When the Rain Falls

When the Rain Falls is a further entry into the Nikkatsu Roman Porno reboot series. Director Shûsuke Kaneko takes the helm this time, who is mostly known for his Godzilla and Death Note movies.

Although nothing is ever subtle about Nikkatsu movies, Shûsuke handles the relationship drama in a rather restrained fashion. Yes, there is plenty of sex and nudity as one would expect, but it never feels exploitative or just there for the sake of titillation. The story is grounded in reality and the emotional decisions the characters make are believable. Hazuki and Shiori's first intimate encounter is especially exciting. And although the narrative is rather basic overall, there's always that extra flair because foreign movies just hit differently.

The actors are all well-placed. Sawada is particularly good as the villainous cheating husband. He evokes this weird gross-out vibe, maybe because he looks like a teenager who is wearing a fake old man costume.

Overall, When the Rain Falls achieves what it sets out to do and is another fine entry into the Roman Porno series.