How is everyone doing?
We figured this Black Friday weekend was a good a time as any to remind you of all we have going on (including Vinegar Syndrome’s annual sale, which offers plenty of discounts, including our 25 (!) first discs — that is, up to Kisapmata — at 50% off).
Some slipcover’ed editions are running low, and two discs are going out of print once they run out: Derek Yee’s and Lo Chi-Leung’s behind-the-scenes-of-Cat-III romp Viva Erotica (1996) and Akiko Ohku’s slyly subversive rom-com Tremble All You Want (2017).
We’re turning 4 years old this month and 2025 felt like a big swing in all kinds of directions we’ll keep exploring in 2026. We added a film to our growing Masashi Yamamoto collaboration; we kept at publishing unsung masterpieces of Filipino cinema (heartbroken to lose Mike De Leon in the process, and proud of Lav Diaz’s success with Magellan). We took a side quest into the world of truly independent Japanese documentary with filmmakers Nao Yoshigai and Taku Aoyagi; we signed our first deal with the great people at Nikkatsu to bring you a bit of sleaze; we released two films by one our favorite contemporary directors — Yoko Yamanaka —; and rounded things off with a cool neo-noir trilogy by Kaizo Hayashi, in collaboration with our friends at Third Window Films in the UK.
If you’re reading this, we wonder: what did you like? What did you dislike? And what else would you like to see us do? We’re always learning and happy to hear from you. There’s a comment section below this post on Substack and our info@ is always open.
We’re most active on Instagram, so don’t hesitate to reach us there as well.
On the big screen, things have been going strong this winter with our limited run of Akihiro Suzuki’s artful gay pink film Looking for an Angel (1999) and Isao Fujisawa’s re-discovered countercultural classic Bye Bye Love (1974). Plus, a special run of Mike De Leon’s Kisapmata (1981) and Batch ‘81 (1982) in his honour. As we look ahead to January 2026, we’re simultaneously preparing the not-so-secret launch of another major work of Filipino cinema — from 1988, freshly restored in 4K — and of one of the great films about Tokyo: a cult classic from the early 90s that blends eroticism and workplace comedy to great effect. As usual, listings for screenings can be found here.
You can read Joshua Minsoo Kim’s great interview with Akihiro Suzuki on his own Substack Tone Glow — in anticipation of our (packed) 2026 Blu-ray release of the film.
Now shipping: a double-bill of Yoshimitsu Morita’s early pink films for Nikkatsu, Pink Cut and Top Stripper. We wanted to show you something different, even amidst the wide range and home video renaissance the pinku genre — and this was the perfect excuse to begin working on Yoshimitsu Morita’s underseen catalogue. Before The Family Game redefined Japanese cinema in the 1980s, these two atypically sweet and sex-positive films stood out for their infectious pop sensibility and postmodern flair.
Shot on location at a small strip club, Top Stripper follows Yoichi (Kensuke Miyawaki), a bright-eyed delivery boy who misguidedly falls in love with the stripper next door, Gloria (Kaori Okamoto). The entire film beams with a spirit of community and a diffuse sadness that brings it closer in affect to the coming-of-age genre. Meanwhile, Pink Cut: Love Me Hard, Love Me Deep (what a title!) sees Morita working on a set for the first time, learning a lot, basking in the artificiality of it all with a superb concept for an erotic film — complete with musical numbers and beguiling pastel colours.
Both are pure candy-coloured concoctions emblematic of the 1980s — the kind of erotic cinema that will actually make you feel good. They also reveal Yoshimitsu Morita as a thoroughly versatile filmmaker that here takes his first steps towards the striking, playful and deconstructionist qualities that would define his entire oeuvre.
The slipcover edition sold out almost immediately (we’re very grateful for that!) but latecomers, fear not: the regular edition features the same art (albeit slightly cropped) as a reversible cover, from the inimitable Soesie (@instantdoodles). You can get it here.
Until next time. Take care of each other!
— Kani Releasing
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