He once again worked with actress Shinobu Terajima on the 2005 film "It's Only Talk", returning to his concentration on the problems of modern city life in Japan. The film won Best Film Third Place at the 16th Japanese Professional Movie Awards (2006) and Hiroki was given a Special Award. Also during this period, Hiroki directed two character dramas with sexual themes, "L'Amant" about a teenaged girl selling herself as a sex slave and "M", detailing the experiences of a housewife whose sexual experimentation leads to prostitution.