Nora-neko rokku: Onna banchô

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.

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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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.

The first part of the Nora-neko rokku ("Alley Cat Rock") series was originally Nikkatsu Studios' answer to the rivaling Toei Studios' Delinquent Boss series, but spawned four sequels thanks to its popularity. I haven't seen any of the entries in the Toei series, so I don't know how the Nora-nekos do in comparison, but in their own right all five of them are very entertaining bad girl movies.

Onna banchô, the first movie in the series, takes place in Shinjuku, Tokyo where rivaling youth gangs are constantly trying to one-up each other in toughness. An all-girl gang led by Mei (Meiko Kaji) gets involved in dangerous circles when Mei's boyfriend Michio (Kôji Wada), wants to join a powerful yakuza organization called Seiyu but inadvertently loses the gangsters' money in a fixed boxing match. Of course, Mei's gang is not going to leave him to the gangsters, especially when helped by an enigmatic and independent female biker called Ako (Akiko Wada).

The film is known for its visual look that captures the spirit of the era pretty neatly. Many scenes take place in a psychedelic rock club with colourful lights and bands performing psych-rock, soft schlagers and folky guitar ditties. The non-diegetic score is totally groovy too, as are Akiko Wada's song scenes, be they related to the plot or not – the movie was the film debut of the deep-voiced singer of Korean heritage, so I guess some singing was to be expected. The downside of the ultra-cool atmosphere is that at many points the screen looks way too dark, making it difficult to see what exactly is happening (or perhaps it was just my old television set). What I appreciated about Yasuharu Hasebe's direction is that he keeps camera trickery (weird angles, quick zooms, filters) under control, only using special techniques moderately and not in an overly distracting manner.

The plot itself takes place within less than two days and involves many fights, chase scenes and tough talking, staying quite entertaining for the shortish runtime. The street fighting may not look as tight as actual martial arts flicks, but does its part alright. Some of the torture scenes look a bit nasty, especially the blow torch part, but overall the mood stays pretty light compared to some real exploitation sleazies. One of the best scenes is definitely the big chase between Ako's motorcycle and the roofless "Fellow Buggy" of the yakuza underboss Katsuya (Tatsuya Fuji) that is not stopped by narrow tunnels, shopping malls or even staircases, either descending or ascending.

Looking behind the first-hand crime plot, there is a strong feminist undercurrent in the film and the portrayal of the girl gang members' friendship is one of the most important themes. I would not call the movie the strongest of character dramas out there, but at least the charismatic Akiko Wada carries her scenes at ease (too bad she doesn't appear in the sequels). I also liked the self-confident performance of Tatsuya Fuji who is probably best known for playing the lead part in Nagisa Ôshima's controversial sexual drama In the Realm of the Senses a few years later.

I am far from well-versed in Japanese youth gang movies, but I think Stray Cat Rock is certainly entertaining enough to be recommended to anyone who is interested in the genre. The sequels are worth seeing too if you like the first one, but Delinquent Girl Boss (or whatever its correct English title is) may be the best starting place to the series after all, even though the movies are not really connected in terms of plot. A fun flick, in any case.

'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