Sukeban: Reiko Ike

April 27, 2020

Sukeban: Reiko Ike

Reiko Ike in Criminal Woman: Killing Melody (1973)

The Toei Pinky Violence wave lasted only a few brief years, but in that brief time a few stars shone bright. Everyone knows Meiko Kaji, largely thanks to the Lady Snowblood and Kill Bill films. There were other mega-stars that headlined a considerable filmography within that short wave too. One such star was Reiko Ike. She was just as prolific and powerful as Kaji, but gets unfairly overlooked.

Reiko Ike reigned supreme for those brief few years. Almost her entire filmography, minus a few bit parts in Fukasaku's films and the Hong Kong horror film, The Bedeviled (1975), were starring or supporting roles between 1971 and 1974. She headlined the Terrifying Girls' High School, Sukeban aka Girl Boss, the Inoshika Ocho saga (Sex and Fury and Female Yakuza Tale both from 1973), among several other films. From 1971-1974, Reiko appeared in 26 films.

Reiko with Bunta Sugawara in Cops vs. Thugs (1975)

My introduction to this cinematic icon was in the Toei classic, Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom (1973). Her presence was undeniable. The confidence and power that exuded off of her was infectious. I wanted to feel a quarter as powerful and confident as she was. Every time she was on-screen I knew I was witnessing an icon. Once I saw Ike in action, I knew I had to see everything else she did.

Reiko as Ocho in Sex and Fury (1973)

Her films were B-pictures but they weren’t the standard. Just like her contemporaries, she played badasses that fought the status quo and won. Charisma oozed off the screen, you can’t not be interested in what she’s doing. It was not just her presence. Lighter-skinned with a foreign look compared to her frequent co-stars, these helped her stick out from the rest of the Pinky Violence actresses. Fashionable and with her unique persona, Reiko was one of the most popular stars of her era. Even though she didn’t have an acting background, she was a natural in front of the camera. All this accompanied with that undefinable 'it' factor, there's no mistake that her career was exploded the way it did.

Reiko back-to-back with Miki Sugimoto

It didn’t matter the role, you always felt like no matter what she was the strongest, smartest, and smoothest in the room. Going from Ocho in Sex & Fury to Maki in Terrifying Girls’ High School: Lynch Law Classroom to Nami in Girl Boss Guerilla, she was always a force to be reckoned with. These weren’t just characters, they were complex people with a purpose. In her girl gang films, she was the boss, the sukeban (Japanese slang for girl boss), or a loner, not to be fucked with. You believed her strength. You want to join her gang and fuck up yakuza and rival gangs along side her.

B&W still from Criminal Woman: Killing Melody (1973)

How she into the film industry, is unclear. According to the Toei exploitation master, Norifumi Suzuki, and producer, Kanji Amao, they were at the Aoi Heya Club in 1971. Suzuki noticed 2 young women (according to him) - Miki Sugimoto and Reiko Ike. Suzuki and Amao were scouting for new talent and decided to take a chance on them. Also Suzuki wanted Ike in his words, “she was his main target, and he might as well talk to her friend.” The seduction went both ways, according to him. Suzuki was trying to establish himself as a bigger name and Reiko wanted to be in movies. His first impression of her was, “strong eye shadow and heavy make-up, vibrant red lips, big bust, smoking a cigarette.” She was 16 or 17. He was nearly 40.

Norifumi Suzuki

The other story is Reiko worked as a fashion and nude model, under different names and aliases. She was a popular model and worked her way up into films. Someone else brought her into the industry in this version, it’s not clear. She lied about her age but that was not public yet. Her listed birthdays vary. It’s either May 25, 1953, May 25, 1954, or June 25, 1954. 2 things were confirmed true though; her birth name is Reiko Ikeda and that there was something special about her. Was Suzuki a creep and predator...maybe? He claims he didn't know but I'm not sure what's true and what isn't. However, Reiko took advantage of the opportunity and took control of her new career.

Her first film was the kooky sexploitation pinku comedy, Onsen Mimizu Geisha aka Hot Springs Mimizu Geisha (1971), directed by the aforementioned Norifumi Suzuki and co-starring Miki Sugimoto. It was a part of the successful Hot Springs Geisha pinku series. Reiko was billed as porno actress. At the time, it was not a popular term in Japan and didn’t shock or even phase audiences. Not even Reiko or Miki had heard the term porno, it was that foreign. Mimizu was a hit but there was a problem. It got out that Reiko was underage. Suzuki and his crew had no idea, allegedly. He and Amao approached her and told her to always lie about her age. According to them she said whilst holding a Seventeen magazine, “don’t worry, don’t worry…I knew how to dress like an adult since junior high 3rd year. Women can lie with make-up, can’t they?” It didn't work and the truth got out.

There was the public outrage you’d expect but Toei saw the box office reaction. The controversy only made people want to go see it even more, Seemingly as soon it started, the controversy died. She and Miki Sugimoto rose to the top of the heap. They were in high demand and audiences wanted to see more of them together. The movie and content didn’t matter so long Miki and Reiko were positioned against each other. The formula was as followed - they are rivals, they fight to a stalement, they team up, and they win.

Reiko’s music career went the way of Icarus. Outside of the acting portion, the leading stars would sing their own theme songs. Immediate success was followed by being overshadowed by the newest fad. Her record company advised against doing more sexual roles and she left Toei in 1972. Miki became the new star. Later that year, Reiko had to return to Toei but there was a sea change.

Promotional shoot for Black Panther M (1974) aka Black Pantheress M, Black Panther Bitch, and Violence Sweeper M

She was the co-star, featured guest, supporting character but that didn’t mean she was not still a box office magnet. Her career flourished upon returning but according to Suzuki, she was in and out of Toei sporadically. The studio could rely on her (sometimes) but typically Miki was the lead. Even though Miki was always the star, she was not the main attraction. It was still the Reiko show. People would flock to these films until the fad was over.

Not all of her Toei output was of the girl gang/sukeban films, she dabbled in a few Edo set period films. The Ocho saga, Sex and Fury and Female Yakuza Tale, is a real highlight. In these, she was the wandering gambler and troublemaker Ocho. She’s not only clever but deadly and resilient. These sound like the Lady Snowblood films but predate them. The Ocho films are her peak. Ocho shows off her acting ability, sexuality, and brutality all in one. Each exploits the nudity and sexuality aspects but still tells the badass saga of Ocho. Like a lot of Toei's Pinky Violence, they're trying to have it both ways and succeeding to various degrees.

Reiko had small roles in a few Kinji Fukasaku (picture above) films.

Toei knew that the on-screen combo of her and Miki was not enough. Suzuki commented in an interview, that the on-screen rivalry was partially real. The producers would flip who got top billing on the promotional materials. The local theatres would switch who the top billed actress is day-to-day. Even Suzuki himself contributed to the frenzy. When interviewed about his films with Miki and Reiko, he’d praise one over the other. All this to egg on their rivalries to keep them in the public eye. Like every fad, it eventually faded.

By 1975, the Pinky Violence wave had crashed and Reiko didn’t transfer successfully into other areas of the film industry. Very few of the Pinky Violence stars transferred out into a further film career. Reiko did some TV and a few more movies, but she was done by 1980. She’s still alive but has stayed out of the public eye since the end of her film career. In 4 years, Reiko Ike turned into a superstar. She cranked out an impressive filmography that’s largely great or at least entertaining. She deserves to be celebrated as much as the other cult/exploitation film queens Meiko Kaji, Pam Grier, Soledad Miranda, and Tura Satana.

An album cover featuring Reiko

The problem with her films is availability. Some are on DVD outside of Japan but a notable chunk are not. You can find some in not-so-legal places but there is no guarantee of subtitles. Here are some of my favorites, some are NOT for the faint of heart but that doesn’t make them lesser films.

Sex & Fury (1973) - Region 1 and 2 DVDs from Panik House and Fabulous Films UK, and Amazon Video, previous review Here