Tokyo Garbage Girl

This is where things started to change for Hiroki. After a long run-in directing pinku films and a few first tepid attempts at doing drama, Tokyo Garbage Girl is one of his first films where his grittier side and his knack for depicting strong female characters started to surface. It would mark the start of a great career.

Miyuki works as a waitress in a local bar. She has a secret crush on the boy who lives in the flat above her. She's too shy to approach the boy, so to know more about him, she starts going through his trash. It turns out to be a pretty effective method, but soon it becomes an obsession for Miyuki.

The performances are solid and Miyuki is an interesting character, but the film lacks the dramatic refinement of Hiroki's best films. The cinematography is a little rough and the minimal budget left its mark on the film. Still, if you like Hiroki's work, there's a lot to love here, even if it's a little rough around the edges.