Tireless in his dedication to the genre, Mototsugu Watanabe emerged as one of the finest directors of the pinku explosion in the 1990s and continues to be one of the finest directors of the style. In this sexy over-the-top indie comedy, originally released as Pin-saro byôin 3: Nô-pan shinsatsushitsu, Watanabe and writer Takao Nakano mine the same silly territory of his earlier pinku comedies in the ‘Sexy Battle Girls’ films to great effect.

Pink Salon Hospital 3 is available from Pink Eiga

Looking for work, Komasa (Shiori Kuroda) is a cow-girl drifter who works at the whore house, “Hot-Lips”. One day, she saves the life of Monroe (Nao Saitô) a pink-haired woman who is being attacked by a demon. Monroe gets a job at “Hot Lips” where it’s quickly discovered that her blowjobs have magical healing powers. Soon she’s the most popular girl there as lines of sick and handicaped men seek special treatment from the woman who has the healing powers of an angel.

Working as a comedy, there’s much to like with this one. The silly premise of Munroe’s healing prowess is put to use with some fine visual gags of her working on men with deformities or a history of sexual inadequacy that carries the first half of the film in fine form. The sight of her performing blowjobs to blind people or those in wheelchairs before being miraculously cured offers some fine comedic moments. Even funnier is the proprietor Bibi Kin played by Jimmy Tsuchida who is the very definition of spastic as he hawks the live performances. Some of the other side characters at the brothel elicit some laughs as well, making for a solid and engaging comedic effort. This might be the film’s lone weakness as some out there might find the goofiness off-putting. Despite this, the film’s atmosphere makes it obvious that ‘Whore Angels’ is going to be silly overall and it gets weirder the deeper it goes. ‘Whore Angel’ does require the ability to go with the flow of events in order to get it, and the silliness will either work on viewers or it won’t.

As well, being a pinku film, the film maintains a surprisingly high level of eroticism. When they’re not being funny, the numerous sexual antics are finely charged and sensual. Watanabe’s skill at making these scenes comes out in the forefront with the prolonged encounters being quite explicit, from several threesome couplings to a fine session between a couple in the office. The delirious sequence of one girl selling her soul to a demon becomes like a fever dream with some off-kilter camera tricks, courtesy of cinematographer Masahide Iioka and fine editing from Shoji Sakai to complete the illusion. Frankly, the girls are an attractive lot and manage to look appealing enough during their scenes, which helps make this even more erotic. The workers at the whorehouse follow this by being skillful and adventurous which helps these scenes generate some extra heat alongside the main performers.

Being a mostly two-person show, they handle the workload nicely. Shiori Kuroda as Komasa is fine as a free-spirited loner who gets caught up in the supernatural situation. Being street-wise but still vulnerable, she can handle herself in a fight and still be believable during the scenes of her in the whorehouse. Nao Saito as Munroe the Angel is far more memorable with her enthusiasm during the performances where she’s servicing the others. The bubbly persona for the patrons while staying more reserved backstage is a fine look here and she does make her character twist in the latter half seem believable. The other big name here is Shoko Kudo as Yuki, the former main girl who finds herself now in the backseat to the new girls. Another capable performer in the sexual scenes, her icy performances during the meet-ups with the demonic entity carry a darker tone than expected.

Even beyond these factors, the film manages has a lot to like. Nakano’s completely bonkers story manages to include a lot of seemingly random articles that come together nicely in the end. The wild scenario includes a cowgirl-dressed drifter, a pink-haired reincarnation of an angel, demons, doomsday religious prophecies and an emotional backstory for the heroine, all in a supposed sex comedy. This hodgepodge of ideas gels far better than expected, with the early rescue and subsequent appearances at the club resulting in a great set-up for the later-half to tell a story. Going from the goofy whorehouse antics to the dramatic religious prophecies allows for a completely engrossing ride, and to wrap it together in the confines of the genre is a credit to Nakano’s skillful screenplay.

Overall, ‘Pink Salon Hospital 3′ emerges as one of Mototsuge’s finest films. Combining a wacky storyline with some fine eroticism and goofy comedy, this is an ideal choice for fans of the genre or of the directors’ previous works to check out, while those who are curious about delving into the genre could find this a strong entry point.