 She's a little bit of this, a little bit of that. 
Above is a Toho Company promo photo of Rika Aoki made for Konketsuji Rika, known in English as Rika the Mixed-Blood Girl, released today in 1972. Though the promo is copyrighted by Toho, that was the distribution company. Kindai Eiga Kyokai actually made the film, which tells the tale of a half-Japanese half-black gang leader who deals—violently—with a lot of very bad men. It was part of a Rika trilogy, of which we've seen installments one and three. This promo reminds us to check out the third.
 Get ready for two 45 shots right between the ears.  
We ran across these 45 record sleeves of kick-happy Japanese action star Rika Aoki to add to the collection of images we've already shared. The first record has a tune called, “Rika the Girl,” on the A, and “Rika My Girl,” on the flipside. The second record, on which she collaborated with an artist known as Alphard, has, “A Wandering Trip Alone,” on the A (by the way, a very poetic title, we think), and, “No Nameless Zeni,” on the flip. Forget the music—just dig her danger shirtdress. But if you must hear it, try here and here. No guarantees. People who normally listen to very good music are at high risk of serious side effects from listening to J-pop. These may include nausea, dizziness, vomiting, explosive diarrhea, and suicidal thoughts. In rare cases listening to J-pop can induce brain bleeds and pulmonary failure. The worst side effect could be realizing you like J-pop. Consult your physician about whether you are in robust enough condition to consume J-pop.
 Rika Aoki has plenty of fight left in her. 
This poster was made to promote the pinku film Konketsui Rika, aka Rika the Mixed-Blood Girl, which premiered today in 1972 starring Rika Aoki. We showed you another high kicking promo for the same film a while back. See that and our write-up on the movie here.
 Mess with her and she’ll put you straight to sleep. 
Doubling up on the movie posters today, we also have this great Japanese sheet for Konketsuji Rika: Hamagure komoriuta, released in English as Rika 3: Juvenile’s Lullaby. Directed by Kôzaburô Yoshimura, Rika 3 caps off the Rika the Amerasian trilogy by following the heroine’s exploits as she tries to save her friend from sexual predators intent on making her the lead in a porno film. These pinku plots are never simple, but that’s the main thrust here. There’s some expounding upon racial matters. For instance, we see that, like in America, in Japan being half black biologically makes you 100% black as far as the prevailing racist culture is concerned, but that’s nothing we didn’t already know. We were more interested in the action, but much of it is played for laughs, like when we see Rika beat the shit out of some guys with what must be the world’s sturdiest baguette. They’re in good company. Virtually every man in the movie ends up laid out like a stunned carp (see below), but they all have it coming for being so mean and rapey. Rika 3 isn’t a great pinku, but it’s worth a look for fans of the genre. The women are smart and tough, and the heroine comes out on top. Which is the whole point, as far as we’re concerned. Konketsuji Rika: Hamagure komoriuta premiered in Japan today in 1973. You can check a trailer here.
             
 Never mess with a woman in a jumpsuit. 
This is the poster on which yesterday’s high-kicking image of Rika Aoki found a home, promoting Konketsuji Rika, aka Rika the Mixed-Blood Girl. In the film Aoki is the offspring of one of the American G.I.s who raped her mother, suffers the loss of her own virginity to a rapist, and is a product of constant physical abuse. Thus we have the two crucial ingredients needed for a pinku movie: a woman who really hates men, and men who really deserve whatever she does to them. The plot behind all the bloody mayhem involves her trying to save her gang of delinquent girls, who have been captured by crooks planning to sell them as sex slaves to American soldiers in Vietnam. Aoki gives a game performance, but she doesn’t radiate the pure heat a movie like this could use at its center. However, she does have the physical size needed to make her destruction of the evil men seem realistic, and in general the movie has enough blood, bullets, blades, and girl-fights to please fans of the genre. As a bonus for fashionistas, Aoki wears some sick jumpsuits. But if you dress like her, you better be able to kick ass. Konketsuji Rika, which was based on a manga comic and is the first film of what would become a trilogy, premiered in Japan today in 1972.
          
 Kicking up her heels. 
This great image of pinku actress Rika Aoki was featured on the poster for her first movie, 1972’s Konketsuji Rika, which for its English language release was called Rika the Mixed-Blood Girl. With a title like that we couldn’t pass it up, so we’ve located a copy and we’re watching it tonight. We’ll report back tomorrow.
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The headlines that mattered yesteryear.
1941—Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor
The Imperial Japanese Navy sends aircraft to attack the U.S. Pacific Fleet and its defending air forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. While the U.S. lost battleships and other vessels, its aircraft carriers were not at Pearl Harbor and survived intact, robbing the Japanese of the total destruction of the Pacific Fleet they had hoped to achieve. 1989—Anti-Feminist Gunman Kills 14
In Montreal, Canada, at the École Polytechnique, a gunman shoots twenty-eight young women with a semi-automatic rifle, killing fourteen. The gunman claimed to be fighting feminism, which he believed had ruined his life. After the killings he turns the gun on himself and commits suicide. 1933—Prohibition Ends in United States
Utah becomes the 36th U.S. state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution, thus establishing the required 75% of states needed to overturn the 18th Amendment which had made the sale of alcohol illegal. But the criminal gangs that had gained power during Prohibition are now firmly established, and maintain an influence that continues unabated for decades. 1945—Flight 19 Vanishes without a Trace
During an overwater navigation training flight from Fort Lauderdale, five U.S. Navy TBM Avenger torpedo-bombers lose radio contact with their base and vanish. The disappearance takes place in what is popularly known as the Bermuda Triangle.
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