Rubber's Lover

While I don't enjoy it quite as much, although it is extremely close, Rubber's Lover feels like a distillation of the Fukui's cyberpunk formula seen in the brilliant 964 Pinocchio. Despite this, it manages to retain, if not exceed its extremity in some ways, with its outrageous body horror, sound and narrative. Barely a second goes by without some sort of taboo breaking occurrence transmitted on the screen in hazy black and white. The plot contributes to the delirious atmosphere, feeling unknowable at time behind all the sensory the viewer is subjected to. Still, the anti-establishment themes associated with cyberpunk are present, the corrupting force of authority ever present, every character seemingly a vessel of the will of the rulers. Overall, it's safe to say I adored Rubber's Lover. This and 964 Pinocchio are an incomparable 1-2 punch and sit neatly in the pantheon of this truly incredible genre from Japan.