At times like this I really miss my old DVD collection. It was a transitional time in my life and I little room for my other pastimes growing up, and before I knew it, physical media became a new vice. That pivot eventually brought me to the work of Kazuhiko Yamaguchi whose work on three of the four Sister Street Fighter films with Etsuko Shihomi further changed my life and interests in film.
It’s been decades, however, since I had those films in my reach after my old DVD suitcase suddenly disappeared on me, so to get in front of some of Yamaguchi’s other work years later feels like a blessing. This, auspiciously, brings us Yamaguchi’s two-part Wandering Ginza Butterfly Collection which is currently available at Arrow Video, and starring none other than Meiko Kaji who continues to get her flowers to this day as a living screen legend.
Releasing in 1972, Kaji leads the story of Nami, an ex-con who returns to her hometown of Ginza three years later. Upon searching for a woman named Saeko who had been vying for her early release, her ostensible quest also sees her landing a job as a hostess where she manages to eke out a living, while ultimately forced to confront her violent past.
We later learn that the town’s most notorious crime bos, Owada, is setting his sights on Madame Kayo’s Club Bronco where Nami works, having taken on Kayo’s debt in order to strongarm her. The impasse sets the stage for a showdown where Nami puts her carom skills to the test in a game to help Kayo keep her club and her girls.
At just under ninety minutes, Wandering Ginza Butterfly makes for a fine presentation from Yamaguchi with Kaji at the forefront. The cast is also amazing with performances by Tsunehiko Watase in the role of Ryuji, a pimp who Nami befriends upon returning home to her uncle’s billiard hall. We also have Tatsuo Umemiya in the role of Shin, a conartist who is already on the run from gangsters when we first meet him on the same train Nami is on.
Koji Nanbara takes center stage as Owada, whose penchant for dirty tricks never falls short of expectations. For these aspects and more, you can imagine how things play out in a classic 70s Japanese crime tale with the steely-eyed Kaji in the spotlight.
The saga continues in Wandering Ginza Butterfly 2: She-Cat Gambler with Kaji returning in the title role and a cast that also joins her with the legendary Sonny Chiba. The story here ventures into somewhat newer territory with the role of Nami in something of a reinvention based on a past Toei property, and it certainly shows if you’re a Junko Fuji fan.
Wandering Ginza Butterfly 2: She-Cat Gambler follows Nami as she returns to Ginza, having befriended a prostitute named Hanae who she rescues in a bittersweet reunion with her father. As it stands, the incident brings her in the sights of a Yakuza gang looking to make up for its lost profit, particularly by trying to coerce her into serving their company where she can put her legendary gambling skills to use.
What follows, however, is an unexpected twist in an otherwise ostensible search for the man responsible for murdering Nami’s father. Revelations surface, betrayal and tragedy collide and all that’s left for Nami is revenge!
Indeed the sequel shares the same thematic space and aesthetics as the first; Prostitution, gambling and misogyny are the go-tos for all sorts of neon-lit misbehavior, taking on a life of its own as the backdrop for our wayward heroine whose fashion sense is prominently on point as her poker face and sincerity. Nami continues to be a force of nature in this sequel, always unmoved no matter what unstoppable forces are in the room.
Not to be overlooked of course is Chiba who plays Ryuji, a hapless would-be pimp and gambler himself who lands in arrears during a game until Nami graciously comes to his aid. The role is one of Chiba’s more comical turns on screen and he nails it as well as he usually does, bringing nuance and balance to a character who eventually ends up side by side with Nami in their shared quest for retribution.
Other notable supporting roles include Shingo Yamashiro in another amusing add-on for the film as Nami’s volunteer subordinate, Monjiro, as well as Toru Yuri as Ryuji’s partner, Smokey; Yuri also makes an appearance as a Club Broncho patron in the first film.
What I love most about the second film is how well it carries samurai archetypes over to that of the wandering gambler heroine. Nami is a ronin in that sense – she’s human and as troubled as anyone else, but bodes excellently with a brand of cool that’s as admirable as you’d expect when the circumstances call for it, and when they do, you don’t want to be at the proverbial business end of her resolve, whether it’s at the end of her blade, her revolver, or whatever else she’s got up her kimono.
The action is a terrific feature in these films as well in benefit to the storylines of both films, while the cinematography of the action scenes have their share of hits and misses. Clear and steady camerawork make some moments watchable while other moments are hampered by shaky handheld shots, something I could never get my eye used to in Sister Street Fighter 2: Hanging By A Thread which Yamaguchi directed a few years later. If it’s not much of a dealbreaker for you, you’ll be pleased with the end result.
Both films are available from Arrow Video as The Wandering Ginza Butterfly Collection which comes packed with a lean and substantive slate of features, including two separate commentary tracks, firstly by Patrick Macias and Matt Alt, and secondly by Chris D., and both tracks are included on the first movie of the disc. I did get around to listening to some of Macias and Alt and found it to be an easy, fun and informative listen to some excellent trivia about the cast and production as a whole.
Interestingly enough, there’s no commentary work done for the sequel, which makes sense why Macias and Alt continue regaling all things Wandering Ginza Butterfly 2: She-Cat Gambler in a separate feature dubbed “Back To Back In The Yakuza Multiverse” which runs about 21 minutes. The next feature afterward, “Genre Mill Memories,” is an interview with Yamaguchi himself which tracks about 37 minutes as he looks back on his career, working with Meiko Kaji, and more, while Japanese action and pink cinema expert J-Taro Sugisaku lends an appreciation video at 11 minutes for Kaji in “Butterfly And Scorpion”.
The disc rounds out with trailers for both films. It’s a worthwhile buy for anyone who’s ever loved Yamaguchi’s work, or Meiko-chan for that matter. The first time I’d seen her work was on Digital with the Lady Snowblood movies about nine years ago, and I’ve been in love ever since. If you’re like me and want some more Meiko-chan in your life, buy your copy of The Wandering Ginza Butterfly Collection at mvdshop.com.