Ryuichi Hiroki has become a victim of his own success, though his studio employers probably don¡¯t see it that way. This one-time maker of so-called pink films (i.e., soft pornography), who became internationally celebrated for intimate indie dramas like ¡°Vibrator¡± from 2003 and ¡°Yawarakai Seikatsu (It¡¯s Only Talk)¡± from 2005, has morphed into the local industry¡¯s go-to guy for weepy romantic dramas ¡ª a genre that has been a big money-maker here for decades.
Hiroki brought his own style and sensibility to such films as ¡°Yomei Ikkagetsu no Hanayome (April Bride)¡± and ¡°Raiou (The Lightning Tree).¡± But although he drew career-peak performances from his female stars in these films, he couldn¡¯t do much about the formula tropes or commercial imperatives of his stories. He never directed a truly bad film, but compared to his earlier, bolder indie work, he wasn¡¯t making what those who celebrated that work ¡ª myself included ¡ª really wanted to watch.
When his latest, ¡°Sayonara Kabukicho (Kabukicho Love Hotel),¡± was announced, I hoped it would mark a return to Hiroki¡¯s indie form. That hope has been abundantly realized.
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