The Sweat Collector

Meet Teruhiko and Kaoru. They got married after meeting at a match-making omiai date. Because her husband Teruhiko is obsessed with cleanliness, Kaori finds her daily life to be extremely rigid and strict. Kaoru has a small fetish and feels abnormally extreme excitement towards the smell of men’s sweat and body odor. However, she is unable to reveal this aspect of herself to her husband. After Teruhiko goes to work, she uses her carefully collected specimens of smelly men’s clothing to bring herself to a state of ecstasy. After she is finished, she sits silently, using tissues to thoroughly clean the sofa, floor, and whatever areas are soiled, and flushes them down the toilet one by one. However, one day, the toilet becomes clogged from all of the tissues. When she calls a plumber to fix the problem, a sweaty man named Asano shows up. Kaoru, who is extremely aroused by his smell, is met with Asano who realizes her quirk.

Directed by Hideo Jojo, The Sweat Collector leans on a strong ensemble — Nana Nanaumi, Maki Aoyama, Megumi Tomizawa — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about romance titles of 2016.