originally released as is a 2005 Japanese

Pink film in its broadest sense includes almost any Japanese theatrical film that includes nudity (hence 'pink') or deals with sexual content. This encompasses everything from dramas to action thrillers and exploitation film features. The Western equi ...

directed by

Shinji Imaoka a.k.a. is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of a group of ''pink film'' directors of the 2000s known collectively as the , which besides Imaoka, also includes Toshiya Ueno, Mitsuru Meike, Yūji Tajiri, Yoshitaka Kamat ...

. It was chosen as Best Film of the year at the Pink Grand Prix ceremony. According to author Jasper Sharp, the title, "Frog Song" is a pun referring both to a full-sized frog costume found outside a train station and worn by one of the characters, and to the Japanese verb ''kaeru'' "to go home". The translation of the title of the film could thus also be "Going Home Song".

Synopsis

Akemi is a housewife who discovers her husband has been cheating on her. She makes the acquaintance of a prostitute who hopes to become a ''manga'' artist. Another hopeful ''manga'' artist, Kyoko, also makes ends meet by working as a part-time prostitute. Akemi moves in with Kyoko and tolerating the practise of her profession while the two come to an understanding of each other's lives.

Cast

* Konatsu: Akemi Kudo * Rinako Hirasawa: Kyoko Ito * Takeshi Itō: Jiro Kiyokawa * Yōta Kawase: Saburo Kiyokawa * Kurumi Nanase: Nagisa * Mutsuo Yoshioka: Kudo

Critical reception

The ''Pink film'' community awarded ''Frog Song'' with the title of Best Film at the Pink Grand Prix. Honors given to the film also included the Best Actress award, which was given to lead actress Konatsu, and Best New Actress for Rinako Hirasawa. '' Allmovie'' calls ''Frog Song'' a "playfully eccentric slice of pink cinema". In his ''Behind the Pink Curtain'', Anglophone ''pink film'' scholar Jasper Sharp writes that it is the upbeat nature of Imaoka's films which have helped make them popular with film audiences. Pointing out the musical scene which concludes the film, he writes, "...Another key to the popularity of Imaoka's films is that they often end on such uplifting high notes."

Availability

The film was first released theatrically under the title ''Paid Companionship Story: Girls Who Want to Do It''. As with many ''pink films'' it was retitled when it was released on DVD. It was first released as ''Frog Song'' on DVD in Japan on January 14, 2006. It is under this title that the film is most widely known, and it has retained this title in international releases. Using the ''Frog Song'' title, Sacrament released the DVD with English subtitles in the U.S. on November 13, 2007.

Bibliography

English

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Japanese

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References

{{Shinji Imaoka 2005 films Films directed by Shinji Imaoka 2000s Japanese-language films Pink films Shintōhō Eiga films 2000s Japanese films