I think _Asamy_ wanted the relationship to work—which explains the "You are the first one who is really warmhearted and tries to accept me." monologue re-appearance at the end—, but when she snuck into _Aoyama_'s house and saw his wife's picture still erect on his desk, she realized he was lying when he said he will only love her; thus, her PTSD kicked in and, fueled by her tortured past, she started setting up her revenge.

It's worth it to keep in mind that lust, fused with torture and violence, is the only form of intimacy she knows so, when she has full control, and in the absence of lust, torture and violence are all that is left.

I think _Aoyama_'s nightmare was fueled by many things:

1. His guilt over (1) remarrying after his wife's death (manifested in turning away the picture of his wife when he was looking at the CVs), (2) ditching his employee after sleeping with her, and ignoring her attempts to get him to commit to a serious relationship, (3) agreeing to stage the fake audition, which, in his words, made him "feel like a criminal", and (4) lying about not loving anyone but _Asamy_ because he still has feelings for his wife.

2. His fear of (1) committing to a serious relationship for the first time in years, (2) _Yoshikawa_'s warnings, and (3) _Asamy_'s obscure and troubled past.

3. His son's remark that _Asamy_ is almost his age might have been the catalyst for the son's girlfriend appearance in the nightmare.

I think there are two endings: (1) _Aoyama_'s nightmare passes, and life goes on, and (2) it is not really a nightmare, and _Asamy_ got her revenge, not only against _Aoyama_, but against every man who wronged her.

Finally, I think every horrific thing that went on up until the beginning of the final torture scene only happened in _Aoyama_'s imagination; a bunch of narratives that his brain invented and weaved together as a result of his fears. It is possible that _Asamy_'s life followed a similar path, but not necessarily what _Aoyama_ imagined in his head.

I wasn't frightened by the film, but I was amused throughout, and left in awe when it was over. This is an excellent, genre-defying, _Takashi Miike_ film. I can't really think of any sequence that dragged, or anything that went wrong. The cinematography, in particular, was pitch-perfect in every beat—in general, it's very easy to tell there is an auteur who knows what he's doing, and why, behind the camera.

10/10 would recommend, and watch again if an opportunity presents itself.