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[title]Japan is known the world over for promoting the unique and unconventional, even in it adult movie offerings. Japanese porn has satiated the passions and desires of people all over the world. It is kinky, submissive and role play-centric, and quite antagonistic to country’s generally conservative attitude.
The country’s porn industry owes its leading position in the global stage to Toru Muranishi, whose wild imagination and progressive vision, gave rise to a different brand of Japanese AV (adult video) films in the ’80s.
The Naked Director, an Netflix original series starring acclaimed actors Takayuki Yamada in the lead role, Shinnosuke Mitsushima and Tetsuji Tamayama, showcases the journey of Muranishi in revolutionizing the Japanese, and eventually the global, porn industry. We sat down with the stars of the film, and found out more than we expected—about the movie and about Japanese porn.
The Naked Director/Netflix
What are your thoughts on Toru Muranishi?
Yamada: He is self-centered and forced many people to work for him. On the other hand, he has many unique and imaginative ideas and likes to do what others haven’t done before. He transformed pornography from an underground industry into to a form of entertainment that’s acceptable by society.
How did Toru Muranishi feel when he learned that Netflix was making a series based on his life? Did you meet him in real life?
Yamada: Yes, we did meet Muranishi. He was quite optimistic about having a series made based on his controversial life. This project is also uncommon for Japan because normally we would make a film based on one’s life after he or she has died. But Muranishi is still well alive. So it’s quite groundbreaking.
What makes Japanese adult films more unique than porn made by other countries?
Mitsushima: I think Japanese porn is cheekier and more playful compared to porn from other countries, which tend to follow conventional plots. We tend to involve a variety of tools and toys.
Yamada: A lot of people think of cars as the main export product of Japan, but porn is actually one of the things we produce the most. Also, Japan is what a lot of people think of when it comes to porn. I used to watch pirated porn for free, but after learning the labor-intensive processes that are involved in shooting one single porn scene, from starring in this series, I now don’t hesitate to pay for pornography. It is really difficult to make one.
The Naked Director/Netflix
The series seems to involve many explicit sex scenes. Were things awkward during the filming?
Yamada: In other movies, I used to be fully clothed. But in The Naked Director, I had to be naked a lot. Sometimes I had to be naked with other actors of the opposite sex from morning until evening. I thought I would be nervous, but it actually felt blasé later on as it became more normal to be in that state. I actually didn’t feel awkward at all because I was Muranishi during the filming; I wasn’t myself.
Is there anything about Muranishi that you admire?
Yamada: He is an innovator with amazing ideas. He can make the impossible happen. But he is really crazy.
Do you think a porn director like Muranishi can be an inspiration to others?
Mitsushima: Muranishi is a great director but he cannot make his creations alone. He is a good team leader and has the charisma to attract others who share the same interests. He can be seen as a hero who inspires people and dares them to express desires and passions that have been repressed by norms and social conventions.
The Naked Director/Netflix
Haruka Megumi, the educated female protagonist and a porn star in the series played by rising star Misato Morita, represents a person who chooses to engage in the adult movie industry. Can you elaborate on the role of women in Japanese porn industry?
Yamada: In the Japanese porn industry, there are women who do porn because they do not have many other choices in life, but there are those who choose this career at their own liberty. They are fascinated with and have always dreamt of being involved in this industry. There are porn stars who used to be famous actresses but have reached a dead end in their careers. Likewise, porn stars can become actors or actresses in movies and TV series here in Japan.