Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands: Deluxe Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1967
Director: Atsushi Yamatoya
Writer: Atsushi Yamatoya
Cast: Miki Watari, Yûichi Minato, Shôhei Yamamoto, Masayoshi Nogami, Noriko Tatsumi, Mari Nagisa, Akaji Maro, Taka Ôkubo, Hatsuo Yamaya

Release Date: April 29th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 86 Minutes 46 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $44.99

“Every day at 3 o’clock I’ve been killing you in my daydreams,” murmurs low-rent hitman Shô (Yûichi Minato), haunted by the death of his girlfriend five years earlier and seeking revenge on the gangster who killed her." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands was restored from the only known remaining 35mm element - a badly worn and damaged release print, scanned by Rapid Eye Movies in Germany.

Before restoration work could begin, the piece-meal scan of bits and pieces of that tattered print needed to be put back together (conformed) - both the audio and picture separately and then synced. That's an undertaking all its own. Once we had that, we could really dig in and see just what kind of work was ahead of us.

The print was damaged with numerous broken and even missing frames. As would be expected from a worn release print, there were considerable scratches and dirt present and large tape splices needed to be digitally repaired at each cut. There were considerable stability issues throughout. Large sections of the film had significant moisture damage which presents itself on screen as a wildly irregular "flicker". The audio was equally challenging and well beyond our in-house audio restoration abilities. It was time to call in the audio pros at Audio Mechanics in Burbank, CA. They did a heroic job clearing up the audio, fixing badly out of sync shots and miraculously removing a loud repetitive noise that ran throughout a large portion of the film.

An element in this condition would normally never be used for a restoration effort, but in this case it was the only element known to exist and the film deserves to be seen in the best possible condition it can."

Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.8 GB

Feature: 16.5 GB

The detailed information provided about the transfer gives you a clear idea of what to expect. That said, things look better than expected, and Fidelity in Motion delivers a solid encode. 

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Japanese with removable English. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a restoration demo (2 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese, no subtitles), a  video essay by journalist and physical media expert Ryan Verrill (The Disc Connected) and film professor Dr. Will Dodson titled Tomorrow Won’t be a Dream: Duality and Triangles in Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands (13 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film professor Alexander Zahlten on the Pink Film subgenre in Japanese cinema, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile (82 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with film historians Arne Venema and Mike Leeder, and an insert with a URL that has a PDF for the video essay.

Extras limited to this deluxe edition include reversible cover art, a slipcase, and a 60-page booklet with an essay titled Erotics of the Gun Gender, Geo-Politics and Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands written by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, an essay titled Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands written by Walter Chaw, an essay titled Atsushi Yamatoya’s Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands - Quantum Mechanics and the Destroyer of Worlds written by Chris D., an interview with producer Keiko Satô of Kokuei Films, conducted by producer Hiromi Aihara of Bewiz, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Atsushi Yamatoya directed Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands; his only other notable film as a director is Trapped in Lust, a Roman Porno remake of Branded to Kill. He is most known for his work as a screenwriter: Branded to Kill, Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter, A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness, Star of David: Beautiful Girl Hunter, and Dogra Magra.

A private detective is hired to find a woman who is believed to have been killed in a snuff film.

While Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands incorporates many elements typical of Pinku eiga, it ultimately resembles the action films produced by Nikkatsu in the latter half of the 1960s. Where most pinku eiga focus on sex, violence, and politically charged commentary, Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands, similar to the works of Atsushi Yamatoya, places greater emphasis on experimentation. That said, when it comes to sex and violence, Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands seems relatively mild compared to other Pinku eiga films from the 1960s and 1970s.

While watching Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands, I could not help but think about Branded to Kill, a film to which Atsushi Yamatoya contributed as a writer. Both films revolve around protagonists who manage to stay ahead of their enemies in a kill-or-be-killed world. That said, Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands has a surprisingly strong narrative that is heavy on exposition in favor of more exploitative elements. Another strength of the narrative is how it fleshes out its protagonist's backstory: his girlfriend was murdered by a gangster, and his own quest for revenge aligns with the case he’s working on.

The most surprising aspect of Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands is the performances, especially Yûichi Minato (Madame O), who portrays a private detective named Shô. He delivers a strong performance that draws you into the story that is unfolding. Another performance of note is Miki Watari, who portrays Mina, a woman who has an affair with Shô despite being involved with a man named Kô, the knife thrower.

The dark premise of Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands depicts a world where women are abducted, tortured, violated, and killed on film, and this concept is effectively brought to life. The film features a diverse cast of eccentric characters, including a man who engages intimately with his inflatable doll. While alliances are formed among them, numerous betrayals occur throughout the story. Visually there are an abundance of arresting moments, and a jazz-infused score reinforces the unsettling mood. That said, there are times where image and sound verge on avant-garde. Ultimately, Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands is a satisfying blend of arthouse and exploitation cinema that quickly draws you in and holds your attention.

Deaf Crocodile gives Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands its best home media release to date, highly recommended.

Note: This edition is limited to 1500 copies.

Written by Michael Den Boer