The Films of Hisayasu Satô: Volume #4 - Soft Skin / Save the Last Dance for Me / Survey Map of a Paradise Lost – Pink Line (Blu-ray)
Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1986 (Save the Last Dance for Me), Japan, 1988 (Survey Map of a Paradise Lost), Japan, 1998 (Soft Skin)
Director: Hisayasu Satô (All Films)
Cast: Mayumi Inoue, Narutoshi Ishikawa, Kiyomi Itô, Ai Kobayashi, Kiichirô Mutô, Shôichirô Sakata, Bunmei Tobayama (Save the Last Dance for Me), Rio Yanagawa, Kazuhiro Sano, Kiyomi Itô, Tôru Nakane (Survey Map of a Paradise Lost), Moeko Ezawa, Hiromi Kuronuma, Tomomi Kuribayashi, Reiko Takamizu, Kenji Mizuhashi, Junko Asahina, Hitoshi Kusanagi, Yuka Sakano (Soft Skin)
Release Date: June 3rd, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 60 Minutes 12 Seconds (Save the Last Dance for Me), 65 Minutes (Survey Map of a Paradise Lost), 87 Minutes 56 Seconds (Soft Skin)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Japanese (All Films)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $59.98
Save the Last Dance for Me: "The story of two former film students facing the world and their own troubled relationship, through video-voyeurism and sex work. When violence manifests within sexual situations, a sense of fatalism threatens to take the lovers to darker places." - synopsis provided by the distributor
Survey Map of a Paradise Lost: "An investigative reporter gets wrapped up in a story about phone sex clubs, and a sex worker named Midori who worked in one. Unexpectedly thrust into a world of sadomasochism, isolation, and suicidal musings, he struggles to fulfill his job responsibilities. But when it emerges that a recent death involving a sex worker was videotaped, and the reporter obtains the tape, they can hardly avoid becoming more deeply involved." - synopsis provided by the distributor
Soft Skin: "When Minako, a lonely housewife neglected by her busy, self-centered husband and adult children, finds a suitor, they concoct a false kidnapping narrative to tease her family. Meanwhile, a young woman responsible for a series of chainsaw murders is also on the run. While television news (including Minako's daughter as a newscaster) devours these sensational stories, all manner of bizarre interactions unfold as Minako contemplates her future." - synopsis provided by the distributor
Video: 4.5/5 (All Films)
Here’s the information provided about this release’s transfers, "New director-approved restorations, performed by Vinegar Syndrome."
Save the Last Dance for Me, Survey Map of a Paradise Lost and Soft Skin, come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.
Disc Size: 44.9 GB
Feature: 12.5 GB (Save the Last Dance for Me), 13.5 GB (Survey Map of a Paradise Lost), 18.3 GB (Soft Skin)
All of the sources look excellent; they far exceed any of these films' previous home media releases. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, contrast, and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and the image always looks organic.
Audio: 4.5/5 (All Films)
Each film comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. All of the audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented.
Extras:
Extras on Blu-ray disc one include an audio commentary with Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp for Soft Skin, an audio commentary with Asian cinema historian Pierce Conran and film critic James Marsh for Save the Last Dance for Me, and an audio commentary with film critic Simon Abrams for Survey Map of a Paradise Lost.
Extras on Blu-ray disc two include an interview with director Hisayasu Satô titled She’s a Star (13 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Hisayasu Satô titled No Caller ID (15 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Hisayasu Satô titled Office Lady (13 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Hisayasu Satô titled The One They Don't Want You To See! (22 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Kyôko Godai titled The Abnormal Family (18 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), and a locations featurette with Hisayasu Satô titled Walking in Circles: Part 4 (13 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles).
Other extras include reversible cover art, a spot gloss hard slipcase + slipcover combo (limited to 4,000 units) and a 40-page perfect-bound book with an essay titled Soft Skin: The Family That Fucks Together Stays Together written by Alexandria Heller-Nicholas, an essay titled A Last Dance written by Hayley Scanlon, and an essay titled What Reality Forbids: Hisayasu Satô and Survey Map of a Paradise Lost written by Patrick Macias.
Summary:
All three films were directed by Hisayasu Satô, a filmmaker who worked extensively in Pinku Eiga. He's most known for An Aria on Gaze, aka The Bedroom, and Splatter: Naked Blood (which is a V-Cinema remake of Lustmord). His films are textbook examples of body horror and themes like alienation, obsession, and voyeurism.
Save the Last Dance for Me: Two former film students brought together by their love of cinema try to save their troubled relationship as their obsessions send them in a downward spiral.
Save the Last Dance for Me's informal English-language title better contextualizes the story that unfolds than its much more blunt Japanese title. Even at this early stage of his career, Hisayasu Satô shows that he’s not interested in churning out pinku eiga films without adding something more to them. For his fourth film, Save the Last Dance for Me, he creates a pinku eiga that digs deeper and connects more emotionally than this genre's standard fare.
Although the narrative feels fragmented, it has just enough exposition to keep things moving forward. Another area where the narrative fares well is how effectively it fleshes out its characters, specifically Miho, a young woman desperate for an emotional connection. That said, the narrative does an exceptional job drawing you in and holding your attention as it builds to its bleak finale that stays with you.
When discussing Save the Last Dance for Me and why it's such an impactful film, one cannot overlook Kiyomi Itô’s portrayal of Miho. Where Miho’s partner Otsuka is more of a blank slate, she’s a character consumed by her emotions. Unable to get what she wants from her lover, she goes to extremes to keep him from leaving her.
Once again, Hisayasu Satô's instincts as a filmmaker are on point. Visually he creates many striking moments, and his choice of framing always enhances the moment. Another area where his filmmaking choices excel is how he mixes formats like video and film. Ultimately, Save the Last Dance for Me is an extraordinary exploration of emotional erosion.
Survey Map of a Paradise Lost: Nukada is an investigative reporter whose latest assignment is to probe deep into the underbelly of Japan's underground phone sex clubs. Midori is a girl who he meets at one of these phone sex clubs. Shortly after their meeting, she is accused of murdering a man named Kihara who was into rough and kinky sex acts. Nukada does not want to let the story go because he feels there is something underneath the surface the cops have missed. So he continues to investigate on his own. By accident, he discovers a clue that could lead to the truth he seeks and, by bringing these new facts to life, he has put his own life into danger.
Hisayasu Satô’s evolution as a filmmaker is remarkable. While Hisayasu Satô has grown from a technical standpoint, his obsessions and stylistic choices have remained constant. Despite having made a few notable films, Hisayasu Satō made his first masterpiece with Survey Map of a Paradise Lost.
The thing that grabs me about Survey Map of a Paradise Lost is how complex its narrative is. The narrative is a perfect blend of erotica and exposition that quickly grabs you and leaves you thinking after its ambiguous finale. Another strength of the narrative is how it builds and maintains tension.
Without a doubt, one of Survey Map of a Paradise Lost’s greatest assets is Kiyomi Itô’s portrayal of the wife of a dead man named Kihara. Artistically, Hisayasu Satô is clicking on all cylinders as he creates a pinku eiga film that’s reminiscent of Brian De Palma’s thrillers. When it comes to moments of carnage, they are sufficiently gory, especially one scene where blood really flows.
Survey Map of a Paradise Lost is one of director Hisayasu Sato’s most violent films; it's an uncompromising mixture of violence towards women, which often occurs while they are restrained during sexual acts. Some moments of note are where a character electrocutes their lover's genitals and a Coke bottle is used as a dildo. Ultimately, Survey Map of a Paradise Lost is a very satisfying mix of genres: mystery, horror, and erotica that’s anchored by an exemplary narrative, making it one of the high watermarks of pinku eiga.
Soft Skin: An unhappy housewife fakes her kidnapping with the help of a lover who has no intention of letting her return home.
Soft Skin is equal parts thriller and pinku eiga with some comedy thrown into the mix. The humor comes from satirizing true crime television. The narrative runs longer than most pinku eiga films; fortunately, it never feels overlong. Another strength of the narrative is that it holds your attention by never being predictable.
Central to the story that unfolds is the mother’s motive; her family is fractured and she wants to unite them in a moment of perceived crisis. It quickly becomes clear that this is not your typical kidnapping when the kidnapper does not ask for a ransom. In their moment of crisis, the family ultimately comes together and is closer than ever.
Soft Skin takes a while before the pinku eiga elements take over, dominating the last 30 minutes. That said, once they do kick in, the story becomes more and more perverse. Although Hisayasu Satô mixes formats and there are some visually arresting moments, Soft Skin is one of his more conventional films. The cast’s enthusiastic performances are an area where Soft Skin never disappoints. Ultimately, Soft Skin is best described as a melodrama masquerading as a pinku eiga film.
The Films of Hisayasu Satô: Volume #4 is an exceptional release that gives each film a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras. Highly recommended.
Written by Michael Den Boer
