Ryuichi Hiroki Movies
- 2009
This melodramatic Japanese tearjerker concerns a young woman who receives the most devastating news of her life: not only has she developed breast cancer, it is quickly metastasizing throughout her body and she has only a short time to live. Aware that the news will threaten to destroy her relationship with her boyfriend if he learns of it, she unsuccessfully attempts to conceal the information from him; he finds out anyway and plans to marry the girl despite her prognosis of only a month left to live. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nana Eikura, Eita, (more)
- 2007
Love on a Sunday director Ryuichi Hiroki (Vibrator, Tokyo Trash Baby) returns to the realm of the romantic drama with this delicate tale of a young woman (Always star Maki Horikita) struggling to come to terms with her impending death and the fact that she will never have the opportunity to accomplish all of the things that she wanted in life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2007
Acclaimed filmmaker Ryuichi Hiroki began his career directing erotica, and he returns to themes of sexual obsession and fetishism in this documentary. Kinbaku is a Japanese word referring to the art of rope tying for purposes of bondage, and in Bakushi Hiroki explores this distinctly Japanese variation on the subject of erotic discipline. Hiroki offers extensive interviews with three bakushi -- masters of the art of rope -- who demonstrate their craft on camera, as well as three models who allow themselves to be tied up by the bakushi and attempt to explain their attraction to the fine edge of pain and pleasure. Bakushi received its European premiere at the 2007 Rotterdam Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2006
Vibrator and Tokyo Trash Baby director Ryuichi Hiroki takes the helm for this tale of high school romance starring Takami Mizuhashi, Ryuya Wakaba, and Yuria Haga. Set over the course of a single day, this hybrid of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Some Kind of Wonderful tells a tale of teen angst highlighted by passionate romance, crushed emotions, and missed opportunities. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2006
Suffering from manic depression and looking to start life anew in a small suburban community, a manic depressive thirty-something finds solace in the company of her recently-divorced cousin in director Ryuichi Hiroki's intimate psychological drama. Yuko (Shinobu Terashima) has walked away from her life and her job in a desperate bid to seek happiness outside of her comfort zone. Though her friendships with various men including a depressive yakuza and a former classmate suffering from erectile dysfunction does provide some relief from her mental malaise, Yuko soon begins to suspect that she may be slipping into another deep depression. When Yuko's cousin Shoichi shows up on her doorstep having just suffered through a nasty divorce, Shoichi's willingness to assume the role of caretaker to his ailing cousin inspires both parties to take emotional stock of their lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Shinobu Terashima, Etsushi Toyokawa, (more)
- 2006
An adolescent's distrust of the world of grown-ups is often confirmed by what goes on around him in this offbeat drama. Minoru Masaki (Kengo Kora) is a straight-laced boy in his early teens who makes pocket money after school by delivering newspapers. Having been abused as a young child, Minoru takes a dim view of the world around him, believing drugs and sex have corrupted the culture of adults, and he has few friends his own age. One day, Minoru strikes up an acquaintance with Masato, a boy several years his junior. After playing catch in the park, Minoru goes back to Masato's house, where he's introduced to Satoko (Ogawa Miwon), Masato's mother. Minoru thinks he recognizes Satoko, and after spending a few days following her, he learns that she spends her afternoons working as a prostitute for Tawara (Tomorowo Taguchi), a pimp associated with the Japanese mafia. While Satoko's husband Hideyuki (Nao Omori) is unaware of his wife's secret life, he enjoys fantasies of her taking lovers, which are a far cry from the grim reality of her career with Tawara. M was directed by Ryuichi Hiroki, who got his start making soft-core "pink films" dealing with many of the same themes covered here. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Miwon, Kengo Kora, (more)
Internationally acclaimed Japanese film director Ryuichi Hiroki (I Am an S&M Writer, Tokyo Trash Baby) takes the helm for this cathartic road movie concerning the transformative journey of an emotionally-unstable writer and adapted from the novel by Mari Akasaka. Rei (Shinobu Terashima) is a freelance writer whose inner demons have driven her to self-medicate. It's during one of her late-night beer-runs to a local urban mini-mart that Rei makes the acquaintance of handsome young trucker Okabe (Nao Omori) - who has taken a momentary pit stop to fill up his tank and grab some snacks. After the two form a friendly bond in the late night hours where anything seems possible, Rei climbs into Okabe's rig for an impromptu road trip that will lead her to find out more about herself than she would ever learn while sitting home and drinking alone. As the dawn draws near on the edge of the horizon, what at first appeared to be a one-night stand gradually transforms into a momentous meeting of chance. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Shinobu Terashima, Nao Omori, (more)
Japanese cinema sensation Ryuichi Hiroki offers a knowing critique of modern consumer culture and human longing in a highly-original romantic drama concerning a shy waitress' growing fascination with a struggling musician. Miyuki (Mami Nakamura) is a timid café waitress. Miyuki's neighbor Yoshinori (Kazuma Suzuki) is an unsuccessful rock musician who's got charisma to burn despite the fact that he's flat broke. Every night when she believes no one is watching, Miyuki furtively slips out of her apartment to collect Yoshinori's garbage and gather the small mementos that offer telling insight into the object of her silent affections. As voyeurism gradually transforms into obsession Miyuki believes that she is slowly piecing together the life of the man she is falling in love with. As well as Miyuki thinks she knows Yoshinori, however, everything changes when the two lonely neighbors finally meet face to face in an empty club where Yoshinori strums a melancholy melody. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2000
Former pinku eiga director Hiroki Ryuichi spins this farcical tale, adapted from an autobiographical novel by Kihachi Dan, about a hack writer's desperate attempts to overcome writers block . Kurosaki (Ren Osugi) used to dream about dedicating his life to Art, but has since dedicated his life to crass commercialism by cranking out S&M porno for a low rent publisher. Feeling that this creative well has run dry, he realizes that he needs some real time experience to get his writing to flow once again. He turns to his eager-to-please assistant Kawada (Jun Murakami) who hires a nubile lass named Kyoko (Eri Yamazaki) to strike bound poses in the writer's living room. Meanwhile, Kurosaki's wife Shizuko (Yoko Hoshi) has surprisingly taken a dim view of this practice, and out of revenge seduces a hunky American English teacher (William Brian Churchill) -- and then, as if to add insult to injury, she seduces Kawada. This film was screened at the 2000 Vancouver International Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ren Osugi, Jun Murakami, (more)
- 1994
Former adult video director Ryuichi Hiroki makes his straight-flick debut with this stylized coming-of-age drama about a pair of long-distance runners. Kenji (Shunsuke Matsuoka), a rich kid from the tony neighborhood of Shonan Beach, is obsessed with the memory of his dead track star friend, with whom he had a brief homosexual encounter. He is dating Kyoko (Miwako Kawai), the track star's former girlfriend, who is obsessed with Kenji. Though he would rather discuss metaphysics than engage in sexual congress, Kyoko eventually drags Kenji to bed. The result is less than sterling. Meanwhile, Ryuji (Eugene Nomura), a poor student from Kawasaki, is Kenji's friend and rival on the track. Unlike his cold-fish comrade, Ryuji has more libido than he knows what to do with. He spends much of his energy pursuing a leggy hurdler who has the hots for Kenji. Later, Ryuji finds himself in a love hotel with Kenji's little sister. Realizing that she is the spitting image of his friend, he backs off and the two spend the evening singing karaoke instead. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Shunsuke Matsuoka, Yujin Normura, (more)
- 1986
Ryuichi Hiroki, Genji Nakamura, and Hitoshi Ishikawa left Nikkatsu to form their own company, Yu Productions, following the mondo S & M film Sekkan. At Yu, they continued to direct "ero-gro" pinku eiga together under the collective pseudonym Go Ijuin, and this Ijuin film achieved cult status outside Japan due to its extreme content. It's the story of a nice young couple whose car breaks down in the forest. They are saved by a passing local (Shiko Shima), or so they think. Fans of ero-gro know that Shima, a former newspaper editor who later opened his own members-only torture chamber, is Japan's king of S & M, claiming to have personally trained over 3,500 women. So the young couple is bound, gagged, and subjected to some pretty intense torture. When it's all over, the young man (Souji Kanehako) is so impressed by the way Shima handled his girlfriend (Kei Sano), that he becomes the master's apprentice, joining him in more kidnapping and torture. The American title is something of a misnomer, as this is actually a sequel to Ikenie, while the film generally released as Captured for Sex is Hakujitsumu Zoku, the sequel to a film released as Daydream. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- 1985
The final Nikkatsu film directed by Ryuichi Hiroki, Genji Nakamura, and Hitoshi Ishikawa under the collective pseudonym Go Ijuin (Kankin Sei No Dorei: Ikenie 2), this is basically S & M performance art masquerading as a feature. Kurara is the mistress who dominates slave-girl Fujiko Suegetsu in Shiko Shima's notorious private S & M club, Shima's Torture Chamber. The directors wisely formed their own company after this schlocky production, while the ailing studio cranked out three semi-sequels the following year. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- 1985
Ryuichi Hiroki, Genji Nakamura, and Hitoshi Ishikawa directed this softcore pinku-eiga film for the famed Nikkatsu studio under the collective pseudonym "Go Ijuin." It's the story of an S&M master (former newspaper editor Shiko Shima) who surprises his girlfriend/slave (Fujiko Suetsugu) with a new human toy (Misa Kamijo) for Christmas. It should come as no surprise that Shima, who opened his own S&M club in real life and claims to have trained over 3,500 women, is quite persuasive in his role. Suetsugu returned in the directors' Sekkan, filmed on location in Shima's club. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
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