Sex Hunter – Impulse Pictures (DVD)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1980
Director: Toshiharu Ikeda
Writer: Masahiro Kakefuda
Cast: Erina Miyai, Ayako Ohta, Teruo Matsuyama, Seru Rando, Nobuyuki Kawakami, Nobuko Matsumoto, Rei Aso, Yukari Taguchi, Koji Yashiro, Takashi Kanematsu, Terry Hawkins, Ken Mizoguchi

Release Date: February 11th, 2014
Approximate Running Time: 67 Minutes 21 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region 1 NTSC
Retail Price: $19.95

"Miki, a young and talented ballet dancer, is accepted into an exclusive, and very private, academy run by a mysterious woman named Kaibara Akiko. Miki wants to further her dance education and rekindle her relationship with her boyfriend, but soon discovers all the horrible perversions forced upon the academy students. She is subjected to constant violent sexual acts and torture and realizes there may be no escape!" – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 3/5

Sex Hunter comes of a single layer DVD.

Disc Size: 3.9 GB

No information is provided about the source; that said, it is in great shape. Colors look very good, image clarity is strong, and any compression issues are not a deal breaker. Though black levels fare well, they are not as convincing as they should be.

Audio: 3/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and range-wise, this audio track is satisfactory.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), and a 4-page booklet with an essay about Sex Hunter written by Jasper Sharp.

Summary:

Toshiharu Ikeda directed Sex Hunter. He’s known for his work in the horror genres Evil Dead Trap, Evil Dead Trap 3: Broken Love Killer, and Shadow of the Wraith. Notable Nikkatsu romantic pornography films he directed include Blue Lagoon: A Summer Experience and Angel Guts: Red Porno.

Miki is a ballerina whose star is on the rise. One evening after a performance, Akiko, a once prominent ballerina who has since retired, approached Miki. They haven’t seen each other since Akiko’s brother Genichiro's accident last year. Genichiro’s tragic accident also ended his relationship with Miki. Akiko entices Miki to visit her ballet school in hopes that she might be able to see Genichiro again. Driven by her jealousy, Akiko has ulterior motives for inviting Miki to stay with her at the ballerina school.

Sex Hunter is a story about two women, both ballerinas, that are in love with the same man. There is a strain on these two women’s relationship because Akiko blames Miki for her brothers’ accident. Akiko, desperate for her brother Genichiro's attention and love, takes drastic measures against Miki, who holds it. Akiko puts Miki through a series of humiliations, hoping to obtain her brother's affection.

The opening ballet sequence with Miki is filled with beauty and innocence. The narrative quickly washes away both of them, revealing a much harsher reality throughout. Toshiharu Ikeda designs every inch of Sex Hunter with meticulous care, making sure no visual frame is wasted. The sex scenes get pretty graphic, and there are some moments that are digitally fogged to cover up the private areas.

Miki being fondled for the first time by Akiko is a memorable moment visually; as the scene unfolds, it is revealed that Akiko's manservant is hidden behind a two-way mirror. Besides watching them, Akiko's manservant is sexually satisfying another woman on the other side of the two-way mirror. The use of two-way mirrors heightens this sequence, and Toshiharu Ikeda uses this two-way mirror motif very effectively throughout Sex Hunter.

Nikkatsu’s romantic pornography films are known for their perverse and often shocking moments. Sex Hunter doesn’t disappoint or hold back; some of these things that you will see include whippings, rope bondage, orgies, lesbians, golden showers, snowballing, incest, and a coke bottle enema. The most memorable dialog in the films occurs right after Miki is given a coke bottle enema. “We should share a coke more often." That said, Sex Hunter’s climax ranks among the most memorable to ever close a Nikkatsu romantic pornography film. Ultimately, Sex Hunter is a depraved tale that overflows with visually arresting moments, making it a must-see if you're a fan of Nikkatsu’s romantic pornography films.

Despite a good audio/video presentation and informative liner notes, this release leaves a lot of room for improvement. Hopefully some company will revisit Sex Hunter and give it the release it truly deserves.

Written by Michael Den Boer