Pinku Eiga

[Aaron Gerow]

>As Aaron correctly pointed out is Roman Poruno a brand name of Nikkatsu
>and should be applied only to particular films of Nikkatsu. 
>However,I do not agree with Aaron that pink eiga is just a generic term
>for adult films, because in Japan the concept of adult film (seijin
>eiga) is a much broader one and doesn't include only pink eiga. Seijin
>eiga (adult film) is a term the Eirin Commission uses to classify films
>which must not be shown to minors under 18 years of age. Although pink
>eiga fall into this category, but so do other films as well that the
>Eirin Commission - for whatever reason - consider unsuited for minors.
>Some of them have no connection with Sex at all.

Thanks for the correction.  I should have been more precise.  But I do 
want to emphasize that one of the reasons Eirin recently changed its 
categorization system, eliminating the term "seijin eiga," is precisely 
because "seijin eiga" had come to mean in popular discourse pink eiga or 
some other such sex-related film.  The tendency to equate seijin eiga 
with pink film was encouraged by the fact there were very few cases after 
the mid-60s (when the term pink eiga came into vogue) in which Eirin 
designated non-sex films "seijin eiga."  Eirin has been continually 
criticized for this (rarely citing, for instance, violent films as 
"seijin eiga"), which is one reason it supplanted the seijin eiga 
designation with "R-18."  The latter, it was announced, will allow for a 
broader designation which includes non-sex films as well, something 
which, in popular usage, the term "seijin eiga" did not.

Aaron Gerow
Associate Professor
International Student Center
Yokohama National University
79-1 Tokiwadai
Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501
JAPAN
E-mail: gerow at ynu.ac.jp
Phone: 81-45-339-3170
Fax: 81-45-339-3171