First installment, "Birthday," tells the story of Mari (Takami
Yoshimoto), a 34-year-old plain Jane whose ongoing singledom is
complicated by fresh disasters every birthday. As her 35th
approaches, Mari is beset by dizziness, and a doctor suggests that
her sexless life may be harming her health.
After a late night at the office, Mari enters a mysterious shop
front adorned with Venetian carnival masks. Inside, she's greeted
by a stylish but unidentified man (Go Riju) who describes the
therapeutic value of temporarily assuming other identities. The
hairdresser/pimp also gives Mari a makeover and a one-off gig as a
hooker. The money and sex improve her confidence, and she decides
once is not enough.
Sensitively helmed by Kumazawa, yarn unfolds gently, resembling a
sexy variation on "Sayonara Midori" or the South Korean "This
Charming Girl." A mannered, but ultimately touching, perfperf by
Yoshimoto lifts the segseg far beyond apparent limitations.
Second episode, "Girl's Life," features the less sympathetic Miyuki
(Aimi Nakamura), a university student whose prodigious sexual
appetite and misanthropy is somewhat satiated by her sideline job
in a massage parlor. While "Birthday" suggests prostitution as an
option for self-discovery, in "Girl's Life," it helps Mari keep
emotional pain at bay.
Matter-of-fact portrayal of a sex worker's life, plus a solid perf
by Nakamura, makes this an intriguing entry, despite a glib
conclusion.
In the final seg, "Night Lovers," Nao (Kimika Yoshino) is an office
worker whose b.f.b.f. goes AWOL after being suspected of trading
company secrets. To cope with her grief, she begins picking up men
but always backs off before consummation.
One guy arranges a meeting with an internet hooker (Aya Keki) who's
also called Nao, so the wide-eyed girl can see the real thing.
Gradually, both the viewer and Nao get embroiled in details of the
hooker's life and her professional dissatisfactions. Episode --
helmed by both Kumazawa and Ishioka -- manages to be both witty and
tender.
