Demon Pond (1979) review

Botany professor Gakuen Yamazawa (Tsutomu Yamazaki) is on vacation hiking through the woods and in search of the mysterious Demon Pond (which supposedly has a dragon at the bottom), he meets and talks with Yuri (Bandō Tamasaburō, a male actor who specializes in female roles), reunites with long-lost friend (and Yuri's husband) Akira (Gō Katō) and the men set out on a quest together - while they're gone, all sorts of humanoid creatures arise from the waters (including a carp and a crab), and then the villagers decide to sacrifice Yuri in order for the gods to bless them with rain, since they've had a multi-year drought.  I recognize it's based on a Kabuki play by Kyōka Izumi, but the style and performances for the first two-thirds fail to rise above what one might see from a community theatre production - and the wonky and highly questionable electronic score by Isao Tomita is no help - although it does become more engaging in the final stretch when the locals, with their "judgment" clouded by superstition, form a mob and the "magical bell" (that prevents flooding) is finally not rung.  After thinking about it for an entire day, I believe there's a (loose) statement in there regarding how we should care for the environment, but I'm still not sure it makes sense ... yet I suppose there are worse fates than to endure than becoming a part of aquatic life: if I had my wish, I'd like to transform into a pufferfish.