Jitsuroku onna kanbetsusho: sei-jigoku a.k.a. Sex Hell , True Story of a Woman in Condemned: Sex Hell

Directed by Koyu Ohara

Cast: Hitomi Kozue, Meika Seri, Maya Hiromi, Rie Ozawa, Tatsuya Hamaguchi

The Japanese Studio Nikkatsu were the masters of Roman Porno and Pink Eiga so it made sense they would jump into the Women in Prison genre seeing a resurgence from Toei studio’s Female Convict Scorpion series adapted from the popular Tooru Shinohara Manga. Director Koyu Ohara (Fairy in a Cage, White Rose Campus: Then Everyone Get’s Raped) doesn’t have the filmmaking chops of Shunya Ito but he sure has some horny ambitions for True Story of a Woman in Jail: Sex Hell.

Mayumi (Hitomi Kozue) channels her best Meiko Kaji pose as the prison new fish who has been incarcerated for killing her boyfriend’s wife or maybe mistress. Dunno. With the so-so accurate Video Search of Miami subtitles, it was hard to comprehend. Anyway, once in the joint she runs up against queen bee Hiromi. This is where the majority of the short lived conflicts arise. The Ida Lupino classic Women’s Prison (1955) set the genre convention of Warden and Prison being the antagonist, a major plot point in the Scorpion series, not so much here. There are a few horny guards but they seem to be lending more of a helping penis to this grabby bag of horny women. Lesbian action is the reason this film was made and there is plenty of grinding, rubbing, home made dildos and close-up nipple fights to please any girl on girl enthusiast. Occasionally the film flashbacks to outside the prison walls not to help drive the convoluted back stories but to inject some ugly men into the softcore shenanigans. There are plenty of the requisite catfights, an escape and some good old fashioned revenge thrown in the mix. For those uninitiated with Japanese sex films, shocks will probably be had with the sheer volume of bowel movement and menstrual blood scenes. Ohara seems to be particularly fascinated with urine and is quick to throw in a golden shower any chance his script presents the opportunity. We’re even given a chop sokey miscarriage scene as a bonus.

While pretty mediocre in the grand scheme of things, TSOAWIJ:SH does move along at a good clip. Actress Hitomi Kozue is quite stunning and all the ladies display much better acting chops than International competitors would require. Since pubic hair and genitals are a no-no, I’ve always found the most enjoyable part of the Nikkatsu softcore films to be the innovative ways they hide privates through creative camera angles. You get some pretty interesting ones but nothing on the level of Wife to be Sacrificed (1974). One clever scene that must have had the censors screaming, involves a gang of lusty lessies plucking our heroine’s pubic hair one follicle at a time. Ribald stuff for the Japanese. It’s all harmless enough and you could do worse. The matter of fact ending involving a prostitute snitch is unique and quite good.

Everyone would return for True Story of a Woman in Jail Continues (1975)