Gang leader Nami (cult film legend Meiko Kaji) kills a member of a yakuza group and goes away to prison. Upon her release three years later, she’s a shamed woman confined to living in the shadowy world of sex clubs and street gangs. She returns to the city to live with her uncle, a billiard-hall owner, and after befriending pimp and ne’er-do-well Ryuji (Tsunehiko Watase), she gets a job working at a hostess club in the chic Ginza neighborhood, where the expensive shops and neon lights conceal a dark world of crime and sexual slavery. But when a rival gang attempts to muscle in on the club, Nami becomes enmeshed in a violent struggle that forces her to wield a skilled pool cue to defend her uncle’s business, and eventually a short sword to wreak bloody vengeance upon her enemies.
Directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
3.5 / 5
Where to Watch
Cast
Meiko Kaji
Nami
Tsunehiko Watase
Ryûji
Akiko Koyama
Kayo
Flower Meg
Yuka
Tomiko Ishii
Kyôko
Yayoi Watanabe
Rieko Maruyama
Kayako Sono
Tōru Yuri
Shun Ueda
Matasaburô Niwa
Gen Shimizu
Crew
Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
Director
Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
Screenplay
Popular Reviews
1 review
Jc Du Plessis
8.0★ · 09/16/25
Meiko kaji stars as an ex gang member returning to her hometown where she starts to right her wrongs but the yakuza get in the way when helping someone. Wondering ginza butterfly is a almost noir movie without the brooding detective. The neon atmosphere is done very well and the movie looks good and stylish. The soundtrack is pretty beautiful too and very relaxing. Meiko kaji is great as always this time playing a nicer character. Her character is interesting and it's nice to see her fixing everything. The pool hustling scene with her is very cool too. The other characters are good too and the yakuza villians are some of the better ones in these kinds of movies. The story is pretty good and interesting too. The characters make it all very fun to watch for the first bit then we get a cool bloody finale. Wondering ginza butterfly is a good time all around and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I loved meiko kaji here too but she's always great.
Meiko kaji stars as an ex gang member returning to her hometown where she starts to right her wrongs but the yakuza get in the way when helping someone. Wondering ginza butterfly is a almost noir movie without the brooding detective. The neon atmosphere is done very well and the movie looks good and stylish. The soundtrack is pretty beautiful too and very relaxing. Meiko kaji is great as always this time playing a nicer character. Her character is interesting and it's nice to see her fixing everything. The pool hustling scene with her is very cool too. The other characters are good too and the yakuza villians are some of the better ones in these kinds of movies. The story is pretty good and interesting too. The characters make it all very fun to watch for the first bit then we get a cool bloody finale. Wondering ginza butterfly is a good time all around and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I loved meiko kaji here too but she's always great.
