“Love & Pop” is a film directed by Hideaki Anno in 1998.

I haven’t finished Neon Genesis Evangelion, which he also made (Daiga usually just calls it Evangelion, though every time he says that word, I get confused and think he’s referring to another evangelion).But from the first two episodes I have seen—it was stunning.When I saw that Roxie (which, according to them, is one of the oldest still-operating independent cinemas in San Francisco, or even in the U.S.) was showing Love & Pop, I decided to go.Usually, I’m very skeptical of any self-introduction that includes the phrase “one of the…” Last year and the year before, Roxie’s film curation was pretty hit-or-miss—if I didn’t do my homework beforehand, I often ended up watching trash, or something painfully hippie-ish, which is really not my thing. This year, though—maybe they hired someone new—things started looking up. First there’s the super cute blonde with curly hair who looks fresh out of college, selling popcorn at the front. Looks like someone who really loves movies. Then, the overall film selection also started trending upward—I started getting pleasantly surprised even with random ticket purchases. Around this time last year, I had sat through three consecutive Roxie screenings where I couldn’t finish a single movie. After that, I immediately bought a Patron-level membership—all staff picks are free for the year. So when I saw Love & Pop, a film that reportedly grossed less than $80,000 but was directed by Hideaki Anno, I didn’t even bother looking into the plot—I just went.

Turns out, I was thoroughly surprised—in a good way.

The whole film is either from the protagonist’s POV, or from a hidden camera POV, or shot from atypical angles. Like: there’s a medium-long shot of four people, all centered in the frame, but the camera’s positioned around knee-height, tilting upward, and wobbling slightly. Or: the protagonist is sitting on a Shinkansen, and the camera is aggressively shooting up from her hand resting by the window—framing just her chin. There are also fisheye-lens shots of public spaces—streets, shopping malls—that gave me a sense of voyeurism and surveillance. The voyeurism feels like it’s someone else’s—someone’s gaze, stalking, like placing a spy cam in unauthorized places (under a bicycle seat, for example). The surveillance feels institutional—like public agencies monitoring people in open spaces, using fisheye lenses. The protagonist’s POV resembles what we’d now associate with GoPro footage, but obviously this isn’t GoPro—the image quality is too poor. And this is the restored version—it still has visible pixelation. But that’s part of its aesthetic. And I like it.

The editing is also fascinating. Sometimes, during a single scene or conversation—like the protagonist chatting with her older sister at the dining table—the film constantly switches between her POV and the hidden cam POV. There’s no narrative perspective. Only the self’s perspective, and the gaze of being watched. I thought that was really interesting.

The film’s theme is relatively well-worn: high school girls growing up in Tokyo frequently get approached by random middle-aged men on the street asking if they’re available for enjo-kōsai (compensated dating). And these girls, being young, naive, and easily tempted, often treat it as routine. Sometimes it’s just a meal, sometimes karaoke, payment varies. Reportedly, this social phenomenon has since shifted—from Tokyo high schoolers to runaway girls from outside Tokyo who come alone to the city, eventually turning to street work to make ends meet. It’s a new form with the same core: misogyny and exploitation of the vulnerable. Four girls of different personalities and interests come together. They get access to a cellphone that contains voice messages from men offering money for enjo-kōsai. One of the girls, in order to buy a ring, starts engaging in this game of compensated dating. If I didn’t tell you, you’d never guess that one of the girls is a 19-year-old Yukie Nakama. Because Gokusen left such a strong impression, I’ve always been a little intimidated by this actress—never thought she’d take on a role like this. But she’s gorgeous in it.

Great film. Highly recommend.