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(aka "Tokyo Emmanuelle fujin" or "Tokyo Emanuelle" or "Emmanuelle in Tokyo" or "Love in Tokyo" or "Wild Emmanuelle")

 

Directed by Akira Katô
Japan 1975

 

Kyoko, played by the stunning Kumi Taguchi (Wolf Guy, Deep Throat in Tokyo), heads back home from Paris to Tokyo following a spat with her French lover Pierre in this sensual Japanese riposte to the French erotic classic. After meeting with her old friend Eiko, she is introduced to Maki, a scholar and libertine whose philosophy in the boudoir guides the young woman on her odyssey of sexual reawakening. Tokyo Emmanuelle was the only film produced by Nikkatsu as part of its Roman Porno range to receive theatrical distribution in the UK back in the 1970s in a re-edited version called Emmanuelle in Tokyo. 88 Films is proud to present the film in its high-definition original cut for the very first time outside of Japan, along with an optional audio track containing the original English dub.

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Tokyo Emmanuelle (1975), directed by Akira Katô, is a Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman Porno series, inspired by the French Emmanuelle (1974). The plot follows Kyoko, a young Japanese woman who returns to Japan after her husband abandons her in France. With her sexual appetite heightened, she engages in a series of erotic encounters with various partners, including old friends and an entire soccer team. The film, starring Kumi Taguchi, unfolds as a loosely connected sequence of softcore scenes, blending exotic allure for both Japanese and Western audiences, and was a notable success for Nikkatsu, gaining wide circulation, including releases in Germany and the UK.

Posters

Theatrical Release: July 1st, 1975

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  Review: 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

Bonus Captures:

Distribution 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:10:34.229
Video

2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 31,197,761,748 bytes

Feature: 21,739,376,640 bytes

Video Bitrate: 34.10 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

LPCM Audio Japanese 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
DUB:

LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 448 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps / DN -31dB

Subtitles English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio:
88 Films

 

2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 31,197,761,748 bytes

Feature: 21,739,376,640 bytes

Video Bitrate: 34.10 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• Audio Commentary by David Flint and Jasper Sharp
• Brand New Filmed Introduction to Roman Porno by Kei Chiba (18:18)
• Brand New Filmed Introduction to Tokyo Emmanuelle by Mio Hatokai (7:24)
• Stills Gallery (0:51)
• Trailer (2:37)
Exotic Flesh: Booklet Essay by Dakota Noot
From Paris to Tokyo to Soho Square: Booklet Essay by Jasper Sharp


Blu-ray Release Date: July 7th, 2025

Transparent Blu-ray Case inside slipcase

Chapters 10

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: 88 Films Blu-ray (July 2025): 88 Films have transferred Akira Katô's Tokyo Emanuelle to Blu-ray. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. The 1080P showcases the film’s warm palette of reds, passive greens, and authentic flesh tones rendered with clarity, enhancing the sensual, painterly aesthetic intended by director Akira Katô. Textures are evident in costumes and set decor, though some minor marks and surface scratches remain. The HD presentation respects the film’s soft-focus cinematography, maintaining its dreamy, erotic ambiance while avoiding digitization. The few monochrome scenes are rendered with equal competence. For a 1970s Roman Porno film, the visual quality is pleasing, making this the definitive presentation outside Japan, though purists may note the inherent limitations of the original low-budget production.

NOTE: We have added 50 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, 88 Films offers two linear PCM dual-mono tracks (24-bit) in in Japanese with newly translated English subtitles, alongside an optional English DUB from the 1970s UK release (Emmanuelle in Tokyo) - that is a curiosity that falls short. The Japanese track is clean and functional, capturing the film’s sparse dialogue, ambient sound effects (e.g., breathing and rustling fabrics), and jazzy soundtrack with adequate fidelity for a mono mix. No significant distortion or background noise is evident, though the track lacks dynamic range due to the era’s recording limitations. The English DUB, while nostalgic, has poor synchronization and sounds awkward at times, detracting from the film’s perceived mood. 88 Films offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.  

The 88 Films Blu-ray release has insightful extras that contextualize Tokyo Emanuelle within the Roman Porno genre and its cultural impact. The audio commentary by David Flint (author of Sheer Filth!: Bizarre Cinema, Weird Literature, Strange Music, Extreme Art) and Jasper Sharp (Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema, The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film) is a highlight, offering detailed analysis of the film’s production, Nikkatsu’s strategies, and its international reach, enriched by Sharp’s expertise in Japanese cinema. Kei Chiba’s 18-minute introduction to Roman Porno provides a scholarly overview of the genre’s history and aesthetics, while Mio Hatokai’s 7-minute interview discusses its themes and Kumi Taguchi’s star power, though it’s less comprehensive. The stills gallery is brief but evocative, showcasing promotional images, and the trailer captures the film’s exotic allure. The included booklet features two essays: Dakota Noot’s “Exotic Flesh” explores the film’s cross-cultural appeal, and Jasper Sharp’s “From Paris to Tokyo to Soho Square” traces its distribution history.

Akira Katô's Tokyo Emanuelle (often spelled "Tokyo Emmanuelle") has a minimal plot and serves as a loose framework for a series of erotic vignettes, a hallmark of Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno films, which were designed to deliver softcore erotica within strict budgetary and time constraints (typically 70–80 minutes). At its core, Tokyo Emmanuelle engages with themes of sexual liberation and exoticism, heavily influenced by its 1974 French namesake, Emmanuelle. The film capitalizes on the global popularity of the French erotic classic, adapting its themes of hedonistic freedom to a Japanese context. Kyoko’s return from France positions her as a figure of Westernized sensuality, embodying a fusion of Eastern and Western sexual ideals. This hybrid identity, further emphasized by Taguchi’s half-Japanese, half-American background, serves as a marketing hook, appealing to Japanese audiences’ fascination with foreign exoticism and Western audiences’ curiosity about Japanese erotica. The Roman Porno series, characterized by low-budget, softcore films with at least one sex scene every 10 minutes, was a commercial lifeline for the studio, running from 1971 to 1988. Tokyo Emmanuelle emerged as one of Nikkatsu’s most successful exports, released in markets like Germany (Wilde Emmanuelle im Paradies der Lust), the UK (Emmanuelle in Tokyo), Hong Kong (via Shaw Brothers), Canada, Italy, and Portugal. Katô’s direction, while visually competent, does not match the subversive or experimental flair of other Roman Porno directors like Noboru Tanaka (The Oldest Profession, Night of the Felines, Watcher in the Attic) or Tatsumi Kumashiro (Woods Are Wet.) This 88 Films Blu-ray release is desirable for collectors of Japanese cinema, pinku eiga enthusiasts, and those intrigued by the global legacy of Nikkatsu’s erotic output, marking the first time the original cut is presented in such quality outside Japan. Those more focused on the nudity aspects should alternatively consider Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight.

Gary Tooze

 


Menus / Extras

 


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Box Cover

Bonus Captures:

Distribution 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray


 


 

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