The Non-Synapse Roman Porno Thread

[lelufefar66]

Thanks a lot to both of you!
On Kung Fu Fandom Takuma wrote :" The Japanese text in the back cover reads団鬼å…監修 (Dan Oniroku kanshí»)　which is short for団鬼å…監修　Ｓï¼å¤§å…¨é›† (Dan Oniroku kanshí»: SM daizenshí»). That film is indeed a compilation of clips from Nikkatsu's SM movies based on Dan Oniroku Stories. The pictures might all be from films that are included in Dan Oniroku kanshí» as clips. Maybe.

What I can tell you is:

Top left: Naomi Tani　（谷ナオミ）

Top right: Terumi Azuma （東てる美）

Bottom right: Junko Mabuki (maybe) (?) （麻吹淳åï¼‰in Office Lady Rope Slave　(maybe) (?)（団鬼å…éš· OL縄奴）"


I also believe That the girl sitting on a stripped sofa (tied with a red rope) is Junko Mabuki （麻吹淳åï¼‰in Office Lady Rope Slave (団鬼å…éš· OL縄奴）unless the photo credits here are wrong.
The website is in French but titles are in English & Japanese.
Anyway I can't hardly wait for new information from you (actresses names)

[ropo1]

Isn't the front cover from the promo material for Angel Guts: Red Porno?

yeah you are indeed correct, I somehow had this poster saved as the poster for Love Beast: Flower of Vice


and at the same time I had this one saved as the only to me unknown Jun Izumi, so that clears this whole thing up to me

[Sundance]

Isn't the front cover from the promo material for Angel Guts: Red Porno?

But the bottom image on the back is from Love Beast: Flower of Vice. And I believe the middle left photo is also from the same movie, the scene in question just doesn't happen that way in the movie (seems it's common for the roman porno promo material to show the scenes in a way that doesn't happen in the film itself ). Jun Izumi in both images?

http://www.romanporno.com/screenshot...h39m37s527.png
http://www.romanporno.com/screenshot...h54m02s116.png
http://www.romanporno.com/screenshot...h54m21s063.png

[ropo1]

top left Oniroku Dan: Best of SM 団鬼å…監修　Ｓï¼å¤§å…¨é›† 1984
top right ?!?
left bottom (presumably) Love Beast: Attack! 愛獣　襲る！ 1981
right bottom Secretary Rope Discipline 団鬼å…　女秘書縄調教 1981
back bottom (presumably) Momoe's Lips' Love Beast 百恵の唇　愛獣 1980

spine Rope and Breasts 縄と乳房 1983

front Love Beast: Flower of Vice 愛獣　悪の華 1981

the presumably ones are pretty good guesses i think, not seen the 2 but the artwork for them are in line with these pics
can try verify the presumably ones within the upcoming week.

[lelufefar66]

Hello,
Looking for information about photos used for the sleeve of the French VHS release of Tenshi no harawata: Akai inga. I posted about it there - beware : NSFW pictures! - http://www.shaolinchamber36.com/kung...cation-needed/
Takuma suggested I ask here.
By the way I believe that the actress in the small picture (red background) is Nami MATSUKAWA in Rope and Breasts / 縄と乳房
Many thanks for your help.

[Takuma]

Nikkatsu announced a week ago that the upcoming BD release of Slave Contact (奴隷契約書) (Konuma, 1982) has been cancelled for "various reasons" (none of which are explained).
- http://www.nikkatsu-romanporno.com/t.../11/hpxn33.php

[Takuma]

Roman Porno Treasure Hunt - Part 4 (last).

Blue Lagoon: A Summer Experience (ひと夏の体験　青い珊瑚礁) (Japan, 1981) [VoD] - 1.5/5
Director Toshiharu Ikeda famously said he was forced to direct this film as a penalty for Sex Hunter (1980), which the producers found too dark. He didn't object too much as he didn't mind a "free Okinawa vacation" as he described the filming experience. Anyway, the film is about a girl (Mayumi Terashima) who goes to Okinawa to lose her virginity and meets a couple of people who like sex. Not much interesting happens - even Ikeda called the script "stupid". Oddly enough, it was written by Haruhiko Arai. Perhaps he was being punished for something as well? In any case, the film is at least technically accomplished, with beautiful Okinawa landscapes expertly captured on film. I suppose this served as better travel advertisement than Toei's Okinawa Yakuza War.

Orgasm Mariko (オーガズム・真理å) (Japan, 1985) [VoD] - 2/5
This bloody revenge film has one of the most ridiculous premises in recent memory, courtesy of writer Chiho Katsura (Assault! Jack the Ripper, House, Zoom Up: Rate Site). A girl is proposed by her boyfriend by the highway while they're having sex, and seconds later he's already is dead thanks to a truck driver who threw a glass bottle out of the window as he passed. She turns into a vengeful Charles Bronson on her period (no kidding, there's menstruation blood in every sex scene) who seduces truckers and other sleazy men and stabs them to death during sex. Also, there an odd sex scene where she and her partner keep squeezing grapes throughout the sessions. It is a shame that ultimately the film isn't better despite pairing Katsura with the visually talented Fumihiko Kato. There are enough odd and bloody moments, plus potential for all kinds of interpretations about menstruation and female psyche, to keep you moderately entertained, but the film isn't especially well made or stylish. Director Kato is best remembered for two unusual SM films, the psychological neo-noir Girl and the Wooden Horse Torture (1982) and the occult horror influenced Exotic Mask in Hell (1988), both of which are better films than this. Still, Mariko is obviously of some interest to genre buffs.















Subway Serial Rape: Office Lady Hunting (地下鉄連続レイプ　ＯＬ狩り) (Japan, 1986) [VoD] - 1/5
The original Subway Serial Rape (1985) was a bit of an odd for an 80s Roman Porno because it was a hybrid between pink and action film. Director Shuji Kataoka seemed to have been influenced by Charles Bronson flicks. This sequel throws in even more gangster stuff but somehow completely misses the target. The film plays out like Z-grade gangster film with no style or no punch to speak of, and even the score is lame as mineral water (unlike the in the 1st film). The only fun bit is when a girl takes a shower with sunglasses on. The rest of the film is a bore. The title refers to a gangster's girlfriend who, of course, meets the promised fate. The series later continued with an equally dull third film before climaxing with the ballsy, media critical 4th film that was surprisingly the best in the series.

Bu-ra-i no onna (ＢＵ・ＲＡ・Ｉの女) (Japan, 1988) [VoD] - 4/5
There's that extremely rewarding feeling when, after countless by-the-numbers Roman Pornos, you sit down for one more and suddenly you're witnessing a young talent directing with a crazy inspiration, completely ignorant to low expectations, transcending the whole genre. Nowhere is this more evident than in the scene where two people who know they have no future meet in a hotel room, in what is the best love scene in the history of Roman Porno, and he is so hesitant that they end up spending most of the time just looking at each other. It's magical. The storyline is about a young yakuza chinpira (Hitoshi Ozawa) sent to his native Okinawa to carry out a hit ordered by his boss (Hideo Murota). Not up to killing another man, he ends up spending desperate hours lying alone in his hotel room and listening to live music in a bar. He also hooks up with two old pals who are considering getting married (though he also always had feelings for her). Meanwhile his superiors are starting to get impatient about the assassination. Though namely a Roman Porno production, it would be wrong to call this anything but an extraordinary gangster drama. Hitoshi Ozawa (you may not know the name, but you know the face; he's the most recognizable DTV actor after Takeuchi and Aikawa) wasn't necessarily the greatest actor but here he gives his everything to portray an interesting character.



Hideo Murota scolding Ozawa


Hitoshi Ozawa


Local, completely spycho superiors




This band provides the film's soundtrack which is quite cool despite dumb lyrics.






I've watched the first 4 minutes (that's before they get to sex) of this scene half dozen times already. Magical scene.


Ozawa trying to keep his cool




Alright, treasure discovered, hunt completed. And subscription ran out too. I managed to watch 31 films in 31 days. The rest I can't be bothered to review.

[Takuma]

Roman Porno Treasure Hunt - Part 3.

Female Teacher: In Front of the Students (女教師　生徒の眼の前で) (Japan, 1982) [VoD] - 2/5
A female teacher is raped in school by a masked assailant. She decides to find out who was it. More sex and rapes ensue in a relatively standard narrative that gains some psychological interest towards the end. I must say I laughed a bit in the scene where a girl is having sex with a guy and eating banana at the same time. Other noteworthy points include a male teacher's cool moustache and a very warm looking sweater worn by a rapist. There was another film in the series later called Twice Raped. This one could've been called Raped Six Times.

Beauty in Rope Hell (団鬼å…　美女縄地獄) (Japan, 1983) [VoD] - 3/5
This film epitomes the romantic approach to abducting beautiful women, as seen in Japanese films from time to time. Capture and discipline, but do it gently. Right. The film stars Miki Takakura as a rural beauty abducted by a wartime mailman who turns out to be a bit of a romantic dreamer who wishes to live happily ever after with her. Although an SM film, it more closely resembles the 90s and 2000s Perfect Education films which also had a dubious romantic undertones. They are all boyish fantasies, notably softer than the sleaze fests that usually resulted from Oniroku Dan stories, and as such, this film has proven less popular with certain audiences. As a film, however, it is better written, filmed and acted than most, and features the 23 year old Takakura at her most beautiful (I guess I must admit I've been having a slight crush on her). This and Ikuo Sekimoto's Rope Torture (1984) are her best films. This film's biggest flaw is a bunch of unnecessarily long SM scenes that take place in a brothel and feature neither one of the main characters.



Miki




Miki


Not Miki


Miki


Bed-In (ベッド・イン) (Japan, 1986) [VoD] - 3/5
This is one of Masaru Konuma's underrated small films, a tender relationship drama about a Tokyo woman in love with a pretty nice guy who happens to have a wife and kid. I was quite reserved at first, figuring this would be another dull 80s human drama, and wondering why should I care, but little by little the characters and the actors won me over. There are also some small funny moments, such as the scene where the guy is standing in traffic lights with his family and suddenly notices his girlfriend, who was there by chance, standing next to him with a jealous look on her face, and even a romantic bit that skip over the sex scene. Speaking of which, lead Miki Yanagi is the only woman getting naked in the film; there is no "supporting character sex" at all in the film that is very much a one woman character study. I did not realize until the ending credits that the film was scripted by screenwriter extraordinaire Haruhiko Arai (Rape Ceremony, Rolling on the Road, Distant Thunder, Vibrator, Kabukicho Love Hotel). That explains something.















Sex Dynamite: Madonna no shizuku (ＳＥＸダイナマイト　マドンナのし㠁šã) (Japan, 1988) [VoD] - 2/5
This was one of the last Roman Porno films as adult videos were killing the franchise. It is then perhaps not surprising that the borders had already blurred to some extent. Here we have a pink film director helming a second party production for Nikkatsu distribution, with popular baby faced big boob AV actress Eri Kikuchi as the lead. Co-star Yui Maisaka was an AV performer as well. Indeed, although Roman Porno was a soft-core series (except for some Roman-X releases in the mid 80s that may or may not have been hard core), the sex scenes in this film don't really differ from (censored) hard core. The film is basically a theatrical, story driven AV shot on 35mm. The good news is, Eri Kikuchi is cute as a button, and director Kin Ishikawa has some talent as a filmmaker as the movie is often funny, even adorable at times. It is just too bad the film ultimately doesn't do much with its characters other than engage them in sex scenes long enough to make even Roman Porno fans blush. One feels there was potential for more. The male lead, btw, is played by the highly successful modern pink director Kazuhiro Sano, and his colleague Yutaka Ikejima makes a brief appearance as well.

[Takuma]

Roman Porno Treasure Hunt - Part 2.

Carousel Maki: Yoru wa watashi o nurasu (カルーセル麻紀　夜は私を濡らす) (Japan, 1974) [VoD] - 2/5
This is one of the oddest entries in the Roman Porno series for it stars Maki Carousel, a famous transsexual actress. He first got himself castrated at the age of 19, then later travelled to Morocco for a sex change operation that nearly killed him, after which she spent some time working in bars in Paris, which is something she also did in Japan before finding a career in movies. That she would be cast as the lead of a relatively high budgeted mainstream erotic film in the year 1974 in Japan is a bit surprising indeed. In any case, curiosity value aside this Shogoro Nishimura film is nothing special; just another standard tale of a singer/hostess and her troubled (thanks to a tattoo she has on her leg) love life. It is a bit curious though that there is an apparent disparity between the film's inner reality and the filmmakers' approach to filming it. The storyline treats Carousel's character as just an ordinary woman, but the camera hardly shies away from showing the actress's unusually masculine features, which can only be deemed intentional.

Maki














Blazing Bondage Lady (団鬼å…　縄炎夫人) (1980) [VoD] - 1.5/5
Revenge story and an atmospheric score make this Oniroku Dan film almost watchable. It's about a couple who accidentally run over a yakuza bondage master's wife, and pay the price when the tough guy abducts his wife and her sister. Unfortunately character depth is nil and Katsuhiko Fujii's directing is terribly TV film like, only with excessive sex and SM thrown in. Still, it could've been worse.

Love Beast: Hunt (愛獣　猟る！) (Japan, 1983) [VoD] - 2/5
The next most unusual thing in the Roman Porno catalogue after a film starring a transsexual actress (Carousel Maki: Yoru wa watashi o nurasu, 1974) was this tale of Japanese girls hitting on black US navy soldiers around the Yokosuka base. The tagline could as well have been "The most black men you'll ever see in a Japanese movie!" Consequently nearly all of the film's male characters are American and a large portion of the film's (frequently terrible) dialogue is spoken in English. Director Yasuaki Uegaki was known for tackling trendy topics (e.g. his Pink Curtain trilogy) and this film certainly fits the bill. He was also an over-rated filmmaker who sometimes used trendy topics to hide mediocre storylines and unremarkable filmmaking. This movie fits that bill as well. It's a curiosity with some stylish scenes, but ultimately a bit pedestrian.













Zoom Up: Graduation Photos (ズームアップ　卒æ¥å†™çœŸ) (Japan, 1983) [VoD] - 3/5
This one, at first, comes a bit out of left field. It's the zillionth entry in the Zoom Up / Zoom In series, which started out as violent pinks but then turned into standard smut, often with photography theme. This one begins with a girl auditioning as a photo model and learning that the job involves posing nude. From there on the film starts developing unexpected quality with bits humanity mixed with biting black humour, tender characterization, and of course sheer voyeurism. It even turns critical on its very own existence, which I cannot remember witnessing in any other Roman Porno, in a wonderful scene where a school girl raped by boys she accidentally caught touching themselves while reading a porn magazine, walks into the studio and starts yelling what the hell are they doing publishing smut like that? Unfortunately the film then begins to devolve to cruder paths, undoing some of its earlier accomplishments. Nevertheless, it remains an oddly pleasing piece of 80s Japan.

Beauty Rope Cosmetology (団鬼å…　美女縄化粧) (Japan, 1983) [VoD] - 1.5/5
Standard SM junk with one point of interest; the professional abductor who kidnaps wealthy daughter Miki Takakura and begins to discipline her for a new buyer is played by Miike/Kitano regular Ren Osugi. Even at the age of 32 he looked old, and with a moustache made a suitably sleazy villain. The rest of the film is unremarkable and a bit boring unless you're a major SM fan, though it does feature the pretty Takakura and due to its somewhat restrained nature it's not as disgusting as most of director Katsuhiko Fujii's films.



Ren Osugi (right)






Osugi


+ 1 spoilerific review

Beautiful Sisters: Seduced (美姉妹　犯す) (Japan, 1983) [VoD] - 1/5
Miserable loser of a man moves in with a family that comes with two beautiful sisters. He spends most of the movie raping the older one, then later the younger one too, eventually both at the same time, and then they fall in love with him. Meanwhile his friend rapes his nasty female boss. She falls in love with him also. Happy end! Dear God. Sorry for spoilers.

[Takuma]

Red Vertigo I do think is an excellent film. It ties with High School Coed (which I think is very under-rated... many people say it's nothing but a traight forward "nasty", but I found it psychologically very interesting) as my most second favourite film in the series. Red Classroom is my favourite.

[Rakesh R.]

Red Porno seems to have lots of fans. I think Maito Guy mentioned it as one of his favourites as well, and I think Sion Sono said it's his favourite Roman Porno.

I think it's by far the worst film in the series with almost nothing interesting about it except some stylish cinematography. Way too much sex and sleaze, not nearly enough anything else, couldn't really get anything out of the characters. That's all I can remember about it even though I saw it about 9 months ago (or was it 1 year 9 months ago... I can't even remember that).

I really enjoyed the voyeuristic/masturbation/visual aspect of "Red Porno". Jun Izumi is a really stunning looking lady too^_^. Ultimately, perhaps the style overwhelms the content in "Red Porno", but what glorious style( I'm a visual artist so I relish these types of movies)! I'll probably pick up "Red Vertigo" on blu ray at some point as well. I really think that's a brilliant film and it helps that Ishii himself directed "Red Vertigo".

[Takuma]

Red Porno seems to have lots of fans. I think Maito Guy mentioned it as one of his favourites as well, and I think Sion Sono said it's his favourite Roman Porno.

I think it's by far the worst film in the series with almost nothing interesting about it except some stylish cinematography. Way too much sex and sleaze, not nearly enough anything else, couldn't really get anything out of the characters. That's all I can remember about it even though I saw it about 9 months ago (or was it 1 year 9 months ago... I can't even remember that).

[Rakesh R.]

I picked up the Japanese blu ray of "Angel Guts: Red Porno". Let's get to the negative stuff first. It is 1080i, it has some warped frames, and a small bit of banding near the end. Details, colors, and grain are alright. Grain could have been handled better, but texture is at least present. Colors look nice and natural to my eye. I actually watched it on my laptop with powerdvd and used a deinterlace function so it was smooth movement throughout. Extras include a nice photo gallery and a trailer featuring footage not in the movie. As for the movie, I have been a fan of it for a long time. It has great cinematography, solid performances, and excellent atmosphere. It's also quite graphic with only a couple of moments of censorship that I spotted. I seriously doubt this will be released on blu ray anywhere else and this is the best the movie has looked, even with flaws and all. Like all of Happinet blu ray releases of Nikkatsu pink films so far, no English subtitles.

[Takuma]

Took 1 month DMM subscription again. Roman Porno Treasure Hunt - Part 1.

Rope Hell (団鬼å…「やくざ天使」より 縄地獄) (Japan, 1978) [VoD] - 2/5
Vengeful gangster joins the competing gang after being forced to cut off his finger for trying to rape yakuza sister Naomi Tani. A slightly more watchable SM tale than usual, thanks to it being a yakuza story (based on Dan Oniroku's novel Yakuza Angel). It's a little short on SM actually, and out of the two victims Tani's turn doesn't come until the film's final third. The best thing about the film is villain actor Hitoshi Takagi's enjoyably sleazy performance as a gang boss. He had an odd career that went from Nikkatsu's gangster films via Toho (e.g. Lady Snowblood) to Roman Porno and eventually My Neighbor Totoro. Side note: this is yet another film the Weissers gave an "in depth" analysis without actually having seen the movie - and got it all wrong. Their argument about the film's morale was based on a plot twist very typical to Dan films, but actually not found in this movie.



Skin of Roses (団鬼å…　薔薇の肉体) (Japan, 1978) [VoD] - 2/5
Perhaps more notable than the film itself, is the fact that SM queen Naomi Tani got nominated for Best Actress at the Japanese Academy Awards for this film. It is a little puzzling what exactly got Tani nominated, though. One can only assume the jury had a soft spot for SM sleaze, and this, being perhaps the most restrained of all Oniroku Dan films, seemed like a safe pick. Anyway, the film is a tale of two young lovers and an older "sister" who do live sex shows with two sided mirror to pay off a debt, then later proceed to blackmailing with sensitive photos, which finally lands Tani the long overdue rope punishment as the victim was yakuza affiliated. Curiously enough, all the rope action is limited to the last 10 minutes of the film; possibly due to some sort of artistic ambition. Highlights include Tani as a dominatrix (a fun reversing of roles) and a lesbian scene between Tani and Ako, something I normally wouldn't mention but Ako happens to be one of my favourite actresses. It's a shame she doesn't have too much to do in the film despite her large role. Story wise the film is passable and probably had a few more pages in its scrip than usual.









Female Teacher in Rope Hell (å›£é¬¼å… å¥³æ•™å¸«ç¸„åœ°ç„) (Japan, 1981) - 1.5/5
Nikkatsu's 2nd generation SM queen Junko Mabuki stars as a female teacher who is raped, locked in a dungeon and sexually tortured for the rest of the film. I don't often describe movies as misogynist (I feel the term, at least in its most negative sense, is often unwarranted when discussing exploitation films which provide visual entertainment for their selected audience demographics, usually without any deeper ideological "hate" towards any sex). However, this film's exceptionally iffy display of endless sexual torture of a single woman, almost entirely void of psychological or even stylistics merits, makes one wonder if the term was indeed in place here. The film's only saving graces are a handful of over-the-top moments, including a ridiculously stereotypical homeless rapist character, and a strange appreciation for the fact that sleaze like this once passed for "mainstream" theatrical entertainment.

Crimson Night Dream (紅夜夢) (Japan, 1983) [VoD] - 2.5/5
This film is director Shogoro Nishimura's own A Woman Called Abe Sada. The subject however is not Abe but Oden Takahashi, the last woman who was executed by beheading in Japan. Her tale has been adapted into numerous films by Shintoho and Toei, including Teruo Ishii's ero-guro episode in Love and Crime (1969) and Yuji Makiguchi's feature length film Decapiation of an Evil Woman (1977). This Nikkatsu version isn't as wild, but it really isn't too bad a film. Acting and directing are subdued, making things a bit unexciting at times but allowing the film to slowly build up for a rather powerful drama climax.

Tattoo (刺青 IREZUMI) (Japan, 1984) [VoD] - 1/5
Tiresome late Chusei Sone film is mainly "remarkable" for being the Roman Porno debut of 70s pop idol Sakiko Ito, whose film career started and ended with this movie. She plays a pop star abducted and tattooed by the yakuza. Relationship problems ensue. Sone's direction is uninspired, terribly pedestrian and merely seeks to transfer the script to celluloid. Speaking of the script, the film was based on the Jun'ichirí´ Tanizaki novel that Yasuzo Masumura filmed in 1966. The Roman Porno version was written by Machiko Nasu, Toei director Hiroyuki Nasu's wife. She originally entered Nikkatsu via a screenwriting competition with the excellent Girl's Pleasure: Man Hunting (1977). All that talent considered, Tattoo is a terribly disappointing film.

Rope Torture (団鬼å…　縄責め) (Japan, 1984) [VoD] - 3/5
Here's something a bit unusual with Toei director Ikuo Sekimoto (Girl Boss: Diamond Showdown, 1974) gravitating to Nikkatsu for work. It was usually the other way around with successful directors climbing the studio ladder to Toei. He made two Oniroku Dan adaptation for Nikkatsu, both starring Miki Takakura whose Roman Porno career only lasted for five films until she quit. She was one of the several successors to Naomi Tani, none of whom were as successful as Tani. Despite some unfortunate genre trappings, this film is better than your usual Oniroku Dan junk thanks to brisk pacing, beautiful score, a decent visual touch, and the big breasted Takakura who is not only easy on the eye but also had a rather melancholic presence. The most delighting part, however, is the "feminist" twist at the end. It would be interesting to know if that ending originated from Dan's novel or if it was conceived by the filmmakers. Screenwriter Masahiro Shimura was a mainstream Toei veteran who wrote several yakuza and pinky violence films, and directed the last two Terrifying Girls' High School movies.











Double Rope Torture (団鬼å…　縄責め) (Japan, 1985) - 1.5/5
This was a sort of follow-up to Ikuo Sekimoto's earlier SM film Rope Torture (1984), also starring Miki Takakura. Curiously enough, it's yet another film about two sisters, a theme Sekimoto had tackled multiple times in his Toei films (The Story of a Nymphomaniac, Tenshi no yokubo). Takakura stars as the older sister, a kimono dressed Ginza woman sold to a rich scumbag for some sexual torture. Her little sister shows up one day and seems to be heading towards the same path, to which Takakura obviously has objections. Sekimoto was a better filmmaker than many of Nikkatsu's SM directors, and here he at least refrains from the more disgusting content that one often encounters in the genre. Unfortunately the storyline is uninspired and the film lacks style and memorable moments. It's not terrible, just terribly forgettable.

Sukeban Flesh Slave (スケバン肉奴隷) (Japan, 1987) [VoD] - 2.5/5
Relatively speaking, this is a surprisingly "accomplished" ex-delinquent girl drama for a project that 9 times out of 10 would've been meritless junk. It's really a sex flick about a former sukeban girl trying to hide her past and lead straight life as an OL, and her ex-boyfriend who likewise left biker life behind to run a small bar. Lots of screwing takes place, and most of the Sukeban content is limited to brief flashbacks. But there's no denying the film actually manages to flesh out its characters with bits if solid drama, humanity, and stylish images. Director Yoshihiro Kawasaki seemed to possess this kind of ability, often bringing just a little bit of extra life and energy to films that could have been abysmal. It also helped that his eye for erotica was a notch above his colleagues, making the compulsory sex scenes more watchable than usual.

[Takuma]

I'm getting so fed up with Weissers' bullshit. You can't trust anything they write in their book (Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films). It goes without saying that their film reviews are crap since they write, rate and analyze films without actually having seen them, but how do they make up completely false stories about cast members, awards etc? Some example below:

Assault: Jack the Ripper (1976)

Actress Katsura is extraordinary. Nominated as Best Actress by the Japanese Academy for this performance, she was the critical favorite but, apparently, her ferocious intensity alienated many of the more conservative voters.

Fact Check: Katsura did not "lose" because she was not even nominated. The whole bloody award didn't exist back then.

From the Back, From the Front (1980):

"Yoko Hatanaka enjoyed a series of pop hits throughout the early-to-mid ' 70s . Ushiro Kara Mae Kara was one of them, charting Top 10. Considered innocuously innocent upon it's 1974 release (similar to Western hits like Olivia Newton-John's Physical), but it is obviously intended to be "dirty" within the context of the pinku eiga arena. When the hits were no longer hot, Ms Hatanaka joined Nikkatsu as one of their roman porno starlets."

Fact Check: Hatanaka (born 1959) didn't do anything in the early 70s except maybe study in elementary school. She debuted as a singer in 1978. An early duet version of the song was first released in 1978, then as a solo version in 1980.

Sex Hunter: Wet Target (1972):

"Yukihiro Sawada befriended a talented young Japan University film student, Toshihiro (Sogo) Ishii in the late '70s. Together they made the movie One Against 880,000 as Ishii's class project. It was released theatrically under the title High School Big Panic in 1978 . Both Sawada and Ishii were jointly credited as the director."

Fact Check: One Against 880,000 and High School Big Panic (=Panic in High School) are two completely different movies. Ishii's 8mm student film Panic in High School and the 35mm feature length Panic in High School remake are also two different movies. I'm also quite sure Ishii and Sawada were not friends and did not work together except on the Panic in High School remake (1978). According to MidnightEye's Nicholas Rucka, who also interviewed Ishii, Ishii was forced to work with Sawada by Nikkatsu, and Ishii remains bitter about the film to this day as he feels the movie was taken away from his control.

Angel Guts: Rouge, Angel Guts: Red Rope - "Until I Expire", Angel Guts: Night is Falling Again

"Tenshi No Harawata: Yoru Ga Mata Kuru, Tenshi No Harawata: Akai Nawa Hateru Made, Tenshi No Harawata : Rouge"

Fact Check: None of those films are part of the Angel Guts series. The funniest thing is the Weissers have somehow managed to come up with fake Japanese titles for them by adding "Tenshi No Harawata" before their real titles.

Erotic Liaisons (1978 / 1992)

"These films are broad adaptations of the sexy 18th century French book Dangerous Liaisons by Choderlos de Laelos, modernized and transformed into an erotic thriller.

Fact Check: These films have nothing to do with Dangerous Liaisons. Instead, they are based on a French detective novel Les Suicidés du printemps (1973) by Raymond Marlot (Jean-Pierre Angremy)

Wives' Rape Mansion (1985):

"Director Saito...rides helm on this mean-spirited rape flick. The plot - as thin as it is - tells the story of a rapist specializing in high-rise condo assaults."

Fact Check: The film is actually a marriage drama about a couple who have conflicting views on getting children. There is one rape in the film, during its last 5 minutes, when the husband takes his wife by force at their home. Why the Weissers saw a need to fabricate plot synopsis about some serial rapist is anyone's guess.

Rope Torture (1984):

"After an indiscretion with a younger man, her jealous husband disciplines poor Miki ."

Fact Check: Her husband has nothing to do with her torture, in fact he's having an affair with another woman and is blissfully unaware about everything that's going on back home (wife's affair, a third party forcing her to become a rope slave or they'll let the husband know about her affair)

Red Violation (1980):

"The main character is lead singer of a rock group. After a concert, Yuya (played by real-life rocker Yuya Uchida) beds a group ie, an innocent but mixed-up high school girl named Megumi (Megumi Saki). He soon learns that..."

Fact Check: The main character is not played by Uchida. Uchida appears in the film (as himself) in a 20 second cameo. Although this mistake is not so huge since he just mixed actors, it's still comparable to saying "Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the main character in The Expendibles" or "Tom Cruise stars in Austin Powers in Goldmember" considering Uchida was quite a super star back then.

I'm sure there are a trillion other errors, too. I didn't even bother posting everything I spotted (since last night). Sure, it was published in 1998 so I'd be willing to forgive mistakes to a certain extent but there's a limit to that too... The saddest thing is that their book is the primary source for English language wikipedia articles, which in turn are used as source for countless reviews and articles, with the same mistakes being repeated. Even I have fell victim to that in the past, I'm afraid...