Coed Report: Yuko's White Breasts (Japan, 1971) [VoD] - 3/5
An early Roman Porno melodrama about a high school girl's first sexual experiences with her teacher and a female classmate. Considerably tame by the genre's later standards, there is however certain charming innocence and a genuine attempt at making a real movie. The film does not possess especially high quality, but Kondo's directing is rather energetic and the old fashioned score adds to the nostalgic feeling. The movie was the debut film for the cute and big breasted Yuko Katagiri, whose naivety and limited acting skills were best suited for playing this kind of innocent characters.
Amorous Family: Like a Fox and a Racoon (Japan, 1972) [DCP] - 1/5
It is odd that Noboru Tanaka, one of the most talented arthouse directors who worked in the Roman Porno series, is responsible for possibly the most nerve shattering comedy the genre ever produced. It's about a family who are all after the dead-sick grandmother's hidden family jewels. Leading girl Mari Tanaka aside, all characters are amazingly irritating cartoon caricatures constantly goofing around and making the viewer feel suicidal. This is the first time in 10 years that I've slept in cinema, and it was entirely intentional as I just couldn't take it anymore. Terrible, absolutely terrible.
Kinpatsu Animal (Japan, 1972) [VoD] - 1/5
There was a short lived trend of casting foreign actresses in Japanese sexploitation films in the early 70s. Nikkatsu even had a number of movies filmed in Sweden by Japanese crews and fully Swedish casts. This was one of them. The storyline is about two Swedish couples who have troubles and end up having sex with each others' partners. The end. The screenplay must not have been more than 3 pages. It is a bore, but at least comes with some nice early 70s footage of Swedish discos, streets and funny hairstyles.
Female Teacher (Japan, 1977) [DVD] - 2/5
A commercially successful, but underwhelming re-start of the Female Teacher series. A music teacher is raped by her students, which kicks off a series of events that lead to murders and kidnapping. This is one of the few Roman Porno films that actually deal with the psychological and social consequences of rape in other that purely exploitative way. Unfortunately, it still doesn't hold up as a drama, and at 100 minutes it runs way too long. The first and final third work, but the middle part drags quite a bit.
High School Girl (Japan, 1979) - 2/5
A disappointing follow up from director Kichitaro Negishi, whose debut From Orion's Testimony: Formula For Murder (1978) helped push Roman Porno to trendier waters. A couple of things work here. Much like in Orion's Testimony, Negishi manages an interesting non-sexual relationship which involves the protagonist and a middle aged TV screenwriter (non-sexual until the wife walks in, misunderstands, leaves in fury, and then he goes "oh well, I guess we can just go ahead and do it now"). There are some other fun and breezy moments, but ultimately the film feels a bit empty and pointless, and doesn't escape "supporting character sex" used as filler footage. The film is on Nikkatsu's "banned list": withdrawn from distribution to respect actress Machiko Ohtani's wishes.
Hard Scandal: Sex Drifter (Japan, 1980) [DVD] - 2.5/5
A strangely uneven film from director Noboru Tanaka. Horny junior high school boy (!) falls in love with an older girl (Ako) and eventually becomes a cross dressing hippie. It all works pretty well, with energetic audiovisual delivery and good performances. Co-star Ako has a fascinating presence; it's a shame she only appeared in a handful of movies. Unfortunately that's only half of the movie. The other half focuses on the boy's swapping crazy parents. The only reason for them to be in the film is to add "supporting character sex", something usually used by bad directors/screenwriters when the main storyline isn't sexy enough.
Gigolo: A Docu-Drama (Japan, 1982) [DVD] - 1/5
I once considered Koyu Ohara one of Nikkatsu's best filmmakers for movies like Pink Hip Girl (1978). It later came evident, however, that he was merely one of the most talented. A lot of time he did not make full use of his talent, as he did not seem the care much. Gigolo: A Docu-Drama is a case in point, a poorly written film about a bunch of young Shinjuku gigolos trying to sleep with as many women as possible. There is no plot, no memorable characters, and no attempt to make it anything more than cheap junk except for two scenes with catchy pop music. Even the name is misleading; there is little reason to call this a "docu-drama" as it looks and feels entirely fictional as it surely is.
White Rose Campus: Then Everybody Gets Raped (Japan, 1982) [DVD] - 3/5
Seminal early 80's Roman Porno sleaze with three rapists hijacking a bus full of high school girls. Best scene: the hijackers let all the ugly girls go - and some of them are clearly offended by it. Uneven director Koyu Ohara does pretty good job keeping the film moving at brisk pace and building tension, especially in the early scenes that have an almost horror film like atmosphere. However, there are also some boring bits, and while the execution is solid, it's still unexceptional.
Beautiful Wrestlers: Down For the Count (Japan, 1984) [VoD] - 1.5/5
The world's one and only professional wrestling Roman Porno. Imagine Hulk Hogan as a bunch of Japanese girls and you've a pretty accurate image of the film. The opening and closing parts are so ridiculous that you really wish the rest would be as good. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The film's extended middle third is a tiresome sex marathon that is damn difficult to survive without fast forwarding. Shame, as the film has its moments.
Rope Sisters: Strange Fruit (Japan, 1984) [VoD] - 3/5
It is not often that a Nikkatsu SM film manages to retain my interest, but when they do, it's usually due to psychological depth or visual style. This one's got a bit of both. Screenwriter Takashi Ishii complained, according to Weisser, that his script was stripped of all the nuance, but what remains on screen is still more interesting than what the genre usually offers. The film opens with bullied salaryman Muraki stumbling into a small park one evening. He finds an injured half naked high school girl lying on the ground, and her sister hanging unconscious from a tree on ropes. He has no idea what he is getting himself into as he tries to help them. Refreshingly original at first, the film takes a more conventional turn during its second half, but remains relatively well made and interesting.
Entrails of a Virgin (Japan, 1986) [VoD] - 1/5
Few people realize this miserable Gaira film was a Roman Porno release. Some years earlier Nikkatsu might not have approved it for its nature, or quality. It's about a nude modelling shoot, which turns into a massacre when a horny killer demon attacks the crew at a guesthouse. An utterly inept sex / horror romp with sleazy but boring sex making most of the running time. Once the splatter finally begins, the effects are laughably bad even by b-film standards. The whole production feels like an amateur film, only shot on film instead of video.
Entrails of a Beautiful Woman (Japan, 1986) [VoD] - 1/5
This sequel is actually a slight improvement over the original, which isn't saying much. Nor does it mean the film is watchable. However, this time there are proper make up effects, a decent monster, and some relatively well done gore effects. Too bad it's again boring as hell with endless sex scenes.
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