Ocho arrives in Kobe, but no sooner does she get off the boat, the poor girl is shanghaied and strung up and stripped by a trio of lecherous thugs. They "examine" her, then drug her, and she wakes up with a knife in her hand next to a female corpse. Determined to track down her assailants, Ocho uncovers a gangland conspiracy involving serial murder, abducted women, drug running, and the attempted overthrowing of a yakuza gang that once helped her out.

The Ogi clan has a new leader since the old boss died and his daughter mysteriously disappeared. Former gang member Jyoji and Ocho suspect the gangs wrongdoing, and they both find evidence of this in the tangled details of the mob's debt and it's ties to the drug running scheme. Abducted prostitutes are made dependant on smack, blackmailed, and generally forced into smuggling the drugs. Ocho and Jyonji unite the prostitutes and plan a grand fight that will uncover the Ogi clan's wrongdoing and take them out for good.

Just as wonderfully sleazy and surreal as its predecessor, Female Yakuza Tale benefits from a multi-layered plot and colorful characters that are handled well by exploitation master director Terou Iishi.

In terms of b-films, Terou Iishi did it all, from superhero films, to biker flicks, yakuza films, sci fi, and was one of the first directors to really push the boundaries of Japan's looser content standards with his torture films like Joys of Torture. He handled gonzo with gusto, working with low budgets, stretching his limitations, and almost always aiming to please, dazzle, shock, and mystify. You need look no further than Female Yakuza Tale's finale which looks like Kill Bill's "House of Blue Leaves" sequence or any Chang Cheh teahouse fight scene done on about 1/16th of the production scale and a thousand times more lewd and meger budget innovative.

I enjoyed this sequel film much more than Sex and Fury, which is still a fine exploitation film. Whereas Sex and Fury relied on a threadbare plot and its sex scenes to tie picture together, the way Female Yakuza Tale buzzes along, the story, the characters, and general vibe is a little more cohesive and fun. It is constantly throwing things at you, from little inside jokes (like one aimed at the Female Convict Scorpion series), to the just plain obball. And really, I think that is all thanks to Iishi's serpentine skill behind the camera.

The DVD: Panik House

Picture: Anamorphic Widescreen. Like with their Sex and Fury release, Panik House does a great job mastering the film from original elements. This is an extremely clean transfer. Color details are nice and robust. Sharpness appears dead-on; there is some softness here and there, though that is due to low budget film making and some soft focus. The contrast is nice and deep with excellent shadow details. Even in the heavy black backdrop of the finale, the contrast is never grayed or pushed and the details remain nice and clear. Gorgeous.

Sound: Mono, Japanese language with optional English subtitles. Nice audio track which thankfully remains faithful to the original elements. No remastering here, none needed. The score is especially 70's cool. You'll get a driving funky walking bassline, even a flute or jews harp here and there, and, most of all, some excessive wah-wah guitar. Nice subtitle translation.

Extras: Slipcase— Original Trailer— Poster and Still Gallery— Director and Star Bios . While informative, one gripe I have is that pictures used in this section are obscured by text and are not included in the gallery section.— "Toei's Bad Girl Cinema" essay by Chris D.— Commentary by American Cinemateque programmer Chirs D. Well, an adequate job, though, as a huge cult film fan, I found a lot of the info to be pretty basic and Chirs D. repeats himself. Worth a listen once but not likely to be repeated.

Conclusion: I am extremely impressed with newbies Panik House. They have definitely put some effort into their very niche, pinky violence releases and deliver transfers that should have cult film fans grinning from ear to ear. Sex and Fury and Female Yakuza Tale come with my highest unashamed and vulgar-minded recommendation.