An Evening with Actress Anne Mari

Anne Mari. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I just returned from a special event with actress Anne Mari, the focus of which was her work in Nikkatsu's erotic thriller Zankoku onna joshi (1970). 

Mari-san appears in episode 32 of Ultraman (1966-67), episode 34 of Ultra Seven (1967-68), episodes 11 and 12 of Mighty Jack (1968), and episodes 16 and 17 of Kamen Rider (1971-73). However, in the West, her biggest credit is her starring role in Seijun Suzuki's Branded to Kill (1967). She can also be seen in The Killing Bottle (1967).

About The Killing Bottle, Mari-san said that director Senkichi Taniguchi was a nice person but a strict director. It was a lot of fun spending the evening with Mari-san, who is very friendly and open-minded. I certainly hope to have the chance to meet her again soon.

A WILD DAY FOR WILD 7! Actors from Wild 7 and Strada 5 Join Forces in Tokyo!

Shinya Ono, Yusuke Koike, Anne Mari, and Tatsuhito Go share the stage at Nakano Sun Plaza. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

I enjoyed attending a special Showa Hero event on the 15th floor of Nakano Sun Plaza. The event reunited cast members from the action series Wild 7 (1972-73) and Strada 5 (1974).

Anne Mari poses for photos. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Shinya Ono was a regular on both series. Tatsuhito Go was a regular on Strada 5 and appeared in episodes of the series Jekyll and Hyde (1973) and Zone Fighter (1973) and is credited with appearing in Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (1971). Yusuke Koike regularly appeared on Wild 7, among many other movie and TV roles.

 Meeting Tatsuhito Go.

The guest I was most interested in meeting, however, was Anne Mari. Anne Mari inspired the naming of Yuriko Hishimi's character in Ultra Seven "Anne Yuri." She appears in the Toho caper The Killing Bottle (1967) with Nick Adams, Kumi Mizuno, and a bevy of other Toho stars. She acted in several notable Nikkatsu films, particularly the international cult flick Branded to Kill (1967).

With Shinya Ono. 

In Japan, Anne Mari is best remembered for her guest appearances in Ultraman (1966-67) and Ultra Seven (1967-68). She can also be spotted in Mighty Jack (1968), Kamen Rider (1971-73), and Unbalance (1973). In addition to all that, she was a regular on Wild 7.

Meeting Anne Mari, an actress familiar to Toho, Tsuburaya, and Nikkatsu fans. 

All the guests were wonderful and very friendly. Anne Mari signed a couple of Ultra-books I brought. I told her I enjoyed The Killing Bottle, which prompted her to shake my hand and talk a bit about her role.

With Yusuke Koike.

Ms. Kojima produced another great event, and I cannot wait for the next one. I always enjoy meeting movie actors and actresses whenever I have the chance. Many thanks to everyone involved!

THE KILLING BOTTLE! Toho's Long Lost Spy Adventure Is Lost No More!

I recently had the privilege of watching the third Toho movie the late Nick Adams made for the studio, The Killing Bottle (1967). The fifth and final installment in Toho's International Secret Police series, The Killing Bottle was directed by Senkichi Taniguchi (The Lost World of Sinbad) and stars Tatsuya Mihashi (The Human Vapor), Kumi Mizuno (Monster Zero), and Makoto Sato (Message from Space), Akihiko Hirata (Godzilla), Yoshio Tsuchiya (Battle in Outer Space), and Jun Tazaki (Atragon).

Having aired on cable TV in Japan recently, I was able to see the film for the first time, and I'd like to offer a few initial thoughts. Here goes. 

According to Toho's English-language sales materials, the Prime Minister of Buddhabal (Jun Tazaki) is the target of an assassination by the underworld organization ZZZ, who have already offed an International Secret Police (ISP) agent investigating the ring. Their weapon of choice: the killing bottle! Once opened, the killing bottle dispenses a shaving cream-like substance that overwhelms its victims until they've expired. 

Can ISP agents John Carter (Nick Adams) and Kitami (Tatsuya Mihashi) work together, in tandem with the somewhat mysterious Lady X (Kumi Mizuno), to keep the Prime Minister alive? If all this sounds rather serious, then I've probably stuck to the official Toho synopses I've read a little too closely. For the most part, The Killing Bottle is a goofy spy thriller that seems to parody James Bond more than imitate him. Though there are moments of seriousness, they seem out of place in a movie that's mostly all about having fun.

I mean, just look at Jun Tazaki! Doesn't he look like he's having the greatest time in the world? It's amazing that any organization would want to take down this leader. Who wouldn't want this guy in charge? Tazaki's Prime Minister can be seen riding the teacups (!), operating a motorboat, and having a blast on a roller coaster -- all while the nefarious members of ZZZ try to eliminate him.

For the most part, The Killing Bottle is an amusing entertainment, but Taniguchi's direction sometimes lets the film drag, and some of the killing scenes are handled a little too darkly for the less-than-serious subject matter. The movie seems to forget its generally silly tone during some of the sequences involving agent John Carter and Ken Hayata (Makoto Sato) which seem like they belong in an entirely different movie.

Despite these criticisms, I think The Killing Bottle is overall a good film and worth checking out. I would love to see it subtitled sometime, but the film's action is broad enough that subtitles are not all that necessary for a non-Japanese to enjoy it.