NURSE DIARY: WICKED FINGER
Color, 1979, 67m.
Directed by Shinichi Shiratori
Starring Etsuko Hara, Asami Ogawa, Hiroshi Unayama, Yasuko Arakawa, Megu Kawashima
Impulse (DVD) (US R1 NTSC) / WS (2.35:1) (16:9)
HORNY WORKING GIRL: FROM 5 TO 9
Color, 1982, 65m.
Directed by Katsuhiko Fujii
Starring Junko Asahina, Nami Misaki, Yuki Yoshizawa
Impulse (DVD) (US R1 NTSC) / WS (1.85:1) (16:9)
What happens when sexy Ryoko (Hara) decides to move out of the nurses' dorm 
and get an apartment all to herself? Sexy pandemonium, that's what, in the bonkers Nikkatsu roman porno sex comedy Nurse Diary: Wicked Finger (which is presumably a companion film of sorts to the now infamous Nurses' Dormitory: Assy Fingers). Ryoko's infantile roomie Emi (Kawashima) isn't too thrilled even after getting her favorite stuffed rabbit as consolation, and as it turns out, Ryoko is really just trying to keep a lid on her secret affair with an older married doctor, Edagawa (Unayama). He isn't easy pickings either since he's being hit on by exhibitionist patients, and Ryoko is distracted by her sexually frustrated voyeur neighbor, who gets so lathered up that he gets stuck while trying to satisfy himself with a vacuum nozzle.
A funny showcase for studio regular Hara (who played in several other nurse films as well), this may not be the most outrageous or explicit Nikkatsu offering from Impulse Pictures but it's definitely one of the goofiest. The title might make this sound like one of the the '70s drive-in nurse movies about a trio of liberated career gals getting in trouble, but this one really focuses mainly one of them as she deals with things like adultery, cat fights and 
lesbianism in the most lighthearted manner possible.
Shot near the end of Nikkatsu's trend of lensing its films in scope, this is another great-looking release with bright, colorful widescreen compositions often dominated by bare body parts. The transfer is consistent with the rest of the line, with optional English subtitles capturing every innuendo and delighted squeal. Also included is the theatrical trailer and liner notes by the reliable Jasper Sharp, who outlines the studio's late but prolific dive into the nurse exploitation pool.
As usual, two Nikkatsu releases are timed together for the same street date, and in this case the other film is Horny Working Girl: From 5 to 9, released three years later. The fun kicks off with the infectious beat of Quango & Sparky's "Do the Boogaloo" and manages to bust the tune out a few more times before the end credits, thankfully oblivious to the popular consensus that disco was supposedly dead by that point. This time the shenanigans all take place in an urban office where Chieko (former mainstream actress 
and singer Asahina from I Love It from Behind!) is hired on as the new assistant manager. However, her married boss has no qualms about making advances on all of the ladies in the building, with a few even taking him up on it. Chieko and her colleagues have finally had enough and decide to teach him a lesson, ultimately resorting to home abduction (of sorts).
Made after Nikkatsu's abandonment of scope, this film reflects the increasing permissiveness of their productions and even features a rare look at female pubic hair, presumably allowed here because it's obviously quite fake and dyed blonde "just like a real Swedish girl." Basically this is wall-to-wall silly sex scenes -- on an office desk, in the shower, in a family TV room, and of course, on a Xerox machine. Seriously, there's about twice as much moaning as dialogue in this one. Weirdest of 
all, the final act is basically a remake of the TV favorite 9 to 5 (thus the title) as the piggish boss gets his comeuppance by getting tied to a bed and then humiliated and exhausted by our heroic female trio.
As with Wicked Finger, the transfer itself looks great despite the more modest visuals, which are mainly confined to less picturesque office and house sets. Director Fujii was an old hand at this kind of thing having toiled in the Nikkatsu roman porno mines since the early '70s on films like Office Lady Rope Hell and Tokyo Emanuelle: Private Instruction, and as usual he keeps the visuals sharp, crisp, and as full of flesh as possible. The optional English subtitles are hilarious as always (you could create some fun social media memes with quite a few), and the theatrical trailer is also included along with more Jasper Sharp liner notes putting this in context among other working girl sagas in the Nikkatsu canon (and even tying this in to Giants and Toys).
Buy Nurse Diary: Wicked Finger from Diabolik.
Buy Horny Working Girl: From 5 to 9 from Diabolik.
