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Kōyū Ohara

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Kōyū Ohara
Born
Japan
DiedFebruary 20, 2004
Occupation(s)Film director and screenwriter
Years active1972–1988

Kōyū Ohara (小原 宏裕, Ohara Kōyū) is a Japanese film director known for his popular Roman Porno films, Fairy in a Cage (1977) and the Pink Tush Girl series (1978–1980). One of Nikkatsu's most versatile and prolific directors, filming eight movies in 1979 alone, his stylistic preoccupations led him to be known as "King of Pop Art Porn."[1]

Life and career

Early life

Kōyū Ohara attributes his interest in film to the fact that his grandfather had worked at Nikkatsu as a director. As a child, he claims to have seen up to 200 movies a year. Though he studied law at Keio University and worked as a secretary to a member of the House of Representatives, rather than take the bar exam, he took an entrance exam at Shochiku studios. He failed the Shochiku exam, but tried out for Nikkatsu, and began working there as an assistant director in 1961. He was assigned to director Koreyoshi Kurahara, under whom he worked with future Roman Porno master, Tatsumi Kumashiro.[2]

Roman porno

When Nikkatsu made its decision to concentrate almost exclusively on its Roman porno version of the soft-core pink film genre, Ohara was not enthusiastic about the change. Many of Nikkatsu's other directors and actors left the studio at this time rather than work in sex films, but Ohara stayed with the studio, hoping for a chance to direct. He worked as chief assistant director to Shōgorō Nishimura on the first Roman porno, Apartment Wife: Afternoon Affair (1971), and made his directorial debut the following year with the successful period film, Passion: Ohichi's Love Song (1972). After a major success with 1973's College Girl: Sex Equation, Ohara became one of Nikkatsu's busiest directors. He worked exclusively for Nikkatsu until the mid-1980s, directing 42 films for the studio, four of which were among Nikkatsu's top ten money-makers of all time.[3][4]

Summarizing his style, the Weissers say, "Director Ohara is one of Nikkatsu's most underrated filmmakers, finally recognized in the late '90s for his forays into pop art... He was easily the studio's hippest director, interminably mixing contemporary music and fashionable events-of-the-day within the traditional pinku eiga format."[5]

Ohara became known for his ability to direct successful pink movies in a variety of genres. He had successes in the S&M genre with Fairy in a Cage (1977) and Wet Rope Confession. After Nikkatsu had stopped producing "violent pink" films following Yasuharu Hasebe's ''Rape! 13th Hour (1976), Ohara revived the genre with Zoom Up: Rape Site (1979). Ohara directed women-in-prison films with the True Story of a Woman in Jail series, and the pink Catholic nun films Sister Lucia's Dishonor (1978) and Wet Rope Confession: Convent Story (1979). On television, he directed children's shows including Three Sisters Shushutorian.[6] He directed successful satirical films like Love Daydream (1980), and office lady sex comedies like I Like It From Behind (1981), and even a pink science-fiction film, Lady Momoko's Adventure (1979)[7] and the musical comedy pink film Oh! Takarazuka (1982).[8] Critic Jasper Sharp considers Ohara's "finest work" to be the 1978 coming-of-age story Pink Tush Girl which gave rise to two sequels, Pink Tush Girl: Love Attack and Pink Tush Girl: Proposal Strategy.[8]

He worked with Nikkatsu's top actresses, including Naomi Tani in Fairy in a Cage, Rope Hell (1978) and Fascination: Portrait of a Lady (1977), all of which were based on scripts by Oniroku Dan.[9] After directing some darker films, in 1978 Ohara started his light-hearted Pink Tush Girl trilogy. Centered around high-school life and popular music, these films were popular with both male and female audiences.[10]

After Roman porno

In 1982 Ohara went to Hong Kong where he directed films for Golden Harvest, including the popular China Scandal: Exotic Dance, a co-production with Nikkatsu.[11] He left Nikkatsu in 1984 to concentrate on his interest in popular music. He directed music videos for teen-oriented singers with the Warner/Pioneer label among other Japanese record companies.[12]

Ohara retired from full-time film work in 1988.[13] In 1999, while walking home from a drinking bout, Ohara had a stroke and injured himself in a fall, causing a slow down in his lifestyle and filmmaking.[14] Ohara died on February 20, 2004.[8]

Partial filmography

  • Passionate: Ohichi's Love Song (Jouen Ohichi no koiuta) (1972) (debut)
  • College Girls: Sex Equation (女子大生　ＳＥＸ方程式 - Joshidaisei: Sex hoteishiki (January 12, 1973)
  • Japan's Pleasure District: Three Sisters at a Turkish Bath (にっぽん歓楽地帯　トルコ三姉妹 - Nippon kanraku-chitai: toruko sanshimai) (April 4, 1973)
  • Secret of the College Girls: Part-Time Sex Pros aka Sex Phobia (（秘）女子大生　ＳＥＸアルバイト - Maruhi joshidaisei: Sex arbeit) (January 26, 1974)
  • Man & Woman Sexology: Private Lessons (男女性事学　個人授業 - Danjo seiji-gaku: kojin jugyo) (June 8, 1974)
  • True Story of Woman Condemned: Sex Hell (実録おんな鑑別所　性地獄 - Jitsuroku onna kanbetsusho: sei-jigoku) (March 5, 1975)
  • True Story of Woman Condemned Continues (Zoku jitsuroku onna kanbetsusho - 続実録おんな鑑別所) (July 1, 1975)
  • White Female Cat: Ecstasy at High Noon (白い牝猫　真昼のエクスタシー - Shiroi mesuneko: mahiru no ecstasy) (November 1, 1975)
  • New True Story of Woman Condemned to Hell (新・実録おんな鑑別所　－恋獄－ - Shin jitsuroku onna kanbetsusho rengoku) (January 24, 1976)
  • Runa's Confession: "Men Crawling All Over Me" (ルナの告白　私に群がった男たち - Runa no kokuhaku: watashi ni muragatta otokotachi) (April 14, 1976)
  • Tokyo Secret Night Report: Warm Sap (東京（秘）ナイト・レポート　熱い樹液 - Tokyo maruhi night report: atsui jueki) (September 8, 1976)
  • Student Mistress: Taste of a Virgin (学生情婦　処女の味 - Gakusei mabu: shojo no aji) (November 27, 1976)
  • Fairy in a Cage aka Woman in a Cage (檻の中の妖精 - Ori no naka no yosei) (June 4, 1977)
  • Female Convict 101: Suck (女囚１０１　しゃぶる - Joshū 101: Shaburu) (August 6, 1977)
  • Fascination: Portrait of a Lady (幻想夫人絵図 - Genso fujin ezu) (October 1, 1977)
  • Sister Lucia's Dishonor (修道女ルシア　辱＜けが＞す - Sudojo Lucia: kegasu) (January 7, 1978)
  • Pink Tush Girl (桃尻娘　ピンク・ヒップ・ガール - Momojiri musume: Pinku hippu gaaru) (April 29, 1978)
  • Rope Hell (縄地獄 - Nawa jigoku) (June 24, 1978)
  • Wet & Rope aka Wet Rope Confession (修道女　濡れ縄ざんげ - Shudojo: nure nawa zange) (January 20, 1979)
  • Pink Tush Girl: Love Attack (桃尻娘　ラブアタック - Momojiri musume: rabu atakku) (April 28, 1979)
  • Koichiro Uno's Female Gymnastic Teacher (宇能鴻一郎の女体育教室 - Uno Koichiro no onna taiiku kyoshi) (August 4, 1979)
  • Zoom Up: Rape Site (ズームアップ　暴行現場 - Zoom Up: boko genba) (September 8, 1979)
  • Lady Momoko's Adventure (桃子夫人の冒険 - Momoko fujin no boken) (December 22, 1979)
  • Pink Tush Girl: Proposal Strategy (桃尻娘　プロポーズ大作戦 - Momojiri musume: purpozu daisakusen) (April 26, 1980)
  • Red Fleeting Rain (赤い通り雨 - Akai toori-ame) (August 2, 1980)
  • Love Daydream (愛の白昼夢 - Ai no hakujitsumu) (September 6, 1980)
  • From the Back or From the Front (後から前から - Ushiro kara mae kara) (December 26, 1980)
  • Lady Caligula in Tokyo (東京カリギュラ夫人 - Tokyo Caligula fujin) (March 6, 1981)
  • Essential Information for a College Girl (女子大生の基礎知識　ＡＮＯ　ＡＮＯ - Joshidaisei no kiso chishiki: ano ano) (April 24, 1981)
  • I Like it From Behind (バックが大好き！ - Bakku ga daisuki) (July 10, 1981)
  • Female Gymnastic Teacher: "Step and Open" (女体育教師　跳んで開いて - Onna taiiku kyôshi: funde hiraite) (October 9, 1981)
  • Pink Tush Girls: Slinking Classmates (桃尻同級生　まちぶせ - Momojiri dokyusei: machibuse) (January 22, 1982)
  • Seiko's Juicy Thighs: Zoom Up (ズームアップ　聖子の太腿 - Zoom Up: Seiko no futomomo) (February 26, 1982)
  • White Rose Campus: Then Everybody Gets Raped (白薔薇学園　そして全員犯された - Shirobara gakuen: soshite zenin okasareta) (June 25, 1982)
  • Gigolo: A Docu-Drama (実録色事師　ザ・ジゴロ - Jitsuroku irogotoshi: The Gigolo) (October 15, 1982)
  • Oh! Takarazuka! (ＯＨ！タカラズカ - Oh! Takarazuka) (December 24, 1982)
  • China Scandal: Exotic Dance (チャイナスキャンダル　艶舞 - China scandal: Enbu) (October 28, 1983)[15]

References

  1. ^ Weisser, Thomas; Yuko Mihara Weisser (1998). Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films. Miami: Vital Books : Asian Cult Cinema Publications. p. 182. ISBN 1-889288-52-7.
  2. ^ Ohara, Koyu. Interviewed by Maki Hamamoto. (2000). "Koyu Ohara Speaks Out!" Asian Cult Cinema, #27 (2nd quarter, 2000), p.30.
  3. ^ Ohara, p.32.
  4. ^ Weisser, p.49.
  5. ^ Weisser, p.357
  6. ^ Ohara, p.36.
  7. ^ Weisser, p.134.
  8. ^ a b c Sharp, Jasper (2008). Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema. Guildford: FAB Press. p. 228. ISBN 978-1-903254-54-7.
  9. ^ Weisser, p.138.
  10. ^ Weisser, p.313.
  11. ^ Ohara, p.35.
  12. ^ Weisser, p.78.
  13. ^ Weisser, p.143.
  14. ^ Ohara, p.38.
  15. ^ Filmography from "KOYU OHARA". at The Complete Index to World Film. Retrieved 2007-03-12. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); "小原宏裕 (Ohara Koyu)" (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-03-06.; and Weisser, Thomas; Yuko Mihara Weisser (1998). Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films. Miami: Vital Books : Asian Cult Cinema Publications. ISBN 1-889288-52-7.

Bibliography

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