SamHel presents DEEP DIVE On "Tumbling Doll of Flesh"
SamHel, obsesses over Gore Porn film "Tumbling Doll of Flesh" & finds Japanese postings about the film & its director. Translates & edits them for other fans! SamHel states; he did NOT write this
Tumbling Doll of Flesh
Additional Information
This write-up contains additional information about the film Niku Daruma, also known as Tumbling Doll of Flesh. The content is sourced from one or two Japanese websites, where I aimed to uncover both new and old, lesser-known perspectives or facts about the film. The writings presented here were copied directly from these sources, which I do not own. I’ve worked to translate them, albeit imperfectly, and edited the text to make it more accessible. The posting should have the writer credited, it may have just been misplaced during the translation and editing! If you wrote some of these and some how read this and don’t see your name, please contact us!
The content appears to be a mix of a review, an overview of the film, and, possibly, excerpts from an interview with the director. Additionally, there is a brief overview of the film's script. Please note, I do not own any of the original material; this is purely a compilation based on my personal interest in the film. I’ve made this information available for fans of Tumbling Doll of Flesh who may find it difficult to access these insights elsewhere.
"Those who believe are cursed!" The splatter-style adult film Bizarre Erotica Niku Daruma has earned its reputation as a "do not search" term, while the documentary-style adult film Osorezan Furu, the inspiration behind an urban legend, dives even deeper into the taboo. A disturbing exploration of spirits and erotic horror.
Written by Menookashi - A queer take on beastly, provocative cinema.
Edited by SamHel.
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On the internet, there’s a term known as a "word you shouldn’t search" called Niku Daruma. This refers to an adult video released in 1999 by the niche video company Aroma Kikaku.
As the title suggests, the film is a splatter-style adult video where a woman’s limbs are severed, transforming her into a “human meatball.” However, the reason it has become an urban legend is not just due to the extreme nature of the content. Kanako Oba, the actress who starred in the film (her stage name is a pun on "stupid child"), died in a tragic accident the day before the release (some claim it was a week before). She was hit by a train at a crossing near Shimokitazawa Station.
Known for drinking alone, it’s said she got drunk, wandered onto the tracks, and tragically met her end. Some speculate it was suicide, as she had reportedly been mentally distressed due to personal issues, including her involvement in the adult video industry and a troubled relationship with her boyfriend. Whether it was an accident or suicide, what’s certain is that she died just before Niku Daruma's release, leading to eerie speculation, as her death echoed the gruesome fate portrayed in the film.
Niku Daruma is shot in a documentary style, typical of films with "snuff" film elements. The cast is limited to four people: Kanako Oba (Kana), Kikurin (Kiku), Yuji Kitano (the villainous cameraman and president of Aroma Kikaku), and director Tamaki Anadome, who also plays a sinister role in the film.
Kanako Oba was an "amateur" (at least to the industry) scouted by Kitano at a bar in Shimokitazawa, having only appeared in one other adult film. This was the second film by Anadome, whose debut film, My Red Intestines, featured extreme self-harm as a recurring theme. Kikurin is still active in the adult film industry as both an actor and director.
The director, Anadome Tamaki, was known for catering to extreme fetishes, tailoring his work to the desires of clients. A week before filming, the cameraman told him, “Finally, we’re going to kill an actor.” Afterward, the director interviewed the two leads: Kana (Kanako Oba), who worked multiple jobs and was registered with a "mistress bank," and Kiku (Kikurin), a self-professed pervert who “liked corpses” and was seemingly fine with the disturbing content of the shoot.
The filming took place at a house in Izu, rented from an acquaintance of Yuji Kitano. The behind-the-scenes conditions were rough, with broken furniture and faux ejaculation being used. That night, a lively dinner featuring fresh spiny lobster was served.
The next day, after some light gravure-style filming, the real shoot began—complete with bondage, whipping, and enema play. But as filming progressed, Kana began to resist, saying, “It’s embarrassing,” “It hurts,” and “I don’t like it.” At the client’s request, scatological elements were required, but Kana’s clear discomfort disrupted the shoot. Her genuine aversion to the violent and degrading acts became the central theme of Niku Daruma.
Contains spoilers and grotesque depictions here.
As Kana is about to put on her shoes at the entrance, the director hits her from behind with a bat, knocking her unconscious. He then drags her back into the filming room. Her clothes are cut from the crotch area, her head is wrapped in bandages, and her hands and feet are tied to the bed. The director orders Kiku to rape her. While Kiku is in the act, the director pulls out a machete and severs Kana's right ankle.
Kiku is momentarily confused but continues. Kana remains unresponsive until the director throws the machete under her knee, prompting her to scream. At this point, the director pushes Kiku aside, climbs on top of Kana, and begins scraping her tongue with a peeler. Her screams (a real pig's tongue was reportedly used for this scene) drive the director to cut the tip of her tongue in two with scissors.
The brutality inflicted on Kana by the director and cameraman continues through the night. The director takes pleasure in experimenting with severing her right arm, using trial and error to slice through bone and skin. All the while, he administers hemostatic agents and morphine, taunting Kana, asking, "Are you in pain? Do you want to live?" His sadistic obsession with her suffering is chilling.
He eventually wakes Kiku, who had been dozing off (perhaps in shock). The director orders him to sever Kana's left leg. Despite the unspeakable damage inflicted on her, Kana is somehow still alive. The director then cuts open her abdomen and urges Kiku to violate the wound, exclaiming, "It feels good!" Kiku, a self-proclaimed "corpse lover," complies and ejaculates in a strange state of excitement.
The director, observing from behind, suddenly strikes Kiku in the back of the head. Confused, Kiku asks, "Why, why?" The director then castrates him, pulling out his testicles before using the machete to split Kana's face in half, killing her. After calling someone (presumably the client who commissioned the snuff film) to arrange cleanup, the director turns to the cameraman and nonchalantly asks, "Ready to go home?"
In comparison to Guinea Pig 2: Flower of Flesh and Blood (made over a decade earlier), the special effects in Niku Daruma are somewhat amateurish. However, given the film's budget of only ¥650,000, the results are notable. Director Anaru Tamakichi, using his beauty school experience, personally handled the special effects, which included creating a full-body dummy for the dismemberment scenes. Reportedly, Kanako Oba's payment for the film was a mere ¥50,000, an exceptionally low sum even by adult film standards at the time.
Despite its flaws, Niku Daruma became an urban legend, with its notoriety as a "cursed film" driving interest. At one point, VHS copies were sold for as little as ¥100 in bargain bins, but its reputation grew on the internet, transforming it into a cult classic. In the mid-2000s, a DVD version was sold at Aroma Kikaku’s store in Koenji (later relocated to Shinjuku), and in 2016, it was briefly available again on the company's mail-order site.
While the domestic DVD version is now difficult to find, the US-released Tumbling Doll of Flesh (the English title) by Massacre Video is still available on Amazon Japan as of June 2017. This version uses the same master as the Japanese release, complete with mosaic censorship. Ironically, this blurring contributes to the film's unsettling atmosphere, as it obscures the rougher special effects.
As for the rumored "curse" surrounding the film, it's largely speculation based on events reported by the staff of Niku Daruma. The origins of the so-called "curse" seem to stem from Osorezan Serei Fuck, a documentary-style adult film made three years after Kanako Oba's death by the same cast and crew. The film follows Yuji Kitano, AV actors Kikurin, Anadome Tamaki, and others as they visit a shaman at Osorezan in an attempt to uncover the truth behind Oba's death. The adult elements of the film include Kitano and Kikurin taking turns having sex with an actress, spitting semen on statues of Jizo, and having sex at the Sai-no-Kawara (a Buddhist site for deceased children) on Mt. Osore.
In the film, Kitano reminisces about his memories with Kanako Oba, with clips from Niku Daruma interspersed throughout. These clips differ slightly from the actual film, further blurring the lines between fact and fiction in this disturbing tale.
On the way to the photography studio, I unexpectedly found myself at Zoshigaya Cemetery, where Kanako Oba is buried. The actor’s costume, initially meant to be a business suit, had somehow turned into mourning attire. I was too overwhelmed to take a photo with director Yuji Kitano due to shortness of breath.
After filming, a black cat suddenly darted onto the road, almost causing an accident. Strangely, the actress' name was "Kana," and the bar I ended up at was called "Snack Kana." Once I offered alcohol as a gesture, the bizarre occurrences stopped.
Director Tamakichi Anaru’s mind seems to unravel when planning splatter-type films. It's hard to escape the sense that the idea of a "curse" around Kanako Oba’s death was used as a promotional tactic. The supposed curse, initially shared in the "Osorezan" documentary, spread quickly online. Occult enthusiasts fueled the desire for it to be a "real cursed video," turning Niku Daruma into an urban legend with warnings like "a word you shouldn't search" and "a video that curses you if you watch it."
Though the promotional "curse" didn’t frighten me, the atmosphere around Niku Daruma's filming did feel unsettling. The crew, including Yuji Kitano, Kikurin, Anaru, and Kanako Oba, seemed to feed off the eerie energy during the splatter scenes. There was even talk of an off-camera 4P between them, suggesting that not everyone involved had a sound mind. Yet, it was said that Kanako wasn’t opposed to participating in the film.
In recent years, Anaru has focused on scatological adult videos, which have crossed into taboo territory but remain legally permissible by avoiding actual harm. The extreme nature of these videos reflects a broader trend in the AV industry, where boundaries are constantly being pushed.
Compared to earlier taboo-breaking works from directors like Kaoru Adachi, Niku Daruma lacks any deeper message. Yet, its unsettling aura may have contributed to its status as an urban legend. Despite seeing Niku Daruma several times, I haven't experienced any ill effects or signs of a curse. I'm not sensitive to spiritual matters or superstitions, so even if I were cursed, I might not notice. However, if this blog remains forever un-updated after this post, maybe the curse is real after all... (smile).
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Bizarre Erotica Nikudaruma — When you watch this video, it seems that strangely, good things tend to happen. Although it features simulated violence, where a person is turned into a "daruma" (a limbless doll), it's oddly captivating.
Aroma Kikaku
Director: Anaru Tamaki
Title: Bizarre Erotica Nikudaruma — Pseudo-Snuff (Simulated Murder)
Runtime: 75 minutes
(Set in 200X)
The video is a pseudo-snuff film, presenting the staged killing of individuals for entertainment. Here’s how it unfolds:
Day 1:
Hand-held camera footage shows the start of the AV shoot. Everything goes smoothly without incident.
Day 2:
The intensity increases:
The actress is tied up.
Butt play → She taps out early; shooting is stopped.
Candle wax → She protests, saying it's too hot; she genuinely seems uncomfortable.
Whipping → Again, she says it’s too painful. There's nothing convincing about her performance.
The scat scene is supposed to be less painful, so the crew encourages her to "just give it your best."
Enema Scene:
The actress firmly refuses, saying, "Stop. I can't do it. If I don't finish this, I can't keep working." Despite the pressure, she’s visibly uncomfortable.
The director responds with, "You can do it!"
Shooting Interrupted:
The atmosphere is tense. Frustrated, the director says, "That's it. We're done. Go home."
As the actress heads to the front door to leave, someone hits her over the head with a bat from behind.
The situation escalates:
They stop the bleeding and tie her to the bed.
The director instructs an actor to have sex with her while she is tied up.
The actress is still alive, though in immense pain.
The director then proceeds to cut off her left ankle. The actor is horrified but is told to continue.
As the actress regains consciousness, she screams in agony.
The director then takes pliers and attempts to cut off her tongue but can’t. He suggests, "Let’s bite it off."
Morphine is administered to prevent her from dying from shock, while her right hand is amputated, requiring branch shears to cut through the bone.
The actor, disturbed, is woken up from shock and ordered to finish amputating her remaining leg. He nervously stabs her right leg with a knife.
The director, unsatisfied, tells him to cut it off completely.
Finally, the director slices the actress’s stomach open. The actor, trembling, inserts himself into the wound. Immediately after he finishes, the director strikes him with a bat and castrates him.
"Good job today," the director says.
Reflections on the Film:
Even with films like Guinea Pig, people once believed they were witnessing real murders.
When you watch closely, you realize the crew actually put their hearts into the effects and production, but people are often more attracted to rumors that suggest a "real murder film."
The desire for "realness" makes people want to believe fiction is non-fiction. They willingly blur the lines between staged violence and reality.
(Interview with Anaru Tamaki, “Cerebral Ejaculation in Osaka”)