Love Hunter – Impulse Pictures (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1972
Director: Seiichiro Yamaguchi
Writer: Kiyomi Koyama
Cast: Hidemi Hara, Mari Tanaka, Sumiko Minami, Hajime Mitamura, Kôju Ran, Ryûji Ôizumi

Release Date: July 28th, 2020
Approximate Running Time: 73 Minutes 58 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $19.95

"Twenty-year-old Kazuo is in love with his college girlfriend, Hisako, but he can’t help but be intrigued by a mysterious older woman named Kyoku, a promiscuous woman unsatisfied with her marriage. As time goes on, both Kazuo and Hisako are pulled into the seemingly rules free, borderless world of Kyoku – with all of its many pains and pleasures." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “Nikkatsu Films provided Impulse Pictures with a brand-new high-definition master.”

Love Hunter comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 16.8 GB

Feature: 16.4 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity is solid, black levels are strong, and compression is very good.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio is in great shape; there are no issues with background hiss or distortion, dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced.

Extras:

Extras for this release are limited to a trailer for the film (1 minute 39 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles).

Summary:

Love Hunter is one of three films directed by Seiichiro Yamaguchi. The other two films are Love Hunter: Lust and Kitamura Toukoku: My Winter Song. Upon its release, Love Hunter became a controversial film. Seiichiro Yamaguchi, director of Love Hunter, was arrested for obscenity. It would be eight years before all charges got dropped, when the courts said, “While the film contained obscenity, it was not, as a whole, obscene." To date, Love Hunter was the last film prosecuted for obscenity in Japan.

Where later Nikkatsu romantic pornography films featured anemic narratives that focused more on erotica and moments of depravity, these elements in Love Hunter organically work with the narrative in a productive way that enhances the story at hand. The narrative revolves around three characters: an older woman named Kyoku, whose promiscuous lifestyle is connected to a childhood trauma, and two students/lovers, Hisako, a sexually inexperienced young woman, and Kazuo, a young man whose libido is at its peak. A chance encounter brings these three characters together. From there, Kyoku tries to drive a wedge between Kazuo and Hisako. Unable to divide the two lovers, Kyoku sets her sights on seducing Hisako.

When discussing Nikkatsu romantic pornography films, one cannot overlook how these films often far exceeded their limited budgets. Even in the earliest examples of Nikkatsu romantic pornography films, there is a level of artistry that elevates most of these films beyond mere softcore erotica. Nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to the visuals and how they strategically placed objects, despite being forced to come up with inventive ways to blur genitals because of Japanese censorship rules. Despite limiting what the viewer can see, it actually enhances the eroticism, making it a case where less is more.

Performance-wise, the cast are all very good in their respective roles, especially Hidemi Hara’s (Hellish Love's) utterly convincing portrayal of Kyoku. Mari Tanaka’s portrayal of Hisako, a virginal character who’s the polar opposite of Kyoku, is another performance of note.

From a production standpoint, Love Hunter is a film that fully maximizes its resources. The narrative executes the premise well, and it offers a satisfying balance of melodrama and erotica. Its cathartic finale provides a very satisfying conclusion to serve as a perfect coda to the events that have unfolded. Visually, Love Hunter does not disappoint, and its understated score does an exceptional job reinforcing the mood. Ultimately, Love Hunter is one of the best examples of Nikkatsu romantic pornography films.

Love Hunter gets a solid audio/video presentation; recommended despite its lack of contextual extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer