniable presence by Akiko Wada, who plays a no- nonsense biker and who surprisingly didn't appear in any of the sequels, the film gets bogged down by a plodding series of events and set-pieces that are too free-spirited for it's own good, and lingers far too long on various pop performances from flavour-of-the-week bands.

Plot-wise, the film doesn't have much going for it. Ako (Wada) is a drifter who picks up Mei (Meiko Kaji - later to play the eponymous Lady Snowblood (1973)), who is caught up in a beef with a rival girl gang. A fight ensues, and Ako chases away the gang and the various yakuza that have gathered for the entertainment. It becomes apparent that Mei's boyfriend Michio (Koji Wada) is caught up in a plot with the Seiyu Group, a powerful Yakuza organisation, to throw a boxing match. Naturally, things don't go quite to plan and Michio is hunted by the Seiyu Group, but not if Ako has anything to say about it.

Visually, the film is often splendid, using ultra-chic locations, split- screens and obscure camera angles that give it a trippy aesthetic. It's colourful yet undeniably grim, encapsulating the rebellious hippy spirit that undoubtedly made it's way over from America in the late 1960's. Reversing the usual gender roles, the Stray Cat girls are a rather repulsive lot, even though they plays our heroes, and Ako especially berates men for being weak if they refuse to stand up and fight, even when one is beaten to a pulp during a boxing match. It's certainly interesting thematically, but as a piece of entertainment, it's often extremely dull, stretching out it's wafer-thin plot when it should be giving us girls kicking ass.

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The first of the Stray Cat Rock films is not as good as its first two follow-ups, Wild Jumbo and Sex Hunter, but it's a solid girl gang flick. Meiko Kaji stars as the leader of the Stray Cats, as she will tend to do, but Akiko Wada probably has more screen presence in this one as the new girl on the scene, a motorcycle chick who is generally assumed to be a dude until she takes off her helmet (one particular extra has a great double take as she walks out of the women's bathroom). When Kaji's boyfriend (Koji Wada) double-crosses the yakuza, it's up to the Stray Cats to save him - which means now they have also double-crossed the yakuza. Tatsuya Fuji plays one of the main gangsters. There are plenty of cool musical performances and lots of great views of a swinging 1970 Tokyo. The film is shot almost entirely with hand-held cameras, which puts you right in the action. The film mostly takes place at night and indoors, so the film is a bit darker than the two follow-ups. It also moves a tad more slowly. Still very much worth seeing, though.

This film begins with a young female motorcyclist named "Ako" (Akiko Wada) riding into an area of Tokyo known as Shenjuku. It's then, while stopping at a red light, that she encounters a group of motorcyclists who give her a hard time before riding off once she confronts them. Not long after that she gives a ride to a female hitchhiker named "Mei" (Meiko Kaji) who unexpectedly asks to get off in an obscure area not too far away. Curious as to why she would want to get off in such a desolate place, Ako watches from a distance as Mei joins several other young ladies and leads them into a fight against another female gang. At first, everything seems to be going fine for Mei's gang but then the tide of battle turns as the same men that harassed Ako suddenly appear and join Mei's opponents. Realizing that Mei and her gang are about to be seriously hurt, Ako rides into the fray and creates a diversion which allows everyone but Mei to scamper away. Then, with Mei on the back of her motorcycle, the two of them ride off as well. Not long after that, Ako learns that Mei's boyfriend "Michio Yagami" (Koji Wada) is in serious trouble with the same male gang that attacked Mei and gave Ako a hard time prior to that. So, once again, Ako gets involved--but this time the situation becomes even more dangerous than she could have imagined. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an entertaining action film which suffered somewhat from a couple of unrealistic scenes which would almost certainly never happen in a city as populated as Tokyo. But that's the motion-picture industry for you. Be that as it may, I enjoyed this film for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

Inspired by the rebellious counter culture movement of the day, and aimed squarely at the youth market, Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss stars pop singer Akiko Wada as tough female biker Ako, who falls in with an all-girl Tokyo street gang, the Stray Cats, led by Mei (the gorgeous Meiko Kaji, of Lady Snowblood and Female Prisoner Scorpion fame). When Mei's boyfriend Michio (Kôji Wada) angers local gangsters the Seiyu Group by failing to convince boxer Kelly (Ken Sanders) to throw a fight, the girls step in to save him but find themselves on the run as a result.

Wild women, groovy pop music, tough talking, cool posturing, motor-bike riding and street fights are the order of the day, but despite an interesting visual style (director Yasuharu Hasebe employing plenty of handheld camerawork) and lots of easy-on-the-eye Japanese actresses, Delinquent Girl Boss is actually a lot less engaging than I had hoped for. On paper, this is precisely the type of cult '70s flick that Quentin Tarantino would have a boner for (indeed, boxer Kelly reminded me of Butch from Pulp Fiction), but in reality it's actually not as hip as it sounds: the fight scenes are poorly choreographed, and the girls don't look all that tough; the chase scenes fail to provide the intended adrenaline rush (watching the 'bike and buggy' scene gets really dull as the vehicles weave in and out of concrete columns and go up and down steps ad nauseum); and the plot is quite weak, causing the film to drag in places.

Those who like their Japanese exploitation gritty and brutal will no doubt lap up the part where a 'Stray Cat' is tortured by a woman with a blowtorch (the victim burnt on her chest), but the rest of the violence is relatively tame, making the action a lot less memorable than the film's groovy title suggests.

'Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss (1970)' tells the story of a drifter who rolls into town and aligns herself with an all-girl gang, soon helping them overcome the threat of a male gang working with corrupt cops. Though Meiko Kaji would go on to star in all four of the flick's follow-ups, it's actually Akiko Wada who plays the title role here. She's an androgynous, no-nonsense biker with a strong singing voice and an equally strong loyalty to the new friends she has only just met. The plot plays out almost like an old western, with a mysterious stranger wandering into town and getting wrapped up in some sort of local trouble before wandering back out again. Filmed with an abundance of unmistakably seventies style, the movie carves its own unique place within its genre. It's typically an energetic and lively experience. However, despite its relatively fast pace, it often feels somewhat 'slow'; it meanders a little during its calmer moments and its actual plot takes a while to properly kick in. Having said that, it is enjoyable. Its low-budget doesn't dampen its effect, even if it is usually rather evident. It's a solid film with a refreshing focus on strong female characters. 6/10