MIDORI (1992) Most Banned Anime of All Time! 18+ Hitoshi Harada
8741DVD
THE MOST BANNED
ANIME FEATURE OF ALL TIME The film
and the images on this page are intended for Age 18 and Older
Original Japanese
title: SHOJO TSUBAKI: CHIKA GENTO GEKIGA [The Girl Who Sells Camellias]
also known as THE GIRL OF THE UNDERGROUND LANTERN FESTIVAL
director: Hitoshi Harada
All production and artwork by the director loosely based on the manga Mr. Arash's Amazing Freak Show
by Suehiro Maruo
After
the death of her mother, 12 year-old Midori is taken to a traveling carnival
where she is abused (both physically and mentally) by the freak-show performers.
A famous magician joins the troupe, and takes a liking to Midori. They
become a romantic item. His status as a powerful magician (and financial
draw) protects Midori from her former tormentors. But, eventually, poor
Midori learns the magician is not as innocent as she had thought...
Director
Hiroshi Harada was obsessed with the "beautiful human perversity"
of this project. When he couldn't find any company to support him financially,
he decided to handle the production on his own. It took five years, consisted
of 5000+ hand-drawn pages, plus filming, editing, and script [performed
by amateur voice actors]. Once completed he discovered - something he'd
known all along - the movie had no chance at mainstream distribution.
So, Harada personally took the film on road-show appearances, often unspooling
it inside a traveling freak-show tent. However, some citizen groups were
harshly critical of the movie. A group of vigilantes broke into his house
and destroyed some of the film, forcing Harada to replace missing footage
with photos and new drawings.
Viewer
discretion is advised. This
movie is both artful and repugnant. It is absolutely not for children
nor anyone sensitive to disturbing or explicit content. For those viewers
interested in unconventional, avant-garde horror with a psychological
twist, go ahead and watch. But you may be sorry afterwards.
A
Japanese film with English subtitles; fullscreen, (50 minutes) in DVD
encoded for ALL REGION NTSC,
playable on any American DVD machine; Extras include an interview with
director Hitoshi Harada
plus various Intenational podcasts (72 minutes)
Graphic Violence/Disturbing
Segments and Strong Sexual Situations
For Adult Audiences Only
