Photographer Minori Kijima is at a vital turning point in her life. Thirty and single, she finds solace in an affair with her editor, Kushida. In Kushida, she finds she can lose herself and live in a sort of non-identity, a place where she can easily pass judgment on those around her without worrying about how she will be perceived.
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Things begin to change when she meets journalist Shinichi. Tasked to interview Ageha, an erotic mangaka, the magazine pushes Shinichi to publish a fake article after the interview, an order that does not wield the results they are looking for. This event pushes Shinichi and Minori closer together on both a professional and moral level, as the former struggles with whether he can publish a bogus article to appease the magazine and Minori, who is also to gain from the article. From this interview, Minori begins to clash with those around her and becomes more introspective, questioning the choices she has made in life, a decision that puts her on a path of self-discovery.
Veteran cinematographer Masahide Iioka, who picked up an award for his work on the film at the 2005 “Pink Grand Prix”, creates sharp visuals in both the exterior and interior shots, resulting in a film that is a constant pleasure to view. The movie is well written, leaving delightful subtleties in the dialogue that allow the viewer to form their own analysis of Minori and her struggle to find her own identity. The music underlines the mood of the film, with a soundtrack that varies in genre to accentuate the tone of a given scene.
Yumeka Sasaki, who also won an award at the Pink Grand Prix for her role, gives a phenomenal performance as Minori. She breathes a certain sense of realism into the role and I felt quite enamored to the character because of it. Mikiya Sanada as Shinichi is a bit of a dud by comparison, with a rather unstimulating performance, but this is forgivable as he acts as a catalyst in the film to add depth to Yumeka Sasaki's character. The rest of the cast plays their roles out competently, but none are truly memorable.
Within the short runtime of 63 minutes, which has its fair share of sex scenes, the film manages to add a lot of depth by utilizing great performances, cinematography, music score and directing. In particular, Yumeka Sasaki's performance elevates the film, making it noteworthy to fans of the genre who favor a strong female lead. With so many positives and a lot of nice soft touches throughout, “Twitch: You Are My Toy”, is one of the most notable modern Pink films I have had the pleasure of watching. My only real complaint about the film would be in its title, which I believe to be misleading, making the content sound as if it could be comedic or devious, as opposed to the competent character piece that it is.
