Timing and Translation by ZENRA

(Second Half online May 14th)

BULLITT is running an investigation of sorts and needs help: real friends, not couples, not anything else. By patrolling the streets presumably near Ikebukuro--the area of choice many a people monitoring-focused JAV movie makes use of for reasons that go beyond this review leads to a surprisingly high amount of successful catches. Here we've eight pairs who may in fact go from real friends to real lovers though it remains anyone's guess what happens in the awkward moments that follow!

Taking a step back, we must salute JAV for really nailing the 'could this really happen to randos?' theme. This author at least does not recall any western studio that consistently pushes out movies like this and it's a shame because this remains one of those genres where it's less about looks and more about mixing reality with a zany theme. Because really, what are the chances of finding a man-woman not-dating couple walking around town and proposing in a studio van that they should consider having sex together WHILE being filmed? While one scene goes all the way in the van, the rest that make use of it still transition to a hotel which with reality glasses on, would make for an especially awkward encounter.

Moving more towards the matter at hand, in this lovely BULLITT double-update, we need to address the rhino in the room: factoring in PEOPLE MONITORING - WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR REAL FRIENDS TO HAVE SEX?, we are simultaneously running a whole bunch of movies by various studios basically focusing on the same theme. That they're all done well and with perhaps one blip I'm blaming on a less than stellar cover and perhaps somewhat drab studio lighting, they've all been fan favorites.

Thus, another one can't hurt and the variety in this release is on another level. And by 'variety', this isn't just about casting, but the entire scenario. Yes, the glue that binds them all together remains real friends and seeing if they'll have sex together, but the way to get there differs in almost all scenes: the first featuring Netsu Yujin essentially MC'ing a "I dare you" till the very end, a quirky van sex encounter with a potential real virgin, two faster scenes that sadly skip a good amount of great dialog for extra skin time, and later on we're back with semi off camera hosts encouraging those not dating to dive into the deep end.

There are no issues with PEOPLE MONITORING - WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR REAL FRIENDS TO HAVE SEX? The casting is varied as is the journey to sex. The production values remain solid, the angles, the adventure (!), and the finishes are well-done. If one enjoys people monitoring movies, there is no reason not to watch this one.