Some Underwater Love at Tribeca 2011

Here is one of the first images released for Shinji Imaoka's Underwater Love(2011), care of Twitch, a modern day pinku which will be screening during Tribeca Film Festival's 2011 Cinemania Line-up(all the good genre shit). I didn't know much about Underwater Love until a couple minutes ago, but Twitch describes it as "a full on fantasy musical involving cross species sex between human women and kappa males - the kappa being an iconic turtle like creature from Japanese folklore."(Looks like the koopa are finally going to get there way with the Princess.)

If you are unsure what pinku cinema is, think of it as the Japanese version of Skinemax Late Night flicks, but with no camera focus on the genital regions. Because of this taboo, Japanese directors have had to get creative with camera angles and object placement over the years, typically giving the pinku film a unique style not seen in your run-of-the-mill sexploitation film. Fantasy and action elements are not uncommon within the genre, especially in the direct-to-dvd market, which I have sampled on more than one occasion (strictly for the ninjas). Seeing pinku eiga at a world-renowned film festival is a bit odd by my book, but I could be wrong.

Hopefully, we won't have to wait very long for a trailer release

The Lustful Shogun and his 21 Concubines(1972)

Do you remember that scene in Office Space when Peter was asking his mullet-blessed neighbor what he would do with a million dollars? His answer was sexing up multiple women at the same time. As dumb as it sounded, it does make sense to some men, if not all of them. Especailly when you come from a poorer background than some, then ludicrous ideas about spending money frequently plague the brain. If I had the money, would I do it? Maybe once, just to say I did.

The Lustful Shogun and his 21 Concubines covers this very same scenario. A poor, country boy, with a bit of an unhealthy sex obsession, leaves home to make his way in the world. He figures since he can't fuck his childhood sweetheart until marriage, he might be able to get what he can by leaving home. In his travels, he ends up at Edo Castle as a bathboy. Edo castle is the center of the Kokagawa Shogunate, and he just happened to show up in time for the 10th Shogun to pass on. And as luck would allow, he is the spitting image of of the next-in-line for the throne. The only problem is that the 11th Shogun is afraid of females, which is apparently frowned upon by his people. So the two are switched so His Weakness can go off to learn how to properly by a man's man.

It just so happens that the Shogun has a Concubine house with hundreds to thousands of beautiful females. Imposter Shogun is not the worst situation to be in for a sex-obsessed, bath boy. From this point on, Mr. Walking Viagra spends a great portion of the movie bedding with as many of the concubines as possible, along with the future wife of the shogun. 21 women in total, most getting impregnated. Everthing goes well in the beginning, but then the psuedo-power starts to go to the boys head. And you know that can't turn out very good. Considering the boy is just a political pawn for a sheisty second-in-command who really just plans on seizing power in the future, this can make for an expected turn-for-the worst.

I've been a fan of the japanese Pinku genre for a while now, so this film is right up my alley. Not only are some of my favorite Pinky Violence actresses in this film. Like many off the Toei Studios of this era, the production was great and it was well acted. Not your typical exploitation flick, but most pinku of this era weren't either. The story was told well, and despite all the sex, there was an actual plot. I don't really know how historically accurate it was, but it has made me curious about japanese history. Lone Wolf and Cub also takes place during the Kokagawa Shogunate, so I have a newly-found interest in japanese history. But anyway, enough of my supreme dorkness...

If you like Japanese movies from this era, like I do, you would probably find interest in this movie. If you like boobs and have an asian festish, like most American white boys, you would also really dig this movie.

Now for some horror to fall asleep to.