DARK DESIRES - THE ONIROKU DAN COLLECTION is out today!

Dark Desires: The Oniroku Dan Collection

Published by: Switchblade Pictures

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Total Run Time: 209 min.

Language: Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $29.98

Oniroku Dan (April 16, 1931 - May 6, 2011) was a famous, popular and prolific Japanese writer of S&M novels, many of which were made into films. Switchblade Pictures previously released three of them as individual DVDs. Today, all three are available in Dark Desires: The Oniroku Dan Collection.

The films, each with a link to my review here at AsianCineFest, are:

The Slave Ship

Directed by Satoshi Kaneda

Japan, 2010, 71 minutes

The Curse M

Directed by Takeshi Nizato

Japan, 2009, 71 minutes

The Devil's Feast 

Directed by Kanji Hanyuu

Japan, 2007, 67 minutes

All three films received ACF Ratings of 3 out of 4 stars, solidly recommended.

Considering how good the films are and that the individual DVDs carried an SRP of $19.98 each, this collection is truly a great bargain. It's sure to satisfy your Dark Desires.

ACF 1709: THE SLAVE SHIP reviewed; DVD released today

Switchblade Pictures

presents

The Slave Ship / Dorei-sen

Directed by Satoshi Kaneda

Screenplay by Akira Fukuhara and Satoshi Kaneda

Based on a novella by Oniroku Dan

Japan, 2010, 71 minutes
SRP $19.98

The Slave Ship, which streets today, is the third release from Switchblade Pictures of films based on the writings of S&M master Oniroku Dan. The title refers to a ship on which women are auctioned as sex slaves to wealthy men who are into bondage, and often whipping.

Onimata is the central character around whom the story unfolds. He's a writer of S&M tales who's bald, wears glasses and is well into his middle years. Miyuki, his comely young secretary types up his manuscripts and doesn't understand the appeal of the subject matter. Ishii is Onimata's publisher; he "rides herd" on him so that the writer meets his deadlines.

Onimata takes Miyuki to the Umezu Hot Springs Inn, which he hasn't visited for some time. The proprietress there is Kikue, one of Onimata's former slaves. While he's come there in the hopes of beginning an intimate relationship with Miyuki, encountering Kikue again brings up old memories and desires.

The film has the requisite number of scenes of bondage and other S&M play. However, I found it to be the most mature, refined work of the three films based on the writings of Oniroku Dan released so far by Switchblade Pictures.

There's not really anything in the way of meaningful extras on the DVD, only the credits for the DVD  and trailers for three other offerings from Switchblade Pictures.

 ACF Rating: 3 out of 4 stars; solidly recommended.

ACF 1616: THE CURSE M - DVD due out tomorrow, September 11th

Switchblade Pictures

presents

The Curse M / M no jubaku

Directed by Takeshi Niizato

Japan, 2009, 71 minutes
In Japanese with non-removable English subtitle
SRP: $19.98

Switchblade Pictures' next film based on Oniroku Dan's bondage writings will be available tomorrow, Tuesday. September 11, 2012. (For my review of their previous offering, The Devil's Feast, click here.)

Akemi, posing for Uemura, is caught in his camera's flash

Uemura is a photographer who does a lot of work for a soft-core porno magazine that features cleavage and ass. Often accompanying him on assignment is lovely Akemi. But the two also have a non-work-related relationship: she both poses for his bondage photography and allows him to treat her rough, the only way he can get sexually excited.

Mari, left, and Uemura contemplate the last work by a dead artist

Outdoors one day, Uemura looks through his telephoto lens and sees a comely young woman dressed in a black dress, with a hat and veil to match. He follows her to an exhibit of works by an artist who recently died a horrible death. Uemura learns that her name is Mari and that she is the wife of Dr. Genjiro Takahashi, a pioneer in cancer research.

Uemura, left, and Mari

Mari has problems. She has bad dreams. Her husband has sexual issues. Her mother-in-law is on her case about providing an heir for the Takahashi family line. Oh, and it seems that any of her lovers who've been with her a second time die a cursed death. Hence, The Curse M, for Mari.

The film maintains a high level of suspense as to whether Mari is responsible for these deaths, or if they're the work of another person or perhaps even a supernatural force. The answer has potentially grave implications for Uemura, who after their first tryst has become totally smitten by Mari's voluptuous charms.

Mari, bound for Uemura's pleasure

The Curse M has a half dozen soft-core sex scenes (i.e., no genitals exposed and certainly no penetration). There is some beautifully depicted bondage, although the ropes could perhaps have been tied a bit more tightly, all the better to make the flesh stand out.

The film is another solid sexploitation offering from Switchblade. There are no meaningful special features, just DVD credits and trailers for three other releases from Switchblade Pictures.

ACF Rating: 3 out of 4 stars.

ACF 1589: THE SLAVE SHIP to arrive on these shores on November 13, 2012

Switchblade Pictures licenses

Oniroku Dan’s THE SLAVE SHIP

Switchblade Pictures beckons you to take a voyage on the THE SLAVE SHIP, where you’ll cruise past any shade of grey straight into the ultimate darkness of the human soul!  Born from the pen of internationally acclaimed bondage novelist and screenwriter Oniroku Dan (FLOWER AND SNAKE, THE DEVIL’S FEAST), THE SLAVE SHIP is notable for the many apparent parallels between the central character, a famed S&M novelist, and Dan himself, widely considered to be one the most influential authors in the history of erotica.

However, although Dan wrote over two hundred novels and dozens of screenplays over his long career, and was particularly noted for bringing unique Japanese forms of bondage to the attention of world popular culture, it is unknown as to exactly how much of the story is autobiographical.

Directed by co-screenwriter Satoshhi Kaneda, and featuring a cast of genre icons that includes Kyoko Aiyome (NEW TOKYO DECADENCE), Nao Masaki (PINK LINK), Mio Saegusa (MISS SPY), Maki Tomada (PARADISE TV), and Mutsuo Yoshioka (UNDERWATER LOVE), the dark erotic thriller was distributed theatrically in Japan by Shintoho.

THE SLAVE SHIP will be released for Home Video on subtitled DVD November 13th.

Synopsis: Onimata Kan is famous for two things: a successful career writing S&M erotica, and hosting the erotic gatherings aboard what has come to be known as the Slave Ship, where the main attraction is the auctioning of the services of sexual partners willing to fulfill any desire.  But if it’s all consensual, there’s no harm, right?  At least, that’s what Onimata believes until he learns that one of the frequent auctionees has gone insane, and that her husband believes the cause is related to a stalker she had acquired.

Are the activities aboard the Slave Ship somehow to blame?  Fearing the answer, Onimata goes to investigate the mysterious Kitagawa, and soon learns that his own writings only hint at the extremes to which some will go.  From the famed pen of S&M novelist and screenwriter Oniruku Dan comes a tale that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy.  Is this a work of fiction or a documentation of fact?  You’ll have to determine the truth for yourself, once you’ve booked passage aboard THE SLAVE SHIP.

ACF 1571: THE DEVIL'S FEAST due out on DVD next Tuesday, July 31st

The Devil's Feast / Oni no kaen

Directed by Kenji Hanyuu

Screenplay by Hiroshi Yoshino

Based on a novel by Oniroku Dan

Japan, 2007, 67 minutes

Presented by Switchblade Pictures

Oniroku Dan (April 16, 1931 - May 6, 2011) was a famous, popular and prolific Japanese writer of S&M novels, many of which were made into films. The Devil's Feast will be the latest one to make it to U.S. shores when it comes out on DVD next Tuesday, July 31st.

Shiro Okamoto is the talented advertising director at Nippo Newspaper, a small neighborhood paper. His wife Shizuyo is a lovely and well-endowed young thing, devoted to her husband. Unfortunately Shiro can't seem to see his nuptial duties through to completion. Shizuyo repeatedly apologizes each time  Shiro fails to perform as expected, which only makes her frustrated husband angry at her.

Shiro tries to pleasure his wife Shizuyo

Shiro's sex life perks up when the lovely Kumiko Nishikawa joins the editorial staff of the paper. She is enticingly introduced by a series of shots taken by a camera that faces backwards towards her and tracks along with her as she walks down a hallway: first her feet and ankles, then her short skirt and thighs, and finally her face and neck. She's smart and talented, as well as great looking, and could have been working at a bigger, better paper, but has chosen instead to join the staff at Nippo.

Shiro and Kumiko soon are going at it full bore and often at the Oubi Inn. With her, he has no problem performing up to expectations. In fact, he becomes even more amorous when she insists that he bind her with ropes.

Kumiko gets tied up by Shiro

All hell breaks loose, however, after Kumiko learns about an old scandal from Shiro. It seems that 10 years ago Genkai Yoshioka, the founder of a new age religion called The Sutoka Group, was suspected in a series of violent rapes. He was never charged and the matter seemingly has been forgotten by all except Shiro and the head of Nippo Newspaper.

When Kumiko publishes an article exposing the history of rape suspicions, the financial health of the paper, which relies heavily on Sutoka ads for revenue, and Shiro's job both are put in jeopardy. To placate Yoshioka, Shiro asks his wife to serve as a "shrine maiden" -- whatever that means -- to the cult leader for a week. Will all be forgiven by the sadistic cult master, or will Shizuyo be served as just another dish at the devil's feast?

Shizuyo as "shrine maiden" 

There are numerous soft-core sex scenes in the film, and both actresses are lovely to behold. The three leads acquit themselves well, and the production values are decent enough. What the film really has going for it is Oniroku Dan's story, which makes the whole thing very interesting, and not just prurient.

On the downside, the dubbed moans in some of the sex scenes can be a bit distracting. Somewhat surprisingly, the English subtitles are not removable; they are embedded in the film. And there are no meaningful special features, just DVD credits and trailers for three other releases from Switchblade Pictures.

Still, even though it's a bare-bones disc, the story, the female bodies and the sex scenes warrant an ACF Rating of 3 out of 4 stars. It's a good release that I'm quite comfortable recommending.

ACF 1430: THE DEVIL’S FEAST coming in July on subtitled DVD from Switchblade Pictures

Switchblade Pictures has obtained the rights to THE DEVIL’S FEAST, the suspense and shibari erotic thriller from the late, internationally acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Oniroku Dan (FLOWER AND SNAKE, ROPE HELL, LADY BLACK ROSE).   Widely considered to be  Japan’s greatest master of dark erotica, Dan, who passed away in May of 2011, wrote over two hundred novels over his career, as well as the screenplays for many of Japan’s most successful and influential features, being especially known his popularization of the Japanese rope-bondage art of Shibari.

Directed by Kenji Hanyu from an adaption by Hiroshi Yoshino, THE DEVIL’S FEAST was distributed theatrically in Japan by Shintoho and stars Chihiro Koganezaki (CRUEL RESTAURANT), Yuya Matsuura (ZOMBIE HUNTER RIKA), Hitoshi Kajiki (RINKO 18) and famed AV model Arisa Matsumoto.  

Synopsis: When the beautiful Kumiko joins the editorial desk at a small local newspaper, the most deeply kept secrets of the rich and powerful leader of a religious cult suddenly begin finding their way into print in blistering exposes… scandalous exposes which have even more shocking repercussions for the paper’s sales manager, Okomoto, and his elegant wife Shizuyo.   Ensnared in the escalating war of wits and chains between the sadistic cult master and Kumiko, his former sex slave, Shizuyo finds herself strung in the rope bonds of a ruthless game that mixes sensuality with humiliation.

Could it be that Shizuyo’s only hope of release may come in the form of her own husband’s mistress?  Or is that exactly what the Devil has been planning on all along?  From the novels of the late legendary SM Master Oniroku Dan, prepare to be served a dark and unsettling vision of twisted lust and inhuman bondage:  THE DEVIL’S FEAST! 

THE DEVIL’S FEAST will begin Home Video release on subtitled DVD July 31st 2012.