Sincerity (film)

Sincerity (至誠 Shisei) is a 1966 Japanese episodic survival horror film produced and directed by Yukio Mishima. The movie was originally released in 1966 and was given a DVD release in 2017 through Bendy Video.

Chapter One: Dōga o miru (動画を見る, Moving Pictures)
The film starts as Henry (ヘンリー Henrī) (portrayed by Yukio Mishima himself), an animator, gets an invitation to his old workplace, an animation studio called Kotobuki Hananomoto Production (花本琴之プロダクション Hanamoto Koto no purodakushon), by the eponymous owner, and Henry's old friend, Kotobuki Hananomoto. Upon arriving, the place seems deserted and run through with ink pipes. Upon exploring, Henry finds the Ink Machine, as well as evidence that Joey began practicing with the occult, finding a mutilated corpse of Boris the Wolf, one of the cartoon characters appearing in Joey's cartoon posters. Upon restoring power to the Ink Machine, Henry is attacked by a living ink version of another of the cartoon character named Bendy. Henry tries running to the exit, but the floor collapses and he falls into a secret underground room. He enters a room with three coffins and a pentagram painted on the ground in ink. When approaching the pentagram, Henry gets flashbacks of the Ink Machine and "Bendy", then passes out in the middle of it.

Chapter Two: Ōrudosongu (オールドソング, The Old Song)
Upon waking up, Henry begins to find more evidence of Hananomoto and musical director Masao Yagi performing in Satanic rituals. Apparently stuck in the studio, Yagi went insane and began worshipping Bendy as a form of appeasement, believing that the cartoon devil was a literal demon. Henry ends up in the Music Department of the studio, following tracks through recordings to find his way out. While trying to escape he encounters The Searchers, ink drops that form in humanoid figures and try to attack him. After draining the pool of ink down, Henry is knocked unconscious by Masao Yagi. Yagi forces Henry to a chair and explains that he has to sacrifice Henry to get "Bendy" to release him from his ink body. When "Bendy" arrives, he attacks and kills Lawrence instead, and eventually chases after Henry; after getting away, Henry finds a living version of Boris the Wolf as the chapter ends.

Chapter Three
TBA

Release
Sincerity was originally distributed in Japan by Toho and Daiei Film on February 10, 1966. It was released theatrically again by Kokuei Company, Nikkatsu and Daisan Productions on April 18, 1966. In 2011, the original negatives were discovered in perfect condition, in a tea box at a warehouse at their home in Tokyo. The film was released on DVD in Japan in 2008 and then in the US by Bendy Video in February 10, 2017.