A veteran director of "pink" movies, Ryuichi Hiroki won critical acclaim for the 1994 youth drama "800 (800 -- Two Lap Runner)," his breakthrough into straight films. He first collaborated with Shinobu Terajima -- star of his new movie "Yawarakai Seikatsu -- in "Vibrator," a romantic road movie that swept Japanese film awards for 2003 and was widely screened overseas.
Like many other "pink" directors, former or not, Hiroki is a frank, unpretentious type, and during our interview the laughter flowed freely.
How much of Shinobu Terajima's performance came from you?