DVD update: Aya Sugimoto! Takashi Ishii's FLOWER & SNAKE II (HANA TO HEBI 2: PARI/SHIZUKO) - a.k.a. "Flower and Snake 2: Paris/Shizuko"

Media Blasters Inc. is now scheduled to release Takashi Ishii's Flower & Snake II (Hana to hebi 2: Pari/Shizuko) - a.k.a. "Flower and Snake 2: Paris/Shizuko" - on DVD (TSDVD-0653; NTSC, region 1, Japanese w/ English subtitles) in the U.S. on December 19th; the DVD is available for pre-order from Twitch affiliate Amazon.com Inc.. Toei Video Co. Ltd. (Tôei Bideo K.K.) released the movie theatrically in Japan on March 26th of last year, and on sale DVD (DSTD-02450; NTSC, region 2, Japanese w/o subtitles) there on September 21st of last year.

The screenplay for Flower & Snake II was written by Ishii, and was ultimately based on a series of novels by Oniroku Dan. The movie's principal cast (as listed on the cast page of the official website) is as follows: Aya Sugimoto, Ken'ichi Endô, Fujiko, Mieko Arai, Yôzaburô Itô, Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi, Tôru Shinagawa, Shun Nakayama, and Joe Shishido (Shishido Jô).

Here's a synopsis for Flower & Snake II from Media Blasters' website: "The beautiful Shizuko (Aya Sugimoto) and her husband Takayoshi Tooyama (Joe Shishido) have a loving relationship, but Takayoshi is getting older and isn't always able to perform. His primary source of gratification involves observing his wife in sadomasochistic scenarios, so he commissions a painter, skilled in the arts of bondage, to bring these fantasies to life. Soon Shizuko becomes a willing and submissive participant in fulfilling the S&M fantasies of not only her husband, but also a slew of rich, lecherous men."

For more information on Flower & Snake II, see Twitch's fifth, fourth, third, second, and first articles on it.

Media Blasters released Ishii's Flower & Snake (Hana to hebi) on DVD (TSDVD-0512; NTSC, region 1, Japanese w/ English subtitles) in the U.S. on May 31st of last year.

Flower & Snake II trailer (streaming Windows Media - viewer discretion is advised)
Flower & Snake II official website
Media Blasters: Flower & Snake II U.S. DVD
Media Blasters: Flower & Snake U.S. DVD
Amazon.com: Flower & Snake II U.S. DVD
Amazon.com: Flower & Snake U.S. DVD