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by HungFist » 30 May 2018, 13:06
Now that I have seen over 300 Roman Porno films, I've updated my Top 30 list and turned it into a Top 80!
These are all recommendable films, that is, movies I've rated at least 3/5.
1. Female Delinquent: A Docu-Drama (実録不良少女 姦) (Toshiya Fujita, 1977) (genre: violence / delinquent girl)
Ultra-realistic and ultra-violent bad girl drama. Imagine Kinji Fukasaku directing a Sukeban film with Toshiya Fujita ‘s usual youth film themes and social commentary. Fantastic performances, innovative cinematography and a stunning rock soundtrack.
2. Rape Ceremony (暴行儀式) (Kichitaro Negishi, 1980) (genre: youth drama / character study)
Despite the crude Nikkatsu title, this is a small masterpiece about two generations of violent young men. It follows a group of young men who is taking revenge against their former idols, who are biker gang members who disbanded under police pressure. A very Art Theatre Guild esque film with great characters, cast, music, and broken chronology.
3. Rolling on the Road (嗚呼!おんなたち 猥歌) (Tatsumi Kumashiro, 1981) (genre: rock sleaze)
Kumashiro’s jaw dropping sleaze fest and "true account" of the asshole rocker / movie star Yuya Uchida, played by Uchida himself! The most memorable scene: a sadomasochist nurse is strangling Uchida with a telephone cord during sex while his other girlfriend is crying at the other end of the line.
4. Love Hotel (ラブホテル) (Shinji Somai, 1985) (genre: character drama)
The only Roman Porno by Shinji Somai, who was arguably the best Japanese director of the 1980s. This film features one of the best storylines I have ever seen, and all of the usual Somai trademarks from breathtaking tracking shots to great soundtrack. Yokohama (Mainstream) Film Fest winner: best film, best director, best screenplay (Takashi Ishii), best cinematography, best lead actor and best female newcomer of the year.
5. Pink Hip Girl (桃尻娘 ピンク・ヒップ・ガール) (Koyu Ohara, 1977) (genre: youth / pop art)
This is one of the cutest, most adorable youth films, and the movie that earned Ohara his reputation as “pop-art director”. It’s a highly entertaining road movie with snowy landscapes, cute girls, great soundtrack, and real chemistry between the two leads. This was a hit among female audiences as well.
6. Delicate Skilful Fingers (白い指の戯れ) (Tooru Murakawa, 1972) (genre: contemporary drama)
This film was praised by critics as a movie that turned Roman Porno into respectable youth cinema that captured Nikkatsu's past glory days. Indeed, it's a terrific, stylish film of an innocent young woman who falls in love with a professional pickpocket and discovers a new decadent life. Co-stars cult actor / rock star Ichiro Araki. Screenplay by Tatsumi Kumashiro.
7. Retreat through the Wet Wasteland (濡れた荒野を走れ) (Yukihiro Sawada, 1973) (genre: cop thriller)
Ultra-nihilist police corruption film in which two beast-cops are hunting their former colleague who escaped from a mental institution and could reveal their crimes to the public. Produced as Roman Porno because no mainstream studio dared to touch it. Even Nikkatsu had second thoughts because they thought it was too political and tried to stop the production.
8. Angel Guts: Red Classroom (天使のはらわた 赤い教室) (Chusei Sone, 1979) (genre: psychological drama)
Most of the Angel Guts movies are great, but this haunting psychological drama is probably my favourite. Keizo Kanie stars as a photographer who sees an underground rape film and becomes obsessed finding the girl and finding out of the crime was real or staged. Beautiful score, good performances and fine cinematography. The ending is unforgettable. I've excluded the other entries from the list, but High School Co-ed, Nami and Red Vertigo all come highly recommended.
9. Red Violation (赤い暴行) (Chusei Sone, 1980) (genre: rock / slice of life drama)
A great slice of life drama following real life rock-band Devils, played by the real members, including the gaijin member James Hunt in a pretty big role. It's a film that could've been produced by ATG. There's a bit of sex, quite good characters, and tons of great music. It also captures the spirit of the time really nicely. The film ends with a terrific 10 minute scene where the band is composing their new song. One of the best band movies ever made.
10. Crazed Fruit (狂った果実) (Kichitaro Negishi, 1981) (genre: youth drama / character study)
Kichitaro Negishi was bar none one of the best directors who ever worked in Roman Porno. He basically re-invented the 1950s delinquent youth genre. This is a new and superior version of the 1950s classic Crazed Fruit. It's got all of Negishi's trademarks: complex characters, great performances, frequent use of exterior locations, and an energetic audio-visual style that mixes pop songs with hand-held cinematography.
11. Beauty’s Exotic Dance: Torture (発禁本「美人乱舞」より 責める!) (Noboru Tanaka, 1977) (genre: psychological drama)
A haunting psychological drama about the love affair between an artist and a woman who goes through endless physical tortures to make him happy. All set in beautiful snowy landscapes. Probably Tanaka’s best film.
12. Assault! Jack the Ripper (暴行切り裂きジャック) (Yasuharu Hasebe, 1976) (genre: violent pink / thriller)
The coming of age story of a serial killer. A shy young man finds a passion for slaughtering women, and his girlfriend gets sexual kicks from it. Rarely have sex and death been so close other than in David Cronenberg films.
13. Rape! 13th Hour (レイプ25時 暴姦) (Yasuharu Hasebe, 1977) (genre: violent pink / thriller)
Hasebe’s most outrageous film even turns the violence against men when a serial rapist with a protégé is chased by a homosexual gang. It’s also his slickest thriller, and full of interesting social commentary, even if Hasebe denies such intentions for some reason. William Friedkin later made a film which has an identical ending!
14. Zoom Up: Rape Apartments (ズームイン 暴行団地) (Naosuke Kurosawa, 1980) (genre: pink giallo)
This is just about the last thing you'd expect to find in the Roman Porno genre: a pink-giallo. The cinematography and sound design are absolutely stunning and the film features one of the most WTF kills in movie history. Too bad about the excessive sex scenes that slow it down.
15. Woman of the Afternoon: Incite! (昼下りの女 挑発!!) (Nobuyuki Saito, 1979) (genre: genre cocktail)
This film is best watched without knowing anything about it. Director Nobuyuki Saito spent most of his career making mediocre and bad films. This one, however, is a fresh, breezy and energetic gem that will take you by a surprise.
16. Painful Bliss! Final Twist (悶絶!! どんでん返し) (Tatsumi Kumashiro, 1977) (genre: WTF / pop art)
An absolutely insane mix of yakuzas, transvestites and all kinds of pop-art. If Takashi Miike, Pedro Almodovar and Noboru Tanaka had sex, and somehow gave birth, and the child become a movie director, his movie would probably look much like this...
17. Girl's Pleasure: Man Hunting (横須賀男狩り 少女・悦楽) (Toshiya Fujita, 1977) (genre: drama, youth, thriller)
Skilfully written and unpredictable character drama about a raped wife, her husband, little sister, and the sister's friend who falls in love with an African American soldier. The shifting focus and the use of unlikely encounters echoes 1990s Tarantino, and the violent ending turns gender roles upside down. The script, by a 25 year old female writer, was discovered via Nikkatsu screenwriting competition.
18. Bu-ra-i no onna (BU・RA・Iの女) (Osamu Murakami, 1988) (genre: gangster drama)
A yakuza chinpira is sent to Okinawa to assassinate a gangster boss, but he doesn't have what it takes to kill a man. He up spending desperate hours lying alone in his hotel room, listening to live music in a bar, and hooking up with old pals. Extraordinary gangster drama is only namely a Roman Porno, but contains the best, most delicate love scene in its history.
19. Midnight Fairy (真夜中の妖精) (Noboru Tanaka, 1973) (genre: arthouse)
A desperate young man ditched by his girlfriend hooks up with a mentally challenged prostitute. This is a superb arthouse Roman Porno. It's poignant, visually stylish, and features lots of great 1970s footage filmed on location on streets and in small bars. The film also never feels pretentious: it's fun, playful and relatively fast paced.
20. Fujunna kankei (不純な関係) (Shogoro Nishimura, 1984) (genre: drama)
Roman Porno vending machine Shogoro Nishimura surprises with this well written, superbly directed and acted relationship drama set to a wonderful soundtrack. It's a movie where characters act against the Roman Porno clichés, which feels like a breath of fresh air
19. Wandering Lovers: Dizziness (さすらいの恋人 眩暈 めまい) (Masaru Konuma, 1978) (genre: youth drama)
An energetic youth film follows two youngsters on the run. The film features superb performances from its two leads who make an adorable couple that you really care about - a real rarity in the genre. It's also stylishly shot, with numerous outdoor scenes set in the early morning add a fresh feel to the film. One of director Konuma's best films.
20. Erotic Liaisons (エロチックな関係) (Yasuharu Hasebe, 1978) (genre: neo-noir)
Here's a very stylish neo-noir based on a novel by the French author Raymond Marlot and produced during the late 1970s when a small amount of Roman Porno films attempted to bridge the gap between mainstream and pink cinema. The storyline and atmosphere are so strikingly European that you constantly forgets the film is set in Tokyo and not Paris.
21. Woman in the Box 2 (箱の中の女2) (Masaru Konuma, 1986) (genre: horror/drama)
Generally speaking, I'm no fan of Masaru Konuma's SM films. He has, however, made some good films in other genres. This movie is a small gem: a beautiful, melancholic horror film set in a ski resort. It has a terrific score, too. It's such a unique film in the Roman Porno genre that you don't even realize the villain is actually a pretty standard SM psycho.
22. Assault (暴行!) (Yukihiro Sawada, 1976) (genre: violent pink / thriller)
Another crime film by the director of Retreat through the Wet Wasteland. This one is a remarkably dark and bleak tale of a husband and wife taken as prisoner by a group criminals on the run. The film was very obviously influenced by Straw Dogs. Although most of it fall short of great, the eight minute climax is a melancholic ballad of violence that rivals the best scenes by Sam Peckinpah and John Woo.
23. Secret Chronicle: Prostitution Market ((秘)女郎市場) (Chusei Sone, 1972) (genre: comedy)
A very funny, frequently cute, and politically incorrect by modern standards, film about a mentally challenged girl who is sold to a brothel. Her virginity proves surprisingly difficult to steal as she doesn't understand what sex is, and always manages to misunderstand the customers' intentions. The best sequence involves a sumo wrestler trying to catch her – and destroying half of the brothel in the process before knocking himself out.
24. Zoom Up: Rape Site (ズームアップ 暴行現場) (Koyu Ohara, 1979) (genre: violent pink / thriller)
A notorious piece of mean spirited violent pink may not be quite as wild as its reputation, but it's well made smut with a solid thriller structure, some gruesome kills and a pitch black view on humanity. Also, the film's view on women can be summarized with the line "be so kind, rape me again".
25. Secret Honeymoon: Rape Train ((秘)ハネムーン 暴行列車) (genre: romance / thriller)
An utterly ridiculous but highly entertaining love story about two robbers and their female hostage on the run. Add “stunts sequences” on the train top, a ridiculous Texas country music soundtrack, and a very cute female lead, and you’ve got a nonsensical, but fun crime film romance.
26. Woman's Trail: Wet Path (おんなの細道 濡れた海峡) (Kazunari Takeda, 1980) (genre: drama)
Beautifully melancholic film about realistic, likeable and often middle aged characters wandering aimlessly in snowy coastal towns after being abandoned by their loved ones. Director Takeda rarely produced quality, but this is a mature, atypical film that beautifully depicts the passing of time.
27. Secret Chronicle: She-Beast Market ((秘)色情めす市場) (Noboru Tanaka, 1974) (genre: realistic drama)
Tanaka's ultra realistic film about a prostitute (Meika Seri) is one of the most exceptional films in the Roman Porno genre, and not only for its striking black & white cinematography.
28. From Orion's Testimony: Formula for Murder (オリオンの殺意より 情事の方程式) (Kichitaro Negishi, 1978) (genre: drama/youth/thriller)
Negishi's first film is a youth drama about a young man who writes fictional plans how to murder his father - until the father's new lover wishes to put the plan into action. Negishi's films are always character driven, often breezy, and feature exceptional approaches to sex. In this film the protagonist makes friends with a strange hippie-like girl (Ako) into African music - and their relationship is almost sex free.
29. Girl and the Wooden Horse Torture (団鬼六 少女木馬責め) (Fumihiko Kato, 1982) (genre: noir / drama/ S&M)
There are not many S&M films that appeal to me, but this one is of interest. Director Kato helms a very good Takashi Ishii script about a high school girl who is obsessed with her teacher, who has been fired on false rape accusations. The highly visual and nightmarish film is both surprising and character driven. The final scenes may be hard to take for newcomers, but the film feels like an Angel Guts entry with an S&M theme.
30. Trap of Lust (愛欲の罠) (Atsushi Yamatoya, 1973) (genre: action / thriller / WTF)
Atsushi Yamatoya, one of the screenwriters on Branded to Kill, and a cult figure on his own, directs this bizarre professional killer / spy film satire that is sometimes considered a remake of Branded to Kill. Entertaining, although sometimes a bit too confident of its own odd appeal.
TOP 31-40:
Angel Guts: High School Co-ed (女高生 天使のはらわた) (Chusei Sone, 1978) *
Angel Guts: Red Vertigo (天使のはらわた 赤い眩暈) (Takashi Ishii, 1988) *
Captured Mother and Daughter (母娘監禁 牝) (Nobuyuki Saito, 1987)
Jealousy Game (ジェラシー・ゲーム) (Yoichi Higashi, 1982)
Lolita Vibrator Torture (ロリータバイブ責め) (Hisayasu Sato, 1987)
Modern Prostitution: Lust Under Uniform (現代娼婦考 制服の下のうずき) (Chusei Sone, 1974)
My Sex Report: Intensities (わたしのSEX白書 絶頂度) (Chusei Sone, 1976)
Rape and Death of a Housewife (人妻集団暴行致死事件) (Noboru Tanaka, 1978)
Shinjuku midare machi: ikumade matte (新宿乱れ街 いくまで待って) (Chusei Sone, 1977)
Star of David: Hunting Beautiful Girls (堕靡泥の星 美少女狩り) (Norifumi Suzuki, 1979)
TOP 41-50:
Angel Guts: Nami (天使のはらわた 名美) (Noboru Tanaka, 1979)
Sex Rider: Wet Highway (セックス・ライダー 濡れたハイウェイ) (Koretsugu Kurahara, 1971)
Live Act: Top Stripper ((本)噂のストリッパー) (Yoshimitsu Morita, 1982)
Embraced by the Dark (闇に抱かれて) (Kazunari Takeda, 1982)
Eros School: Feels So Good (エロス学園 感度ばつぐん) (Koretsugu Kurahara, 1977)
Exotic Mask in Hell (団鬼六 妖艶能面地獄) (Fumihiko Kato, 1988)
Hakuchu no onnagari (白昼の女狩り) (Chusei Sone, 1984)
Image of a Bound Girl (団鬼六 少女縛り絵図) (Masaru Konuma, 1980)
So Soft, So Cunning (もっとしなやかに もっとしたたかに) (Toshiya Fujita, 1979)
Rouge (ルージュ) (Hiroyuki Nasu, 1984)
TOP 51-60
Wet Lust: 21 Strippers (濡れた欲情 特出し21人) (Tatsumi Kumashiro, 1974)
A Woman Called Sada Abe (実録阿部定) (Noboru Tanaka, 1975)
Coed Report: Yuko's White Breasts (女子高生レポート 夕子の白い胸) (Yukihiko Kondo, 1971)
Getting Raped (犯される) (Masaru Konuma, 1976)
Oh! Takarazuka (OH!タカラズカ) (Koyu Ohara, 1984)
Rope Sisters: Strange Fruit (縄姉妹 奇妙な果実) (Shun Nakahara, 1984)
Rope Torture (団鬼六 縄責め) (Ikuo Sekimoto, 1984)
Subway Serial Rape: Lover Hunting (地下鉄連続レイプ 愛人狩り) (Shuji Kataoka, 1988)
Waiting Wet Woman (待ち濡れた女) (Yasuaki Uegaki, 1987)
White Rose Campus: Then Everybody Gets Raped (白薔薇学園 そして全員犯された) (Koyu Ohara, 1982)
TOP 61-70
Beads From a Petal (花弁のしずく) (Noboru Tanaka, 1972)
Afternoon Affair: Metamorphosis (昼下りの情事 変身) (Noboru Tanaka, 1973)
Wives' Rape Mansion (人妻暴行マンション) (Nobuyuki Saito, 1985)
Pink Hip Girl: Proposal Strategy (桃尻娘 プロポーズ大作戦) (Koyu Ohara, 1980)
Virgin nanka kowakunai (ヴァージンなんか怖くない) (Hiroyuki Nasu, 1984)
August: Scent of Eros (八月はエロスの匂い) (Toshiya Fujita, 1972)
Beauty in Rope Hell (団鬼六 美女縄地獄) (Genji Nakamura, 1983)
Bed-In (ベッド・イン) (Masaru Konuma, 1986)
Ecstasy Sisters (絶頂姉妹 堕ちる) (Naosuke Kurosawa, 1982)
Erotic Journey: Love Affair In Hong Kong (色情旅行 香港慕情) (Masaru Konuma, 1973)
TOP 71-80
Path of the Beast (少女娼婦 けものみち) (Tatsumi Kumashiro, 1980)
Young Lady Detectives: Heart Beat (お嬢さん探偵 ときめき連発) (Naosuke Kurosawa, 1987)
Watcher in the Attic (江戸川乱歩猟奇館 屋根裏の散歩者) (Noboru Tanaka, 1976)
Love Beast: Attack (愛獣 襲る!) (Naosuke Kurosawa, 1981)
Lolita tsuma: Binetsu (ロリータ妻 微熱) (Naosuke Kurosawa, 1984)
Slave Wife (奴隷妻) (Akira Kato, 1976)
Seifuku Yurizoku: Warui Asobi (制服白百合族 悪い遊び) (Koyu Ohara, 1985)
Sukeban kabushiki gaisha (スケバン株式会社 やっちゃえ!お嬢さん) (Koyu Ohara, 1984)
Zoom Up: Graduation Photos (ズームアップ 卒業写真) (Yoshihiro Kawasaki, 1983)
Lovers Are Wet (恋人たちは濡れた) (Tatsumi Kumashiro, 1973)
* Because I'm lazy, this is actually Top 30 + Top 31-80. In my original Top 30 list I restricted the number of Angel Guts films to one for the sake of variety, hence High School Co-ed and Red Vertigowere excluded. They are listed here as no. 31 and 32, but objectively they should be higher, somewhere around no. 20.