Hiko Shoujo Yoko/Pretty Devil Yoko (1966) - Movie Release
Release: March 19, 1966
Genres: Drama, Crime, New Wave
Subtitle translation, timing, and editing: GEO9875
TW: Rape, drugs, suicide
Synopsis:
Easily bored, but still innocent and naive countryside girl (Mako Midori) discovers partying in Tokyo is a ton of fun. Yakuza-to-be (Ichiro Araki) is an acquaintance who tries to rape her, and the typically bland but very-good-here (Hayato Tani) the first boyfriend. Director Yasuo Furuhata (his first picture) lets his camera roll in trendy clubs amongst partying youngsters in a way that could've been out of 60s England or a Nikkatsu film. The film was inspired by an article in Life magazine (Volume 57, 1964) titled The Young Rebellion.
So, this is a pretty interesting release from me, and one that's definitely outside my usual wheelhouse. I've never subbed anything from the 1960s before, or worked on a black and white film for that matter. It also tackles much darker themes than what I usually do. I'll admit I'm no connoisseur of new wave cinema, though I've seen bits and pieces here and there. What drew me to this film in particular was my general interest in delinquent media, and the fact that it marks the directorial debut of Yasuo Furuhata. He's become one of my favorite Japanese directors, mainly thanks to his collaborations with the legendary Ken Takakura throughout the '70s, '80s and beyond (Railroad Man, Winter's Flower, Buddies, Choji Snack Bar) which I'm a big fan of. I hope to one day do a Takakura movie myself, but we'll see. So it feels genuinely rewarding to help bring this early piece of Furuhata's career to English speaking audiences.
Thankfully, Japanese captions were made available via the now-defunct JPTVclub tracker, which made tackling the translation a lot more feasible. The audio quality can be quite hard to make out at parts, so it saved me a lot of hassle from doing it by ear. Anyone into new wave cinema should find something to appreciate in this one. Enjoy!
Thankfully, Japanese captions were made available via the now-defunct JPTVclub tracker, which made tackling the translation a lot more feasible. The audio quality can be quite hard to make out at parts, so it saved me a lot of hassle from doing it by ear. Anyone into new wave cinema should find something to appreciate in this one. Enjoy!