Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Tokyo Decadence Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 3, 2024

Ryu Murakami's "Tokyo Decadence" (1992) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critics Jasper Sharp and Tom Mes; vintage featurette; and original trailer. In Japanese or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Independent video store owners and their employees did not know how to promote Tokyo Decadence to their customers. When it was released on VHS, Tokyo Decadence had the dreaded NC-17 rating and all independent video stores I loved to visit had it in that special corner where all the strange films were, like El Topo, La Grande Bouffe, and The Night Porter. A few other video stores, where I was not a regular customer, even had it in the back room, with their softcore and hardcore titles. When Blockbuster ruled the rental market, I frequently saw it in the section where all the foreign films were, though I am unsure if what was offered was still the NC-17 version. At the time, many Blockbuster stores refused to stock NC-17 films.

I think that what caused the mass confusion was the risqué cover of the VHS release, which reproduces an original poster art for Tokyo Decadence. Too many people concluded that the cover was selling a fetish film, and since Tokyo Decadence was rated NC-17, they assumed that the correct destination for it was the special corner I mentioned above. Or the back room. Hardly anything changed during the best days of the DVD era. Tokyo Decadence remained a strange film that continued to coexist with various completely unrelated niche films that independent video stores purchased and put on their shelves.

The first twenty or so minutes of Tokyo Decadence can appear in a fetish film, but it would be a disappointing fetish film because the material is used to structure the narrative as a mosaic of illuminating experiences. Most of these experiences can be described as explicit, but a conventional fetish film, like a conventional hardcore film, would focus and stay focused on the thrills they produce. Tokyo Decadence is focused on something else, which is the struggle of a very young girl named Ai (Miho Nikaido), who makes ends meet as a call girl, to perform as she is expected. The gigs are so humiliating and exhausting that when they are over, Ai looks like a miserable marathon runner who has miraculously reached the finish line.

While recovering and waiting to be booked again, Ai reveals that she has been abandoned by her lover, who appears to have started a new chapter in his life with a different girl. After participating in a threesome with an experienced mistress, she is given an upper that can enhance her performance, but instead of using it during a demanding gig, she swallows it to gather the courage to go out looking for her lover. Soon after, in a wealthy suburb, Ai evolves into a harmless zombie.

To describe Tokyo Decadence as an arousing erotic/fetish film is like declaring that La Grande Bouffe is a delicious food documentary. There is so much explicit human humiliation in these films that large parts of them are incredibly difficult to endure.

Tokyo Decadence is an unbearably sad film, too. After Ai’s dramatic transformation, it is clear that her self-destruction is inevitable -- either with a drug overdose or while she works herself to death. In Ai’s line of work, the latter possibility would not take years to materialize either, which is precisely why there is so much explicit material in which she is powerless.

The Japanese capital is revealed as a cynical chameleon in much the same way the German capital is in Christiane F.. During the day, the two are prosperous cities that millions of people are proud to call home, but at night, completely different people emerge and reset their personalities. Now, they are urban jungles, enthusiastically benefitting from the naivety, weakness, and desperation of those who become lost in them.

Rui Murakami has directed six films while his writings have been used in twice as many, and his most thought-provoking work remains in Tokyo Decadence. Takashi Miike’s famous cult thriller Audition is based on one of Murakami’s best-selling novels.

Tokyo Decadence Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tokyo Decadence arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

Despite a few minor fluctuations during darker areas, the entire film has a very pleasing organic appearance. I would say that delineation, clarity, and depth are always very good, so even on a very large screen, the visuals hold up nicely. The fluctuations affect the dynamic range of the visuals, but what I saw has me convinced that virtually all of them are inherited. For dramatically better results, the entire film would need to be redone from superior elements. Color balance is very good. In the darker areas I mentioned, some darker nuances could be better exposed, but I did not see any troubling anomalies to report in our review. There are no traces of compromising digital corrections, like sharpening, contrast boosting, etc. Image stability is good. However, during a couple of transitions I spotted minor bumps. All in all, while there is some room for random cosmetic improvements, this release offers a very solid organic presentation of the film. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Tokyo Decadence Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Japanese LPCM 2.0 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the original lossless Japanese audio track. Clarity and sharpness are good. However, dynamic contrasts throughout the film are quite unremarkable. This is not a flaw of the lossless track, it is how the original soundtrack was finalized. Also, silence is prominent during several key sequences. The English translation is very good.

Tokyo Decadence Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Jasper Sharp and Tom Mes.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for Tokyo Decadence. In Japanese, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Featurette - presented here is vintage promotional featurette for Tokyo Decadence. In Japanese, with English subtitles. (8 min).

• Cover - reversible cover with original poster art for Tokyo Decadence.

• Booklet - 20-page illustrated booklet featuring Hayley Scanlon's essay "The Other Murakami" and technical credits.

Tokyo Decadence Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Very few people successfully walk away from the business that is depicted in Tokyo Decadence. There is a lot of dark money there and reputations that have to be protected, but the real reason it is so destructive is its nature. It irreversibly corrupts and then destroys the human spirit. Ai's self-destruction is not shown, but it does not have to be because it is inevitable. This recent release from 88 Films offers a solid organic presentation of Tokyo Decadence, so if the film's subject appeals to you, consider picking it up for your library. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.