Two in the Pinku

Mary Aoi was the legendary Queen of the "Blue Chateau" BDSM nightclub (1980-87). After Nikkatsu turned her former sub Nami Matsukawa into a star (1982), Mary would help pioneer early "Roman X" in 1985. She expanded into pink film and AV, laying the groundwork for V&R Planning.

We cover:

• "The Sekkan 2" aka "The Punishment 2: Pleasure Edition" (1985) for Nikkatsu
• "The Abuse: Female Bo...

We watch (or ride) the "Groper Train" (or Chikan densha) series in a triple bill. Two are directed by Sachi Hamano. All three star the legendary Ryuji Yamamoto. 

• "Groper Train: I Like the Inside" (1989)
• "Groper Train: Beware of Miniskirts" (1988)
• "Groper Train: Full of Sex" (1988)

Links:

• Groper Train series (List)
• The extensive Japanese Wikipedia article on "Chikan."
• We cover ...

We cover 2 wrestling-themed pinku:

• Nikkatsu's "Beautiful Wrestler: Down for the Count" (1984)
• Gay Pinku: "Wrestle Mania" (1999)

Links:

• Chino Sato (佐藤ちの) acted in and choreographed "Beautiful Wrestler." Watch her 1980 match against teammate Mimi Hagiwara.
• Music by Beauty Pair, the tag team and music duo.
• Kuninori Yamazaki's 18 Gay Pinku (List)

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For this episode, we cover 4 of Nikkatsu's "Live Shooting" titles for home video:

• "Izumi Shima's Swapping (Secret) Reipu Lesson" (1982)
• "Devil's Body" (1987) and HIV/AIDS metaphors
• "Kaori Aso: The Orgasm" (1987): mermaid?
• "Dream's Labyrinth" (1988), which riffs on "Nightmare on Elm Street."

Links:

• Nikkatsu "Live Shooting series" (Letter...

We cover three unhinged lesbian / yuri films: 

• "Sayaka VS Chiyo-kun: Abnormal Lesbian (1989) by Sachi Hamano
• "Man and Woman" (1972) by Kōyū Ohara
• "Lesbian ... Sweet Honey Juice" aka "Silencer Made of Glass" (1991) by Hisayasu Satô

The first two films also feature trans characters. The third (and most offensive) features cross-dressing. 

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We cover two gay pinku by Kuninori Yamazaki: "The Ultimate Masturbation" (2016) and "Monochrome" (1996). Called the "David Lynch of pink film," Yamazaki is a writer-turned-director, who considers his gay pinku ("barazoku" or "rose tribe") films to be his greatest work.

Links:

• "The Ultimate Masturbation" is officially licensed & subtitled for the streaming service Gag...

We cover three birth/pregnancy-themed pinku: "Abortion" (1966) by Masao Adachi, the Roman X title, "The Birth" (1986), and Shintoho's "The Pregnant Woman" (1992). Is anyone truly ready to become a parent?

Links:

• "They have lost their license" (Chris' list of doctors and nurses)
• Roman X list 

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We cover three "time-travel" pinku: "Sexy Timetrip Ninjas" (1984), "Time Adventure: 5 Seconds Til Climax" (1986) and the underseen "Blow Away AIDS, Pink Crazy Girl" (1987), which tackles the AIDS crisis through zombies. The first two films were directed by the Oscar-winning Yōjirō Takita and the third by his "successor" Mototsugu Watanabe.

Links:

• Sexytime Timetrip Ninjas on DVD: U...

We cover Naomi Tani's films, "Rope Cosmetology" (1978) and "Wet Vase" (1976). We give context to the directors (Shōgorō Nishimura, Masaru Konuma) and Nikkatsu's BDSM line (by writer Oniroku Dan). 

Links:

• BDSM Nikkatsu (Letterboxd list of 120+ films)
• Split Your Head - Ep. 26: "Naomi Tani/Pink films"
• "Season of Infidelity" (Oniroku Dan's book with a chapter about Tani)
• Naomi Tani:...

We cover the 5 Gay Pinku of Hisayasu Satô: "Temptation of the Mask" (1987), "Muscle" (1989), "Bondage Ecstasy" (1989), "Hunters’ Sense of Touch" (1995), and "The Fetist" (1998); in addition to his underseen Gay Pinku as AD: "Youth Hunting" (1988). 

Links: 

• Gay Pinku of Hisayasu Satô (Letterboxd list)
• "Youth Hunting" (Letterboxd)
• Kiyoshi Ushida's album (Japan...

Angel rain! We cover Gaira's Guts Trilogy: "Entrails of a Virgin" (Guts of a Virgin), "Entrails of a Beautiful Woman" (Guts of a Beauty), and the unofficial third, "Rusted Body" (Guts of a Virgin III). We also mention 2 other "slasher" films by Nikkatsu. 

Link:

• 88 Films Blu-ray box-set

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We highlight two of the most unhinged films of Nikkatsu - that both feature Erina Miyai. "Zoom In: Sex Apartments" is a Giallo from Toshiharu Ikeda - whereas "Sex Hunter" (1980) is a loose riff on "Suspiria" by Naosuke Kurosawa.

Links:

• Zoom In: Sex Apartments (Impulse Pictures DVD)
• Sex Hunter (Impulse Pictures DVD)
• Dakota's Ranking of Erina Miyai films (Letterboxd)
• Dakota's painting ...

We cover Sachi's Hamano's "Blazing Men" and "Ritual to Call Summer." Experience a doctor who should lose his license (played by "Mr. Pink" Yutaka Ikejima); followed by a villain with a conscience (Ryuji Yamamoto). 

Links:

• "Blazing Men" (Letterboxd)
• "Ritual to Call Summer" (Letterboxd)
• "Gay Pinku of Sachi Hamano" (List)

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Inspired by the 88 Films release of "Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal" (1972), we cover all 6 films of the series. This includes our favorite, "The House of Beasts" but also "Forest of Beastly Desire," "Desire First Sex Experience," "The Writhing Beast," and "Dripping of Honey." What will we learn on this Swedish vacation?

Links:

• 88 Films Blu-ray
• Dakota's rankin...

We discuss Nikkatsu's launch of "Roman X" with the double bill of "Woman in a Box: Virgin Sacrifice" and "Taboo X: Perversion" in 1985. Both films are true crime stories, based on the Colleen Stan kidnapping and Issei Sagawa respectively. We also cover Masaru Konuma and brief highlights of "Roman X."

Links:

• See Letterboxd for a list of "Roman X" titles.
• "Woman i...

Starting with "Apartment Wife: Affair in the Afternoon" (1971), we cover the 29 films of Nikkatsu's iconic series and actresses such as Kazuko Shirakawa and Junko Miyashita. We also go over "Apartment Wife" Adult Video, Roman X, TV dramas, and independent pink films.

Links:

• "Apartment Wife: Affair in the Afternoon" (88 Films Blu-ray)
• Nikkatsu “Apartment Wife” (and Apocrypha) (Letterboxd...