Dig that opening scene. Two girls, tied to a railroad track, are being menaced by a trashy girl gang. Then, Maki (with a giant 13 on her shirt) shows up and kicks some butt. Sue Shihomi plays Maki, the tough as nails leader of the highest kicking girl gang in the area. These girls take no lip from anyone, fighting other girl gangs and yakuza hoods.
One day as Maki and the girls are out having a good time, a spoiled rich girl insults them. Maki demands an apology. The rich girl says she never apologizes. This is a mistake. One quickly humiliated rich girl is furious. Her father is a businessman tied to a white slaver, with eyes for the rich girl. What follows is a series of grudge matches between Maki's gang and the underworld until Maki is set up and sent to a work farm. Maki must then fight the girl gang who runs the work farm before she can plot her revenge on those outside.
At just under 80 minutes, the 13 Steps of Maki is almost non-stop action with nudity and sleaze liberally spiked throughout. Most of Sue Shihomi's starring vehicles leave me wanting. They usually feature good fights but also dead time in between (see Dragon Princess). This one delivers from start to finish! Fans of The Streetfighter should love it (I did). Speaking of the Streetfighter, Sonny Chiba appears briefly in a flashback scene playing Maki's brother.
