''aka'' ''and'' is a 2009

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese science-fiction fantasy ''

pink film in its broadest sense includes almost any Japanese theatrical film that includes nudity (hence 'pink') or deals with sexual content. This encompasses everything from dramas to action thrillers and exploitation film features. The Western equiv ...

'' directed by

Naoyuki Tomomatsu is a Japanese film director and screenwriter who has worked in the pink film and horror genres. Life and career Tomomatsu was born in Osaka, Japan in 1967. He was interested in manga and film from high school and started working as an office as ...

. Among the awards it won at the

Pink Grand Prix The or is an annual Japanese film award ceremony which recognizes excellence in the pink film genre. Referred to by Miho Toda as the "Academy Awards of the Pink Film", the ceremony attracts a diverse audience of industry personnel, film schola ...

ceremony was the Silver Prize for Best Film.

Synopsis

In the near future, Ueno is a man who has been raised with his parents' cyborg maid Maria. His parents pass away while he is a teenager, leaving Maria to care for Ueno. As an adult, Ueno's attachment to Maria leads him to attempt to program her for sex. This attempted consummation of their relationship fails, and when Ueno is an old man, Maria's power supply comes to an end, leaving Ueno alone. Meanwhile, a series of rapes occur in the city and Detective Yuri Akagi suspects a droid is responsible.

Cast

Akiho Yoshizawa , often known simply as Acky (あっきー), is a Japanese former adult video (AV) actress, who also appeared in pink film and mainstream (non-erotic) film, as well as television. With a career spanning over more than 15 years and over 1,000 adu ...

as Maria * Anri Suzuki () as Yuri * Yōko Satomi as Woman A * Mari Yamaguchi () as Fiancee * Masayoshi Nogami () as Old Man * Hiroyuki Kaneko () as Rape Machine * 如春 as Ueno * Hiroshi Fujita () as Otaku critic * Abō () as Detective * Kōji Senō (妹尾公資) as Detective

Critical appraisal

''Maid-Droid'' won several honors at the annual

. Besides winning the second place in the Best Film category,

was awarded Best Director for his work on this film. Prizes for Best Actor (Masayoshi Nogami) and Best Screenplay (Chisato Ōgawara) were also given for ''Maid-Droid''. The German-language site molodezhnaja, however, gives ''Maid-Droid'' a less-than-positive review, awarding it two out of five stars. While admitting that it can be enjoyed for its trashiness, and some good sex scenes, the review complains about the perceived misogynistic message behind the film. A scene in which young robots are praised while women over 30 are labeled "ugly" and physically abused for this reason is singled out as a particularly offensive jab at feminism. The review concludes that despite a few interesting ideas, the film as a whole is a clumsy misfire on the part of director Tomomatsu.

Availability

''Maid-Droid'' was released under the title as an original video in Japan in 2008. The ''pink film'' studio, Xces gave the film a theatrical release in Japan on January 30, 2009 under the title . It was released on DVD in Japan on March 6, 2009 under the title .

Cinema Epoch Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking * ...

released ''Maid-Droid'' on DVD in the US through its Tokyo Erotique series on December 22, 2009.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{Naoyuki Tomomatsu 2009 films Erotic fantasy films Films directed by Naoyuki Tomomatsu 2000s Japanese-language films Pink films Android (robot) films 2000s Japanese films