DVD Review: Osamu Sato's NEW TOKYO DECADENCE

There is no denying that pink films tend to be limited in their portrayals of women. Osamu Sato's New Toyko Decadence - Slave (Dorei), which is now available on English subtitled DVD from Pink Eiga, differentiates itself from many pink films by presenting a female perspective rooted in real life experiences.

The main character in New Toyko Decadence is Rina, a young woman who works her way through school as a dominatrix. Rina thinks she has seen it all until she lands a job as a secretary for a sadistic alpha male. The new boss latches on to her and rather soon, he taps into her inner masochist. The couple maintain regular appearances in the office but play games when they are alone. The dynamic between the pair is interrupted by a co-worker, who Rina ultimately marries. Rina gives up the underground lifestyle in exchange for domestic normalcy but her urge for pain leads her back towards her old boss.

Anyone familiar with pink films knows that what really makes these projects tick is how the filmmaker integrates the mandatory components (i.e., sex) with the story and characters. New Toyko Decadence does a fine job in connecting the elements into a flowing film. The scenes of real BDSM, including an elaborate setup in an underground club, are as painful as they are authentic. Least one get the impression that this is a "heavy" film, the tone is generally light.

As mentioned earlier, New Tokyo Decadence has roots in reality:Akira Fukuhara's screenplay is based partly on the experiences of the lead actress Rinako Hirasawa. The film's mixture of biography and fiction adds an interesting spin to the viewing experience. Is the female point of view diluted by the portrayal of the lead as a submissive or is it enhanced by the truth of the character's story? Once again, this an issue for the individual viewer to sort through but the fact that New Tokyo Decadence raises such a question is an indication of its uniqueness.