Japan 2003
Dir: Hiroyuki Kawasaki
Starring: Mashiro, Tomotake Shigematsu, Yoko Satomi, Takahiro Nomura, Miyuki Konno, Hiroyuki Kawasaki.
DVD Released: 1st June 2010
Cert: NR
Running Time: 61 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Non-Anamorphic NTSC
Audio: Japanese DD2.0, Japanese 5.1 Surround
Subtitles: English
Distributor: Pink Eiga
Region: 0 NTSC
The Film:
In 16th Century Japan rival clans Iga and Fuma fight it out for control of the Shogunate. Having come across some info about the illegitimacy of the Iga Shogun's heir the leader of the Fuma clan is unceremoniously killed by Hattori Hanzo and his ninja assassins. Fuma's head ninja survives however and sets out to avenge his master's death and, er, shag his daughter if he gets a chance. Yes it's Pink Eiga's take on the traditional Japanese samurai/ninja flick crossed with a female revenge thriller so don't worry about the boring old plot. The standard silly ninja magic tricks are dialled up to eleven and given an erotic spin; 'Ninja Arts: Hypnotic Kiss' proclaims one naughty ninja as he delivers a mesmerising smooch. But that's nothing compared to the 'Ninja Arts: Venus Flytrap' technique, think Goldeneye's Xenia Onatopp, only a bit more hardcore, ouch! This is the art of Kunoichi you see, highly trained female warriors who practise the mystical Sexual Ninja Arts. They answer only to mascara wearing lethal ladyboy Hattori Hanzo - a sick little freak that gets his jollies S&M style, hypnotising women into assassinating their lovers "She's my sexual assassin and she doesn't even know it" he cackles.
It's another over the top, bizarre entry in the Pink Eiga series that I've come to know and love, well, bravely endure anyway. This one is somewhat lacking in tongue-in-cheek humour however and suffers for that. It's a very po-faced and serious period piece with all the funnies coming from the absurd sexual martial arts on display rather than the performances. That said it is only around 60 minutes in length (as is the norm for Pinkies) so it barrels along at a good pace and doesn't really get a chance to outstay it's welcome. The sheer variety and versatility of filmmaking apparent in these little flicks continues to surprise me almost as much as the weird sexual shenanigans on display. Shot in just 3 days this apparently was the very first lady ninja/samurai Pink Eiga and it spawned an entire sub-genre of imitators, I'm not sure I'd seek them out in abundance but I'd certainly like to see a couple more released on this label.
Watch out for the truly outstanding 'Ninja Arts: Honeypot Hell' technique, it'll take your breath away, literally!
The Disc:
If you've seen any of Pink Eiga's previous releases then you know what to expect here - it's another soft and altogether ropey 1.85:1 non-anamorphic transfer with hard-matted English subtitles. Standard servicable 2.0 Japanese language audio mix plus a very similar 5.1 mix.
Here's where Pink Eiga shine though - Extras:
Introduction to the film with Director Hiroyuki Kawasaki and Actress Yoko Satomi - a short, 4 minute, intro in which the couple briefly discuss their working relationship and making Ninja Pussy Cat.
Interview with Actress Yoko Satomi - a 13 minute conversation with the charming Miss Satomi in which the veteran of over 100 Pink Eiga flicks (since 1998) candidly talks about her start in the business, her previous roles and eventually her experiences on the set of Ninja Pussy Cat.
Interview with Director Hiroyuki Kawasaki - a 15 minute chat with Kawasaki that takes us on an exhaustive look at his career in Pink Eiga (21 straight to DVD and 2 theatrical flicks) also discussed is his time as an actor and his role as the self-proclaimed master of lady ninja movies.
Text based bios about the actors and director, an original theatrical trailer, photo gallery and a trailers for the rest of Pink Eiga's catalogue.
Review by Giuseppe Rijitano
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