Dusty Video Box Presents: The Ultimate Sukeban Gang Part Two

We continue with our installments of the ultimate gang of Japanese delinquent girls, lead by the Boss With The Cross, Noriko(played by Miki Sugimoto). I forgot to mention in the last post that Saki Asamiya's, the Sukeban Deka(or Deliquent Schoogirl Detective) links to the government via the Sukeban Deka program, would give the group some immunity from your typical Japanese authority figure. Thus, if they run into another girl gang trying to challenge them on their home turf, for example, they wouldn't have to worry about running from the cops. The cops would basically look the other way with this gang involved, and would even help them; after all, with this gang wiping out the competition, crime would become extinct soon enough!

So, let's continue in building this street-fighting force:

My fourth pick would be: Kyoko Nakamura, Marbles Okyo

Played By: Haruko Sagara


Application Status: My exposure to Marbles Okyo is even more limited than Saki Asamiya's. She is prominant in the 1987 Sukebandeka feature film, which essentially continues from the television series of the same name. Here, when introduced(or reintroduced initially in native Japan), she has become bored with her civilian life, and very eager to return to fighting criminals with Saki. She later assists in the mission to rescue two delinquent students from "Hell Castle", a horrific reform school on an island, where the students are being brainwashed to become sword-wielding soldiers.

Skills: They don't call her "Marbles" for her hairbob. Just as Saki is deadly with her yo-yo, Kyoko is a crack shot with marbles. That's right, marbles. In the film, she demonstrates her skill in the third act, laying out machine-gun-totin' soldiers with a flick of her fingers, and from miles away. Thanks to jaytiki on Youtube, here is a scene demonstrating how dangerous she is:

Paraphernalia: Just give her a bag of marbles. She'll go all Green Arrow and lay out buckets of goons for ya.


My fifth pick would be: Kyoko Kubo, Sappho of The Street

Played By: Seiko Saburi

Application Status: According to the ol' trusty Wikipedia, Sappho was an ancient Greek poetress, whose name and place of birth(Lesbos) has become synonymous with romantic love towards another woman. Remember in the early 1990s, when every comic company was putting together superteams like Lego blocks? Like, you had the powerhouse, or the big muscle guy, the speedster, the stoic leader, and the eye candy, the sexy female member? Well, in this line-up, Kyoko is the Temptress. Her skills are not for the battlefield, but for manipulation.

In Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom, Kyoko's skills shine best when she ambushes one of the main members of the school's peer disciplinary council in the bathroom, groping her erotically in the stall. For the wee ones tuning in, I'm not going to go into details, but let's just say after a few well-placed kisses, "Sappho" got what she wanted from the girl. Later, said girl is punished viciously...the punishment involved a light bulb and push-ups, and I won't go any further.

Skills: She's not call Sappho of the Street for nothin'. Her sexual charms and skill are potent enough to make one of the main disciplinary committee members temporarily turn against her crew to help her.

Paraphenalia: Her smile.


My sixth pick is: GoGo Yubari

Played By: Chiaki Kuriyama


Application Status: Wolverine. Sentry. Batman. Some comic superteams have those members that are so frightening, so crazy, that their fellow members go out of their way NOT to make eye contact with them. In this gang, Gogo Yubari, from Quentin Tarentino's Kill Bill saga, would fill that position. Gogo is nuts...as demonstrated in Kill Bill Volume One, she has no qualms with killing even innocent people, like the harmless drunk man in the bar that she slices open with a katana. She's fearless as well, challenging the Bride(Uma Thurman) to a battle, despite the fact that the blonde warrior had demonstrated her sword skill.

Skills: Gogo seems to demonstrate some martial art skills in her battle with the Bride, as well as skill with the meteor hammer and the katana. Her most dangerous skill, however, is her penchant for ultraviolence and her blood-thirstiness.

Paraphanelia: To be honest, while she wields the meteor hammer in the movie, I would rather see her use the katana. I can picture her going into a beserker rage against the gang's enemies, and Noriko having to calm her down...

Well, two installments down, and maybe one or two to go...I don't know, I'm having fun. Feel free to comment, exploitation hounds!

It Came From The Video Store!: Cheerleader Ninjas

Where do you go to find religious mothers trying to take over the Internet with pictures of the Pope? Or clashes between ninja cheerleaders and trashy Catholic schoolgirls? Or geeks in assorted Starfleet and Star Wars uniforms, who drink William Shatner Beer and sing one of the funniest songs known to B-movie kind? Or sex symbol Kira Reed, naked except for a blue cheerleader skirt and a smile? Welcome to the world of Cheerleader Ninjas.

The Front Row: Four cheerleaders from Happy Valley High, home of the Hamsters(with trademark Hamster-Cam...you have to see the movie to get what I'm talking about), are targeted by a band of fanatical Christian ladies, who see them as the main reason for the "smut" that dominates the Internet. The leader of the quartet, Angela(Angela Brubaker), and her band battle sexy Catholic schoolgirls led by a former gay male cheerleader who seeks revenge. And oh yeah, a villain behind the scenes known as Mr. X seeks to upload a virus onto the Internet, turning everyone into zombies.

Box of Whoppers(The Delicious): This movie throughly enjoys its B-movie trappings, including many hilarious scenes, and one of the greatest songs I've ever heard, sung by Maverick and his crew of nerds.

Sticky Floors(The Nasty): If you're not into sexual or toilet humor, this might not be for you.

Concession Stand(Where to Buy): You can see it here, on Hulu.

See Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVlZVMiPcgk

Dusty Video Box Presents: The Ultimate Sukeban Gang Part One

If you don't know by now, I'm a huge fan of "B"-movies. I'm talking about those movies, back in the day, that were always on such wonderful cable television shows such as TNT's "Monstervision" or USA's "Up All Night". Let's face it, the term "B-movie" spans a huge chasm, ranging from the exploitation/drive-in movies of the 1950s,60s, and 70s, to the direct-to-video market that still is raging now days.

In a roundabout way, this brings me to the subject of this entry. While I was doing research for one of my novel projects, I happen to stumble upon a gem at a video store that I fell in love with instantly. The Japanese film, made in 1973, was titled Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom. It starred the lovely Miki Sugimoto(who would later star in the ONLY good Zero Woman movie, Zero Woman: Red Handicuffs) as the awesome Boss With The Cross, who leads a group of girls to rebel against the manipulative authority figures of their school. I would later learn that this movie was known as a pink film - Japanese exploitation films with softcore porn elements. And just like America has hot biker chicks in exploitative biker films, pink films would feature sukeban protagonists.

A Sukeban is a Japanese term for a "delinquent school girl leader" or "Girl Boss". Essentially, its a title, similar to Captain...i.e., the leader of a group of delinquent school girls. For example, in one of my other favorite pink films, Girl Boss Revenge:Sukeban, Japanese Yakuza approach a gang and asks about the whereabouts of their sukeban(Miki Sugimoto starred in this one...although her gang is not as memorable or larger-than-life then in Lynch Law Classroom).

Sukeban characters permeate much of Japanese media. For example, Kino Makoto/Lita of Sailormoon has the traits of a Sukeban...she's fiesty, tough, and was rumored to have been kicked out of her old school for fighting(funny thing: wouldn't the Sailor Team be considered a gang?). Besides the Boss with the Cross, another of my favorite sukeban characters is Saki Asamiya, from Sukebandeka. Basically, she was this delinquent schoolgirl, who is taken in by the government and forced to fight crime by infiltrating high schools and fighting criminals.

So, this leads me to...what is the point of this article? Well, haven't you ever wanted to make your own team of adventurers for your own film? Or sports fans, maybe you always wanted to make your own dream team of players? Well...this is my dream gang of deliquent girls, lead by the ultimate sukeban...The Boss With The Freakin Cross.

So, without further adieu, let's begin:

My Sukeban of this gang would be: The Boss With The Cross:

Played by: Miki Sugimoto

Application Status: Earning her way as Sukeban of the gang, the Boss With The Cross or Noriko, in the film Lynch Law Classroom, purposely tries to steal a car, and smacks the owner when he catches her in the act, just to be sent to the delinquent school where the story takes place. Her reason? To get revenge on a peer student commitee set to control the populace with fear; they killed the second-in-command of her gang.

Skills: Noriko proves to be very tough and fearless, shouldering the torture of her newfound gang when they are caught by the commitee. This involves electric shock torture...with the ends placed in her unmentionables. She also proves to be an inspirational leader, initially forming a gang of five(with such common names as Junko the Junker, Sappho of the Street, and Razor-Blade Remi) and later inspiring the school to rise up and revolt against their masters.

Paraphenilia: Definately the awesome tattoo on the upper part of her right leg. That's cool stuff.




My second pick would be: Aki, The Water Assassin:

Played By: Sasa Handa(The girl in the center)

Application Status: If you haven't seen the awesome Attack Girls' Swim Team Versus The Undead, exploitation hounds, you're missing quite a crazy bundle of fun. Basically, check out my earlier post on it. Anyway, in the movie, Aki...and I'm not kidding here...is a "water assassin"...basically, she was trained by this perverted guy to...swim really good and kill in the water. And btw, I haven't mentioned how the guy can erotically subdue her with a flute. It's...er quite a sight to see(did I also forget to mention that Sasa is a Japanese porn actress?)

Skills: Aki proves she's a force to be reckoned with: taking on a ruler-wielding zombie math teacher with only a bat and a sneer, battling her perverted trainer with swim team paraphenalia like bladed swimming fins, nose-clip throwing stars, and a sexy swimsuit, and polishing off her final foe with a very, very well-placed laser gun hidden where the sun doesn't shine.

Paraphanelia: Sexy swimsuit, bladed swimming fins, nose-clip throwing stars, and a metal bat. And you thought Batman was bad, with all of his bat-themed weapons...


My third pick would be: Saki Asamiya, The Sukeban Deka

Played By: Yoko Minamino(who seems a lot nicer than the anime version...)

Application Status: My exposure to Sukeban Deka or Delinquent Schoolgirl Detective is limited somewhat; I was exposed to the character originally through the OVA(original video animation) and later, the awesome(imo) 1987 feature film. Either way it goes, Saki is a tough cookie in any form; in the anime, she was a real hardcase, but in the movie, she's not only kicking butt with a yo-yo, but she's Power Rangering the baddies as well! I would have used the recent Saki, but I decided to stick with the 1987 version; apparently, just like the Phantom, the name of Saki Asamiya is a role passed down to any deserving delinquent girl that the government needs to root out criminals in Japanese high schools.

Skills: Besides vague superhuman skills(such as leaping in the air, sentai-style, against the main villian in the movie), Saki is mighty tough, taking torture without batting an eye, standing up to gun-wielding helicopters...and bring that mofo down with a yo-yo. That's right, her trademark weapon is a yo-yo, which comes with a hidden badge. To gain the assistance of the authorities, she often opens the yo-yo up and displays said badge, which also gives her the power to arrest criminals.

Paraphenlia: The yo-yo. She can do more than "walk the dog" with it, once drilling a hole inside a man with it(see the 1987 movie, if you don't believe me!)