Jokôsei: Tenshi no harawata

There's so much obscure Japanese cinema that I long to see. Thank God for niche suppliers like Tokyo Shock and Artsmagic. The latter has resurrected a five film series of Nikkatsu pink films entitled Angel Guts. High School Co-ed is the first of these films, all of which center around a brutal act of rape, around which a moral tale unfolds. This one has a group of three bikers who attack young women. One of them, Kawashima, has a small bit of conscious, though. Outside of his friends, he lives for his young sister and realizes that the violence he and his friends enact upon others could just as easily be applied to her. While I've seen more graphic material before, the actual rape scenes are very disturbing. The artistic merit is certainly questionable, and the acts are played for stimulation. However, the script is very good, and the characters come across as people. There is at least one character whose situation is only hinted at and never explained – I would have liked to know more about him. And the ending is very odd. Otherwise, definitely a film of interest, if not for those who are easily shocked.

Only in Japanese cinema could you find a character living by a such a seriously messed-up moral code as biker Kawashima (Sanshô Shinsui): as a member of a ruthless gang, he thinks nothing of robbing and raping innocent strangers on a daily basis, yet he goes out of his way to protect an innocent schoolgirl from being raped by fellow thug Kaji; given orders to rape the schoolgirl himself, however, and he complies without protest. Kawashima also acts as guardian to his younger sister Megu, protecting her from the harsh realities of his life, but when he catches the occasional glimpse of her blossoming female form, it is clear that his feelings of brotherly love extend beyond the accepted norm.

Such an unbalanced individual should make for very interesting viewing, but sadly Takashi Ishii's meandering, confusing and ultimately pointless script for Angel Guts High School Co-ed wastes any opportunity to delve further into Kawashimi's clearly disturbed psyche (or those of his pals), preferring instead to simply deliver a series of sleazy sexual assaults for the viewers' titillation. The girls are very attractive of course, and all get nekkid for the camera, but as much as I enjoy seeing pretty Japanese babes in the buff, I had hoped Angel Guts: High School Coed would offer something a little more substantial in the plot department to prevent tedium from setting in.

5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.

This first installment in the ANGEL GUTS series is the loudest and rawest. It focuses on three street punks who behave like Kubrick's Droogs in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. They spend most of their spare time raping women, harassing women and plotting to rape more women. Their routine is interrupted when one of the trio exhibits a conscience.

Director Chusei Sone employs a rugged, hand-held approach to the material and milks entirely convincing performances from the youthful cast. As rape is a consistent staple of this series, there is plenty of it in this outing, although none of it is pictorially graphic. One nightmare sequence, in which a young woman is stabbed repeatedly in the groin, does possess a poisonous cinematic power.

There is an erotic edge to the film's sexuality and, as per expectations, an emphasis on female underwear and garment tearing.

Plaudits should go to cinematographer Nobumasa Mizunoo who embellishes the film with stark, white-hot visuals and toys with both color and black and white.

The film is a character study of the dangerous miscreants who walk among us and portrays sociopathic behavior as being just one step sideways for most of us.

I like J-horror, anime and even kinda dig the pink movement, which some have claimed this a member of, but this did nothing for me. I willing to go a step further and label this one of the biggest let downs of my film watching career.

Three young rockabillies go around getting their kicks out of raping girls. One of the group starts to develop a concisions about their pass-time when his kid sister nearly catches them in the act. Invariably, the group turns on itself as the once friends begin fighting with each other. It ends on a down note befitting the film as a whole.

Aside from watching the friends yell at each other, which they do a lot, there isn't a whole lot going on here. The film is littered with LONG continual shots that only exacerbate the issue. On top of that, even when the film starts to do something interesting, it suddenly gets bogged down in ethereal philosophy that never makes any sense. For instance, after one of the buddies has his change of heart about assaulting girls, he goes out and does it again, but then stops his buddies from taking their turns. Huh? The cinematography is slow and lighting is poor. The writing is OK, as is the acting, which makes this a sub-par cinematic effort from the start. Mix the lack of technical prowess with the flimsy content and you have nothing more than a waste of time.

Oh, and one more extra note, at least one of the girls that appears in the buff does not look old enough to be doing that kinda stuff.

3/10

It is becoming clear that all around the world about this time films featuring rape were becoming more acceptable. The degree to how explicit depending perhaps more on a particular country's censorship laws or whether the film was intended for mainstream audiences rather than on any particular national differences. Here, of course, any hint of pubic hair is blocked by a leaning motorcycle or image fogging. It is suggested that Japanese movies of this time may have become far more sexually violent than some because a simple sex film without showing any of the genital area left audiences a little bored. With it's origins in manga, this is the first of a series and features rape from the opening frames. Three bikers spend their time riding, laughing, paying their dues to the jakuza and seeking out rape. At least two of them do, there seems to be a suggestion that one of them is gay but this is passed over in the action. Extremely well shot, believable dialogue and fast moving. A little confusing now and again and a rather oblique ending but I seem to have said this before about Japanese films so it seems to go with the territory. Certainly the Japanese seem not to have much notion of the Western idea of how a film should finish leaving the customer smiling etc. Disturbing, thought provoking and excellent