Japan Synopsis
月光の囁き
“Takuya wants to be Satsuki's dog. Satsuki likes to see Takuya cry. Love hurts.”
Satsuki and Takuya are high school students who meet at kendo practice, where they bash one another with wooden swords. They begin an awkward romance, but Takuya soon reveals a masochistic side to his desires. He has been stealing Satsuki's soiled clothing and secretly surveilling her while imagining her subjugation of him. Disgusted, Satsuki rejects him but he persists, and she discovers her own pleasure in manipulating and humiliating him.
Other Titles From Nikkatsu Corporation
Drama + Romance in Japan
270 Japan titles in our catalog blend the Drama and Romance genres. Below: the top-rated of them (excluding Moonlight Whispers itself).
The 1998–2000 Japan Window
In the crowded 1998-2000 Japan release window, Moonlight Whispers sits at #148 of 187. The leaderboard below contextualises its neighbours.
The 1990s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 1990s in Japan, 447 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Moonlight Whispers premiered alongside 60 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 60 other Japan films in 1999.
The 1239th Japan title from Japan we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1899).
Our Japan catalog contains 4,579 titles in total (2,908 films).
Audience Engagement
23 audience reviews — more than 41% of Japan films in our index.
Popularity sits at the 49th percentile among Japan films.
Thematic Fingerprint
Tags on Moonlight Whispers, grouped by how common each theme is across the full Asian catalog. Rare tags are more distinctive signals.
- fetishism · 3
- masochism · 2
- high school student · 18
- sadism · 9
- young love · 7
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #3,835 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (16th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is -0.9 points below the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Drama productions specifically: #1,686 of 1,933 (top 87%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Nikkatsu Corporation |
| Runtime | 1h 37m |
| Release Date | October 23, 1999 |
| IMDb | tt0208178 |