Angel Guts: Red Classroom (1979)

The first must-see film of the year.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

After watching a blue movie in which a schoolgirl is brutally gang-raped, publisher of erotica magazines Tetsuro Muraki (Keizô Kani'e) sets out to find the star of the film, hoping to hire her for a photo-shoot. When he finally meets her, Muraki discovers that the incident in the film was for real and that the experience has left its 'star' Nami (Yûki Mizuhara) with serious psychological issues that have turned her into a sexual doormat.In an effort to restore Nami's self esteem, Muraki turns down her inevitable offer of nookie, promising to take her out for dinner the following evening instead. Unfortunately, Muraki is mistakenly arrested by the police and fails to make the date, leaving a despondent Nami alone in the rain, any hope completely dashed...Three years later, Muraki bumps into Nami working as a prostitute in a bar and attempts to make amends for not keeping his promise...My enjoyment of the Angel Guts films thus far has been largely dependent on two factors: how attractive the lead actress is, and how freaky and messed up the film gets. Red Classroom's Yûki Mizuhara is certainly very sexy as Nami, but the film lacks the jaw dropping deviancy that makes for a truly entertaining Pinku. Even the film's most memorable scene, in which Nami attempts to sexually dominate a man she picks up in a bar, pales in comparison to the outrageous scenes to be found in many other films of the same genre.Director Chûsei Sone's consistently nihilistic tone and frequent lapses into tedium only go further to make this one Pinku I'm unlikely to revisit in a hurry.5.5 out of 10, very generously rounded up to 6 for IMDb.

ANGEL GUTS: RED CLASSROOM is very different in tone than most of the other Nikkatsu roman-porn and violent-pink entries that I've seen so far. As opposed to focusing on rape and violence-laden themes, RED CLASSROOM is more an exploration of sexual obsession and a study of fundamentally "flawed" people...A porn producer becomes "interested" in a girl who he sees perform in a short rape-loop. He recalls meeting her at some point previously, and tracks her to the "love-hotel" that she works at. The two begin a short-lived relationship, but the producer learns that the actress is not the defenseless and innocent girl that he spied in the porn-loop...RED CLASSROOM reminded me a lot of another film I recently watched - EMPIRE OF THE SENSES - in that both films dealt with the similar topic of sexual obsession, and of people using sex as a tool to gain "acceptance" when they can't seem to experience true love. A sad concept, but one that is oftentimes true in the real world. RED CLASSROOM is much less "sleazy" than many of the other films of this genre, and although there are still some minor rape themes, and a lot of eroticism in general throughout the film, this one is far more "serious" and is a somewhat refreshing change. Personally, I love the "sleaze-factor" of these types of films - but it's cool to see something a little different once in a while too...8/10

A year after the release of "High School Co Ed" saw the second movie in the series "Red Classroom" get released. Wheras the first film showed the ghastly acts of rape themselves, this one is more interested in the devastating aftermath and psychological effects it can produce, as well as how easily one can blur reality with the celluloid world. Tetsuro Muraki, a pornographer, becomes obsessed with Nami Tsuchiya, when he sees her on a video in a school girl themed rape scene, only to find out that she's very far from the innocent that he made her to be in his mind, leading to a powerful and devastating ending. While the film lacks the raw edge of "High School Co Ed, I found this film to be endlessly more fascinating and a much deeper experience.My Grade: B DVD Extras: Commentary by Jasper Sharp; Bio/Filmographies; Separate Interviews with Takashi Ishii (17 minutes) and Takashi Ishii on Chusei Sone (10 minutes); Original Sleeve art; and Trailers for this and 4 other Angel Guts Films (High School Co Ed, Nami, Red Vertigo, & Red Porno) all available in Artsmagik's Box-set, but for some reason the 6th film "Angel Guts: Red Flash" is not in the set

Second in the series and the second by Mr Sone and what an achievement it is. The rawness of the first is gone but this is not to say there is any less passion or vigour. Beginning with a shock sequence, this ends with an even more shocking one and for a centrepiece has a prolonged scene set in a love hotel in which the central female character, Nami, seems to turn into one of Edvard Munch's vampire women before our very eyes. This tour de force, encompassing love, marriage, passion and sentimentality concentrates more upon sexual violence and the aggression and greed of the participants. Whatever the type of relationship depicted, we are shown the same tendency towards abuse and to increase our anxiety all this is intercut with scary/sexy scenes of the making of porno movies and photo sex magazines. A challenging film that does not stop asking us questions whilst showering us with titillation, violence, abuse and fierce erotica.