UK distributor Third Window Films have revisited a number of older Japanese films released during the 80s and 90s that were not widely known, with many of them being part of the Director’s Company line-up which featured films directed by the likes of Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Shinji Sōmai, Toshiharu Ikeda and more. Among the releases was a box set of films directed by Takashi Ishii (石井隆) released last year, centred on four individual films that shared a common theme. Now we have a second box set of films from the director/writer, this time based on the Angel Guts series.
Disclaimer: This unboxing features film descriptions, sample clips and artwork that are that are not suitable for work.
Background:
Takashi Ishii (石井隆), born in Sendai, Japan in 1946, is both a film director and also a manga artist. In his interviews (which is included in this box set) he struggled to make a breakthrough in film as a career and worked as a manga artist during the 70s which included writing the Angel Guts manga.
His credits include a number of manga stories, as a writer for films directed by Toshiharu Ikeda and Shinji Sōmai, and as a director during the 90s including 1995’s Gonin (ゴニン) starring Takeshi Kitano, Kōichi Satō & Masahiro Motoki and 2000’s Freeze Me (フリーズ・ミー) starring Harumi Inoue, as well as four films that were included in Third Window Films’ 4 Tales of Nami release; 1992’s Original Sin (死んでもいい), 1993’s A Night in Nude (ヌードの夜), 1994’s Angel Guts: Red Flash (天使のはらわた 赤い閃光) and Alone in the Night (夜がまた来る).
The first box set focused on four films Takashi Ishii directed, but for this second box set we’re shifting gears towards focusing on the films that were based on his 1978 manga series Angel Guts (天使のはらわた, Tenshi no Harawata). Nikkatsu Corporation acquired the rights to produce live-action adaptations of the manga which he helped contribute, whether it be writing the scripts or directing an instalment or two.
There are six films in total, but you may notice below that only five are included in this box set. The first instalment of the series; Angel Guts: High School Co-Ed (女高生 天使のはらわた, Jokousei Tenshi no Harawata), which was directed by Chūsei Sone in 1978, is not available for licensing because of the lead actress who starred in the film did not want this to be made available anymore, so if you have access to the old Region 1 DVD box set distributed by Artsmagic, then it’s recommended that you keep hold of it.
Also worth pointing out that these films Nikkatsu Corporation produced are all known as Pink films, which refers to erotic scenes made for an adult audience but not explicitly pornography. Pink films were super popular in Japan since the 60s and there’s roughly thousands made, plus there’s special Japanese cinemas dedicated to them. A couple of these films were even directorial debuts for many popular Japanese directors including Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Kandagawa Pervert Wars, Cure), Masayuki Suo (Abnormal Family, Shall We Dance?), Tōru Murakawa (Playful White Fingers, The Beast to Die) and Yōjirō Takita (Molester Train, Departures).
The Nikkatsu Corporation have a line-up of Pink films of their own called ‘Roman Porno’, which UK distributor 88 Films have released a dozen titles thus far on Blu-ray. Most of the films included in the Takashii Ishii: The Angel Guts Collection are part of that line-up as well. UK distributors Salvation Films and Third Window Films have also helped bring a number of them into the UK with most of them released uncut.
Going back to the Takashii Ishii: The Angel Guts Collection box set, the five films are featured below. One of which was also included in the 4 Tales of Nami box set by Third Window Films but because it’s part of the Angel Guts series it’s included here as an added bonus (without increasing the SRP) for those who want to own all of the available films in the series.
Angel Guts: Red Classroom (天使のはらわた 赤い教室, Tenshi no Harawata: Akai Kyoshitsu) is a 1979 film directed and co-written by Chūsei Sone (Ah! That Pep Squad, Case of the Disjointed Murder), co-written by Takashi Ishii, with editing by Jun Nabeshima (Apartment Wife: Affair In the Afternoon, Proof of the Man), cinematography by Nobumasa Mizunoo (Battle Heater, Dreamy Fifteen), and music composed by Tsutomu Izumi.
“When Muraki, a porn magazine editor, watches a blue film depicting a gang rape in a school, he becomes obsessed with the lead actress, leading him down a dark path into obsession.”
Plot Synopsis via Third Window Films, February 2026.
The cast of the film includes Yūki Mizuhara (Ah! That Pep Squad, Death at an Old Mansion), Keizo Kanie (Fine, Totally Fine, Yokohama BJ Blues), Jun Aki (Eros School: Feels So Good, Nun’s Diary: Confession) and Rebun Hori (Shinjuku Midare Machi: Ikumade Matte, Yokohama BJ Blues). The film was released in Japan in January 1979.
There’s a record that mentioned UK/US distributor Artsmagic (who released the series in the US in one DVD box set) also planned to bring this film to the UK on DVD in 2002, but there’s no indication that it went through, likely due to the BBFC requesting cuts to the sexual violence. The Third Window Films release was re-submitted and passed without any cuts.
Angel Guts: Nami (天使のはらわた 名美, Tenshi no Harawata: Nami) is a 1979 film directed by Noboru Tanaka (Night of the Felines, Watcher in the Attic), written by Takashi Ishii, with editing by Akira Suzuki (Branded to Kill, Tampopo), cinematography by Masaru Mori (Assault! Jack the Ripper, A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness) and music composed by Abirisu.
“While investigating stories of rape for a magazine article, a determined but callous reporter becomes perversely aroused as she meets the women who are suffering through the horror of their experiences.”
Plot Synopsis via Third Window Films, February 2026.
The cast of the film includes Eri Kanuma (Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, Yokohama BJ Blues), Takeo Chii (Lady Snowblood, Street Mobster), Mimi Sawaki (Kandagawa Pervert Wars, Nympho Diver: G-String Festival) and Miyako Yamaguchi (After Life, Like Grains of Sand). The film was released in Japan in July 1979.
Angel Guts: Red Porno (天使のはらわた 赤い淫画, Tenshi no Harawata: Akai Inga) is a 1981 film directed by Toshiharu Ikeda (Evil Dead Trap, Mermaid Legend), written by Takashi Ishii, with editing by Akimasa Kawashima (Black Angel, Mermaid Legend), cinematography by Yonezō Maeda (The Funeral, Sweet Home) and music composed by Hachirō Kai (Female Teacher Hunting, Sex Hunter).
“Nami is a department store worker who agrees to stand in for a friend in a magazine photo shoot, which turns out to be for an S&M magazine. When the photos are published, she is sacked, her lover abandons her and her life turns upside down.”
Plot Synopsis via Third Window Films, February 2026.
The cast of the film includes Jun Izumi (And Then, Blooming Early), Masahiko Abe (Evil Dead Trap, Orchids Under the Moon), Kyoko Ito (Female Teacher Hunting, A Hunter’s Diary) and Noboru Mitani (Animerama: A Thousand and One Nights, Sweet Home). The film was released in Japan in December 1981.
Angel Guts: Red Vertigo (天使のはらわた 赤い眩暈, Tenshi no Harawata: Akai Memai) is a 1988 film directed and written by Takashi Ishii, with editing by Akimasa Kawashima (Departures, Evil Dead Trap), cinematography by Yasushi Sasakibara (Door, Violent Cop) and music composed by Fujio Satou (Tokyo Emmanuelle: Private Lessons).
“Nami is a nurse and the unwilling object of her patients’ lust. When she is hit by a car whilst fleeing from the home of her unfaithful boyfriend, the driver of the car takes her as a sexual prisoner.”
Plot Synopsis via Third Window Films, February 2026.
The cast of the film includes Mayako Katsuragi (The Toxic Avenger Part II, Codename 348 Female Detective Sashiba), Naoto Takenaka (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Tokyo Fist), Jun Izumi (Curse of the Dog God, Koto: The Ancient City) and Kazuyo Ezaki (The Girl and the Wooden Horse Torture, Nympho Diver: G-String Festival). The film was released in Japan in May 1988.
Angel Guts: Red Flash (天使のはらわた 赤い閃光, Tenshi no harawata: Akai senkô) is a 1994 film directed and written by Takashi Ishii, with editing by Yoshio Kitazawa (Alone in the Night, Black Angel 2), cinematography by Norimichi Kasamatsu (Blue Spring, Yurusarezaru Mono) and music composed by Goro Yasukawa (Black Angel, Freeze Me).
“Nami is a photographer on the set of a porn film. When photographing a rape scene between a teacher and a schoolgirl, she becomes uncomfortable, having remembered a similar incident in her own past.”
Plot Synopsis via Third Window Films, February 2026.
The cast of the film includes Maiko Kawakami (Labyrinth of Cinema, Violent Cop), Jinpachi Nezu (Angel’s Egg, Ran), Noriko Hayami (Dreams, Love Hotel) and Shingo Tsurumi (Dead or Alive, Yakuza 0). The film was released in Japan in September 1994.
About Third Window Films:
Third Window Films is an independent UK distributor for Asian Cinema, primarily releasing Japanese films. Their line-up features a variety of films of all genres from notable directors including Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Vital), Nobuhiko Obayashi (the Anti-War Trilogy, School in the Crosshairs), Toshiaki Toyoda (9 Souls, Blue Spring), Shinji Sōmai (Love Hotel, Typhoon Club), Gakuryū Ishii (The Box Man, Electric Dragon 80.000V), Shin’ichirō Ueda (One Cut of the Dead), Toshiharu Ikeda (Mermaid Legend, Scent of a Spell), Junta Yamaguchi (Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes) and Katsuhito Ishii (Funky Forest, Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl).
The distributor is smaller than 88 Films, Arrow Video, Eureka Entertainment and Radiance Films, but continues to provide more variety of Japanese films, both newer and older, to newer audiences. As of the time of this post, their next batch of releases will include New Directors from Japan: Takashi Ono collection (featuring I Am Baseball), Gen Sekiguchi’s Survive Style 5+, a double film pack from Toshiaki Toyoda, a double film pack centred on J-Horror, and a double film pack from Chūsei Sone.
Limited Edition Contents:
Similar to previous limited edition box sets from Third Window Films, Takashi Ishii: The Angel Guts Collection bundles the films in a digipack package with an o-card slipcase. No rigid texture but does the job if you need to save a bit of space on the shelf.
Inside the digipack are four Blu-ray discs and a short 6-page booklet featuring an essay written by Midori Suiren called “Finding Nami”.
The SRP is £59.99 and has a 2000-unit print run. Once the print run is out of stock, this edition won’t be available. It is uncertain whether the films will be re-released in standalone sets over time but currently no details on that yet. I pre-ordered my copy from retailer Terracotta Store alongside Eureka’s Zen and Sword and Radiance’s Japanese Godfather Trilogy.
Physical Contents:
- O-card slipcase with digipack packaging
- 8-page Booklet by Midori Suiren
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Third Window Films
Released: 23rd February 2026
The limited edition release for Takashi Ishii: The Angel Guts Collection contains five films from the Angel Guts series spread across four Blu-ray discs. No English dub was ever produced for these films so they are all presented in Japanese audio with English subtitles. The white subtitles are unlockable during playback and each Blu-ray disc is Region B locked.
Worth mentioning that all of the films included in this collection are uncut for the UK release. Each disc comes with a couple of on-disc features which are listed below.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | Japanese |
| Audio | Angel Guts: Red Classroom, Angel Guts: Nami, Angel Guts: Red Porno, Angel Guts: Red Vertigo, Angel Guts: Red Flash: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono |
| Video | Angel Guts: Red Classroom, Angel Guts: Nami: 1080p High Definition Native format 2.35:1 aspect ratio Angel Guts: Red Porno, Angel Guts: Red Vertigo, Angel Guts: Red Flash: 1080p High Definition Native format 1.85:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | B |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 4 BD-50s |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
Disc 1: Angel Guts: Red Classroom
- Jasper Sharp Audio Commentary
- From Ink Nibs to Film Reels – Frankie Balboa Video Essay (14:30 runtime)
- Director Takashi Ishii on Chusei Sone – Archival Interview (10:07 runtime)
- Director Takashi Ishii on the Angel Guts series – Archival Interview (17:17 runtime)
- Trailer (01:07 runtime)
Disc 2: Angel Guts: Nami
- Jasper Sharp Audio Commentary
- Angel Guts: Arthouse or Exploitation – James Balmont Video Essay (17:01 runtime)
- Director Noboru Tanaka Archival Interview (39:57 runtime)
- Trailer (01:44 runtime)
Disc 3: Angel Guts: Red Porno & Angel Guts: Red Vertigo
- Red Porno Samm Deighan Audio Commentary
- Red Porno Director Toshiharu Ikeda Archival Interview (36:20 runtime)
- Red Porno Trailer (01:28 runtime)
- Red Vertigo Tom Mes Audio Commentary
- Red Vertigo Director Takashi Ishii Archival Interview (32:32 runtime)
- Red Vertigo Trailer (01:32 runtime)
Disc 4: Angel Guts: Red Flash
- Jasper Sharp Audio Commentary
- The Many Faces of Nami Video Essay (16:02 runtime)
- Director Takashi Ishii Interview (32:32 runtime)
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Takashi Ishii: The Angel Guts Collection is available to purchase on Blu-ray by Third Window Films for the UK & Ireland.
The limited edition Blu-ray release can be bought from retailers Terracotta Store, Amazon UK, HMV, and Zavvi.
(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
The Normanic Vault 
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