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

ADDITION: 88 Films (UK) Blu-ray (October 2025): 88 Films (UK) have transferred Toru Murakawa's Playful White Fingers to Blu-ray. The 1080P image quality is impressive, showcasing rich hues and fine detail in the urban Tokyo settings with only minor softness in some location-shot sequences due to the era's anamorphic lenses - far less pronounced than in contemporary Roman Porno films. Murakawa's visual prowess, honed under mentors like Kumashiro, shines through in Playful White Fingers, with cinematographer Shinsaku Himeda (Proof of the Man, Tokyo Emanuelle, Pigs and Battleships, The Pornographers, The Insect Woman,) delivering a groovy, color-soaked aesthetic that captures the vibrancy and grit of 1970s Tokyo. The film showcases a distinctive visual aesthetic that blends the gritty realism of 1970s urban Japan with vibrant, expressionistic flourishes, creating a countercultural youth vibe that feels both immersive and stylized. 

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On their Blu-ray, 88 Films (UK) use a linear PCM dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original Japanese language. This immersive soundscape, including subtle breaths and muted music in sex scenes, enhances the film's restrained sensuality and noirish tension, making the audio a vital component of its countercultural charm. The audio design offers pleasing clarity that captures ambient urban sounds - crowded streets, train rattles, sirens, and whistles - interwoven with non-synchronized character cries and thoughts, creating a sonic tapestry where the city itself becomes an extension of Yuki's psyche. Norihito Ozawa (White Female Cat: Ecstasy at High Noon, Orgasms: Bath House Secret Techniques, The Bride Was Wet,) a composer active in the early 1970s Japanese film industry, particularly within Nikkatsu's Roman Porno genre, crafted the original score for Toru Murakawa's 1972 debut film Playful White Fingers blending elements that enhance the movie's countercultural youth atmosphere and episodic narrative. Overall, the audio is well-balanced and free of distractions, enhancing the countercultural vibe without any modern remixing, making it a solid representation of the 1972 production's sonic landscape. 88 Films (UK) offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The 88 Films (UK) Blu-ray disc features an engaging audio commentary by film historians Amber T. and Jasper Sharp (Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema, The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film,) who delve into director Tôru Murakawa's reluctance toward the Roman Porno genre, influences from Robert Bresson's Pickpocket, and connections to his later action works like the "Game Trilogy."  There is also an exclusive 40 minute interview with Murakawa, in his 80s, titled "Desire Within," where he recounts his career ascent from assistant director at Nikkatsu, his inspirations, and the production challenges of his debut, including casting and script adjustments. Additional highlights include a dozen minute filmed introduction by historian Kei Chiba ("Touchy Feely"), exploring the screenplay's evolution and anti-establishment themes, a stills gallery, a theatrical trailer, and a booklet essay by Dimitri Ianni titled "Scrap Cars and the Death of Affect," providing contextual analysis.

Toru Murakawa's Playful White Fingers emerges as a pivotal entry in Nikkatsu's Roman Porno line, a series of softcore erotic films produced by the studio in the early 1970s to combat financial decline amid competition from television and international cinema. Murakawa (The Beast to Die,) who co-wrote the screenplay with acclaimed director Tatsumi Kumashiro (Woods are Wet,) infuses the film with a countercultural youth vibe, drawing on themes of urban alienation, temptation, and self-discovery. It reflects the era's social upheavals in Japan, including post-war economic boom disillusionment and the rise of youth subcultures, while marking Murakawa's transition from assistant director to a cult figure known for stylish, genre-blending works like later action-noirs. The film centers on Yuki (Hiroko Isayama - Woods are Wet,) a wide-eyed young woman from the countryside who arrives in Tokyo seeking excitement, only to become entangled in a world of petty crime after falling for Taku (Ichiro Araki - Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs), a charismatic pickpocket. Murakawa employs a pop-art flair, with rapid cuts and vibrant urban visuals, to propel the story forward, creating a sense of kinetic energy that underscores Yuki's transformation from innocence to complicity. At its core, Playful White Fingers is a sensitive drama about the allure of a "more thrilling life," where crime and sensuality intertwine as metaphors for personal liberation and loss. Overall, 88 Films' Blu-ray release of Playful White Fingers stands out as a classy and thoughtful presentation of Tôru Murakawa's debut, blending high-quality video and audio restoration with insightful extras that highlight its unique position as a bridge between Nikkatsu's New Wave roots and the director's future action-oriented career, making it an essential pickup for fans of 1970s Japanese cinema despite its Roman Porno (Apartment Wife: Affair in the Afternoon, Assault! Jack the Ripper, Tokyo Emmanuelle, The Oldest Profession, Night of the Felines, Woods are Wet, Watcher in the Attic, Sex Rider: Wet Highway, Fairy in a Cage) origins.

Gary Tooze