POPCORNX Review: The Naked Director on Netflix (*Minor Spoilers ahead)
I devoured 8 episodes of Netflix's The Naked Director within a day, and had a splendid time! Beyond the smutty premise lies a somethings fun, sometimes tense and intriguing look-back at an aspect of "history" not necessarily well known nor documented - perhaps even acknowledged beyond its genre - least of all myself.
The 80s spirit is well felt, including disco group dances, irresistible (and sadly "recognisable/relatable" LOL) fashion and styles, bolstered by a predominantly western soundtrack (including Siouxsie and the Banshees!) in a story featuring mostly Eastern faces (except for the Hawaii-episode) = all of which was an experience not necessarily witness before, IMHO.
Most language is in Japanese, with English subtitles. The actors have equipped themselves well indeed, with the veterans exercising subtle restraint, while other showcase a caricatur-ish-presentation we often see in Japanese productions, I feel.
Main protagonist Takayuki Yamada as "Toru Muranishi" left me impressed and in agreement with the on-point casting (without knowing nor caring "who" the real "Toru" was :p), even as I do not understand the nuances of Japanese cinema, nor the language.
So too was the spark that was Misato Morita as "Megumi" (stage name "Kaoru Kuroki") = a delight and worthy of standing applause.
Being unfamiliar with the source nor the characters involved, I had consumed this series as-is, without judgement of the "facts" nor fictional story-telling involved.
For this particular post, I had searched and found video footage of both direct Toru Muranishi (村西とおる) & Kaoru Kuroki (黒木香) on YouTube, and marvel at Takayuki Yamada's excellent portrayal! Embedding below as there are no overt scenes show (censored out), with one of the scenes replicated in the Netflix episode.
The story is chronological, with a main thread support by a multiple of vignettes (this is a "semi-biographical" project after all), but never truly strays far, so I am good with it. Sometimes it is exactly thee vignettes that make it "interesting" for me, and even heartfelt, including the making of the Baseball-themed film, the subsequent straight-and-narrow path taken by the actress, and the eventual fall-out when the uncensored film is revealed to the world, where her life crashes down (but alas is not followed thru with).
"The Naked Director is a Japanese semi-biographical comedy-drama web television series, co-directed by Masaharu Take based on the non-fiction novel Zenra Kantoku Muranishi Toru Den by Nobuhiro Motohashi. The series premiered on Netflix on August 8, 2019. It stars Takayuki Yamada, Shinnosuke Mitsushima and Tetsuji Tamayama." (Wiki)
What I had personally enjoyed about this series, was it had been essentially a behind-the-scenes of "filmmaking", from writing a script, to directing, a semblance of sound recording and make-up, it had been a nice flashback for me into the craft which I had since left behind actively :p
Also be warned that this series is NSFW (*Not Safe For Work), with a fair share of topless nudity, and simulated love-making that might pit "Game of Thrones" to shame ...there was even a scene which actually made me tear up, I will not lie. It might be cheeky enough to titillate and intrigue, but not hardcore to be able to stream on Netflix (Rated "R21"), of course. Do not watch with kids though.
It is not necessarily about the “origin of p0rn”, but a somewhat self-indulgent recollection of the times and the evolution of the genre, within Japan itself and now globally.
I was expecting a commentary or origins of "pixellation", but what I saw was an era way before that!
Recommended for folks interested in this genre, and for folks nostalgic for the 80s, actually!
I am closing this quick review with a music video from Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Passenger" - heard throughout the series.
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