In the Realm of the Senses
Tanaka's version of the Sada Abe story is inevitably compared with Nagisa Oshima's internationally-known "In the Realm of the Senses". The most obvious difference between the two is that Tanaka's film, intended for a Japanese audience, could not indulge in the hardcore elements that Oshima's version employed. As a result, Oshima's film, when shown in Japan, was censored, while Tanaka's version played as the director intended it. While Oshima limits his timeframe to the period of the final sexual encounter, Tanaka gives a more rounded portrayal of Abe's life through flashbacks.