A New Love in Tokyo

Director: Banmei Takahashi

1994 / 115min / DCP

Billed in some territories as a sequel to the 1992 hit Pink Film Tokyo Decadence, Takahashi’s film is in many ways the tonal opposite of Ryū Murakami’s downbeat depiction of the travails of sex work: a charming, judgement-free workplace comedy that follows practiced dominatrix Rei (Sawa Suzuki), an aspiring actress, and young call girl Ayumi (Reiko Kataoka), as they negotiate the peccadilloes of their clients and then party their nights away without a care in the world. A perfect evocation of Japan approaching the “pop” of its money-mad Bubble Era, set against a backdrop of chic minimalist interiors and swathed in garish neon, and an altogether irresistible romp rejecting the prevailing stigma against sex workers.

2K Restoration Courtesy of G Company

A Kani Releasing release

Part of Tokyo 199X