An
enormous, sincere thank you to our phenomenal
Patreon
supporters! Your unshakable dedication is the bedrock that keeps DVDBeaver
going - we’d be lost without you. Did you know? Our patrons include a
director, writer, editor, and producer with honors like Academy Awards for
Best Picture and Best Director, a Pulitzer Prize-winning screenwriter, and a
Golden Globe-winning filmmaker, to name a few! Sadly, DVDBeaver has reached a breaking point where our existence hangs in the balance. We’re now reaching out to YOU with a plea for help. Please consider pitching in just a few dollars a month - think of it as the price of a coffee or some spare change - to keep us bringing you in-depth reviews, current calendar updates, and detailed comparisons. I’m am indebted to your generosity! |
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "Sex rider: Nureta highway" or "Sekkusu raidâ: Nureta haiuei" or "Sex Rider: Wet Highway")
Directed by Koretsugu Kurahara
Japan 1971
Fasten your seatbelts for Koretsugu Kurahara’s beautifully shot early entry in Nikkatsu’s brand new Roman Porno line of classy erotic movies, as the studio’s delectable top starlet Mari Tanaka (Love Hunter) takes the wheel in a freewheeling navigation of the Eros and Thanatos sex and death drives. *** Sex Rider: Wet Highway (1971), directed by Koretsugu Kurahara, is an early Nikkatsu Roman Porno film that blends erotic drama with a surreal road movie narrative. The story follows Mina (Mari Tanaka), a bride-to-be who, on the eve of her wedding, spends a night with her ex-lover Ozaki at a Yokohama motel. On her drive home, she accidentally hits Ryo (Ken Yoshizawa), a hippie-like drifter, and, believing him dead, attempts to dispose of his body in a lake, only for the plot to spiral into a dreamlike exploration of desire, guilt, and unexpected twists. Praised for its striking cinematography and moody jazz score, the film captures a sense of existential despair within its 68-minute runtime, though its tame sexual content and bizarre character decisions reflect the genre’s early experimentation. |
Posters
![]() |
![]() |
Theatrical Release: December 28th, 1971
Review: 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from: BONUS CAPTURES: |
Distribution | 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray | |
Runtime | 1:07:31.380 | |
Video |
2.35 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray
Disc Size: 24,502,353,661 bytes |
|
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 |
|
Subtitles | English, None | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: 88 Films
2.35 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray
Disc Size: 24,502,353,661 bytes
Edition Details: • Audio Commentary by Earl Jackson and Jasper Sharp • Brand New Filmed Introduction by Ken Terawaki (10:46) • Stills Gallery (1:05) • Trailer (1:30) Sex at Speed: Booklet Essay by Caitlin Casiello Newly Commissioned Artwork by Silver Ferox
Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 10 |
Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
NOTE: We have added 54 more large
resolution
Blu-ray
captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons
HERE
On their
Blu-ray,
88 Films use a linear PCM dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original
Japanese language. The score of Sex Rider: Wet Highway, by Tsutomu
Sanada (Secret
Wife,) sets a melancholic, nocturnal mood, with saxophone or
piano riffs underscoring Mina’s emotional turmoil. Ambient sounds - car
engines, water lapping at the lake, or distant urban noise - enhance the
film’s immersive quality, while strategic silences heighten tension. The
sparse dialogue in the lossless transfer is audible and clean. 88 Films
offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'B'-locked
Blu-ray.
The 88 Films
Blu-ray
release includes a modest but insightful set of extras. The audio
commentary by Asian cinema scholar Earl Jackson (Spectacle
and Scrutiny: The Analytic Image in Japanese Cinema) and Jasper
Sharp (Behind the
Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema,
The Midnight Eye Guide
to New Japanese Film) is a standout, blending academic analysis
with enthusiasm as they discuss the film’s place in Roman Porno,
Kurahara’s directorial choices, and its cultural context, making it
interesting for fans of the genre and 70's studio output. Ken Terawaki’s
10 minute introduction provides a concise overview of the film’s
production and its road-movie influences. The stills gallery is brief,
featuring promotional images while the trailer captures the film’s
sexploitive allure. The booklet essay, “Sex at Speed” by Caitlin
Casiello (focus on shifting views of sexuality in Japanese film from the
1950s to the 1990s, with a focus on B-films, sexploitation, and
softcore,) offers a thoughtful exploration of the film’s themes and
visual style, complementing the disc’s extras. Newly commissioned
artwork by Silver Ferox adds a stylish touch to the package, appealing
to collectors.
Koretsugu Kurahara's Sex Rider: Wet
Highway offers a unique blend of erotic drama, surreal road movie
aesthetics, and experimental energy. Mina’s (Mari Tanaka) actions - her
illicit affair, the hit-and-run, and her subsequent choices - reflect a
woman grappling with societal expectations (marriage) and her own
repressed desires. The film presents her as both victim and agent,
caught in a cycle of guilt and liberation. The film’s depiction of
sexuality is relatively tame compared to later pinku eiga, but its focus
on psychological rather than physical eroticism sets it apart from the
genre’s more exploitative entries. Additionally, the motif of the “wet
highway” evokes a sense of fluidity and danger, tying into the film’s
surreal tone and its portrayal of characters adrift in a morally gray
world. Ryo’s (Ken Yoshizawa) hippie-like persona, with his scruffy
appearance and nonconformist attitude, channels the 1960s
counterculture, while Mina’s urban, middle-class background anchors her
in Japan’s postwar modernity. Their collision - literal and figurative -
suggests a clash between tradition and rebellion, though the film does
not fully develop this theme, prioritizing atmosphere over explicit
commentary. The lake sequence, where Mina attempts to dispose of Ryo’s
body, is particularly cinematic, using reflections and muted colors to
evoke isolation and dread. Beyond its intriguing road-movie oddity value
as an early Roman Porno film, the 88 Films
Blu-ray
of Sex Rider: Wet Highway provides a solid presentation and
valued supplements - particularly the Jackson-Sharp commentary and
Casiello’s essay.
|
Menus / Extras
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from: BONUS CAPTURES: |
Distribution | 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |