The Synapse releases seem to have been well received on boards like AV Maniacs (formerly dvd maniacs), though I assume I'd be in the same boat with (had I seem more of them) you cause I also have very little interest in standard sexploitation... it's the unlikely gems that I'm looking for.
Here's something I wrote on another board a few weeks ago:
ok, here's my top-10 Nikkatsu Roman Porno list
1. Love Hotel (Shinji Somai, 1985)
By Shinji Somai, the best Japanese director of the 80's, this Director's Company production only became a Nikkatsu film when it was acquired for distribution by the pink giant. With a stunningly good screenplay Takashi Ishii, terrific cinematography by Noboru Shinoda (Shunji Iwai's cinematographer) and typical Somai character drama played in long takes (Somai is famous for his legendary tracking shots), the film deservedly cleaned the table at the Yokohama (mainstream) Film Festival: best film, best director, best screenplay, best cinematography, best leading actor and best new actress. Not much of a sex flick, but brilliant cinema.
2. Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland (Yukihiro Sawada, 1973)
One of the reasons why Japanese pink cinema is such a unique genre is that it holds movies that, by any common sense, should not be there. Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland is a case in point. Written by the legendary Kazuhiko Hasegawa (the director of The Man who Stole the Sun), this nihilist action thriller following beast cops on a manhunt was a political hand granade that no mainstream studion would dare to tackle. It only saw the light of day after being disguised as Nikkatsu Roman Porno - and even Nikkatsu tried to pull off the cord in fear of causing a scandal! While slightly compromised due to pink requirements, the film should be mentioned in the same breath with Serpico, The French Connection, and other seminal 70's cop films!
3. Pink Hip Girl (Koyu Ohara, 1979)
This trendy piece of pop-cinema was a hit among youngsters and female audiences. The irresistibly cute film is sweet and catchy, with adorable leads and superb pop soundtrack. A great youth film free of any such sleaziness that would typically be related to Nikkatsu's pink films. Director Ohara, on the other hand, is also responsible for such memorable efforts as White Rose Campus: And Then Everyone Gets Raped, and several other violent pink movies which vary wildly in terms of quality.
4. Beauty’s Exotic Dance: Torture (Noboru Tanaka, 1977)
Noboru Tanaka was another one of Nikkatsu's critically acclaimed "real filmmakers". While his famous Abe Sada film is a bore, the misleadingly titled Beauty’s Exotic Dance: Torture is a terric character drama of mad love. With minimalist style and terrific acting it's a quietly harrowing movie set against beautiful snowy wilderness. Other terrific Tanaka films include the Angel Guts: Nami and Secret Chronicle: She-Beast Market, the former introducing surreal imagery to the long running series, and the latter being an arthouse fair shot in strikingly beautiful b&w.
5. Painful Bliss! Final Twist (Tatsumi Kumashiro, 1977)
Tatsumi Kumashiro was a critic favorite who shot realistic slice of life films while on a pink payroll. Many of his pink movies are considered some of the best Japanese movies ever made. Personally, though, I find his maniacal Painful Bliss! Final Twist the real triumph. Based on a winner contribution by fan screenwriting competition, it's a mad film full of sex, violence, transvestites, movie references, and a soundtrack that rips pinky violence tunes, yakuza movie songs, even funeral march! Imagine Pedro Almodovar, Takashi Miike and Noboru Tanaka having a threesome and you'll get an idea.
6. Angel Guts: Red Classroom (Chusei Sone, 1979)
This is a strong series, starting from the nasty but thought provoking original which appears to be underrated because it doesn't provide easy moral answers. All films are based on Takashi Ishii's mangas, and the 5th film, Red Vertigo, is actually a modification of the same screenplay that Shinji Somai shot as Love Hotel. The 2nd film, Red Classroom, is an especially powerful psychological drama with strong audio-visual touch, though Noboru Tanaka's Nami (the 3rd instalment) is just as good.
7. Rape! 13th Hour (Yasuharu Hasebe, 1977)
Nikkatsu's former action specialist Yasuharu Hasebe hit a bittersweet gold mine when he, against his own wishes, tackled the violent pink genre. His rape films, ranging from truly nasty pieces to black comedy, remain fan favorites despite being somewhat flawed efforts for the most part. Rape! 13th Hour, is the best of the bunch. It's a film so mean even Nikkatsu thought they had crossed the line - and ordered their directors to tone down the violence from then on. But what is suprising about this tale of a serial rapist and his protégé on a crash course with a homosexual killer gang is that the nastiest bits of violence are towards at men, rather than women. In addition, it's a slick, well made thriller with tons on metaphoric context (that the director denies being intentional) and an ending that is identical to a famed, later made William Friedkin movie!
8. Woman in the Box II (Masaru Konuma, 1986)
The rumor has it that crap director Masaru Konuma only agreed to direct the (boring and repulsive) hard-core original in order to finance this gem of a sequel. Playing out like a pink-Psycho set in a ski resort, it's an atmospheric horror movie with beautiful landscapes and harrowing soundtrack. Even includes a chainsaw!
9. Zoom In: Rape Apartments (Naosuke Kurosawa, 1980)
A pink giallo! Naosuke Kurosawa's extraordinary film overloads the sex, but rivals the Italian productions in its technical brilliance. The cinematography and framings are jaw dropping, supported by impressive audio design and one of the wildest wtf-moments near the end in recent memory. Released on R1 under the title "Sex Apartments".
10. Woman of the Afternoon: Incite! (Nobuyuki Saito, 1979)
Here is a film that is hard to review as it is best watched without knowing anything about it! A well made movie with a breath of fresh air as its female protagonist dumps the boyfriend and heads to a countryside roadtrip. Not quite the best roman porno film, but a surprising little movie that reminds of the variety that one could come across when exploring the genre.
(as you can see, it's not a 100% definitive list in the sense I intentionally chose 10 movies from 10 different directors... otherwise there would've been multiple Tanakas and Sones)
+ here's something a created just for fun long time ago:
Nikkatsu Roman Porno in Images
The nationwide retro is also gonna play in my hometown next month, with some good selection, though I've seen most of the films already:
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Delicate Skillful Fingers (Shiroi yubi wa tawamure) (Tooru Murakawa, 1971) (youth film?)
(no dvd!)
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Secret Chronicle: Prostitution Market (Maruhi: jorō ichiba) (Chusei Sone, 1972) (period comedy) **
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Ichijo's Wet Lust (Ichiyo Sayuri: nureta yokujō) (Tatsumi Kumashiro, 1972) (slice of life drama) **
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Lovers are Wet (Koibitotachi wa nureta) (Tatsumi Kumashiro, 1973) (slice of life drama) **
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Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland (Nureta kouya o hashire) (Yukihiro Sawada, 1973) (cop / action thriller) **
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Secret Chronicle: She-Beast Market (Maruhi: Shikijo Mesu Ichiba) (Noboru Tanaka, 1974) (arthouse / mood film) **
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Wife to be Sacrificed (Ikenie Fujin) (Masaru Konuma, 1974) (S&M) **
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Tattooed Flower Vase (Kashin no irezumi: ureta tsubo) (Masaru Konuma, 1975) (drama?)
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Rape and Death of a Housewife (Hitozuma Shudan Boko Chishi Jiken) (Noboru Tanaka, 1978) (drama?)
(no dvd!)
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The Woman with Red Hair (Akai kami no onna) (Tatsumi Kumashiro, 1979) (slice of life drama) **
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Woman's Trail: Wet Path (Onna no Hosomichi: Nureta Kaikyo) (Kazunari Takeda, 1980) (drama?)
(no dvd!)
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Wife's Sexual Fantasy: Before Husband's Eyes (Tsumatachi no Seitaiken: Otto no Me no Maede Ima) (Masaru Konuma, 1980) (drama) **
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Angel Guts: Red Classroom (Chusei Sone, 1979) (drama) **
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Love Hotel (Shinji Somai, 1985) (drama) **
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Hakuchû no onna gari (Chusei Sone, 1984) (action / thriller?)
(no dvd!)
** seen before
I'm really excited about Hakuchû no onna gari, which is supposed to be notorious violent pink thriller, and Rape and Death of a Housewife, which was praised (by the ever so unreliable Weisser) as one of Tanaka's masterpieces. Delicate Skillful Fingers I might see also, it's a Kinema junpo favorite by Tooru Murakawa, who later turned into a routine action director with endless mediocre Yusaku Matsuda films (Resurrection of the Golden Wolf is brilliant, though). And I can't miss the chance to catch Love Hotel on 35mm, though I've watched it 2 or 3 times from dvd already...
- [url=htp://twww.nikkatsu.com/100th/rp100/lineup]
http://www.nikkatsu.com/100th/rp100/lineup[/url]
) so purchase is my only option if I wish to see them... but the box set seems to be more expensive than the three stand alone releases 
