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The Manga Critic

@mangacritic.bsky.social

600 followers 490 following 120 posts

She/her. Manga critic. Musicologist. Movie buff. Road warrior. Animal lover. Find my manga reviews at http://mangabookshelf.com.

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Heather Jochens

@heatherjochens.bsky.social

理良猫 by Girls

This was a fascinating find because this band apparently set one of the molds for josei bands in the 70s. Half of their album is Japanese while the other covers songs like Honky Tonk Women and Cherry Bomb.

It’s so hard to find them on streaming platforms…

The front of the album is orange with the top left corner reading the Kanji title of the album and then below that a yellow explosion with the word Girls written in pink. In front of that is the drawing of a woman with curly hair and a body suit with stockings. She holds a microphone with her back to us

The main picture shows five Japanese women the one in the center is wearing a leopard print corset with black shorts. She has garters holding onto fishnets. She is biting her finger while looking at the camera. The women to the left of her from top to bottom are wearing a black shirt and a white scarf and the one below is wearing a pink shirt and white trousers, holding onto the left of the girl in the center. On the right are another two women from top to bottom wearing a black shirt and jeans, her hand on her hip and then at the bottom a woman wearing flannel and long bangs holds onto the center woman’s other leg

A sticker describing the record and the band reading
Pioneers of the josei rock movement, Japanese girl group Girls looked to the Runaways for inspiration, successfully adapting their “Cherry Bomb” in a mix of Japanese and English. Racier than contemporaries such as Mizutama Shobodan (or Polkadot Firebrigade), the band was driven by the teasing antics of lead singer Takako Nomoto, alias Rita, and the axe work of Atsuko Okuno, alias Iria/Ilia. This rivetin [sic] debut sees Girls tackling “Honky Tonk Women”, “Johnny B. Goode”, and Blondie’s “In The Flesh”, title track “Nora Neko” or “Stray Cat” another of their irresistible hits.

August 15, 2025 at 7:44 PM

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Heather Jochens

@heatherjochens.bsky.social

Oh, Two Major Dramas Sung And Performed by Players of the Komparu and Kanze Schools of Noh, Tokyo.

This was an interesting find even if I can’t fully understand it. It did come with a handy book to at least get the gist of what both plays are about in English! It also came out of Lawrence HS…

The front of the record reads Noh in the kanji for “hon”. To the left of it is a picture of a Noh production

The inside of the record giving information about Noh as an art form and a summary of the plays on the records.

Side 4 of the two record set for the play Kantan. I chose this one because it has a stamp showing that it used to belong to Lawrence High School in Kansas.

The booklet that came with the record. The cover reads Noh Plays of Japan: Hagoromo and Kantan. Caedmon Publishers, New York

August 10, 2025 at 4:15 AM

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Heather Jochens

@heatherjochens.bsky.social

浪曲十八番競演集　(The Favorite Roukyoku Recital) by 天中軒・雲月　IV (Tenchuken Ungetsu IV).

Roukyoku is a sad story told by way of sung and spoken word accompanied by a shamisen. This record features two stories— 「花の雨」(Rain of Flowers) and 「芋代官行状記」(An Account on the Behavior of the Potato Magistrate).