Stray Cat Rock: Machine Animal is the fourth entry in the series starring Meiko (Female Prisoner Scorpion) Kaji. It’s the only film in the franchise I hadn’t seen. I’m glad I finally got around to watching it as it is far and away the best one in the bunch.
Kaji stars as Maya, the leader of an all-girl gang. They encounter a trio of small-time hoods trying to unload a big shipment of acid and seize the opportunity to rip off the dealers. Once Maya learns one of the guys is just trying to avoid the Vietnam draft, she feels sorry for them and gives them back the LSD. Too bad the local kingpin wants his mitts on the drugs.
Kaji once again looks great in her giant brimmed hat and donning an array of fetching outfits. She lends the film considerable spark, and it’s fun seeing her and her gang riding around on motorcycles and saying American slang like “Groovy!”, “Cool it!”, and “Ain’t no thang!” The scenes in the swinging go-go club are a blast too and the musical numbers will leave you tapping your toes.
I can’t really explain why Machine Animal worked for me while the other films in the series didn’t. Maybe I was just content to vibe to the dated slang, groovy tunes, and freakout scenes. It also helps that the pace never drags, and the plot doesn’t dawdle. Plus, the reveal of who’s really running the rival gang is a genuine surprise. Director Yasuharu Hasebe (who also directed the first and third entries in the series) delivers some stylish sequences (like the romantic scene done solely in dissolves) and makes cool use of split screen. The big chase scene where Kaji and her girls ride their motorcycles through train stations and fancy restaurants is a lot of fun too.
All in all, this is easily the best of the series, even if we never learn what the hell a “Machine Animal” is.
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