The Roman Porno + Pink thread

China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Thailand, etc
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kemushi
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by kemushi »

HungFist wrote:Anyone seen this? Been considering buying the dvd for a long time, right now it's cheap, but I'm not too sure about the film anymore. Sawada was very interesting in the early/mid 70's (Retreat though the Wet Wasteland, 1973 ; Assault, 1976) but in the late 70's he was directing tired formulaic Yusaku Matsuda flicks (No Grave for Us, 1979) and not-so-stylish pink stuff (Flesh Target: Rape!, 1979). This one's got both pink and Matsuda in it...
I liked it. It's very well made on a technical level and has more on its mind than just getting to the next sex scene. Hiromi Okamoto is really good in it and I thought the ending was great.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

kemushi wrote:
HungFist wrote:Anyone seen this? Been considering buying the dvd for a long time, right now it's cheap, but I'm not too sure about the film anymore. Sawada was very interesting in the early/mid 70's (Retreat though the Wet Wasteland, 1973 ; Assault, 1976) but in the late 70's he was directing tired formulaic Yusaku Matsuda flicks (No Grave for Us, 1979) and not-so-stylish pink stuff (Flesh Target: Rape!, 1979). This one's got both pink and Matsuda in it...
I liked it. It's very well made on a technical level and has more on its mind than just getting to the next sex scene. Hiromi Okamoto is really good in it and I thought the ending was great.
Watched it and already sold it to the next lucky (?) owner in Europe.

Can't say I really agree. I found it to be very much like the other Yukihiro Sawada films of the time. Pretty much like a Toei Central crime film merged with Nikkatsu Roman Porno of the early 80's. In other words, sex, unengaging storyline, and a couple of bullets, not especially stylish either. Also, the urban night views and the assault rifle featured in the poster are nowhere to be found in the film. I'm still puzzled as to what happened to Sawada. After directing stylish, rough and interesting crime/action/pink hybrids in the early and mid 70's (e.g. Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland, 1973 ; Assault, 1976) it seems to me like he lost his motivation towards the end of the decade, coming up with tiresome action and sex films that could have been helmed by almost anyone.

In any case, glad I saw the film, even if it bored me to death, had been wanting to see it for at least 6 years.

Still interested in some of the other violent pink films Sawada directed in the late 70's... Rape Frenzy: Five Minutes Before Graduation (1977) and Attack! (1978), unfortunately neither one seems to be anywhere to be found. I'm not sure if they ever came out on video...
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by kemushi »

The false advertising of the poster annoys me as well. I still liked the film and stand by what I said about Hiromi Okamoto. Then again, I have never seen Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland and I had a blast with Flesh Target: Rape...
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

Another Roman Porno release by Happinet, this time SM. Release date: 2014/08/02.

Beauty In Rope Hell (Dan Oniroku bijo nawajigoku) (団鬼六 美女縄地獄)(1983)
Director: Genji Nakamura
Cast: Miki Takakura, Maya Ito
- http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd. ... sid=926514

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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

Arrow's upcoming Branded to Kill BD features Atsushi Yamatoya's Trapped in Lust as a bonus feature! It's a cool film, caught it on 35mm last year in a Atsushi Yamatoya triple feature. Unfortunately it seems it will be on a bonus DVD, so no HD for that. Still very nice as long as it's NTSC or Native PAL.
- http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/shop/index. ... uct_id=386
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

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SHOGUN'S SADISM is getting a Blu-ray release from Japan Shock, the same Dutch label that put out the film on VHS and PAL DVD since the mid-90ies. The recent Toei DVD was a slight improvment over their old DVD but it was a SD transfer so we'll see if they really did their own HD transfer from the 35mm negative like they claim or if it's an upscale. DTM only lists German subs for it but I'm fairly sure it'll also have Dutch and English subs in place:

http://shop.dtm.at/product_info.php?products_id=55720

I'll update on that when I get my copy in 2 weeks.

I asked them about maybe looking into TORN PRIESTESS as well again since a forum spokesperson agreed with me that it looks right up their alley in... 2007. Not getting my hopes up on that front to be honest. They seem content releasing the same handful of films again and again, only adding a dub here and there and upgrading the medium over time. They have BD releases for the other Tokugawa films planned, however, so I'd expect at least Teruo Ishii's JOY OF TURTURE and INFERNO OF TURTURE in the future.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

HungFist wrote:
kemushi wrote:
HungFist wrote:The one exception was his final Nikkatsu release, Dream Crimes, which however is an utter mess of a neo noir if you ask me.
Do you mean 夢犯 (1985), with the Takashi Ishii screenplay? I've been meaning to track that down on VHS eventually, same as ルージュ (1984).
Yep. Don't set your expectations too high. It's like a B-version of the first Black Angel movie. Kurosawa + Ishii sounded like a dream team, but this is both of them at their worst.
Finally got around to watching DREAM CRIMES. I found a factory sealed VHS that probably wasn't worth what I paid for it. I agree the film is pretty bad, an example of the boring kind of roman porno where numerous ludicrous sex scenes are strung together with the laziest attempt at a plot. I actually watched the Blu-ray release of BLACK ANGEL VOL. 1 the day before and don't think it deserves to be mentioned alongside this mess. My only real problem with BLACK ANGEL VOL. 1 is the very painful Engrish spoken by Ikko and her buddy. DREAM CRIMES on the other hand had me honking laughter at idiotic sex scenes like the out-of-nowhere electric chair watersports dream sequence or the lesbian rubber tentacle scene. Definitely not something that should be watched sober - or more than once.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

Some of the titles coming from Synapse with their new Roman Porno deal with Nikkatsu (the titles so far have sold very well):
- http://www.rockshockpop.com/forums/show ... #post92574

White Rose Campus, Rape! 13th Hour, Lolita Vibrator Torture...
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

Looks like we're getting a mixed bag of some DVD premieres and some old hats as far as existing R2J discs go.

新・実録おんな鑑別所 恋獄 True Story of a Woman In Jail: Hell of Love / New True Story of Woman Condemned to Hell

- R2J exists
- also released in Germany as REVOLTE HINTER GITTERN with a hysterically inaccurate dub

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おんな刑務所 Women in Prison

- VHS only in Japan, far as I can tell

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修道女 濡れ縄ざんげ A nun's diary: confession / Wet Rope Confession: Convent Story

- VHS and DVD releases with English subtitles by Dutch label Japan Shock under the title WET & ROPE

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ラブ・ハンター 恋の狩人 Love Hunter

- R2J exists

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花と蛇 Flower and Snake

- R2J releases by Nikkatsu and, later, by Geneon
- previously released by Media Blasters in the US as FLOWER & SNAKE '74

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レイプ25時 暴姦 Rape! 13th Hour

- R2J exists

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ロリータバイブ責め Lolita Vibrator Torture

- R2J special edition with Hisayasu Sato audio commentary and numerous interviews exists

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白薔薇学園 そして全員犯された White Rose Campus: And Then Everyone Gets Raped

- R2J exists

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東京カリギュラ夫人 Tokyo Caligula / Lady Caligula In Tokyo

- VHS only in Japan, far as I can tell

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実録ソープ嬢スキャンダル 裂く! True Story of a woman in Soapland: Tear! (Takashi Kodama, 1987)

- VHS only in Japan, far as I can tell

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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

I love the German cover for New True Story of Woman Condemned to Hell.

Interesting to see what they'll do with Lolita Vibrator Torture. Will they release it as The Secret Garden, or...

There's more Synapse announcements to come later.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

HungFist wrote:I love the German cover for New True Story of Woman Condemned to Hell.
I think they probably stole it from another WIP film.
HungFist wrote:Interesting to see what they'll do with Lolita Vibrator Torture. Will they release it as The Secret Garden, or...
Just VIBRATOR TORTURE might be fine though I have no idea what you can and can't use for a title if you want to be distributed by amazon etc. I really wonder if they will get the extras from the Japanese DVD. I'd love to get a subtitled version of that commentary, at least. Sato's only one to date, far as I know.
HungFist wrote:There's more Synapse announcements to come later.
There's still a few missing from their initial 28 title announcement in 2009. By my count they have released 22 titles so far and I'm still waiting for Hasebe's RAPE!
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

HungFist wrote:Arrow's upcoming Branded to Kill BD features Atsushi Yamatoya's Trapped in Lust as a bonus feature! It's a cool film, caught it on 35mm last year in a Atsushi Yamatoya triple feature. Unfortunately it seems it will be on a bonus DVD, so no HD for that. Still very nice as long as it's NTSC or Native PAL.
- http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/shop/index. ... uct_id=386
Beaver
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_ ... lu-ray.htm
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

Double post for future reference (this is important!)

Zoom Up: Rape Site (1979) coming from Synapse
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6775
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

Apparently Chusei Sone has passed away:
- https://twitter.com/ryuganji/status/504122671987036163
- https://twitter.com/nikkatsu100/status/ ... 1606238208

I will be remebering him on Sunday when I'm planning to catch Secret Chronicle: Prostitution Market on 35mm.
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Re: Japanese cult cinema thread

Post by Markgway »

SEXY BATTLE GIRLS heavily cut by BBFC:

http://www.movie-censorship.com/news.php?ID=8397
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Re: Japanese cult cinema thread

Post by HungFist »

Markgway wrote:SEXY BATTLE GIRLS heavily cut by BBFC:

http://www.movie-censorship.com/news.php?ID=8397
It's been a long time since I saw that, but I recall it beeing a goofy Sukeban Deka II sexploitation parody / rip off. Did it really need to be cut? It's as cartoonish as they get.

I did a Sexy Battle Girls vs. Sukeban Deka II comparison back in 2009
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... =19&t=5120

And wrote something more about the film:
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... &start=210

Thanks for the info Mark :thumbs:

(jp exploit thread would be more fit for this, I'll move these posts there later)
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

Katsuhiko Fujii's RAPE SHOT: MOMOE'S LIPS (レイプショット 百恵の唇, 1979) comes out under the shorter title MOMOE'S LIPS on February 10th:

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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Guro Taku wrote:Katsuhiko Fujii's RAPE SHOT: MOMOE'S LIPS (レイプショット 百恵の唇, 1979) comes out under the shorter title MOMOE'S LIPS on February 10th:

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Have you seen the film? The title is interesting (Momoe obviously referring to pop-idol Momoe Yamaguchi), but I kind of hate Katsuhiko Fujii :lol:

I was once watching his movies just to see if I could find ever one that I don't hate. I finally completed my mission with some nunsploitation film :lol:

I know he's got his fans, though. If you're looking for bucketloads of sex and sleaze, he delivers. If you're looking for talented rebels and cinema artists like I am, then not so much :lol:
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

I haven't seen the film but I will probably pick up the US DVD when it comes out as the plot sounds at least a bit interesting and I'm itching to support Synapse in the wake of their recent acquisitions. I'm not a fan of Katsuhiko Fujii either and unlike you I can't even claim to have yet seen a film of his that wasn't utterly mediocre and forgettable. The very definition of a hack director, I'm afraid.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

Decided to subscribe for a VoD pink channel for one month again. Roman Porno treasure hunt time!

Warning: Hung's probably going to anger a whole lot of people again by bashing their beloved junk. Remember, the more sex it has, the faster I'm going to fall asleep.

Women In Heat Behind Bars (Japan, 1987) [VoD] - 1/5
Not much to write about here. I usually give even bad movies a chance to impress me by paying attention at least for the first third, but this one I could barely get through the first five minutes without resorting to fast forward. It's a women in prison movie with almost nothing but sex. It was filmed on 35mm for being a Roman Porno, but it feels much more like a 1990s shot-on-video cheapo. Horrible, just horrible.

Captured for Sex 2 (Japan, 1986) [VoD] - 1/5
A young couple's car breaks down in the middle of a forest. A nice man comes for rescue and takes them to his house, but for this being a pink production he of course turns out to be a manic kidnapper with a taste for sexual torture. This is a minor cult classic of sorts, for reasons that go beyond my understanding. It's little more than a violent porn film with non-existent cinematic merits, a sort of sexual version of the Guinea Pig series but without the humour, scares, or the special effects. It does , however, sport a somehow nostalgic 1980s smut feel to it. That doesn't help much when the film is an utter bore. Released in Nikkatsu's Roman X series, which was a short lived hardcore spin-off of the Roman Porno series.

Pink Hip Girls: Slinking Classmates (Japan, 1982) [VoD] - 1/5
Director Koyu Ohara tries to revive the magic of his Pink Hip Girl trilogy in this unrelated but similarly titled and themed film. Unfortunately, it's a miserable attempt. The Pink Hip Girl films were energetic road movies and cute youth flicks with strong pop-art flavour despite being produced in the Roman Porno genre; this on the other hand is a tiresome city movie following four young girls making money with sex and trying to help an impotent young man become a rock-star. There's an abundance of sex, a lack of charming actresses, no striking visuals, and only a small amount of pop music. The film is not necessarily among the worst in the genre, but it is tiresome.

Never in the Morning (Japan, 1980) [VoD] - 1.5/5
Talented director Kichitaro Negishi is slacking here. This is a standard sex drama/comedy with a weak satirical bite that doesn't make the film much more interesting. It's about a woman who is working for an underwear company and sleeping with his boss every now and then. None of the bursting energy and style of Negishi's earlier films From Orion's Testimony: Formula for Murder (1979 and Rape Ceremory (1980) can be found here.

I Can Feel It (Japan, 1976) [VoD] - 1/5
Here's an early attempt at Koyu Ohara style perky youth cinema within the pink genre. Unfortunately director Shin'ichi Shiratori wasn't up to the challenge. There's a decent attempt at spicing things up with pop music, but the poor writing and underwhelming performances undo the effect. There is no reason to care about any of the characters, including newcomer Jun Izumi, who didn't have the charm required to play a lovely virgin girl. In the end, the film is little more than a standard sex comedy.

Sweet Scent of Eros (Japan, 1973) [VoD] - 2/5
Toshiya Fujita was one of the Nikkatsu directors who often used the Roman Porno genre to make arthouse films. Here he teams up with screenwriter Atsushi Yamatoya to deliver a character piece set almost entirely in one room. The film follows a mysterious photographer who decides to make himself home at a random woman's house. Next, her two friends who up, and they all decide to live together. What follows is lots of chatter, out-of-the-blue suicide attempt, random surrealism, and a graphic pig slaughter that is supposed to make some kind of intellectual point. The cool guitar riffs are the film's most entertaining aspect. Otherwise it feels a bit pretentious, and far from Fujita's best efforts.

Delicate Skillful Fingers (Japan, 1972) [VoD] - 4/5
This debut feature by Tooru Murakawa apparently almost killed his career by setting the standard too high. The storyline, penned by Tatsumi Kumashiro, follows an innocent girl on the streets of Tokyo. She falls for a pickpocket who is soon arrested and never seen again. The guy's friend (cult rocker / actor Ichiro Araki) then takes his place and teaches her into the business. It's basically a bit old fashioned morality tale, but directed with a stunning level of cool. Murakawa does excellent job capturing the spirit of the era and the soundtrack is a standout. Much of the movie was filmed on the streets of Shinkuku, which also gives it a fresh feel compared to most other Roman Pornos. Indeed, upon its release it was praised as sensational leap from sex cinema to respectable youth cinema. The fame seems to have been too much for Murakawa, who quit two movies later. His career, however, was resurrected in the late 1970s when he begun to helm (mostly mediocre) Yusaku Matsuda action pics for Toei.

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Note: this one is also available on recent remastered DVD from Happinet

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The original poster is fantastic
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

HungFist wrote:Captured for Sex 2 (Japan, 1986) [VoD] - 1/5
A young couple's car breaks down in the middle of a forest. A nice man comes for rescue and takes them to his house, but for this being a pink production he of course turns out to be a manic kidnapper with a taste for sexual torture. This is a minor cult classic of sorts, for reasons that go beyond my understanding. It's little more than a violent porn film with non-existent cinematic merits, a sort of sexual version of the Guinea Pig series but without the humour, scares, or the special effects. It does , however, sport a somehow nostalgic 1980s smut feel to it. That doesn't help much when the film is an utter bore. Released in Nikkatsu's Roman X series, which was a short lived hardcore spin-off of the Roman Porno series.
Is there any sort of appreciation for this film in Japan or did you mean it's a "cult classic" only among Western pink fans? The film is shit, just like all the other Roman X efforts from the director collective working as "Gou Ijuin": Za Ikenie, Za SM, Za Goumon... Unfortunately I once thought the painted covers (same artist who also did the poster for Yoshihiro Kawasaki's Binzume Jigoku (1986) I think) on the VHS tapes looked promising and bought a couple of them which lead to some serious self-loathiung when I sat down to watch them. I think the only part of all of them I enjoyed was a scene in which a naked women is tied to the roof of a car and driven through some side streets, to the baffled looks of pedestrians. The only explanation for any kind of "cult" status I can come up with is that Za Ikenie 2 aka Captured for Sex 2 was among the handful of pink films bootlegged by Video Search of Miami and as such one of the few pink films available with English subtitles for a long time.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

Guro Taku wrote:
HungFist wrote:Captured for Sex 2 (Japan, 1986) [VoD] - 1/5
A young couple's car breaks down in the middle of a forest. A nice man comes for rescue and takes them to his house, but for this being a pink production he of course turns out to be a manic kidnapper with a taste for sexual torture. This is a minor cult classic of sorts, for reasons that go beyond my understanding. It's little more than a violent porn film with non-existent cinematic merits, a sort of sexual version of the Guinea Pig series but without the humour, scares, or the special effects. It does , however, sport a somehow nostalgic 1980s smut feel to it. That doesn't help much when the film is an utter bore. Released in Nikkatsu's Roman X series, which was a short lived hardcore spin-off of the Roman Porno series.
Is there any sort of appreciation for this film in Japan or did you mean it's a "cult classic" only among Western pink fans? The film is shit, just like all the other Roman X efforts from the director collective working as "Gou Ijuin": Za Ikenie, Za SM, Za Goumon... Unfortunately I once thought the painted covers (same artist who also did the poster for Yoshihiro Kawasaki's Binzume Jigoku (1986) I think) on the VHS tapes looked promising and bought a couple of them which lead to some serious self-loathiung when I sat down to watch them. I think the only part of all of them I enjoyed was a scene in which a naked women is tied to the roof of a car and driven through some side streets, to the baffled looks of pedestrians. The only explanation for any kind of "cult" status I can come up with is that Za Ikenie 2 aka Captured for Sex 2 was among the handful of pink films bootlegged by Video Search of Miami and as such one of the few pink films available with English subtitles for a long time.
I was talking about Western viewers. There seems to be a bunch of people on the internet + Weisser's nonsense book (this time he probably has even seen the movie :lol: ) that are praising it.

I completely agree with everything you said. The artworks are fantastic, but the films...
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Pink Curtain (Japan, 1982) [DVD] - 2/5
Here's an interesting but ultimately underwhelming attempt at trendy roman porno drama. The catch is a brother falling in love with his sister who moves in with him into a small Tokyo apartment. Unfortunately the scenario doesn't really go anywhere as the film spends way too much time on sub-plots involving third party characters and packs an overload of sex scenes - a typical pink film symptom. That being said, the stars (Jun Miho and Masahiko Abe) have some chemistry despite the performances not being award-worthy by any means, and director Yasuaki Uegaki includes occasional energetic moments camera movements, pop music and manga influences. But in the end, it feels more like a pink film with some potential buried underneath it than the other way round. It's by no means a match for Koyu Ohara's Pink Hip Girl (1978), which could be a comparison point of sorts.

Pink Curtain 2 (Japan, 1982) [VoD] - 2/5
The second film in the series follows the exact same formula as the first. Again there's a potentially interesting storyline about a sister and brother buried under a bucketful of less interesting sub-plots and third party sex scenes. And like last time, director Yasuaki Uegaki again has his moments, especially towards the end. One gets the feeling that this series could be much better if it focused on the right things.

Pink Curtain 3 (Japan, 1983) [VoD] - 1.5/5
The final film in the series and the storyline still doesn't go anywhere. Like its predecessors, the film has a couple of cute and pop moments, but most of the time is wasted on dull sub-plots. It's not a downright terrible movie, but it's hard to get excited about it. The ending is stylish, though.

Love Bandit Rat Man (Japan, 1972) [DVD] - 2/5
A poor house servant becomes a sex thief in Chusei Sone's period film, which is a sexploitation version of a popular Japanese Robin Hood tale. It's not too bad a film, but it's hardly an exhilarating one. The flashback structure, in which the captured thief tells his story while being tortured, works pretty well, the production values are fine, and there are some imaginative sequences, such as one that is made to look like black & white 8mm film, but none of it stands out as being especially exciting. In the end it's more of a case of "not bad for Roman Porno" than a genuinely good movie. Sone had much more success in the period movie genre later the same year with the very funny and cute Secret Chronicle: Prostitute Market.

Fallen Angels Gang (Japan, 1981) [VoD] - 1/5
This yakuza/action/Roman Porno hybrid predates Wives of the Yakuza by five years. It's about a yakuza wife and her two step daughters who swear to avenge the death of a gangster. Unfortunately it's a pretty miserable film packed with pink actresses trying act tough - and failing. There's a little bit of poorly executed action, boring sex, and an uninvolving storyline that takes 91 minutes to reach its conclusion.

Erotic Liaisons (Japan, 1978) [VoD] - 3.5/5
Here's a very stylish neo-noir based on a novel by the French author Raymond Marlot, produced during the late 1970s when Roman Porno attempted to bridge the gap between mainstream and pink cinema. Cult actor / rock star Yuya Uchida stars as a private detective who falls in love with the woman he's hired to follow. Big mistake! It turns out the woman is surrounded by small time gangsters and she's got a plan on how to get rich. The film's storyline and atmosphere are so strikingly European (save for the main character, who is modelled after American film noir heroes) that the viewer constantly forgets the film is set in Tokyo and not Paris. Sex is tastefully integrated into the story, the film sports strong female characters, and there's some wonderfully dry humour. If it wasn't for some carelessly handled plot twists that needed more exposition to work, the film would be even better. Koji Wakamatsu remade the film in 1990, with Uchida starring again. This original film was directed by Yasuharu Hasebe.

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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Lusty Sisters (Japan, 1972) [DVD] - 2/5
A passable, but not especially interesting early Roman Porno drama about alienation and social unfits. It follows three sisters, one of which is an office lady, the other a high school delinquent and the third a tavern hostess. The movie has its moments, and it's not overly sleazy save for a few rapes, but director Chusei Sone dealt with a similar theme with more style in Modern Prostitution: Lust Under Uniform (1974). Another comparison point would be the films of Tatsumi Kumashiro.

Wet Lust (Japan, 1972) [VoD] - 2/5
The first Roman Porno film by Tatsumi Kumashiro, sometimes considered the most consistently great Japanese director of all time. Like many of his 1970s films, this one is a realistic sex packed drama about troubled young adults. The story follows a young man who decides to run away with a prostitute. It should be a good film for fans of Kumashiro; personally I've never been too keen on his low key and somewhat anti-stylized approach which focuses on dislikeable real-life losers (although fictive) and throws in a large amount of sex. I prefer his most atypical movies, such as the jaw dropping rock-sleaze piece Rolling on the Road (Oh Women! A Dirty Song) (1981).

August: Scent of Eros (Japan, 1972) [VoD] - 3/5
In the Roman Porno genre the first 5-10 minutes typically a very strong indicator on whether the director has what it takes to make an interesting film. This movie by Toshiya Fujita is an exception. It takes a good while to get moving, which some pretty lame character drama early on. However, once the film relocates to a beach setting and turns into a youth film, the quality goes up. The storyline is about a jewellery shop seller who becomes obsessed with tracking down a teenage thug who robbed her. She follows him to a seaside town where he's hanging out with some kind of youth gang. This is the kind of material that Fujita really excels with: 1970s youngsters, outlaws and hippies..

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Sanctuary in the Night (Japan, 1973) [VoD] - 2/5
An unusual premise for a Roman Porno: a fugitive with a bullet in his stomach gets taken in by a small time girl gang. Unfortunately the film isn't half as great as it sound like. Director Keiichi Ozawa was a famed Nikkatsu action specialist, but he helms this movie like a b-grade American grindhouse action flick. It's entertaining in places with a car chase and bloody shootouts - especially the climax where the antihero grabs a machine gun to fight the police - but it's incoherent, relatively nonsensical and not especially stylish.

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Gypsy Rose: A Docu-Drama (Japan, 1974) [VoD] - 2.5/5
Shogoro Nishimura was one of those acclaimed yakuza film directors who got dragged into Roman Porno when the studio made the switch. He eventually seemed to lose all his passion and talent when he was churning out one pink film after another. Some of his early work in the genre, such as this, however, show ambition. This is a true story of a half-blooded girl who made her name as an exotic stripper before flushing her life down the toilet and turning into an alcoholic. It's not a bad film, in fact, it's even gripping at times, and resembles the type of true account yakuza films Toei was making at the time. It just features strippers and sex instead of yakuzas and violence, and the execution isn't on par with Toei's gangster films.

Love Daydream (Japan, 1980) [VoD] - 2/5
A cute but mentally disturbed girl becomes insanely jealous of her father's new lover and decides to destroy her life. This is an odd mixture of early 70s style Nikkatsu youth cinema with yachts and beaches, psycho drama, and roman porno. It has its moments, but it doesn't quite convince as a serious movie. It's also a starring vehicle for pop star Yoko Hatanaka, whose brief mainstream popularity (since 1978) had already expired. She recorded a wonderful theme song 'Front the Front, From the Back' for this film. The same song was re-used in another film later the same year, titled 'Front the Front, From the Back. Koyu Ohara direced both.

From the Front, From the Back (Japan, 1980) [VoD] - 2/5
Biker gangs and bad girls in the night. This project was most likely inspired by Sogo Ishii's biker classic Crazy Thunder Road, which came out earlier the same year. Make no mistake, though, this film would've been made anyway since it's yet another starring vehicle for pop star Yoko Hatanaka, but it would probably have looked a bit different without Ishii's influence. Like with many other Koyu Ohara films, one gets the feeling it could be much better had the director bothered to put more effort into it. All of his movies feature good scenes, but few can retain the high level throughout the film. This one has some nice biker scenes and music, but the storyline and characters are pretty worthless, not to mention some dull sex scenes.

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Jealousy Game (Japan, 1982) [VoD] - 3.5/5
Mainstream director Yoichi Higashi ended up in the Roman Porno catalogue via co-productions. This relationship study could've been an Art Theatre Guild film just as well, and features less sex than many mainstream films. It's a about a couple on a motorcycle trip in Hokkaido. After a heated argument the wife hitches a ride with another guy who has just been left by his manipulative young girlfriend. The husband then picks up this girl without realizing what he's getting into. It's a very well acted movie with good characters. Both leads are made somewhat passive victims of the circumstances to avoid the usual simplistic jealousy/revenge clichés, and the title refers mainly to the supporting characters. But the film's real identity is as a road movie: almost the entire film is spend riding through the highways of Hokkaido on a Harley Davidson. Only if the screenplay didn't rely so much on chance - some of the dramatic encounters are completely against odds - the film would be even better.

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Guro Taku
King of Beggars
Posts: 658
Joined: 29 Apr 2014, 16:37

Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

HungFist wrote:It should be a good film for fans of Kumashiro; personally I've never been too keen on his low key and somewhat anti-stylized approach which focuses on dislikeable real-life losers (although fictive) and throws in a large amount of sex. I prefer his most atypical movies, such as the jaw dropping rock-sleaze piece Rolling on the Road (Oh Women! A Dirty Song) (1981).
I haven't seen that one and am generally just not into Kumashiro's work. Of the films of his I have seen, the only one I loved was WOODS ARE WET (1973). Unfortunately, its oddbally self-censorship (Kumashiro added giant black geometric shapes - squares, triangels etc. - over the sex scenes as a fuck you to the Japanese censors) will probably keep it from getting an official release with English subtitles.
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