Rope Cosmetology (1978) Dan Oniroku: Nawa-geshô | Region-Free (DVD) | Directed by Shôgorô Nishimura

Cinema Dream Network Custom Region-Free DVD

Presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

Title: Rope Cosmetology (1978)

Alternate Title: Dan Oniroku nawa geshō

Genre: Drama, Horror

Plot Synopsis:
Kanako, a married woman, receives an invitation from Tomoe, a former lesbian lover, to attend an art exhibition by Tomoe’s husband, Isaku. The artwork’s S&M themes surprise Kanako. Tomoe persuades Kanako to join a class where she learns to behave like a proper female dog. Suspicious of her activities, Kanako’s husband, Eiichirō, hires a private detective. Upon discovering her new hobbies, he throws her into a landfill. The film concludes with Eiichirō walking Kanako on a leash, revealing his acceptance of her transformation.

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Shōgorō Nishimura
• Writer: Akio Ido (screenplay), Oniroku Dan (original story)
• Cast:
  • Naomi Tani as Kanako Ishino
  • Aoi Nakajima as Tomoe Takita
  • Katsu Yamada as Eiichirō Ishino
  • Akira Takahashi as Isaku Takita
  • Tayori Hinatsu as Takita’s assistant

IMDb Link:
Rope Cosmetology (1978)

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. Robert – ★★★★☆
   “Rope Cosmetology (1978) makes a sharp departure from the typical Roman P0rn0 films starring Naomi Tani. It’s a film that instantly captivates and becomes hard to forget. Naomi Tani abandons the usual archetype of the traditional Japanese lady of standing in favor of depicting Kanako—a modern, everyday housewife grown bored of her uneventful and sexless marriage. Framed in lingering and dialogue-less shots, Kanako is clearly aroused as she witnesses a new side of an old friend. Instead of fighting the arousal, Kanako dives fully into not just submissive rope-play but also puppy-play herself.”
2. Lou (rhymes with wow!) – ★★★½☆
   “Roman P0rn0s never fail to amaze me. Their production quality is extremely high, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find sleazier movies. Case in point: Rope Cosmetology. This is basically pet-play: The Movie. Pinku queen Naomi Tani stars as a woman who, in order to save her marriage, is being trained to be a dog. It’s wild. And it becomes wilder the more the movie progresses. By the end, it had my jaw on the floor. Not for the faint of heart.”
3. ELECTRICWIZARDx – ★★★½☆
   “If there’s one thing most Pinky films have in common, particularly the BDSM-themed ones, it’s that they’re always shot gorgeously; they’re so aesthetically pleasing, regardless of the subgenre they fall into, and this one is no different. BDSM pinky mainstay Naomi Tani stars as the bored housewife who takes her husband along to get trained into a subservient dog-like role to reignite their s&x life. The majority of the film is largely semi-repetitive, but the very sparingly used looming score drops it almost into a dreamlike state that makes it a pleasing breeze to watch as the ropes, set pieces, angles, and sets massage your eyes.”

Meta Description:
“Rope Cosmetology” (1978), directed by Shōgorō Nishimura, is a Japanese drama exploring a woman’s journey into BDSM and pet-play as she seeks to revive her stagnant marriage, delving into themes of identity, submission, and transformation.