When Keisuke (Jun Etô), a fisherman, stands in the path of progress by land developers, he is killed and his wife, pearl driver Migawa (Mari Shirato) is framed for his murder. Despite being assaulted and sent to an island of brothels, she plans to get bloody revenge on the politicians and criminals who have ruined her life.

Directed by Toshiharu Ikeda (Sekkusu hantâ: Sei kariudo, Evil Dead Trap) and written by Takuya Nishioka, this finds Migawa reborn as a supernatural avenger, a blood-covered heroine carrying a trident, unafraid to kill everyone in her path. Is she dead? Is she alive? What’s the story with her speaking with Buddha or the statue that is buried? You can make this any story that you want, but know that rich, powerful and evil people celebrating their new nuclear power plant will be stabbed and torn apart in the way that only a woman who has lost everything can destroy human beings.

While this has a lot of the female rape and revengeomatic themes of many Japanese pinky violence movies, it has a slower way to get there, only to let loose by the end, as you hope. This is the first time that this movie has been available in the West.

The Third Window Films Blu-ray of Mermaid Legend has extras that include an interview with writer Takuya Nishioka, audio commentary by Jasper Sharp and Tom Mes, a video essay on Toshiyuki Honda by James Balmont, a trailer and a slipcase with artwork from Gokaiju. There’s a Directors Company edition featuring an insert by Jasper Sharp that is limited to 2000 copies. You can learn more on the official site and order it in the U.S. from Terracotta and Diabolik DVD and in the UK from Planet of Entertainment and HMV.