LOVE HUNTER (1972)
The Nikkatsu Erotic Films Collection
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 73 Minutes
Audio: Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Seiichirō Yamaguchi
Cast: Hidemi Hara, Mari Tanaka, Sumiko Minami
In the sensual and erotic melodrama Love Hunter (1972) we have an promiscuous sexpot named Kyoku (Hidemi Hara, White Slaves) who is about to be married to her wealthy lover, a man who seems to somewhat tolerate her bed-hopping ways, even buying her a weekend cottage where she can carry-on her sexual trysts. Her longtime side-guy has been a drag-dancer at a sex club, but now she has her sights set on a pair of young college-aged lovers that she briefly encounters while on a duck hunting excursion with her fiance. While strolling the woods alone she meets the libidinous twenty year-old Kazuo (Ryûji Ôizumi, Female Coed: Sexy Dynamite) and his fresh-faced virginal girlfriend Hisako (Mari Tanaka, She-Beasts, Warm Bodies), and right away there's some unspoken chemistry between the sexpot and the younger man. Later that day she encounters them again on the side of the road where they are waiting at a bus stop, encouraging her fiance to give them a lift.
While her fiance stops off at a roadside store for snacks Kyoku stays in the car with the young couple, making small conversation and coming on strong to Kazuo, which is off-putting to the reserved Hisako, who does not appreciate her forward ways, but she certainly makes an impression on the horny young man. When Kazuo accidentally leaves behind his wallet in the car she later uses it to track him down. Later she telephones him and arranges for him to come to her home to retrieve the wallet, easily seducing the willing young man, with the pair enjoying a night of sexual fervor. His girlfriend meanwhile has been intent on losing her virginity to her boyfriend, but she is turned-off by his lust for the older woman, causing friction. Eventually Kyoku realizes that the sweet young virgin is dampening her sexual pursuit of the boyfriend, so she switch-hitter changes tactics and sets her sights on seducing the young woman, which opens the door to a wild sexual odyssey for the young couple, a journey that includes a fireside orgy and a sand-coated beach sex session, as well as a bizarrely dark finale.
While her fiance stops off at a roadside store for snacks Kyoku stays in the car with the young couple, making small conversation and coming on strong to Kazuo, which is off-putting to the reserved Hisako, who does not appreciate her forward ways, but she certainly makes an impression on the horny young man. When Kazuo accidentally leaves behind his wallet in the car she later uses it to track him down. Later she telephones him and arranges for him to come to her home to retrieve the wallet, easily seducing the willing young man, with the pair enjoying a night of sexual fervor. His girlfriend meanwhile has been intent on losing her virginity to her boyfriend, but she is turned-off by his lust for the older woman, causing friction. Eventually Kyoku realizes that the sweet young virgin is dampening her sexual pursuit of the boyfriend, so she switch-hitter changes tactics and sets her sights on seducing the young woman, which opens the door to a wild sexual odyssey for the young couple, a journey that includes a fireside orgy and a sand-coated beach sex session, as well as a bizarrely dark finale.
Directed by Seiichirō Yamaguchi Love Hunter (1972) is a handsomely shot film that has a fairly engaging narrative. Many of the later Nikkatsu skin-flicks that I have seen are heavy on strange kink and depraved sexuality, while this is a bit more heavy on narrative. That's not to say there's not lot of fornicating happening, there's plenty! We have the introduction of a foreign object into glistening spaces, and a masturbation session so dang frenzied that it required the application of ice cubes to cool things downs, so it's got plenty of sexuality and eroticism for fans of the smutty stuff.
This early Nikakatsu erotic film-making was so over-the-top inappropriate for it's time that director Yamaguchi, several executives at Nikkatsu Films, and even the ratings certification board that certified the theatrical release, were arrested on obscenity charges after it's release, with an ensuing legal-battle that too eight years to finally resolve, and even today some if what it has to offer still packs in the shocks.
Audio/Video: Love Hunter (1972) arrives on Blu-ray from Impulse Pictures with a brand new 1080p HD master framed in 2.35:1 widescreen, and while there's no mention of what the source of the HD master is but if looks pretty great. The elements are in fantastic shape with a layer of film grain that is well-managed with nicely textured visuals. The color tone is earthy throughout with some occasional primary highlights that shine, and the oft-seen skin tones look natural, supple and warm. Audio on the disc comes by way of Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with newly translated English subtitles, everything is clean and well-balanced throughout, the sensual coos illicited by the various lovers certainly sounded natural to my ears.
Somewhat disappointingly the only extra is a 2-min trailer for the film. We don't often get these Nikkatsu releases on Blu-ray, so I would have thought an essay or commentary would have been a no-brainer. We are overdue for some featurettes or a decent documentary about the history of the Nikkatsu Roman Porno films, c'mon guys, make it happen. We do however get a 20-page Synapse Films/Impulse Pictures 2020 Product Catalog which advertises a few of the titles that are coming in the near future, including The Deadly Spawn 4k restoration, Crocodile, Horrors of the Black Museum, The Headless Ghost and many more. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a one-sided sleeve of artwork featuring an inviting image of Hidemi Hara, the disc itself featuring an image of Mari Tanaka.
Special Features:
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
Special Features:
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
Love Hunter (1971) a well-made dirty film that's handsomely shot with plenty of sensuality and some minor depravity, all bound within an intriguing story that delivers the goods. If you're a fan of the Nikkatsu Romam Porno line-up this is sure to satisfy, and while it might not be the most depraved Nikkatsu production it is an enthralling and titillating tale of seduction.
More screenshots from the Blu-ray:
