Starting in 1982, the Pink film community was introduced to a film series called
Molester's Train. Now referred to as "Groper Train," the low-brow comedic series now contains dozens of titles and has carved its own legacy in the world of Japanese exploitation. The films varied in story, but many involved detective mysteries and recurring characters, such as Detective Kuroda (
Yukijiro Hotaru) and his clever sidekick Hamako (
Yuka Takemura). What set these films apart from their contemporaries was not only the childish and silly humor and sexuality, but also their director. Academy Award Winner for the 2008 film
Departures, Yojiro Takita got his start in the film business by directing almost a dozen Groper films, eventually moving on to a more mainstream career. The lasting effect he left on the Pink world is evident in
Search for the Black Pearl, Wedding Capriccio, and
Sexy Timetrip Ninjas.
It was with films such as Molester Train: Underwear Inspection that the director Yojiro Takita proved himself as the true inheritor of Shinya Yamamoto's comic crown, while proving that the pink frilm of the '80s took just as an excessive approach to humour as it did to violence: there's potentially plenty to offend in these riotous offerings in which a string of women are habitually groped on public transport...As directed by Takita, the films were vaguely reminiscent of the lewd, slapstick antics of British comedian Benny Hill, but in terms of political incorrectness, they passed light years beyond. Lewd panty shots, a prurient obsession with feminine hygiene and sniggering humour are of course all part and parcel of the series.
-From Jasper Sharp's "Behind the Pink Curtain"
Groper train films have enjoyed some nice festival runs, including being screened at Austin's Fantastic Fest in 2009. In his article for Twitch titled "Fantastic Fest 09: Everything You Need to Know About Yôjirô Takita's GROPER TRAIN" Rodney Perkins talks about what production was like on these films.
Production values were inherently ticky-tacky, but Yôjirô Takita's films had a few unique touches. Specifically, the films feature a lot of guerrilla camera work in public spaces. For example, groping scenes were filmed on real trains. The groper always felt up actresses while train passengers either stared or tried to ignore what was going on. The gropees were all actresses (presumably), but the films made it look like as if the women were just hanging around and waiting to be groped. Takita knew how to work the tight confines of a train with a camera. Quasi-sneak photography was extensively used , including lots of tight close-ups of hands poking around front and rear extremities. These shots could have easily been done off train, but the cramped conditions and the shadows indicate that they were done right on the train. The overall effect is kind of subversive and unsettling (women getting groped on trains is an real issue in Japan).
Read more: http://twitchfilm.com/2009/09/fantastic-fest-2009-groper-train-users-guide.html#ixzz41zhQxt45
Whether your a fan of a more dramatic or less slapsticky Pink film, it's no question the mark that Takita and the Groper Train series has left. They may be a tad bit un-PC for todays times, but one must watch Pink films like these with a grain of salt, as they just exist to entertain an audience rather than incite more acts of perversion on the train. If you'd like to learn more about the series, check out our documentaries on the subject
here!
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