Tokyo Decadence
Encyclopedia
is a 1992 Japan
ese film
. The film was directed by Ryu Murakami
with music by Ryuichi Sakamoto
. The film stars Miho Nikaido
and is known by two other titles, Topaz, Sex Dreams of Topaz. It has been banned in Australia
and South Korea
. Shimada Masahiko appears in the film.
A timid Japanese college girl, , works as a light SM
/bondage
girl for hire within a world of lavishly wealthy Japanese men in Tokyo
.
The first two-thirds of the film consists in large part of four sex sequences. Two involve dildo
s and mirrors—one with the man dominant, one with the female dominant. The other two involve erotic asphyxiation with, again, one episode in which the man wants to partially asphyxiate a female and the other in which a man is the recipient. Other sexual acts and interests are involved in some of the scenarios.
However the actual story revolves around Ai's unrequited love for a married gallery artist who has ended his relationship with her. At the beginning of the movie Ai visits a fortune-teller, played by artist Yayoi Kusama
, who advises her to find a "pink stone" then fashion it into a ring. The fortune teller also advises Ai to put two telephone directories under her television and to avoid a gallery in the east. Ai later loses the ring and risks her life to recover it.
The last third of the story is about Ai's problematic attempt to go to the artist's home while she is under the influence of an unidentified drug. Ai has the police called on her but is rescued by one of the artist's neighbors who knows who she is; the other woman's affair with the artist has apparently ended and she tells Ai that she considers her to be her "best friend".
At least two versions of the film exist, with the shorter one edited more for pacing than for censorship
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese film
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
. The film was directed by Ryu Murakami
Ryu Murakami
is a Japanese novelist and filmmaker. He is colloquially referred to as the "Maradona of Japanese literature".-Biography:Born as Ryūnosuke Murakami in Sasebo, Nagasaki on February 19, 1952...
with music by Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto
After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
. The film stars Miho Nikaido
Miho Nikaido
Miho Nikaidō is a Japanese actress.In 1996 she was engaged to US director Hal Hartley who had recently cast her in his movie Flirt...
and is known by two other titles, Topaz, Sex Dreams of Topaz. It has been banned in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. Shimada Masahiko appears in the film.
A timid Japanese college girl, , works as a light SM
Sadism and masochism
Sadomasochism broadly refers to the receiving of pleasure—often sexual—from acts involving the infliction or reception of pain or humiliation. The name originates from two authors on the subject, Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch...
/bondage
Bondage (BDSM)
Bondage is the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties involved. It may be used in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage and breast bondage, or as part of sexual activity or BDSM activity.- Private bondage :...
girl for hire within a world of lavishly wealthy Japanese men in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
The first two-thirds of the film consists in large part of four sex sequences. Two involve dildo
Dildo
A dildo is a sex toy, often explicitly phallic in appearance, intended for bodily penetration during masturbation or sex with partners.- Description and uses :...
s and mirrors—one with the man dominant, one with the female dominant. The other two involve erotic asphyxiation with, again, one episode in which the man wants to partially asphyxiate a female and the other in which a man is the recipient. Other sexual acts and interests are involved in some of the scenarios.
However the actual story revolves around Ai's unrequited love for a married gallery artist who has ended his relationship with her. At the beginning of the movie Ai visits a fortune-teller, played by artist Yayoi Kusama
Yayoi Kusama
is a Japanese artist whose paintings, collages, soft sculptures, performance art and environmental installations all share an obsession with repetition, pattern, and accumulation...
, who advises her to find a "pink stone" then fashion it into a ring. The fortune teller also advises Ai to put two telephone directories under her television and to avoid a gallery in the east. Ai later loses the ring and risks her life to recover it.
The last third of the story is about Ai's problematic attempt to go to the artist's home while she is under the influence of an unidentified drug. Ai has the police called on her but is rescued by one of the artist's neighbors who knows who she is; the other woman's affair with the artist has apparently ended and she tells Ai that she considers her to be her "best friend".
At least two versions of the film exist, with the shorter one edited more for pacing than for censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
.