Rocketship Weird Retro Captain's Blog - Weird Retro

Bizarre Japanese "Tentacle" Commercial

21/1/2015

It's well documented that the Japanese have an odd fetish for tentacles. There is evidence going back to the Edo period, of artwork depicting sexual activity between women and tentacled sea creatures, usually an octopus, but squids get a look in too. Early illustrations include those for the 1814 novel, The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife, by the artist Hokusai Katsushika. But where this bizarre fetish for tentacles first started is anyone's guess. But it's there, and even in the mainstream.

This is a commercial shown on Japanese TV in the 1980s for an anti-fugal ointment for athletes foot, that eases itching. The product for the pharmaceutical company Fujisawa (フジサワ), was called (New) Piroesu (新ピロエース). And in there wisdom the advertising creatives in attempting to sell the product to the Japanese consumer, thought that replacing a fungus riddled foot with a bunch of clawing tentacles was a good idea.You can see as the poor old down-trodden Japanese housewife is on her knees trying to appease the beast, with the ointment. The creature pulls and grabs at her, mauling the poor woman, as it tries to slip a tentacle under her skirts. It must have had Tentacle Erotica fans reaching for a tissue when it was shown on TV in the 80s.

Weird Traditions: Dong Chim!

20/1/2015

Dong Chim (똥침) is a bizarre tradition, that is the bane of foreign teachers when they first arrive in South Korea. As many foreigners who go to teach in Korea start teaching in private after school academies or in schools, they find themselves suddenly and without warning being poked up the bum (with some force) by one of their innocent looking students. With a shout of "DONG CHIM!!!" Which translates as "poop needle". The tradition stretches over into Japan too, where it is called "Kanchō", which there translates as "enema!"

The tradition is so popular in South Korea, that they have even built a statue dedicated to the act. And there are a number of comic book characters, animations, and even stickers you can buy in the local DC Stores (discount stores)... All "dong chim" related. For both Koreans and Japanese, the practice is a mild and "inoffensive" form of prank, and an initiation rite for all foreigners who go to these countries to teach English. In Korea, the phrase "dong chim" is one of the first pieces of Korean that many teachers learn, soon followed by "하지 마" (Don't do it!)

It gets weirder, as in 2001 a arcade game manufacturer in South Korea released Boong-Ga Boong-Ga, a game based on the tradition. It was developed for the Japanese market (who else?!) The game has lower half of a human body, with its arse in the air, which players must ram their fingers up as hard a possible. The eight characters on screen that they must punish include, an ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend, the mother-in-law, a con-artist, a gangster, a gold-digger, a prostitute and... wait for it... A child molester!!!

The game also dispenses cards that rate the players on their "sexual behaviour", and for exceptionally adept players who perform the best "dong chim" the machine will dispense a small plastic trophy in the shape of a cute little pile of poop. See, I told you it would get weirder... But we are not finished just yet.

In April 2009, a bunch of around 20-30 people gathered in a central park in the middle of Seoul, to carry out a "dong chim" style flash mob. I was bored at work, I had some time on my hands, and so I decided it would be fun to organise the event. In the pouring rain, the brave souls all lined up one behind the other and carry out both a simultaneous "dong chim", followed by a domino effect, or as I called it "The Mexican Wave Dong Chim!" Oh how we laughed! And, the weirdest thing? This all seemed like a perfectly normal thing to do!

Horrors Of Malformed Men (1969)

18/1/2015

I was reading a post on a facebook Horror Movie group, and the question was asked, "What Horror Movie Came Out The Year You Were Born?" I didn't know the answer, so looked up horror movies made in 1969. There were quite a few Hammer Horrors, bad b-movies and bland movies that just didn't spark any interest. Then I came across this little beauty (or not as the case maybe).

Horrors of Malformed Men (江戸川乱歩全集恐怖奇形人間) is a 1969 Japanese film in the ero guro (erotic-grotesque) subgenre of the production company Toei's style of Pink film. Directed by Teruo Ishii, the movie is considered a precursor to Toei's ventures into the "Pinky violent" style in the early 1970s. A genre of film, that I have posted about before, in the article Sukeban: Japanese Girl Bosses & Girl Gangs. So anyway as I say it sparked my interest, and discovered a weird and creepy little gem of Asian horror. Not to everyone's taste, and a horror movie with a foot in surrealist art-house cinema. The narrative (for what it is) is purposely illogical.

Somewhere between tortuous nightmare and that moment of dream-like semi-lucidity, just before you awake. There's some much going in terms of possible influences, maybe too much to untangle. It's been said that there is influence of the Japanese novelist, Edogawa Ranpo. Stylistically there's a hint of Ingmar Bergman, and a soupçon of German Expressionism, but maybe I'm reading too much into it. It does own as much to European cinema traditions as it does Japanese. Well worth a watch for any fan of quality vintage Asian horror.

Cult Film Friday: Violated Angels (1967).

2/1/2015

A controversial cult film from Kōji Wakamatsu the auteur of the Pink Film genre of Japanese cinema. He has been credited with having taken exploitation cinema to a whole new level of surreal artistry. His early movies were extremely low budget art-house exploitation pieces, shot in stark black & white sometimes with sudden burst of colour, featuring extreme scenes of sex and violence, mixed with a political message. Often courting a lot of controversy.

Violated Angels (犯された白衣) is a one of Wakamatsu's most well regarded and known movies, Made in 1967, it is based on the killing spree of the mass murderer Richard Speck who in 1966 systematically tortured, raped, and murdered eight student nurses from the South Chicago Community Hospital. In the movie a young man breaks into a nurses' rooming house and kills them one-by-one. There is lots of sexual imagery in the movie, most of the actual murders however, take place off screen. The film was shot in just three short days, much of it seemingly improvised and using non-professionals actresses due to budget constraints. The movie is stark, an unrelentingly gloomy, claustrophobic set piece.

Utter misogynistic exploitation sleaze, presented with an undeniable sense of artistic sparse harshness, adding it the cold detached nature of the protagonist, setting stark blue-print for the future Pink Film genre of movies that would follow after it.

Weird Retro Fact: The Japanese delinquent Girl Boss culture, is examined, along its representation in the Pinky violence sub-genre of Pink Film, in Sukeban: The Japanese Girl Bosses & Girl Gangs.

Weird Retro Fact: Sexual violence is a regular feature of the Pink Film genre, and other aspects of Japanese entertainment culture. Read about the manga and movie fictional anti-hero called The Rapeman: The Weirdest Japanese Superhero?!

It's a KFC Christmas In Japan.

13/12/2014

In Japan Christmas isn't a nation holiday, but they have adopted the holiday in their own way. Back in December 1974, after a bunch of foreigners hit up a KFC Japan in search of chicken, because they couldn't get their beloved turkey dinner, KFC struck on an idea, KFC started a Christmas Chicken campaign. Thus over time eating Christmas Chicken became a fun little tradition in Japan.

The tradition became so popular that lines of people queued outside KFC restaurants across Japan, to get their fried chicken Christmas dinner. Some even pre-ordering their meal. As with South Korea, Christmas Day in Japan is treated more like a "couples day", akin to Valentine's Day. So what better a treat for your loved one than a bucket of fried chicken?

KFC have developed a special Christmas bucket that is only available in Japan, containing Christmas cake, and other traditionally Western Christmas food. KFC begins its Christmas campaign in October and added a "Party Barrel" and "Premium Christmas Pack" to its existing line-up over the festive season.

Retro Gaming: Chuck Norris Superkicks

29/11/2014

For some reason I can't fathom, Chuck Norris post are always really popular. So I thought I'd chuck out another one. (See what I did there?) Chuck Norris Superkicks (1983), was a cartridge based video game that was released on the Commodore 64, Commodore VIC-20, Atari 2600, and Colecovision platforms. Packaged as a "double-ender" (*snigger*) cartridge by XONOX.

The game was an early beat-'em-up style game. What else would it be with Chuck Norris's name attached to it? After the license to use his name the game was re-released under the title Kung Fu Superkicks. Which considering the game is set in Japan, the home of Karate and not China, the home of Kung Fu, it seems a bit of an over-sight. The manual stated. "You are 'Chuck Norris' trying to reach an ancient monastery to rescue a famous leader that is being held hostage. BEWARE!

Dangerous warriors lie in waiting to spoil your efforts to reach your goal. You begin your journey as a White Belt, the first belt in the sport of Karate. By defeating the attackers, scoring points, and learning new martial skills, you will earn each of the colored belts associated with the 'Tang Soo Do' style of karate. You must achieve the highest rank of all, the Black Belt, in order to reach and enter the monastery which is guarded by the fearsome NINJA assassins." Erm... A lot of mentions of "karate" in there, oh and "ninjas" hope they changed that in the manual when they renamed it Kung Fu Superkicks!!! Oh, and changed the country it was set to China!

Weird Retro Fact: The Captain's Blog post entitled Japanese Chuck Norris Action Sex Doll, is the most popular blog post to date on Weird Retro.

Weird Retro Fact: In the 1980s, not only did Chuck Norris lend his name to this game, but also the infamous Action Jeans. Read the brief history of Kickin' Action Jeans and Chuck's involvement.

Bizarre Profiles: Yoshihiro Tatsumi

26/11/2014

Japanese comic book artist who is widely credited with starting the gekiga (劇画) style of alternative adult comics in Japan, having first used the term in 1957. Many other artists have picked up and used the term gekiga (meaning "dramatic pictures"), rather than the more common term manga (meaning "whimsical pictures"). As with the advent of graphic novels over and above comic books in the West, artists like Tatsumi wanted to write about adult themes and make serious social commentary through the use of a panel based pictorial narrative. Usually drawn in a more realistic style than the often exaggerated style of manga comic books.

I first came across Tatsumi's work in the late 80s, with the publication of an anthology of some of his early work, Good-Bye And Other Stories (1988). The stories of the foibles of ordinary citizens living in the big cities of postwar Japan fascinated and enthralled me. Cramped living, the hustle and bustle of daily life on the streets, and how one person trapped in this "new" Japan can so easily get lost. How beneath the surface of saving-face and correct customs of behaviour, there was a quite corruption of the traditional way of life. How men who had been through the war in particular felt emasculated, out of place in an ever changing cityscape, lonely, emotionally detached and desperate for love and affection. It was these insightful works of Tatsumi that started my life-long interest in Japan, and in particular the hectic streets of growing Asian metropolises like Tokyo. The heart-wrenching stories life's daily grind were it turned out wonderfully rendered snippets of reality, as I would later discover for myself when I was fortunate enough to spend many years living South Korea and had the opportunity to visit Japan.

A Drifting Life (劇画漂流) is an autobiographical work of Tatsumi's, published in 2009. The book chronicles his life from 1945 to 1960 when he began submitting and publishing his style of adult themed comic books. In 2011 an animated drama was produced, based on A Drifting Life, as well as being interspersed with some of his short stories. These include Good-Bye and Just A Man, which also appear in the 1988 anthology.

Good-Bye is a heartbreakingly depressing story of an occupied and beaten Japan. Centred around a prostitute, and her dysfunctional relationship with her father scheming. How she in shunned by her community for going with American soldiers, sinking in alcoholism, in a fit of drunken madness she breaks the ultimate taboo with her father. Sending him on his way to disappear into the busy streets as just another man, with a final "Good-bye... Good-bye..."

Bizarre Profiles: Kiyoshi Yamashita (1922 - 1971)

11/11/2014

Kiyoshi Yamashita on Ebisubashi Bridge, 1955

Sometimes referred to as the Japanese Van Gogh, Kiyoshi Yamashita was an outsider artist who gained fame for his wanderings through Japan. During his travels he wore only a vest, which gained him the nickname The Naked General. As a 3 year-old child Yamashita suffered from an abdominal disorder which left him with brain damage. Spending time in institutions he discovered a skill for chigiri-e, a type of Japanese art involving sticking tiny pieces of coloured paper to a canvas.

Confined to life in an institution eventually he ran away in 1940, mainly to avoid the physical examination for recruitment into the Japanese Army. This was when he started his wanderings through Japan, which lasted into the 1950s. Eventually The system caught up with him in 1944, he was examined and found incapable of military service. The story of this period in his life was written in the Wandering Diary (1956). The famous image of Yamashita on Ebisubashi Bridge was taken during this period. Yamashita became a well known cultural figure in Japan. In 1958 a movie was made based on his life called The Naked General (裸の大将), and from 1980 to 1997 there was a popular TV series based on him.

Yamashita had an eidetic memory, which meant that he could recreated the entire scenes from memory after he returned home from his travels. Though he experimented with drawings, watercolor, and oil paintings, Yamashita made his mark with the Japanese art chigiri-e. Producing hundreds of works of art, that over the years have toured exhibitions across both Japan and Europe.

Sadly Yamashita died in 1971 from a cerebral haemorrhage aged only 49 years old. However his legacy lives on as one of Japan's most famous outsider artists.

Mount Fuji By Kiyoshi Yamashita. (Click to enlarge.)

Shindai: The Art Of Japanese Bed-Fighting (1966)

9/11/2014

Just when you thought you'd heard of every Japanese quirk and perversion... Shindai!!! The art of Japanese bed-fighting. With the tag-line "The most exotic, initimate Eastern eroticism ever revealed the the Western World", you could be mistaken for thinking that the book is showing readers a hidden world of Japanese sex.

The book it is claimed to be written by Ellen Schumaker and Tomi Nobunuga, described as Madam Nobunuga. Telling the secret martial bedroom art practiced between samurai warriors and geisha. However the book was actually a satirical joke claimed to have been invented by British humourist and hoaxer Jonathon Routh.

The book has done the rounds of the Internet for years, often mistakenly assumed to be genuine. However the myth still persists, and many websites posting about the book with slight disbelief but still not that surprised that such a bedroom based martial art could ever come from Japan. A testament to how well the book maintains its joke and how weird we all think the Japanese are.

Japanese Chuck Norris Action Sex Doll

7/11/2014

Produced by the Japanese toy manufacturer Bandai in 1982, the anatomically correct Chuck Norris action figure was always ready for "action". Chuck's action hero persona perfectly presented in pouting and posturing plastic. Complete with plastic penis to prove, as if we didn't know already, that Chuck has serious balls.

The figure came with a number of interchangeable outfits, to suit the hard-man's mood. From a kick-ass karate chopping peep-hole kimono to the infamous free-movement gusseted kickin' action jeans, replete with hunky hero ass-less chaps. Just what any rough tough action hero needs when getting down to business at a spit-and-sawdust roadhouse bar.

Sold under the strap-line "Brawling and balling! Chuck is ready for any bar-room or bedroom action." The Chuck Norris all-man action figure was brought out to coincide with the release of his movie Forced Vengeance (1982). An action revenge thriller set in Hong Kong.