Invisible Man: Rape! (透明人間 犯せ!, Tomei ningen: okase!) aka Lusty Transparent Man is a 1978 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Isao Hayashi and starring Izumi Shima.

Invisible Man: Rape!
Theatrical poster for Invisible Man: Rape! (1978)
Directed byIsao Hayashi[1]
Written by
  • Kenshō Nakano (original story)
  • Kochiho Katsura (screenplay)
Produced byAkihiko Yamaki
StarringIzumi Shima
CinematographyKuratarō Takamura
Music byShin Takada
Distributed byNikkatsu
Release date
  • December 23, 1978 (1978-12-23)
Running time
65 min.
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Synopsis

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Ippei, a college student, finds a formula that can render him invisible. He uses it to spy on women's bathhouses, and have sex with female students. A professor becomes aware of his activities and punishes him.[2][3]

Cast

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  • Teru Satō: Ippei[4]
  • Izumi Shima: Momoko (Ippei's wife)
  • Rhandie Anugerah Gabriel (Mr.Guskaida Invisible Man)
  • Maria Mari: Machiko (Momoko's sister)
  • Erina Miyai: Akira
  • Shin Takada
  • Yūko Asuka
  • Nami Aoki
  • Jun Aki
  • Tatsuya Hamaguchi
  • Toshihiko Oda
  • Ichirō Kijima
  • Genki Koyama

Critical appraisal

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In their Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films, the Weissers give Invisible Man: Rape! a rating of two points out of four. Judging Isai Hayashi to be an "apathetic" and "by-the-numbers" director, they note that this film is one of his best. Besides the interesting theme, they write that the film is helped by a good-looking and competent cast.[3]

Allmovie writes that Invisible Man: Rape! more closely resembles later U.S. teen wish-fulfillment fantasies like Zapped! (1982) and Invisible Maniac (1990) than contemporary rape-themed Roman porno films.[2]

Background

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Director Isao Hayashi worked with Nikkatsu from the beginning of the Roman porno era, directing Castle Orgies, one of the first two releases of the series.[5] The Weissers note that it may be Hayashi's work with historical dramas that gives his directorial style a pedantic feel.[3] Along with Lady Kamakura: Cherry Boy Club (1975) Invisible Man: Rape! was one of Hayashi's most successful films.[6]

The lead actress in Invisible Man: Rape!, Izumi Shima, had been promoted as "Nikkatsu's most beautiful actress", and was debuted in Lady Chatterley In Tokyo (1977), a project tailored for her.[7] When that film failed to gain much approval, Shima was given a string of lower-profile projects. Her career was revived in 1982 when SM-author Oniroku Dan chose her to star in his first film production, Dark Hair, Velvet Soul. After that, Shima made a name for herself in the S&M genre, especially with films based on works by Dan, and became regarded as one of Nikkatsu's leading actresses of the 1980s.[8]

Availability

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Invisible Man: Rape! was released theatrically in Japan on December 23, 1978.[1] It was released on home video in Japan in VHS format on June 7, 1996.[9]

Bibliography

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English

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  • Tomei Ningen: Okase! at AllMovie
  • "TOMEI NINGEN: OKASE!". Complete Index to World Film. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
  • Tômei-ningen: okase! (1978) at IMDb
  • Sharp, Jasper (2008). Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema. Guildford: FAB Press. ISBN 978-1-903254-54-7.
  • Weisser, Thomas; Yuko Mihara Weisser (1998). Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films. Miami: Vital Books : Asian Cult Cinema Publications. ISBN 1-889288-52-7.

Japanese

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b "透明人間 犯せ!". Japanese Cinema Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Archived from the original on 2011-01-31. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
  2. ^ a b Firsching, Robert. "TOMEI NINGEN: OKASE!". Allmovie. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
  3. ^ a b c Weisser, Thomas; Yuko Mihara Weisser (1998). Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films. Miami: Vital Books : Asian Cult Cinema Publications. p. 213. ISBN 1-889288-52-7.
  4. ^ 透明人間 犯せ!(1978) (in Japanese). allcinema.net. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
  5. ^ Sharp, Jasper (2008). Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema. Guildford: FAB Press. p. 123. ISBN 978-1-903254-54-7.
  6. ^ Weisser, p. 304.
  7. ^ Weisser, pp. 223-224
  8. ^ Weisser, p. 339.
  9. ^ "透明人間 犯せ! (VHS)" (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved 2009-09-11.