Dangerous Drugs of Sex – Movie Review & Analysis

Provocative story

The story in Dangerous Drugs of Sex is titillating, meant to shock and provoke you with obscene atrocities. You don't understand who these two main characters are, why that man is being tortured by a psycho, and what exactly is going to happen to him. Slowly but surely, the story pieces itself together through a series of flashbacks, spliced in between many scenes of torture and rape.

While the story is far from pleasant, I must admit that it's pretty unique and daring. At least within the BL dramas and movies, there's absolutely nothing resembling Dangerous Drugs of Sex. I didn't think anyone would have the audacity to adapt such an outrageous story into a live-action movie. Also, I didn't imagine any professional actor would agree to perform in it, but here we are.

Twisted romance

Considering how the movie started, it's almost unthinkable that Katsuragi and Yoda would become a couple by the end. Their romance is like the worst case of Stockholm syndrome, as the helpless victim falls in love with his abusive captor due to the irreversible damage to his psychological state. Katsuragi was already in a terrible place emotionally before meeting Yoda, but now he just moved from one rock bottom to another rock bottom.

The movie tries to portray their relationship differently, as if these are two traumatized characters who helped each other heal from their emotional wounds. However, I didn't buy it at all. The severity of torture that Yoda inflicted on Katsuragi is too excessive, and there's no viable justification or redemption for what he did. Yoda could discover the cure to cancer for all I care, and I still wouldn't be able to forgive him. Their Stockholm syndrome romance is never ever going to work for me.

Brave actors

The two actors in Dangerous Drugs of Sex definitely get an A for effort, going way beyond the boundaries of what you'd expect from a movie performance. Katsuragi's actor (Sho Watanabe) is dauntless, spending almost the entire movie completely naked and placed in extremely compromising positions. Once you let another actor insert his fingers up your bum, I gotta put some respect to your name.

With that said, it's not just about their willingness to embrace nudity. I mean, I wouldn't call every performer in pornography good actors just because they get naked on-screen (no offense~). On top of being really brave, these two actors really do immerse themselves into the roles, pulling off powerful emotions in all the right moments. For a story that isn't super strong, these actors managed to elevate the material into something more substantial.

Contrived ending

I have a really tough time accepting the ending in Dangerous Drugs of Sex, where the two main characters end up together romantically. Although the scene in the ocean is meant to be the emotional climax, I can't overlook the ridiculous turn of events. Um hello, this is the guy who tortured, raped, and abused you? Why are you even bothering to save his life? A more satisfying ending would've been for Katsuragi to DROWN Yoda for what he put him through. 👿

The movie acts like it's so ~poignant~ and ~romantic~ that the characters helped each other cope with their grief, but I don't see it that way. I'm just not convinced by their unhealthy relationship dynamic, where you're indebted to somebody just because they stopped you from taking your own life. I don't feel sympathetic towards Yoda, and I don't think Katsuragi should've gotten together with his abuser if he was of sound mind. I can't reconcile with how wrong I find this ending to be.

Lots of nudity

There's no denying Dangerous Drugs of Sex relies heavily on eroticism to convey its story. However, I hesitate to compare this movie to pornography because at least porn is supposed to be pleasant and enjoyable. Even though there's plenty of nudity on display, whether you find these dark and disturbing scenes sexy will be a different matter.

For the record, both lead actors do get naked many times during the story. In fact, Katsuragi spends nearly the entire movie in the nude. You don't see frontal nudity, but you get to see pretty much everything else from him. His character is put in all sorts of compromising positions, including racy bondage gear. Yoda's character doesn't get the same treatment, but we do see glimpses of nudity from him here and there as well.

TRIGGER WARNING!!!

Oh my god, where do we even begin with the trigger warning? I don't think there will ever be another movie on BL Watcher as controversial as Dangerous Drugs of Sex. This 18+ movie features rape, torture, abuse, violence, suicide, drugs, and pretty much every taboo topic you can think of. It's the most explicit BL movie without being outright porn, pushing all the boundaries and challenging every notion of decency you have.

Unless you are mentally prepared for a dark and twisted story with lots of gory content, this film shouldn't be watched. Even when you are completely prepared, you might still feel quite shocked and startled by the scandalous events. 😨

Risqué movie

Even though this movie isn't for everyone, I appreciate how daring Dangerous Drugs of Sex is. I never thought a BL movie like this would be made, showing graphic sex and nudity without reservations. Normally, you have to watch actual gay porn to see this amount of explicitness. Somehow, they packaged it inside a horror movie, except in a rather clever and cinematic way.

As disturbing and problematic as the story might be, it did spark my morbid curiosity and capture my attention. I was peeking through my fingers even when the movie got increasingly disturbing. For a horror movie, it does succeed in some areas, at least in terms of provoking and titillating the senses.

Ditch the romance

I know it defeats the point of BL to ditch the romance, but the romantic components don't gel with this twisted relationship dynamic. With the way this story is told, you can't have a happy ending with the rapist and his victim all loved up together. This pairing is simply too ludicrous, not to mention how completely wrong and offensive it is.

If you insist on making Katsuragi and Yoda a couple, at least show us how toxic this relationship is. Go for a thoroughly twisted horror movie ending that clearly highlights how problematic this couple is. Instead, giving this couple a happy ending is jarring with the brutal events earlier in the narrative. I can't forgive and forget that Katsuragi was literally TORTURED by the same man he fell in love with. This romance simply doesn't work!

You can either make a horror movie about abuse and torture, or portray a happy love story with two people overcoming trauma together. Sorry, but you can't have your cake and eat it too. Either pick one or the other, or else you'll end up with a movie that feels completely mismatched in tone.