Japan/1981
Directed By: Takashi Kanno
Written By: Chiho Katsura
Starring: Junko Mabuki, Hayano Kumiko, Yoshiko Sasaki
Color/64 Minutes/Not Rated
The Film
ZOOM UP: THE BEAVER BOOK GIRL starts out with more of the goods than many films even think about promising. During the opening credits a woman is assaulted and raped in an abandoned warehouse. Her attacker drops a lighter and a wad of cash as he escapes. We are introduced to a pair of young adults who work at a magazine specializing in schoolgirl porn shots and live with their Sensei who is the head photographer. The assistant to the photographer is in love with the young lady who stars in the magazines but she is more interested in getting it from whoever she can while working on getting some affection from their Sensei. While the trio is walking down the street one day a mysterious lady in a trench coat slips the lighter the rapist lost in the opening scene into the photographer's hand as she walks past. Shortly after she appears at one of his photo shoots and volunteers to be the subject of the pictures and works her way in to become a regular performer. All the while the trio is mysteriously receiving large wads of cash at random times. Eventually the mysterious woman's identity is revealed to be an old professional of the business and she suggests a location to shoot with the photographer and brings him to the abandoned warehouse that she was attacked in years prior to exact her revenge.
This film is a whole lot of sex, of many different varieties, wrapped around a minor mystery to give the movie a credible plot. Director Takashi Kanno delivers an extremely exploitative piece of film that is fairly entertaining in all of its fetish glory. There are more water sports here than the summer Olympics. If you can't stomach that then this will certainly make your stomach churn because it is all over the place. In this 4th installment of the Nikkatsu Roman Porno line we get what may be the most extreme in terms of sexual content and it makes for a super trashy 64 minute romp.
The Video
As has been the case with the previous three entries in the series, Impulse Pictures delivers a solid release. The anamorphic widescreen transfer from the films original 2.35:1 aspect ratio looks good with skin tones and various bodily fluids being reproduced in all their glory. The print is clean of dirt and scratches and is a pleasure to watch.
The Audio
The lone audio track is a 2.0 mono track in the film's native Japanese. Newly translated English subtitles are optional and are a breeze to read with the audio that is free of any annoying hiss, pops or crackling.
The Extras
A theatrical trailer is the lone extra on the disc but as has become customary with this series, Jasper Sharp contributes liner notes that by this point should have you knowing a great deal about the history of these films and the Pink Film genre as a whole.
The Bottom Line
Impulse Pictures and Synapse Films continue to roll out the Nikkatsu line in grand style with some truly quality discs of films that aren't well known in the US. It seems some retailers have banned these films from being carried in their store or on their site and that is their loss because any sexploitation film fan would do themselves a favor to at least check these discs out. From the endless nudity, to the various stories of violence and seduction to the way in which the Japanese Sensor Board proves they don't know what subtlety is (big black blocks and blurred spots) this is a line of films fully deserving of being showcased.
Tell the retailers that banned these films to fuck off and order ZOOM UP: THE BEAVER BOOK GIRL HERE
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