Hiroko Sato in Shanghai
Hiroko Sato In Shanghai
Enterbrain Productions
The Skinny: Imagine then what it would be like to accompany one of the most gorgeous of all of Japan’s Gravure Idols - Hiroko Sato - on a trip to Shanghai, the most lively, and trendy of any city in the P.R.C. There are no beaches or bikinis in this DVD. You’ll even see Hiroko in a winter coat.
What you do get in place of the usual hot weather DVD fare is a cool jazzy soundtrack, a sensational model, and some intriguing looks at Shanghai.
Definitely, this is a fun trip even though you’re traveling through the medium of a DVD rather than on the proverbial slow boat to China..
Hmmm, I’m gonna get you
on a slow boat to China,
All to myself alone;
Get you and keep you in my arms evermore;
Leave all the others
waitin’ on a faraway shore.
Those lyrics are by Frank Loesser who wrote the song “On A Slow Boat to China” way back in 1948. Thanks Frank. Fast forwarding to the present, our DVD begins with Hiroko on the river walkway above the Huangpo River. Across the water is the impressive Shanghai-Pudong skyline. Less than impressive is that Hiroko has to deal with an annoying CGI panda who chases her around.
Quickly we abandon this setting, and we join Hiroko in her room in the Peace Hotel where she’s reading up on the delights of Shanghai on her laptop computer. She’s fresh from the shower and wears only one of those plush terry-cloth robes.
We next watch an artsy scene. Hiroko wears a red checkered dress with a push-up bra. She’s on a staircase and it is all ‘fashion-magazine-esque’ posing. Nothing overly positive to report; however on the negative side there were some gimmicky in and out of focus segments of this scene that I found distracting.
Following is another stairway/hallway segment. Only this time this scene is bright with light. There’s even a double bonus as Hiroko and her mirror image share space. This scene ends with Hiroko on the hotel’s roof with more of the Shanghai architectural wonders that make up the skyline as background.
Hiroko looks smashing in a sexy cocktail dress as we meet her next. Only this is a tease. She will meet us and then immediately head down a hallway. And the scene becomes a massage. Two ladies work on Hiroko. They each wear medical looking tunics with big bows on the back and surgical masks. Their technique is fascinating to watch as a round piece of jade is placed on her back and what does it do? I can’t tell you that but jade is considered a cool gem.
After the massage, Hiroko takes a soak in a rose petal strewn bathtub. Unfortunately the director chose this scene to employ some editing gimmicks so the scene was a waste. There’s a brief interlude with Hiroko and her laptop sitting in a small park on Nanjing Lu Road. The pesky panda has more screen time in this stanza.
This is followed by a great segment. Hiroko is done up in black slacks with a faint chalk-stripe, a white shirt, a beautiful black and red scarf, suspenders, and a fedora. She’s not quite a Michael Jackson clone but she will remind you of the MJ of a different era. The scene is first set right there on a public street.
You can watch the Shanghainese walk by or pass on their bicycles. Some oblivious and some not sure of what they’re seeing. Then they move her to a clubby room - leather chairs, dark woods, Tiffany lamps, where Hiroko continues to charm us.
Next a playful Hiroko scampers about one of the upper floors in an atrium. She looks great but the soundtrack is cluttered with a conversation between Hiroko and the…panda!
The finale has Hiroko clad in a beige bra and panties set. They’ve again gone for the artsy-stylized look for this scene. But I am somewhat indifferent to this by now.
The rest of the DVD has Hiroko on a river cruise at night, and in the making of segments we see more of Shanghai, such as the sparkling Xintiandi, a neighborhood of electric cafes, shops, boutiques, and fine restaurants (picture of Xintiandi is below).
By the way I thought this DVD was a lot of fun, and as I watched Hiroko in Shanghai, I was able to see that she and I went to a lot of the same places in this city. Plus there were even more glamor poses to be found in the making of segments, only these were without the arty look.
I always enjoy Hiroko’s DVD’s. And despite the stylization of some of the scenes, and despite the annoying panda who wasn’t really necessary, I find the gorgeous Hiroko Sato to be a mesmerizing model. While it is true that there more than a few factors that I didn’t like about the DVD, I am still happy to reward the model as well as the producers a very fine four point zero rating as we say farewell to Shanghai.
We will be presenting another Hiroko DVD review before month’s end. The title is the lengthy Kanbai Gekijo Presents Hiroko Sato / Togenkyo which is a lot to remember. Here’s a look at the cover of this DVD which was shot in Okinawa.
