Customer Reviews

I.K.U. (THIS IS NOT LOVE THIS IS SEX)

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Since an American reviewing Japanese porn is like an Asian reviewing Mexican cuisine, I can only offer my opinion on I.K.U. from an American stand point free from the ties of Japanese culture. First it is important to realize, though, that it is frowned upon (if not illegal) to show genitals or espeically the act of sex in Japanese porn. So, if that's what you're in this for, it's best to back away.

I.K.U. has an excellent starting point as it picks up where they feel Blade Runner left off. The story goes that a replicant named Reiko must go around collecting orgasm or IKU data from different people in order for the Genom corperation to design a chip that allows people to have excellent orgasms without physical contact. The idea of a replicant who can take different forms depending on a partners sexual desires is an innovative way to introduce new actresses for each scene. However, often times the overdone art direction and tasteless slurping sound-overs get in the way of what may have otherwise been good sex scenes. Also, instead of offering a decent amount of story to balance out these scenes, 10 percent of the film is half-baked set up and ending and the other 90 percent is over produced almost-soft porn. The most innovative part of the film is the way Reiko collects the data: by transforming her hand into a pen*s like object and sticking it into to a persons sexual orifice. At which point you see a decent computer rendering from the inside of the person as they are pumped for information. All told what you end up with is a film that doesn't quite work as a story and doesn't quite work as a porn, but rises at least high enough to be an interesting and mildly entertaining piece of art.

If you're expecting a straight down the line porn movie then you probably won't like this too much.
If however, you're into music videos, art house movies and Barbarella then you'll find this Japanese Cybersoftporn movie fascinating.
It's cheap, it's fun, it's chaotic and it's colourful, IKU is very, very different and I love it all the more for completely ignoring all the usual boring soft porn rules.

Japanese soft core. Full of pixilations to cover up "the good stuff", and kept crashing in my DVD player.

This film was suppose to be a artistic "destructuring" of pornography, sex & technology. Instead, it just comes across as cheap, pretentious & involuntary comical. Also the film was booed at the Fantasia fest. Maybe it warrants a rental but not a keeper!