Don't know why some people are hesitating over these. I know many like to read reviews, see screen caps and so on before they buy something. I've written some brief words about these Artsmagic 'Shocking Pink' releases already, but Sato's contribution to 'Rampo Noir' and his old film issued in this series 'Hard Focus : Survey Map of a Paradise Lost' easily stand firm in my Top 10 experiences of the year - if that's any meaure by which to manage your own taste. Now here's another, different Director adding to the range.
Shame these have not been promoted at all it seems, no signs of reviews online at least, and although Artsmagic may want to concentrate on putting releases out, promotion is not something to be sacrificed in order to gain time to create releases that appear into thin air. There's lots of vision and hard work, wisdom, gone into these films and their DVD releases for America.
Most of the stuff on my shelves (well, in boxes now) as what are termed blind buys even though, in truth, I feed my instincts and react to them, and gradually over the years I am 100% confident in my picks for my own interest and purposes. In the last couple of years alone (yes, Twitch is Two Years Old this week) simply by sharing my interest with other I believe my taste has grown. At least, I am more aware of the growth now there's, in some ways, a record of it.
Anyway, here's the first spot of the artwork for Kazuhiro Sano's first entry in the series, 'Under the Carp Banner', 55-minutes long and surely of more interest than most generic choices you could be picking out. Synposis from TLA reads, "One of the four devils of the Japanese pink film industry, Kazuhiro Sano both directs and stars in this thrilling erotic adventure. An isolated spa resort weaves its spell as all who enter its doors give in to its magic. Under the fluttering carp banner, which flies above it, anything goes and the guests take full advantage in fulfilling their sexual desires."