Tokyo Emanuelle Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Tokyo Emanuelle Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 23, 2025

Akira Kato's "Tokyo Emanuelle" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with critic Mio Hatokai; new program with critic Kei Chiba; new audio commentary by critics David Flint and Jasper Sharp' remastered vintage trailer; and more. In Japanese or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The girl from Paris

In the 1970s, capitalizing on the Emmanuelle craze was quite simply smart business. Emmanuelle was received very well at home and abroad, and then the second and third films easily repeated its success. This is why the various copycats emerged. They dropped one of the m’s to avoid legal troubles -- Emmanuelle became Emanuelle -- and their producers started cashing in. Although Laura Gemser was frequently booked for different copycats, the new Emanuelle did not have to be played by the same actress. All this new character had to do was copy the style of Sylvia Kristel’s character, which was pretty easy because the main element in it was a willingness to walk naked in front of the camera and make love to strangers.

Unsurprisingly, the Italians produced the best copycats because they frequently mixed the erotica with other exotic genre material. They sent Emanuelle to the jungle, to the desert, and even booked her a date with a whole bunch of blood-thirsty cannibals. Last year, the original Emmanuelle (the girl with the two m’s) reemerged again in a zesty semi-remake, too.

While an obscure and pretty average film, Akira Kato’s Tokyo Emanuelle is not a random film. It mimics the original Emmanuelle film, but it mimics even harder the Italian copycats, which is what makes it worth seeing. How and why does it do it? By pretending to be a European film trapped in the body of a Japanese film, whose main attraction is a deconstruction of the original character’s philosophy of life. (The erotic material is pretty lame). In other words, Tokyo Emanuelle is an impostor but an educator, too.

To maximize marketability, the producers of Tokyo Emanuelle also commissioned an English dub track, which is predictably awkward. If seen with it, Tokyo Emanuelle becomes less of an educator and more of a conventional impostor/copycat, and this transformation makes it instantly forgettable. The Japanese track, while also imperfect, has a very different tone and energy that are carefully used to emphasize supposedly key elements of the original character’s philosophy of life.

Now, here’s the biggest curveball -- the main character is named Kyoko (Kumi Taguchi) and no one ever addresses her as Emanuelle. She lives in Paris with her French husband but returns to Tokyo after he disappears without a trace. While contemplating their relationship, Kyoko has several sexual adventures that are used to summarize her philosophy of life, which is a slightly modified replica of the original character’s philosophy of life.

If compared to the other better-known Italian copycats, Tokyo Emanuelle is impossible to praise. However, it is a unique artifact, and if seen with the Japanese track, its desire to appear authoritative while pretending to get what made European erotic films from the 1970s popular becomes quite entertaining.

Tokyo Emanuelle Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.45:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tokyo Emanuelle arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

The visuals have a stable organic appearance. However, they also have a slightly dated appearance. For example, a lot of darker footage becomes a bit noisy, while most of the outdoor footage looks a bit flat. Color balance is good, but this is another area where various meaningful improvements, especially in terms of saturation, can be made. Image stability is very good. I did not see any distracting cuts and debris, but a few tiny blemishes pop up here and there. All in all, while unimpressive, the current presentation of Tokyo Emanuelle has decent organic qualities. (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 Emanuelle 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. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

While both tracks are original, the Japanese track is without a shadow of a doubt the superior option. It is because its tone and energy align with the film's desire to educate about Emanuelle's -- as well as the famous original character that Sylvia Kristel played -- philosophy of life. The English dub track instantly transforms the film into a mediocre copycat. Both tracks have pretty average ranges of nuanced dynamics, but this is hardly surprising. The English translation is excellent.

Tokyo Emanuelle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction One - presented here is an exclusive new introduction to Tokyo Emanuelle by film critic Mio Hatokai. In Japanese, with English subtitles. (8 min).

• Introduction Two - presented here is an exclusive new introduction to Roman Porno by critic Kei Chiba. In Japanese, with English subtitles. (19 min).

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

• Stills Gallery - a collection of archival stills. Presented with music. (2 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for Tokyo Emanuelle. In Japanese, with English subtitles. (3 min).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring new essays by critics Jasper Sharp and Dakota Noot, as well as techncial credits.

Tokyo Emanuelle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tokyo Emanuelle is impossible to place next to Apartment Wife: Affair in the Afternoon and Sex Rider: Wet Highway. However, it is a unique artifact, and if seen with its original Japanese track, its desire to appear authoritative while pretending to get what made European erotic films from the 1970s popular becomes quite entertaining. If you wish to explore 88 Films' Roman Porno collection -- and no, this collection does not have conventional pornographic films -- it is best to start with the two films highlighted above, and then consider Tokyo Emanuelle. Please keep in mind that these releases are Region-B "locked".