Japan Synopsis
銀蝶渡り鳥
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.
Other Titles From Toei Company
Action + Thriller in Japan
123 Japan titles in our catalog blend the Action and Thriller genres. Below: the top-rated of them (excluding Wandering Ginza Butterfly itself).
The 1971–1973 Japan Window
Wandering Ginza Butterfly holds position #33 of 62 Japan films in the 1971–1973 window, below highlighted by audience rating.
The 1970s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 1970s in Japan, 197 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Wandering Ginza Butterfly premiered alongside 19 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 19 other Japan films in 1972.
The 370th Japan title from Japan we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1899).
Our Japan catalog contains 4,579 titles in total (2,908 films).
Audience Engagement
15 audience reviews — more than 25% of Japan films in our index.
Popularity sits at the 5th percentile among Japan films.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #3,021 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (34th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is -0.3 points below the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Action productions specifically: #1,188 of 1,714 (top 69%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Toei Company |
| Runtime | 1h 26m |
| Release Date | April 1, 1972 |
| IMDb | tt0934442 |