The Roman Porno + Pink thread

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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Guro Taku wrote:
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.
Have you seen Rolling on the Road (Oh Women! A Dirty Song)? That's one my favourite Roman Porno films of all time.

Another Kumashiro film I really like is Painful Bliss! Final Twist.

Cinema Vera is actually having a Tatsumi Kumashiro retrospective next month. I think I will drop by, because Shin Bungeiza is having Bunta Sugawara retro at the same time, but I need to choose between Kumashiro double Failed Youth (1974) (no. 21 on Kinema Junpo's all time best Japanese films) & Street of Joy (1974) or Sugawara double The Boxer (1977) & Kuroi dress no onna (1987). I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy the Sugawara films more, but Failed Youth is impossible to see at home (no dvd release or VoD)... (they're not on the same day... one's on Friday and the other on Tuesday, but I can't stay that long. Need to cut one day either from the beginning or the end...)
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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HungFist wrote:Have you seen Rolling on the Road (Oh Women! A Dirty Song)? That's one my favourite Roman Porno films of all time.
Haven't seen it but I'll check it out when I get the chance.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Guro Taku wrote:
HungFist wrote:Have you seen Rolling on the Road (Oh Women! A Dirty Song)? That's one my favourite Roman Porno films of all time.
Haven't seen it but I'll check it out when I get the chance.
Pioneer released it on R2J back in 2002, but that release is OOP and ridiculously difficult to obtain. I'd buy it immediately if I could. Used copies are available at Amazon for 38 000 yen...

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The film is a jaw dropping rock n roll sleze fest. It stars Uchida as himself -an asshole rocker who is fucking everything that moves, including his own life. And when he's not fucking, he's puncking random people in the face on the street or fighting with the audience. Awesome performance by Uchida, lots of great rock music, some amazing sex scenes (Uchida's girlfriend strangling him with telephone cord during sex while his other girlfriend is crying at the other end of the line) - all very professionally handled by Kumashiro. And Rikiya Yasuoka is just great as Uchida's manager!

Here's some VoD screencaps

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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Female Teacher: Private Life (Japan, 1973) [VoD] - 2/5
The title says it all. This is a rather dated sex melodrama, and one of Noboru Tanaka's first films. It's about a high school teacher who is in a relationship with a young student boy. There's a wonderful scene, in which a nervous boy takes her female classmate to his home, that really echoes Tanaka's talent that later made him possibly Nikkatsu's best director. Otherwise the film is quite underwhelming and suffers from excessive visual censorship.

Kurutta seiyokusha: Shufu o osou! (Japan, 1979) [VoD] - 2.5/5
This small budget serial rapist thriller was produced by an independent company but released in the Roman Porno series. It's a surprisingly mean, and in parts energetic, grindhouse type film following a rapist just released from prison and trying to fight his animalistic raping desires. It's an interesting b-movie premise, and at times the execution is thrilling, especially the aggressive use of horror movie -like music and some glorious "evil acting". Ultimately, however, the film struggles to keep the level up between the highlights. Furthermore, all of the film's actresses are oddly unattractive. Nevertheless, the film packs more punch that many of Nikatsu's bigger budgeted in-house productions and certainly has its trash appeal. Violent pink fans may want to take a look.

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Seiko's Juicy Thighs: Zoom Up (Japan, 1982) [VoD] - 2/5
Leave it up to Koyu Ohara to deliver an upskirt-photography-love-story-showbiz-parody. Shy loser Toshihiko is obsessed with cute college girl Seiko and keeps snapping panty shots of her (he imagines that will somehow make her fall in love with him). This is yet another silly pop cinema romp by Ohara. It's kinda cute a times and uses pop music frequently, but the screenplay is pretty worthless and there's loads on boring sex scenes that Ohara doesn't put any effort into. The lead characters are named after two popular singers, Toshiro Tahara and Seiko, who were rumoured to be dating at the time.

Young Girls' Holding Cell (Japan, 1982) [VoD] - 2.5/5
Director Yoshihiro Kawasaki and writer Takuya Nishioka must have been proud of themselves when they came up with an idea to combine high school girls and women in prison movies. The winning idea was to disregard all logic and make a high school flick where the teachers act just like evil prison guards. There are even cells reserved for bad students - indeed, the film was probably shot in the left-over sets of an earlier WiP movie. It's a silly film, but a relatively entertaining one. The prison stuff only lasts for a while, after that it turns into an early 80s idol film derivative with added sex. Not too different from some of Koyu Ohara's films. Stars Jun Miho, who was Nikkatsu's cutest actress, but needed a good director to get the best out of her. Here she doesn't get one. Kawasaki is more keen on the audio-visual delivery.

Girl and the Wooden Horse Torture (Japan, 1982) [VoD] - 3.5/5
Between 1974 and 1988 Nikkatsu produced nearly 40 adaptations from SM author Oniroku Dan's novels. Most of them were intellectually underwhelming, morally questionable, and tiresome at best. But what would happen if one of the best Japanese screenwriters of the 1980s, Takashi Ishii, adapted a Dan novel and handed it to first time director Fumihiko Kato, who later became known for his atypical Dan films?

Despite the misleading title, this movie bears all the trademarks of Ishii's psychological erotic thrillers and could be an SM-oriented entry in the Angel Guts series. The protagonists are Nami and Muraki: a bullied high school girl and her terminally ill teacher. The opening scene sees Nami saved from violent delinquents by her teacher, who however then collapses in front of her. She leaves him there. The experience haunts her in her dreams, which begin to merge with reality. Years later they meet again after Muraki has been fired and has hit the rock bottom. The film never loses its psychological tension, even though the prolonged SM finale - and a few other bits - may be a bit much for the casual viewers. The overly simplistic Oniroku Dan conventions are nowhere to be found. The film also looks pretty good with the usual urban and occasionally surreal Ishii imagery.

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Gemini Woman (Japan, 1984) [VoD] - 1/5
The late 1970s saw the end of Japanese action and exploitation cinema as it had existed until then. The studio system that had been churning out cheap but enjoyable trash came to an end, and studios begun to focus on dramas and more expensive productions. Many of them were geared at female audiences. Nikkatsu was the only major studio that still kept making shameless exploitation, but even they were affected. Gemini Woman is a case in point. Take the roman porno genre, extend the running time to 91 min, add television drama level human relationship story with some kind of suspense element, deduct anything that might be interesting, and then pretend it's serious cinema. Zzzzz.

Female Leopard (Japan, 1985) [VoD] - 1.5/5
This was intended as some sort of super-charged erotic mystery. A rich student girl returns from USA to her gorgeous family mansion in Japan and discovers her beloved brother is secretly organizing Eyes Wide Shut style orgies, 80s style. Director Koyu Ohara manages a couple of stylish scenes with slow motion and cool music, but otherwise this is little more than an overdose of the worst 80s Japanese aesthetics. Expect lots of suits, masks and immoral rich people. Despite it being a mystery thriller, there is very little mystery to it.

Exotic Mask in Hell (Japan, 1988) [VoD] - 3/5
Here's a surprisingly good and atmospheric late Roman Porno. It's based on a Oniroku Dan SM novel, but directed by Fumihiko Kato who is known for atypical Dan adaptations. The film follows a young woman who travels to a small village in the mountains only to discover something strange is going on. Director Kato seems to be influenced by traditional Japanese horror tales and even occult horror movies. He makes a good use of beautiful images, including sunsets, cherry trees, and devilish masks. Unfortunately when the bondage begins the film takes a few steps back in style and originality. Still, it's much better than most films of its kind and can be recommended even to non-genre fans to some extent.

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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Apartment Wife: Affair in the Afternoon (Japan, 1971) [VoD] - 1.5/5
The first film in the roman porno series, which continued until 1988 and produced more than 1100 movies. Yakuza film director Shogoro Nishimura was assigned to steer Nikkatsu to new waters. Based on box office, he did fine job. This movie is a dated sex drama focusing on the afternoon (and night time) adventures of a sexually frustrated housewife. As it was intended as an exploitative exploration of the normal Japanese people's sex lives, it probably had more to offer to the Japanese 1970s audiences than modern viewers. Frankly, the film has little going for it other than the curiosity value.

Mr. Dilemman: Lunatic for Lust (Japan, 1979) [VoD] - 2/5
A pretty harmless piece of absurdist Roman Porno superhero comedy by Masaru Konuma. The film follows a normal salary man who's having a bad day: first he's ignored by his wife, then his cock slips into a nun's mouth by accident in the train, and finally he is attacked by a kung fu fighter. He then sees a street advertisement for Superman and decides to become a superhero. He wears a mask, dresses in stockings, rides bicycle, and fights evil corporate bosses. The film features some gloriously off-the-wall comedy moments, but in the end its dragged down by excessive sex and uneven execution. Still, it should find its fans.

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Woman's Trail: Wet Path (Japan, 1980) [VoD] - 3.5/5
A good example of the late 1970s Roman Porno movement which, for a few years, tried to push part of the genre to the mainstream market. This film is a melancholic road movie following a man (slightly chubby singer/songwriter Kan Mikami) wandering around snowy seaside towns after failing to "save" his stripper girlfriend from her husband. It's a slowly paced movie with quiet performances, beautiful score and a lyrical sense of time passing as the landscapes roll in the background. The film is also notable for how the characters are very normal looking, often middle aged people, as opposed to typical movie heroes and beauties. The low key approach does make it a bit less spectacular than some other movies in the genre, and it could certainly use a better ending, but it's a good film; very much a slow-burner.

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Clip from the movie:
http://youtu.be/P-tNSYthamA

Mijukuna kahanshin (Japan, 1984) [VoD] - 1/5
Director Nobuyuki Saito's second movie, Woman of the Afternoon: Incite! (1979), was a stylish genre blender and a minor cult classic. Somehow, almost nothing he ever did after that seemed to come even close to it. This is a very sweet romantic comedy about a high school girl and her boyfriend who is struggling to get it up. Unfortunately it's directed without any kind of energy, originality or style. Lead girl Kotomi Aoki has a cute face, but isn't much of an actress.

Akai Campus: Kurutta hokago (1984) [VoD] - 1/5
Violent macho man acting like an asshole at home becomes a bullied wimp at work when his delinquent students make his life hell. What does he learn? Nothing! Throw in tons of sex, deduct all style, and call it a movie. What was director Koyu Ohara thinking?

Last Cabaret (Japan, 1988) [VoD] - 2/5
This was one of the last roman porno films and was intended as an allegory for the studio's demise. The storyline is about the last days of a cabaret that is forced to close down. It's not a terrible film but there isn't anything special about it either, the allegory aside. It resembles mainstream 1980s dramas for the most part, which isn't necessarily a positive thing. Furthermore, the film's female lead Miyuki Kato, who spends half of the movie in a high school uniform, looks disturbingly young. She was 19 at the time, but had the face of a 15 year old. She 's cute as buttons and would've been perfect for an idol film, but in a Nikkatsu flick she makes the audience (hopefully) feel a bit uneasy. Nothing new for director Shusuke Kaneko (Death Note), whose early films often featured lolita characters.

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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

I'm in total agreement regarding Exotic Mask in Hell. It's a great little film and one I've been rooting to get a DVD release ever since I saw it on VHS a decade ago. I especially enjoyed the parts where it briefly turned into a horror/slasher movie. Definitely a standout among the films based on Dan Oniroku's many, many books.

Female Leopard is also a title I remember really enjoying. Could be the fact that it was one of the first pink films I ever saw and so the clichees you mention may have seemed fresh at the time. I think there's also an empty-handed handjob (or blowjob?) in the film that's quite hysterical and had me wonder if they forgot to add the fogging to hide the absence of dick.

Gemini Woman (DVD) and Girl in the Wooden Horse Torture (VHS) are both on my shelf but I haven't watched either yet. At least now I know which one I probably should prioritize.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Guro Taku wrote:I'm in total agreement regarding Exotic Mask in Hell. It's a great little film and one I've been rooting to get a DVD release ever since I saw it on VHS a decade ago. I especially enjoyed the parts where it briefly turned into a horror/slasher movie. Definitely a standout among the films based on Dan Oniroku's many, many books.
Basically, there's a Japanese DVD release... which however is difficult to obtain and probably no better than a VHS (it came out in 2012 in "CPDM MOD DVDR Collection" and is listed as non-anamorphic, too).
- http://www.romanporno.com/dvd/cpdm-mod-collection/
- http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B00IRRWRF4/
- http://shop.tsutaya.co.jp/%E5%9B%A3%E9% ... 612612624/

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Guro Taku wrote: Female Leopard is also a title I remember really enjoying. Could be the fact that it was one of the first pink films I ever saw and so the clichees you mention may have seemed fresh at the time. I think there's also an empty-handed handjob (or blowjob?) in the film that's quite hysterical and had me wonder if they forgot to add the fogging to hide the absence of dick.
Well, you have to keep in mind I hate most films that feature a lot of sex :lol:
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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HungFist wrote:Basically, there's a Japanese DVD release... which however is difficult to obtain and probably no better than a VHS (it came out in 2012 in "CPDM MOD DVDR Collection" and is listed as non-anamorphic, too).
Yeah, those... I watched one of them (Slave Wife by Akira Kato) and it actually had worse picture quality than my VHS. I suspect they took the VOD files and burned them to DVD-Rs. Acceptable for films that never had a home video release and even welcome in those cases because Japanese VOD sites are very much against accepting money from people without Japanese bank accounts but as an upgrade from VHS they're worthless.
HungFist wrote:Well, you have to keep in mind I hate most films that feature a lot of sex :lol:
It's a perfectly normal reaction to watching a lot of pink films. Once I was averaging two or three pink films a day and I started to fast-forward through the rumpy pumpy stuff as it put me to sleep.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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So, I was trying to rent White Rose Campus: And Then Everybody Gets Raped DVD from Geo's web/home delively rental, and I got a message that my credit card company does not approve this title. I checked the help page and there it is: Visa/Mastercard have forbidded them to rent certain R18 titles to customers using Visa or Mastercard. White Rose Campus is banned, the Female Teacher series also seemed to be banned too, and who knows what else. Great! Haven't felt this good in a while.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Tenchu1998 »

lol, credit card companies taking a moral stand.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Marshall »

I wouldn't be able to cancel that card fast enough.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

Not many options remaining if you want to pay for your smut. PayPal also refuses transactions for adult material and even on the adult section of Yahoo Auctions Japan you can't list anything with "rape" in the title. I'm not even going to list the countless "offensive" words you can't put into an ebay item description. I guess the final stage will be when banks refuse access to your accounts if you want to transfer money for a purpose they deem immoral.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Tenchu1998 »

I guess you'll have to start typing in Japanese now, and use Japanese money transfer services to get those Japanese Exploitation movies. Or simply go directly to the stores and pay cash.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Marshall »

These banks launder the money of drug cartels who decapitate their rivals with dull knives, but won't let you rent movies about make-believe stuff. I would happily tell them their services are no longer required if they had the audacity to pull that crap with me. RIDICULOUS.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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"Oh my! Nikkatsu are "rebooting" their Roman Porno label next year, screening classics & producing new films by directors new to the genre."
- https://twitter.com/ryuganji/status/593958595835736064

Not too interested in new films, but hopefully this means new DVD releases of some classics that aren't available yet. About half of my favourite Roman Porno films are missing on DVD (e.g. Female Delinquent, Rape Ceremony, Red Violation...) or only available on OOP DVD (Oh Women! A Dirty Song, Crazed Fruit...).
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

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Foreign Mistress Oman: Holland Slope In the Rain (Japan, 1972) [DVD] - 2/5
Many of Chusei Sone's early films were technically competent and featured some great ideas, but just weren't captivating enough to hold the attention till the end. This film falls into that category. However, it is still one of the most exotic films in the Roman Porno catalogue, not just because parts of it are set in Shanghai, but also because it's a period yakuza film starring a Caucasian actress (Sally May). The film's best segment sees her stepping into Junko Fuji and Reiko Ike's shoes as she becomes a wandering female yakuza. Unfortunately there is too much soft-core sex drama and meaningless side plots before that, and the ending is a bit underwhelming as well. This would have been more interesting as a genuine yakuza/action film.

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Midnight Fairy (Japan, 1973) [DVD] - 4/5
A desperate young man ditched by his girlfriend hooks up with a mentally challenged prostitute. Together they set out for a journey that includes kidnapping, raping and kissing goodbye for the rules of the society. This is a superb, overlooked arthouse Roman Porno by Noboru Tanaka. It's an interesting mix of realism, visual poetry, and poignancy. Tanaka lets his camera wander on the streets, beautifully capturing the early 1970s locations and atmosphere. He also creates fantastic, carefully staged images such as baby on a bar desk. It's pretty poignant too: Tanaka seems to suggest that in a civilized society the only innocent person is a retarded prostitute who is too dumb to lie, cheat, and use violence. The film never feels pretentious, though; rather the contrary. It's fun, playful and relatively fast paced.

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My Sex Report: Intensities (Japan, 1976) [DVD] - 3.5/5
This film is often seen as Chusei Sone's return to form. It's an odd mixture of melancholic character drama, sex, and funkiness; not an entirely satisfactory film, but a frequently fascinating one. It's a about a nurse, her boyfriend, a local gangster and his girlfriend. Basically, the film feels like a fragmented slice of life piece with a pop film attitude. There's over-the-top sleaze, there's imaginative camerawork, there's harrowing moments between young lovers, and there's a beautiful score that occasionally switches to silly funk. Add some great street footage shot on the neon-lit streets of Shinjuku and a some of tiresome sex scenes, and you've got a film that could only have been made in the 1970s Japan.

Wet Weekend (Japan, 1979) [DVD] - 2.5/5
Here's a bit weaker - but not bad - suspense drama / zeitgeist by Kichitaro Negishi. It follows a young housemaid (Junko Miyashita) who is having an affair with her employer, a married older man who claims to love her but doesn't seem to be willing to leave his family. After waiting for him for years she finally hooks up with a petty thief and his girlfriend (Ako). Together the three come up with a plan to kidnap the rich man's daughter, without intending to hurt anyone. Despite the crime film elements the film is first and foremost a social study. It does capture the era and the struggles of the social class quite enjoyably, but it lacks the energy and freshness of Negishi's best films like From Orion's Testimony: Formula for Murder (1978), Rape Ceremony (1980) and Crazed Fruit (1981).

Scent of a Spell (Japan, 1985) [VoD] - 2.5/5
A lonely man falls in love with a woman who tried to kill herself. She says she's on the run from an abusive husband; however, it turn out she may not be as innocent as she lets people believe. This was a Roman Porno release, but a produced by Director's Company as a mainstream noir with a couple of steamy sex scenes. The screenplay is by Takashi Ishii, who is adapting another author's novel here. Consequently (?) the film a bit more dialogue-based and less visual than most of Ishii's scripts. Some of his trademark visuals - water, rain, and surreal images - and psychological themes can still be found but to a lesser extent than usual. Toshiharu Ikeda helms the mystery alright, but the film feels a bit underwhelming overall considering the talent involved. It doesn't exactly benefit from the 80s piano/jazz score either. Though not a bad film, there are more stylish and atmospheric films made from Ishii's scripts, including Ikeda's later classic Evil Dead Trap (1988).

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Love Hunter (Japan, 1972) [DVD] - 2/5
Nikkatsu found themselves facing obscenity charges for this film. The trial went on for nearly a decade and the film was pulled from distribution, but they were eventually found not guilty. It's actually pretty tame stuff by today's standards - or even by later 1970s standards - but it's easy to see why the officials targeted this movie. It's the classic exploitation tale of a young guy falls for an immoral older vamp and then his innocent virgin girlfriend gets drawn into the new sinful world. There's everything from lesbian sex to orgies and a black male stripper dancing naked. Fans of the specific sub-genre should dig it; for others it may not be that exciting but it is well made: the cinematography and music are often beautiful and the film can certainly be called a work of art just as much as it is a piece of unashamed exploitation.

Erotic Journey: Love Affair in Hong Kong (Japan, 1973) [DVD] - 3/5
A desperate husband follows his runaway wife to Hong Kong. He hooks up with a local Japanese man, who, however soon turns out to be a gangster specializing in human trafficking. This is an uneven, but interesting throwback to Nikkatsu's 1960s action days while still being a Roman Porno production. Director Masaru Konuma seems bored with the sex scene quota, even making fun of it at times. It seems evident he would have rather made a genuine action thriller. However, the film still packs plenty of style, exotic locations, and a badass ending. It's not an entirely satisfactory film, but it certainly has its moments, especially towards the end.

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Rape Me: Sexual Assault In a Hotel Room (Japan, 1977) [DVD] - 1.5/5
An innocent college girl suffering from a trauma (her boyfriend broke his neck while doing pole vaulting and become nuts) hooks up with her sleazy female friend in Tokyo. They then run into a rapist in a hotel room. This is an oddly nonsensical film that doesn't really achieve anything within its 71 minute running time. None of the fun and breeze of director Koretsugu Kurahara's later film Eros School: Feels So Good (1977) is here to be found. Instead, the film is merely off-putting without being offensive in the least. The most interesting thing about the film is the score, which frequently makes it sound like a 1950s romantic film.

Sins of Sister Lucia (Japan, 1978) [DVD] - 1/5
A badly behaving teen girl gets sent to a convent full of lusty sisters. Koyu Ohara's pop art magic is nowhere to be found in this by-the-numbers nunsploitation film. It's not the worst film ever made, but it just gets tiresome very fast. The only minor - and indeed very minor - point of interest is when two escaped prisoners show up and bring some raping with them. Oddly enough, Ohara's next movie was to be his best: the charming, energetic youth film Pink Hip Girl, which created an entire new subgenre within the Roman Porno.

So Soft, So Cunning (Japan, 1979) [DVD] - 3.5/5
Can a film be too mainstream for the Roman Porno series? Nikkatsu seems to think so. All DVD releases of this film - which is often considered Lady Snowblood director Toshiya Fujita's best movie - lack any reference to its origins. Indeed, the film features less sex than many 1970s mainstream films and takes no less than 48 minutes for the first nude scene to appear. Nevertheless, it premiered in the Roman Porno series as a youth film double feature with Pink Hip Girl: Love Attack. It's a well written, well acted and all-around well made look into the late 1970s Japanese family relations among young people. Like most of Fujita's films, it follows young adults, but it lacks the rock, shock and pop of some of his other films. Instead, it's a very low key drama that makes accurate social observations. Like many of Fujita's films, it will probably resonate best with domestic audiences who have experienced the era.

Crazed Fruit (Japan, 1981) [DVD] - 4/5
Here's a terrific updating of the 1956 Nikkatsu classic Crazed Fruit; a new version that is superior to the original. While the original was a seminal sun tribe classic, the new version examines the 1980s Japanese youth from a more intimate, less political perspective. Consequently, it's a remake in name only. The film focuses on the unstable relationship between two youngsters: a guy working in a sex club and a rich girl who trades her stepfather lover for a younger boyfriend just for a change. Neither one of them really understand each other - or themselves.

Like many of director Kichitaro Negishi's other films, this movie would also be more at home in Art Theatre Guild's catalogue than in the Roman Porno series where it was released (Negishi's next film, Distant Thunder, was, in fact, an ATG production). The film features all of Negishi's strengths: energetic visual approach, terrific use of pop music, freezy outdoor scenes, and quiet moments which challenge the viewer to analyze the complex characters. The last 5 minutes features some of the most stylish cinema even seen in the Roman Porno genre.

Acting is thoroughly great as well. Lead actor Yûji Honma comes from Art Theatre Guild and the female star Yuki Ninagawa likewise has mainstream background. Neither one of them ever appeared in another Roman Porno production. Supporting actors are just as good: Eiji Okada (Hiroshima mon amour), talented Roman Porno regular Nobutaka Masutomi, and Eiko Nagashima whose performance as child-like, miserable yet energetic hooker is strangely toughing and one of the film's highlights.

This film absolutely needs a new DVD release. The old uplink release (caps below) is OOP and VHS quality at best.

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I even love the DVD menus
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Theme song:
http://youtu.be/YH057RVJTHo
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

The old uplink release (caps below) is OOP and VHS quality at best.
Uplink released some amazing films (Sato's Lolita Vibrator Torture, Tomomatsu's Eat the Schoolgirl etc.) and even included some very solid extras (unfortunately a rarity with pinku releases in Japan) but like you say, the quality of their transfers was consistently horrible.

I haven't seen Crazed Fruit yet but will keep it in mind. I'm enjoying these brief reviews as they give me an few ideas for films that I should probably watch. Used to be that I bought boxes full of ex-rental pink tapes from Japan and watched them all - the crappy and the sublime - but I just don't have the time or patience for that anymore.
Guro Taku
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

Synapse/Impulse will finally release their next title in the Nikkatsu Erotic Films Collection with Sexual Assault at a Hotel (Hotel Kyosei Waisetsu Jiken: Okashite!/ホテル強制わいせつ事件 犯して!/1977) on August 18th.

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OOP Japanese Geneon DVD:

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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

I made a pleasant suprise discovery and managed to write a bit about it!

Wandering Lovers: Dizziness (1978)

This is probably Masaru Konuma's best film together with Woman in the Box II, a breezy love story about two youngsters on the run from the world. The two meet on a chilly winter day as she is walking on a frozen fountain and he tries to help her after she's fallen through the ice - only to find them both in a need of dry clothes a moment later. It's a good opening, and the film only gets better after that.

The best thing about the film is the two leads. Toshiyuki Kitami and Megumi Ogawa seem to have genuine chemistry between them. He's a little reckless but ultimately kind of a good guy; while she's a little temperate but innocent and energetic like a little girl. Even the potentially sleazy storyline - they run into an older guy who suggest they should earn money by having sex in front of paying elite audiences - feels oddly innocent in this context. You find yourself really caring for the two, which is a rare thing in the Roman Porno genre.

Konuma keeps the tale moving fast enough despite a few slow patches and makes a terrific use of the song "Wakare uta" by Miyuki Nakajima. There are many scenes shot in the early morning and you can almost feel the fresh, chilly air coming through the screen. There's a bit of gangster-style storyline as well with the guy owing money to people who are after him. Noboru Tanaka's famous words about using the Roman Porno genre to tell good stories spring to mind. Though not unforgettable, this is one of those good stories and it quite resembles some of the best early Roman Porno youth dramas, like Delicate Skilful Fingers (1972).

Kind of lovely shot
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She's totally adorable
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Like, totally!
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Actually, they are adorable
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And this is just cute
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This is another one of those films the Weissers brutally and unfairly bash without even having see the film, and get half of the facts wrong in the process. They for example describe an ending that is completely different from the film (and this isn't the first time they do that). I know from experience that interpreting Japanese sources can be very difficult due to their ambiguous use of language, but they really should have refrained from cruel bashing when they haven't even seen the bloody film.


Masaru Konuma Films I Like
1. Woman in the Box II (1988)
2. Wandering Lovers: Dizziness (1978)
3. Image of a Bound Girl (1980)
4. Getting Raped (1976)
5. Erotic Journey: Love Affair In Hong Kong (1973)

Masaru Konuma Films I Don't Care For
1. Afternoon Affair: Kyoto Holy Tapestry (1973)
2. Mr. Dilemma Man: Lunatic For Lust (1979)
3. Wife's Sexual Fantasy: Before Husband's Eyes (1980)

Masaru Konuma Films I Hate
1. Woman in the Box (1985)
2. Rope and Breasts (1983)
3. Wife to Be Sacrificed (1974)
4. Fallen Angel Gang (1981)
5. Noble Lady: Bound Vase (1977)
6. Wet Vase (1976)
7. Flower & Snake (1974)
Guro Taku
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by Guro Taku »

Maybe I should give Woman in a Box 2 a shot. I bought it together with the first film and sold them both without having watched the second film after thoroughly despising the first one.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

Guro Taku wrote:Maybe I should give Woman in a Box 2 a shot. I bought it together with the first film and sold them both without having watched the second film after thoroughly despising the first one.
Hah, big mistake! From the 199 Roman Porno films I've seen (or fast forwarded), Woman in the Box is among the 5 worst. Woman in the Box II is among the 15 best.

The first film is just miserable in every sense (other than featuring one Onyanko Club song in it), cheap shot-on-video hard-core garbage. The sequel, on the other hand, is a very moody horror film set on a ski resort. Beautiful visuals, beautiful score, shot on 35mm... you barely even notice that it basically has an S&M storyline hidden somewhere beneath the surface.
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

I rewatched Woman of the Afternoon: Incite (1979) the other night and I gotta say this is a small gem! Fresh, breezy, colorful, fast paced... everything most Roman Porno films lack. It's just hard to write about it, because it's the kind of film that is absolutely best experienced without any expectations. It will take you by a surprise!

It's a shame it has never been subbed, officially or unofficially. The Japanese DVD by Geneon is excellent, though.

Now, if you're still not convinced, allow me to go into the spoiler territory.

The first 25 minutes of the film is breezy road movie with Natsuko Yashiro running from her jerk husband, heading for a road trip, making friends with sympathetic young gay guy, and even getting herself into a car chase as she decides to set things right with the youngsters who ran into her car. It's all fun, stylish and even a bit romantic. Cool use of music as well, and good cinematography.

Then, without any warning, she arrives a God forsaken small town populated by redneck psycho rapist killers. They rape the guy, kill another man, capture a girl, and start chasing her with a fucking front loader. All of a sudden we are watching a violent pink movie probably influenced by Deliverance and Tobe Hooper. And then there is the pitch black humour. In one scene the rednecks are gang raping women and one of them cracks such as good joke that his friend has to take a break from raping. He even says "I'm laughing so hard I can't do it".

The film was directed by Nobuyuki Saito, but the real credit should probably go to screenwriter Chiho Katsura, who also wrote Assault! Jack the Ripper, Rape! 13th Hour, Secret Honeymoon: Rape Train, Zoom Up: Rape Site, Zoom In: Rape Apartments, House, Futari and other films. Director Saito struggled to ever come up with another good film again. The only other worthwhile effort by him was Captured Mother and Daughter (1987), which was scipted by the excellent Haruhiko Arai.


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The rest of the captures are as links:
https://sketchesofcinema.files.wordpres ... 09/wo5.jpg
https://sketchesofcinema.files.wordpres ... 09/wo6.jpg
https://sketchesofcinema.files.wordpres ... 09/wo7.jpg
https://sketchesofcinema.files.wordpres ... 09/wo8.jpg

Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vj50kQbpwo
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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

Wives' Rape Mansion (1985)

And the award for the most misleadingly titled and mistranslated film title goes to... Nobuyuki Saito's surprisingly decent character drama. A middle aged couple are having conflicting views on getting children, with the wife having no interest in kids. The poor husband then spends his nights sitting in front of fridge and remembering the better times... and finally dials the phone sex number his colleague gave him. Despite certain Roman Porno trappings, it's a surprisingly well handled film by with slick visuals, broken chronology, and good leading performance by the mainstream actor Sabu Kawahara. The film also co-stars soft toy mini Godzilla, features strawberry flavour eatable pants, and makes a Hiroko Yakushimaru joke. Talk about chic. The title's suggested rape only takes place during the last five minutes, and is a part of the couple's marriage drama, so those expecting a thriller or violent pink film will be sorely disappointed.

Poor Thomas Weisser got everything wrong in this review, starting from the title which features two mistranslations in three words. First of all, the "mansion" in the original title (Hitotsuma Boko Mansion) is a loan word which, when used in Japanese, refers to an apartment, not mansion like in English. Secondly, the wives should be in singular, not plural. And then Weisser thought this would be a violent pink film. He went on to explain how "the plot tells the story of a rapist specializing in high-rise condo assaults" and concluded his review by stating the film is a "mean-spirited rape flick". Nope, none of that is in the film. It's a marriage drama about a middle aged couple.

Most Western viewers will probably miss the admittedly lowbrow but funny joke when the husband farts in bed after holding for long time and says "kaikan" (wonderful"). That's an expression Hiroko Yakushimaru popularized in Sailor Suit and Machine Gun when she uttered the word after finally firing the gun at the end of the film. The expression instantly became a pop culture classic.

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Re: Classic Japanese Exploitation (pinky violence & pink)

Post by HungFist »

Mo wrote:What's up with the triangle shaped nipples on the guy holding Godzilla in front of his dick?
I don't know. I never noticed before you mentioned about it.
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