Known for Acting
Ken Mitsuishi (光石 研 Mitsuishi Ken, born 26 September 1961) is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in films such as Chaos and Tokyo Playboy Club.
Born
September 26, 1961 (age 64)
Birthplace
Yahata, Fukuoka, Japan
Filmography
243 films, 115 shows
Hodonaku, Owakare Desu
2026 · 2h 4m
country: Japan
After failing to land a job, Shimizu Misora stumbles into an internship at funeral company Bando Kaikan and trains under the strict but compassionate Urushibara Reiji. As she learns to care for the bereaved, her discouragement turns into admiration, and a new sense of purpose.
Night Flower
2025
country: Japan
Driven to the brink, Natsuki makes a desperate gamble: selling drugs to make her children's dreams come true. Living a double life—mother by day, dealer by dark—where will this dangerous path lead her—?
On Summer Sand
2025 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
This story begins with a protagonist whose sense of time has halted due to the grief of losing his son, now abandoned by his wife, and his sudden cohabitation with his 17-year-old niece left behind by his sister. A man who has lost love, a woman who has renounced love, and a girl who knows nothing of love... As they confront their respective pains, their journey of discovering faint sprouts of hope in hearts as parched as summer sand is depicted—a poignant yet tender masterpiece where sorrow and warmth intertwine.
Sham
2025 · 2h 9m
country: Japan
When a young student shows signs of trauma, his parents act swiftly against his middle school teacher. But all may not be as it seems, leading the scales of justice to tip in fascinating, heartbreaking ways.
Frontline - Yokohama Bay
2025 · 2h 9m
country: Japan
In February 2020, a luxury cruise ship carrying a cluster infection of the novel coronavirus docks in Yokohama. Disaster Medical Assistance Teams work tirelessly to save lives while battling anxiety and fear surrounding the unknown virus.
BAUS: The Ship's Voyage Continues
2025 · 1h 56m
country: Japan
Two brothers start working as benshi narrators of silent films in a cinema in the early 20th century. This premise is the jumping-off point for an epic family saga that follows the protagonists and their descendants through wars and technological developments.
孤独のグルメ2024大晦日スペシャル 太平洋から日本海 五郎、北へ あの人たちの所まで。
2024
country: Japan
2024 TV Movie
The Hotel of My Dream
2024 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
In 1984, an up-and-coming writer named Aida Taiju has her career crushed by off-hand criticism from an established author, Higashijujo-sensei. They end up holed up writing in the same hotel historically favoured by authors in the Jimbocho publishing district. Swearing revenge, Taiju makes Higashijujo miss his writing deadline by pretending to be a different person, and entangles her editor into the ruse. They become entangled in a long-lasting feud of revenge where Taiju uses her acting background and pretends to be various different women in order to have her revenge on Higashijujo or blackmail him. Based on a novel by Asako Yuzuki from 2012.
Cells at Work!
2024 · 1h 50m
country: Japan
A novice red blood cell and a relentless white blood cell work together to protect their human from invading germs, pathogens and other threats.
大川と小川の休日捜査
2024
country: Japan
Dear Family
2024
country: Japan
Nobumasa Tsuboi (Yo Oizumi) runs a small factory in a small town. He has a daughter Yoshimi Tsuboi (Riko Fukumoto) who suffers from a congenital heart disease. A doctor tells Nobumasa Tsuboi that his daughter will only live for about 10 more years. Nobumasa Tsuboi is devastated that his daughter won't live past the ago of 20. Nobumasa Tsuboi and his wife Yoko Tsuboi (Miho Kanno) cannot accept the diagnosis. Even though he has no medical knowledge or experience, Nobumasa Tsuboi begins to study about artificial hearts.
Cottontail
2024 · 1h 34m
country: United Kingdom
After the death of his wife, Kenzaburō receives an unexpected letter from beyond the grave. His late wife asks him to travel to Lake Windermere in England with their son to scatter her ashes. Plagued by sweet and painful memories of his wife, Kenzaburō travels to England from Tokyo to fulfill her final wish, but the father and son's fraught relationship threatens to upend their journey.
All the Long Nights
2024 · 1h 59m
country: Japan
Two work colleagues: he suffers from panic attacks, she has extreme PMS. Their company distributes toy planetariums. What may not sound like Ozu Yasujirō is actually precisely that: people are attentive and do each other good, without even realising.
Hikaru Koutei
2023 · 1h 12m
country: Japan
Tomoya thinks about the death of a person. Tsubasa is suffering from a serious illness. These two meet and spend an unforgettable summer.
In Love and Deep Water
2023 · 2h 7m
country: Japan
On a massive luxury cruise ship while at sea, the loyal butler and a mysterious woman cross paths as they try to uncover a murder-mystery that occurs on the ship.
Dreaming in Between
2023 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
Facing an unacceptable reality, a teacher is trying to reclaim relationships with his family, students and former friends. Reassessing his past, he contemplates how to go on with his life.
Ripples
2023 · 2h
country: Japan
Yoriko Sudo believes in a new religious group Midoriinochikai, that worships water. She lives peacefully, devoting herself to the group daily.
大川と小川の時短捜査
2022
country: Japan
The president of an IT company is found dead. The cause of death is believed to be an overdose of medication for a chronic illness, but the possibility of murder emerges since potassium and other substances were found in the body. Ogawa, unfamiliar with the investigation, asks for help from Okawa, a former detective who now works for the police department. The "large-and-small duo", who are uneven in appearance and personality, take on the challenge of getting to the bottom of a difficult case.
BL Metamorphosis
2022 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
An introverted bookstore employee and a widow living in isolation develop a cross-generational friendship through their shared love of BL manga.
One Day, You Will Reach the Sea
2022 · 2h 6m
country: Japan
This work is a 12-year story of Mana, a woman who cannot accept the death of her best friend, staring at her as she tries to step forward while having deep sorrow.
The Man Who Can't Defraud
2022 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
Sakai plays an extremely good-natured businessman. When he attends a marriage activity party in an attempt to start a happy family, he meets a swindler played by Mugi Kadowaki, and ends up being a part of the scam.
Mr. Osomatsu: The Movie
2022 · 1h 51m
country: Japan
Osomatsu ends up meeting the CEO of a multi-trillion yen company, who wants to adopt Osomatsu as his own. The other brothers find out and they can't let that slide without a fight.
My Daddy
2021 · 1h 56m
country: Japan
Kazuo Mido is a pastor at a small church. He lost his wife 8 years ago and raises his only daughter, a junior high school student, singlehandedly. When she is diagnosed with an illness, he undergoes a drastic change.
A Balance
2021 · 2h 32m
country: Japan
While documenting a controversial tragedy that shook her community, a filmmaker must put her morals to the test when a perverse secret in her own life is revealed.
Cinematic Liars of Asahi-za
2021 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
Movie theater Asahiza has existed for almost a 100 years in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture. Unlike other theaters, Asahiza plays old films and doesn't get a lot of customers. The manger of Asahiza, Yasuzo Morita, finally decides to close down the theater. When he is about to burn the old 35 mm films, a young woman named Rika Motegi suddenly appears and tries to stop him. Rika Motegi came to Minamisoma from Tokyo to save Asahiza.
The Supporting Actors in Byplaywood
2021 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
In a studio at the foot of Mt. Fuji, Gaku Hamada is struggling to shoot a movie with a dog in the lead role. Enter a huge cast of veteran actors who get involved in misadventures while on set.
Blue, Painful, Fragile
2020 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
Two outsider college students set up a secret society circle, "Moai," which aims to change the world. But one day, one of them disappears.
The Last Three Times We'll Meet
2020 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
A love story woven by a loveless mistrust girl, Kaede Tamaki who works for a small video production company, and a mysterious young man Seishiro who is attracted by her . Satomi Oshima and Kentaro Hagiwara, who also teamed up for the currently released movie "30 Minutes to Sayonara", were responsible for the script and directing, respectively.
My Neighbor's Masala
2020 · 1h 12m
country: Japan
Sawaki Tatsuya is a fledgling photographer. He returns to his hometown Fukuoka to take care of his sick father Hideo, but is rejected by his father. Tatsuya meets Jinbo and Yui, who work as mediators between Japan and Nepal. He joins the Nepalese community through them, and while his world expands through these encounters, he also learns of the difficulties of foreigners living in Japan. Shot in the town where many Nepalese actually live, this drama casted authentic epalese as actors. The title “Masala” refers to a mixed spice, and is also used as a metaphor here for the diverse society.
私刑人～正義の証明～
2020
country: Japan
A fierce battle unfolds between a vigilante who exacts justice on unjust criminals and the police who pursue him. The story then leads to a shocking conclusion... This story will make you ask yourself, "What is justice?"
I Was a "Secret Bitch"
2019 · 1h 52m
country: Japan
Hiromi is a 26-year-old single woman. She is popular with guys. Her hobby and specialty is getting men to like her using small talk and a shy persona. If a guy confesses his feelings for her, Hiromi leaves them. Hiromi's sharehouse mate Akira and her friend Aya blame Hiromi, calling her "Kakure Bitch" (a type of women who uses innocence to flirt with men). Hiromi does not care. One day, she takes an interest in Tsuyoshi, who works in the same office. She becomes to like him sincerely.
Mio on the Shore
2019 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
Mio is 20 years old. Having lost her parents early, she and her grandmother run a traditional inn in Nagano. However, her grandmother gets sick. Mio moves to Tokyo and lives with her father’s best friend, Kyosuke. He runs a public bath. She begins to work at the public bath, but it is scheduled to be demolished to make way for redevelopment.
Black School Rules
2019 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
Sōra is a high school student who is basically invisible at school. He is friends with Chūya, who is an unpredictable character that often surprises those around him. Sōra and Chūya both have feelings for the same classmate, Kio Machida. The Machida girl refuses to come to class, because she doesn't want to dye her naturally brown hair black. Their school has unreasonable school rules, especially about uniforms, which include requiring all students to have black hair. Sōra and Chūya decide to stand up to change their school's black school rules so that Machida won’t have to repeat a year of school from missing too many classes.
A Beloved Wife
2019 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
A comedic portrait of an unhappy marriage between an unemployed screenwriter and his wife who's supported him for 10 years, based on the writer/director's own autobiography.
Listen to the Universe
2019 · 1h 59m
country: Japan
Four pianists take part in the preliminary round of an international piano playing competition. Each has a story that is different and unique. One is a former child prodigy who stopped playing when her mother died. One is a Julliard student. One is a new face and yet comes recommended.
Aging Police / Resurrection Special
2019
country: Japan
And Life Goes On
2019 · 2h 15m
country: Japan
Despite losing her parents at age three in a car accident, Toko experiences an idyllic childhood thanks to her uncle, who raises her. She dreams of being an actress and, having had some local notoriety in her town, she is ready to take a leap of faith and travel to Tokyo to audition. But, as fate would have it, her hopes are dashed as her world and her country are turned upside down when Japan is struck by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. This motivates Toko to assist with aid efforts in Kesennuma where she meets volunteer organizer Kiyotaka. While she initially senses something about Kiyotaka is amiss in the midst of their devastated surroundings, feelings of hope grow as do their feelings for one another.
When a Tree Falls
2019 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
A young couple is devastated when their son is killed by a falling tree during a windstorm. As the distraught father begins to look for answers into his son’s death, what appears to be a tragic accident turns out to have been the result of multiple blunders by multiple people.
Don't You Think Girls Who Talk in Hakata Dialect Are Cute?
2019 · 49m
country: Japan
The series follow the story of a high school boy who lives in Tokyo, and his childhood friend, Hakatano Donko-chan, who is from Hakata and really talks in Hakata dialect! People around her sometimes get confused because of it, but her dialect makes them smile!
Strawberry Song
2019 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
Kota runs into his old friend Chika on the anniversary of their friend's death. They plan to meet again in a year, but their feelings are complicated.
The Fable
2019 · 2h 3m
country: Japan
The Fable is a legendary yakuza hitman equal to none—but his boss orders him and his sultry associate to lay low and learn how to live a "normal life" in Osaka.
未解決の女 警視庁文書捜査官～緋色のシグナル～
2019
country: Japan
The Chaplain
2018 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
Saeki works with death-row convicts as a prison chaplain. He tries to instill the prisoners with a sense of morality and help them become a better person. He is a good communicator with the death-row convicts assigned to solitary cells. Saeki agonizes over whether his words really touches the prisoners and whether he is doing the right thing. Saeki also faces his past which he wants to forget. --asianwiki
You, Your, Yours
2018 · 1h 44m
country: Japan
3 men fall in love with a woman. They change themselves to whom their love admires. The men become famous Japanese musician Yutaka Ozaki, popular American actor Brad Pitt and historical political figure Ryoma Sakamoto.
The Forest of Wool and Steel
2018 · 2h 14m
country: Japan
High school student Naoki Tomura grew up in a remote area in Hokkaido. He meets piano tuner Soichiro Itadori in school and eventually decides to work at Itadori’s musical instrument store. Tomura gradually grows as a piano tuner through his interactions with the other tuners and musician clients
My Friend "A"
2018 · 2h 9m
country: Japan
Masuda, an aspiring journalist, plans to write an article in order to expose his co-worker Suzuki, who is a psychopathic murderer according to Masuda.
Mori, The Artist's Habitat
2018 · 1h 39m
country: Japan
Vegetation thrives in painter Morikazu's garden, which is home to creatures that serve as models for his paintings, including numerous bugs and cats. A sweet and heartwarming day begins for Morikazu, who gazed at these garden creatures on a daily basis for over three decades, and those who love him.
Evil and The Mask
2018 · 2h 18m
country: Japan
Kuki Fumihiro is a son from a wealthy zaibatsu (conglomerate) family. His father raises him to become pure evil. Kuki kills his father to protect his adopted sister Kaori. Afterward, Kuki disappears. He undergoes plastic surgery and takes the identity of Koichi Shintani. He watches Kaori and faces the great evil that exists within the Kuki family.
Pumpkin and Mayonnaise
2017 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
A struggling, unemployed musician living with his girlfriend looks to improve his life after he discovers how she's been paying the rent.
Goodbye, Grandpa!
2017 · 1h 44m
country: Japan
A 20 something girl Yoshiko is having sex with her boyfriend when a shocking telephone call arrives - grandpa has passed away. The lightning from clear sky doesnt derail only the life of Yoshiko but summons the rest of the dysfunctional Haruno family to the ancenstral country house to pay their respects to the deceased - and unleash their quarrels between themselves and with the world at large.
Outrage Coda
2017 · 1h 44m
country: France
Five years after the all-out war between the Sanno and Hanabishi crime families, former yakuza boss Otomo works in South Korea for Mr. Chang, a noted fixer. When tensions rise between Chang and the Hanabishi, and Chang's life is endangered, Otomo returns to Japan to settle things once and for all.
Before We Vanish
2017 · 2h 9m
country: Japan
Narumi is on bad terms with her husband, Shinji, when, one day, Shinji goes missing. He comes back a couple of days later, but he seems like a totally different person, and he is now gentle and tender. He goes for a walk every day. Meanwhile, journalist Sakurai covers the story of a family that was brutally murdered, when an unexplained phenomenon takes place.
Side Job
2017 · 2h
country: Japan
Based on the novel "Kanojo no Jinsei wa Machigai ja Nai" (literal translation: Her life is not at fault) by Director Hiroki, it is a powerful story of survivors, who are all trying to find their own silver linings in life.
14 That Night
2016 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
In 1987, frustrated junior high student Takashi hates his uncool father hanging around their suburban home all the time, and is pestered by the area’s wannabe gangsters. But he’s interested in the girl next door, the bounteously-breasted Megumi. One day, Takashi hears a rumor that porn actress Kyoko Yokushimaru is coming to town for an autograph session at the only video store in town where Takashi and his judo friends always hang out. Their ridiculous but serious adventure begins. What will Takashi find after all the surprises and chaos? Recalling youth classics like Stand By Me, this is the debut feature of Shin Adachi, Japan Academy Prize-winning screenwriter of 100 Yen Love.
Fueled: The Man They Called "Pirate"
2016 · 2h 25m
country: Japan
In a time when the main source of energy was still coal, there was a man who saw the future in oil. Young Tetsuzo Kunioka who hails from Moji, Kitakyushu, rides out into the oil business, but is faced with numerous challenges and competitors who stand in his way, including domestic suppliers and major western oil companies, or the "oil majors". But Tetsuzo never gave up, however despairing the situation was. He always found a way and paved a new road with his unconventional ideas, eccentric actions, and most of all, his caring heart toward his own men. That style of Tetsuzo's was not something that would ever change, even when the tides were against him in a war-lost Japan.
Golden Orchestra
2016 · 1h 59m
country: Japan
When Chizuru joins as a teacher at Umega High School, she hears an amateur orchestra perform. Reminiscing her old days of playing the violin, she decides to enroll in one.
Midnight Diner 2
2016 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
The Master’s late-night diner welcomes a woman troubled by funeral fans, an elderly scam victim, and a noodle delivery man struggling with love.
Shin Godzilla
2016 · 2h
country: Japan
When a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and tears through the city, the government scrambles to save its citizens. A rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape to uncover the monster's weakness and its mysterious ties to a foreign superpower. But time is not on their side - the greatest catastrophe to ever befall the world is about to evolve right before their very eyes.
Moriyamachu Driving School
2016 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
Kiyotaka Sato (Shuhei Nomura) is a university student. He is sociable, but he looks like he doesn't have interest in those around him. During his summer vacation, Kiyotaka Sato plans to get his driver's license to impress schoolmate Matsuda (Yukino Kishii). At this time, a yakuza boss (Ken Mitsuishi) orders Todoroki (Kento Kaku) to get his driver’s license. Todoroki doesn't show his feelings outwardly. Later, Todoroki drives a car without a driver’s license and he hits Kiyotaka Sato. To cover up the accident, Kiyotaka Sato is placed in a car and taken to away. He arrives at an unofficial driving school. The driving school is run by the Uehara family. There, Kiyotaka Sato and Todoroki learn that they graduated from the same high school. They spend their summer at the driving school.
Natsumi's Firefly
2016 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
Natsumi wants to become a photographer. She takes a bike which her late father left behind and goes to a forest to find a firefly she saw with her father. In the forest, Natsumi meets old mother Yasu and old son Jizo. They run a general store. Natsumi learns how to live in nature from them. She has happy summer days there. One day, Jizo tells her that he became estranged from his son in the past.
A Cappella
2016 · 2h 12m
country: Japan
Set in the year 1969 in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Kyoko Noma is a loving female high school student who takes part in campus protests. One day, she meets university student Wataru Domoto in the tea cafe Mubansou ("A Cappella"). Kyoko falls in love with him, but they get involved in an incident that leads to a shocking ending.
Mountain Days with Tom
2015 · 1h 57m
country: Japan
Hana, Toki and Toki’s daughter Toshi begin to live in the countryside. Hana’s nephew Akira, who just graduated from middle school, also lives with them. Doing farm work everyday, Hana and Toki get used to life in the countryside with help from couple Gen and Shiori. One day, Toshi and Akira decide to raise a cat to catch rats. A cat named Tom then begins to live with them.
Mystery Trilogy Special
2015 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
This mystery special consists of three thrilling stories by three notable writers.
Three Stories of Love
2015 · 2h 20m
country: Japan
A depressed widower, a bored housewife, and a gay lawyer all intersect in this triptych of love lost.
The Big Bee
2015 · 2h 18m
country: Japan
Set in 1995. A helicopter, operated remotely, is hovering in the sky over a nuclear power plant. The power company, prefectural government and media all receive a fax. The fax contains a threat that if the nuclear power plant is not taken offline the helicopter will be dropped. 8 hours is given as the deadline. Making the situation even more dire, a young child is in the helicopter.
Give my regards to Yakima Canutt
2015 · 13m
country: Unknown
Joe, a stuntman burdened with a past he wants to keep hidden, suffers a serious injury during a stunt. One day, as he nurses a drink, he continues his monologue to the bartender. The men from the organization pursuing him eventually show up at the bar. Joe savors his final drink, cigarette, and music, while the sound of a blues harp fills the room.
Obon Brothers
2015 · 1h 47m
country: Japan
A failed director is trying to get his next movie off the ground, while dealing with his cranky brother and his estranged wife.
Broken Hearts for Sale
2015 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
An omnibus recorded in a short film by five film directors with the motif of the song "Kai Band".
Joker Game
2015 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
Set along a backdrop of a fictitious second world war at an international city in Asia. In Japan, Lieutenant Colonel Yuki (Yusuke Iseya) recommends the creation of spy training school "D Kikan". Meanwhile, Kato (Kazuya Kamenashi) is facing capital punishment for his refusal to follow a superior's order. Kato is then scouted by "D Kikan". He goes through a harsh training regiment and faces his first mission as a spy. In order to seize American ambassador Graham's confidential documents "Black Note." Kato infiltrates into an international city. A battle to gain possession of the "Black Note" ensues between Kato, a mysterious woman named Rin (Kyoko Fukada), the British Spy Agency, the Soviet Spy Agency and the radical army in Japan.
Midnight Diner
2014 · 1h 59m
country: Japan
A restaurant opens at midnight. Both the menu offerings and personality of the owner draw a series of flawed patrons including Tamako, whose boyfriend has passed away, live-in worker Michiru, and ruckus-raising Kenzo.
The Man of the Tokyo Olympics
2014 · 2h 25m
country: Japan
After the end of the second world war, Fred Wada Isamu (Osawa), an American of Japanese descent who runs a fruit and vegetable shop in Los Angeles. One day, Wada sees a newspaper article on the search for someone of Japanese descent who can look after Japanese athletes coming to the United States to compete in the national swimming championship, and offers his family. Several months later, Kiyokawa (Mitsuishi), the Japanese swimming team’s coach, and the swimmers Hashizume (Katsuji), Furubashi (Nakao) and others arrive in the United States. The Japanese swimming team breaks one world record after another and sets nine world records. It is joyous news for Japan. Several years later, Wada and his wife receive a phone call from Tabata Masaji (Nishida Toshiyuki), the chairman of the Japanese Swimming Federation and general secretary of the Japanese Olympic Committee. Tabata says he would like some form of help from Wada in their bid for the Tokyo Olympics...
August in Tokyo
2014 · 1h 20m
country: Japan
In a corner of Tokyo, a man named Natsuo lives as a yakuza and a woman named Natsuki works part-time. Although they rarely think about their families, they attempt to reunite with them. Brother and sister, father and daughter; the distance between them begins to shrink, but... This film portrays the dynamics of people trying to co-exist in nature and in the city. Even though two individuals may be insignificant in the context of a large society, one life meets another and they move forward. This is a movie about their small footsteps.
The Vancouver Asahi
2014 · 2h 12m
country: Canada
In pre-WWII Vancouver, second-generation Japanese immigrants had it tough. Daily, they faced discrimination, hatred and injustice at the hands of their Caucasian counterparts. But one thing made their lives worth living: baseball. They may be the underdogs, but the Vancouver Asahi baseball team have a sense of fair play and smart tactics that set them apart from the brute force of their opponents. Under the guidance of new team captain Reggie Kasahara, can they be able to rise above all the negativity to win the tournament? This film is based on the true story of Vancouver Asahi, the Japanese-Canadian baseball team that was inducted into The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Devoted Cookbook
2014
country: Japan
It is the Spring of 1814. The restaurant “Tsuru-ka” is gaining much popularity after its chef, Mio, won the prestigious cooking competition. One day, the owner of “Tsuru-ka”, Taneichi, employed young Fuki to be the attendant for customers’ shoes. Mio could fully empathize with young Fuki, who was an orphan and yet was courageous enough to survive on her own. Around the same time, the famous novelist Seiemon started coming to “Tsuru-ka”. Even though Seiemon criticized Mio’s cooking each time, he always returned to the restaurant daily.
Wood Job!
2014 · 1h 56m
country: Japan
After failing his university entrance exam, Yuki Hirano sets his eyes on the role of a forestry trainee. Setting off for training he doubts his decision many times, but eventually after passing the training course, he is sent to Kamusari Village for a year of work experience - where he becomes assimilated with the beauty of nature and the warm-hearted people of the village.
Homeland
2014 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
Jiro Sawada is a sophomore in high school when a false accusation drives him out his hometown: a small village in Fukushima Prefecture. The entire village is abandoned after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, but Jiro returns there to live. Before long, members of his family come and join him.
300 Million Yen Robbery
2014 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
The Stork Nest
2013 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
A small clinic in Kumamoto Prefecture begins accepting anonymous drop-offs of unwanted newborn babies at a residential building. The name of the controversial new program is "Stork Nest."
Backwater
2013 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
Toma lives in a small riverside town with his brutish father and his father's girlfriend. Witnessing his father's predilections for abuse, Toma becomes anxious that he will have inherited those urges.
Gatchaman
2013 · 1h 53m
country: Japan
By the year 2050 AD, a mysterious organization called Galactor has occupied half of the Earth and threatens to exterminate the human race. Around the same time, the International Science Organization had uncovered mysterious stones that bear unusual powers. It is said that one person out of approximately eight million is able to harness the power of the stones; they are known as a "Receptor". Dr. Kozaburo Nambu gathers a team of these five lucky Receptors together. Known as the "Gatchaman" team, it is their mission to defeat Galactor.
Farewell for Today
2013 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
Kouta Fujioka is a 29-year old man who has a good family, including his father who always supports him, his mother who enjoys cooking, and his older sister with her bright personality. He also has a girlfriend named Etsuko Tanebe. Kouta wants people to eat delicious foods made by him and begins a job as an apprentice chef at a restaurant. One day, Kouta suddenly passes out and is sent to the hospital, where he is diagnosed with malignant lymphoma, completely changing his life. Given three months left to live, Kouta makes up his mind, with the support of his family and those he meets at the hospital, to accept his fate and "face a proper death".
Dawn of a Filmmaker: The Keisuke Kinoshita Story
2013 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
Keisuke Kinoshita sits easily alongside Ozu, Kurosawa and Naruse as one of Japan’s most respected legends of cinema. Made to commemorate the centenary of Kinoshita’s birth, this biographical drama chronicles formative hardships and personal encounters to provide a rare glimpse into the life of one of Japan’s most acclaimed screen directors. Includes archival footage from 49 of the films he produced during his career at Shochiku.
Love Gear
2013 · 1h 47m
country: Unknown
The third installment in the Toei Hero Next series.
The Brain Man
2013 · 2h 3m
country: Japan
A seemingly random series of bombings in a provincial city. The latest target is a public bus route. Detective Chaya chased terrorists and arrested a mysterious man with keen intelligence and physical power. The psychologist in charge of evaluating him is Dr. Mariko. After the psychiatric examination, she puts toward a hypothesis – “Is it possible he was born without emotions?”
Strawberry Night: After the Invisible Rain
2013
country: Japan
Beyond Outrage
2012 · 1h 52m
country: Japan
As the police launch a full-scale crackdown on organized crime, it ignites a national yakuza struggle between the Sanno of the East and Hanabishi of the West. What started as an internal strife in Outrage has now become a nationwide war in Outrage Beyond.
Go, Masao!
2012 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
Go, Masao! describes the relationship between people and their dogs. Comedian Hideki Matsumoto and a labrador retriever named Masao are selected to appear on the travel corner segment of a TV animal program. Until Hideki Matsumoto and the labrador retriever Masao become popular, they help each other.
Rent-a-Cat
2012 · 1h 50m
country: Japan
A young woman who rents out cats to lonely old folks finds her life turned upside down when a young man from her past shows back up in her life.
Bread of Happiness
2012 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
A couple decide to relocate from Tokyo to the northern island of Hokkaido where they settle and establish a bakery and café called Mani. One cooks. The other bakes. Everyone walks out happy.
Himizu
2012 · 2h 9m
country: Japan
Two 14-year-olds from troubled, abusive homes come together sharing misery and pain. In the aftermath of an earthquake, the classmates learn how to survive while relying on one another for emotional and physical support.
Tokyo Oasis
2011 · 1h 23m
country: Japan
In Tokyo, actress Touko leaves the filming set of her latest project and comes across three people by random chance: she gives a ride to a man named Nagano, whom she has never met before; at a small theater, runs into Kikuchi, a former screenwriter; lastly, meets Yasuko at the zoo.
Shuffle
2011
country: Japan
Tokyo Playboy Club
2011 · 1h 32m
country: Japan
Katsutoshi is forced to flee his hometown and ends up at a rundown nightclub called "Tokyo Playboy Club." His hot-headedness gets him into further trouble, and the club's waiter Takahiro and his girlfriend Eriko also get caught up in it as their underworld predicament worsens to the point of no return.
Shikei Kijun
2011 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
Do criteria exist for the death penalty? Yusuke Mito, a law faculty lecturer who did not become a lawyer even though he passed the bar exam, the famous lawyer Kojiro Otomo who advocates the abolition of the death penalty, and the public prosecutor Mariko Nagase studied law together. Each have their own thoughts about the death penalty. One day, Otomo’s wife is murdered by someone. Shinzo Sabae who is resentful of a lawsuit that Otomo had been in charge of, is arrested as a suspect. Otomo reverses the stance he had had until now and seeks the death penalty against Sabae. This prompts Mito to make the decision to become a lawyer and stand in the court. However, the first case Mito takes charge of is the defence of Sabae, who murdered the wife of his good friend, Otomo…
Rock: Wanko no Shima
2011 · 2h 3m
country: Japan
A boy, Shin, and his family are forced to evacuate the island of Miyakejima, when it erupts in 2000. Shin's dog, Rock, is mistakenly left behind.
A Man with Style
2011 · 1h 50m
country: Japan
Miyata lost his wife early on and single-handedly raised their two children. One day he notices a change in his physical condition, and decides that it must be stomach cancer.
Peak: The Rescuers
2011 · 2h 6m
country: Japan
Shimazaki Sanpo is an experienced mountain climber and rescue team volunteer. Sanpo loves the mountains and wants as many people as possible to experience everything they have to offer so much so that he never holds a grudge against anyone for causing an accident due to their own negligence. Even if a fellow rescuer dies, he's the kind of man who can look toward the corpse and say "You did your best." One spring, newcomer Shiina Kumi is assigned to the Nagano prefecture mountain rescue team where she experiences growth thanks to Sanpo's guidance and the seemingly harsh training methods of the team's captain, Noda. However, she becomes depressed when she's unable to translate her skills to a real-life situation. As her confidence wanes, multiple accidents occur simultaneously due to a mountain blizzard, forcing the entire team into action.
Oba: The Last Samurai
2011 · 2h 8m
country: Japan
In 1944, the American military lands on the shores of Saipan. Refusing to commit suicide with his superiors or be forced into camps for prisoners of war, Captain Oba Sakae leads a group of his men and other similarly minded local residents into the mountains. Even after hearing reports of the Japanese military's surrender, Oba dismisses the reports as propaganda and continues to launch guerilla attacks against the American soldiers, earning him the nickname "The Fox". Soon, even the American commander who's charged with the task of capturing Oba comes to admire his persistent enemy.
Everyday Mom
2011 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
Rieko Saibara is a cartoonist and mother of a 6-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl. When she has a difficult time, she throws away her problems with laughter. Her husband Kamoshitda used to be a war camera man, but now he's addicted to alcohol. He struggles to overcome his problem, but keeps failing. Finally, they get divorced. After Kamoshida loses his family, he realizes how precious they are. He focuses on getting away from alcohol, but another disease comes to him. Even though Saibara knows that he can not make it for long, she accepts him back to her family again. Since then a happy, but short, time exists for the family of four.
Wandering Home
2010 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
War photojournalist Yasuyuki Tsukahara married popular manga artist Yuki Sonoda and had children. Because of Yasayuki's drinking problems the couple divorced. Yasuyuki is now coughing up blood, hospitalized, and violent. Even with all of these problems Yasuyuki can't give up drinking alcohol. His family gets tired. Yasuyuki is then hospitalized in an alcoholic ward. There he finds comfort living with other patients and having conversations with doctors. With the help of his family, Yasuyuki recovers mentally and physically, but his body has already paid a heavy toll.
Mother Water
2010 · 1h 44m
country: Japan
Set with three central figures, "Mother Water" describes the daily lives of people near the Kamo River in Kyoto, Japan.
Heaven's Story
2010 · 4h 38m
country: Japan
A young girl named Sato watches on television as a man named Tomoki states brazenly at a press conference that he hopes convicted murderer Mitsuo is eventually placed back into society so that he can kill him with his bare hands.
13 Assassins
2010 · 2h 21m
country: Japan
A bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a war-torn future.
Nude
2010 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
After graduating high school, Hiromi moves from the coastal town of Niigata to Tokyo in the hopes of becoming a famous actress. Her dream seemingly comes true as a manager scouts her off the street. He recruits her as a model but it's actually to be a "nude" model. It's not exactly what Hiromi was looking for, but she can't turn down the opportunity. As her career dwindles, the manager coerces her to make the jump to AV and Hiromi gains a new identity as Mihiro.
Villain
2010 · 2h 19m
country: Japan
Shimizu Yuichi is a shy and lonely day laborer looking for love. He aimlessly spends time corresponding with girls via telephone dating services and going on random encounters with girls looking for spending cash. His world is shattered one day when he is involved in the murder of one of his former encounters, the sweet-faced Ishibashi Yoshino who, after being jilted by playboy Masuo Keijo, berates and mocks the troubled loner.
The Hero Show
2010 · 2h 14m
country: Japan
Two men, a freeter (played by Shusuke Fukutoku) and a man who used to be a non-combat solider (played by Junpei Goto), becomes involved in a cruel crime.
Saru Lock: The Movie
2010 · 1h 52m
country: Japan
Saru is a talented young locksmith who unlocks any kind of lock. He is, however, a complete fool when it comes to women. One day a girl Mayumi asks him to open a safe full of stolen money. Knowing nothing about it, Saru takes the money briefcase with Mayumi and finds himself with yakuza gangsters and also police in hot pursuit.
A Tale of Ululu's Wonderful Forest
2009 · 1h 59m
country: Japan
A brother and sister leave the big city to live with their veterinarian father when their mother is hospitalized. As they are adjusting to their new life filled with natural beauty, they adopt an abandoned puppy. When it is discovered that the puppy is actually a wolf, they choose to return the baby wolf to its mother in the forest rather than let it live a life in captivity.
Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler
2009 · 2h 10m
country: Japan
Kaiji Ito moves to Japan after graduating from high school. Unable to find a job and frustrated with society at large, Kaiji spends his days gambling, vandalizing cars, and drinking booze. Two years later and his life is no better. A debt collector named Endo arrives to collect money owed. The debt collector offers two choices to Kaiji: spend 10 years paying off his loan or board a gambling boat for one night to repay his debt & possibly make a boat load of money. Could the debt collector Endo actually be setting up Kaiji? One way or another, for Kaiji it's going to be the night of his life.
Villon's Wife
2009 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
This enticing period melodrama depicts a long-suffering woman's relationship with her brilliant but self-destructive writer husband in postwar Tokyo. Based on a semi-autobiographical 1947 novel by Osamu Dazai, the story centers less on the womanizing, heavy-drinking, suicidal hero than on the wife who loves him. Written by Palm Springs International Film Festival
Kakera: A Piece of Our Life
2009 · 1h 47m
country: Japan
A college student's relationship is going nowhere until she meets a bisexual medical artist who makes prosthetic body parts.
The Code
2009 · 2h 4m
country: Japan
For 60 years, the group of detectives known as "Detective Office 5" has raised the bar for detective work. The agents of Detective Office 5 are a group of stellar detectives lead by the genius code breaker Detective 507. When an unknown client enlists 507 to crack his most difficult programming code yet, the detective embarks for Shanghai where he crosses paths with a sniper, an informant, the head of the Blue-Dragon Mafia, and beautiful singer on the run, Meilan. As 507 stumbles deeper into a twisted quagmire of intrigue he discovers the sad truth behind the mystery.
Oppai Volleyball
2009 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
Terajima Mikako became a boys volleyball team coach at a junior high school she has been assigned to. As an incentive for the team members who do not show the slightest enthusiasm, she promises to show them her boobs if they win a game.
Pandemic
2009 · 2h 18m
country: Japan
ER doctor Tsuyoshi Matsuoka receives a patient with a virus unlike anything he's seen before. His symptoms include high fever, convulsions, vomiting of blood and multiple organ failure. Could this be a new form of influenza or is it some other variety of virus? As the situation worsens and more cases begin arriving, a medical officer from the World Health Organization named Eiko Kobayashi is dispatched to the area. At the rate the virus is spreading, the entire city’s transportation system and infrastructure would be brought to a halt within 3 months. Within 6 months it could spread to tens of millions of people--reaching a death toll far worse than any war.
Nightmare Detective 2
2008 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
A story of the unexplainable things that inflict sheer terror on human beings and how they leave victims psychologically devastated.
Child by Children
2008 · 2h 2m
country: Japan
Haruna is a lively tomboy in the 5th year at elementary school. One day, while playing with Hiroyuki, a boy whom she has known for a long time, they play a game of putting their private parts together. A sex education lesson given by a new teacher, Yagi, makes Haruna suspect that she might be pregnant.
Naoko
2008 · 2h
country: Japan
Naoko meets Yusuke while staying on an island for medical treatment. Yusuke's graceful athletic figure captivates her eyes and she falls in love with him. But their relationship is soon broken after Yusuke's father dies while trying to save Naoko from drowning. The memory of Yusuke leads Naoko to the track, and six years later, they meet each other again at a Marathon competition. Naoko decides to become a manager to help Yusuke, a gifted runner, and they embark on training together to heal their sorrows from the past.
Flying Rabbits
2008 · 1h 56m
country: Japan
Yukari always wanted to become a flight attendant and has just been hired by Japan Airlines. However, due to an unexpected mistake, she has also been recruited to the company's basketball team (the JAL "Rabbits") despite being a lousy at basketball. Forced to divide her time between job training and playing basketball, Yukari makes an increasing amount of mistakes in both areas. Frustrated, she nearly gives up on her dream career, but somehow finds the strength to keep trying both in the skies and on the court.
Tokyo!
2008 · 1h 52m
country: South Korea
Three distinct tales unfold in the bustling city of Tokyo. Merde, a bizarre sewer-dweller, emerges from a manhole and begins terrorizing pedestrians. After his arrest, he stands trial and lashes out at a hostile courtroom. A man who has resigned himself to a life of solitude reconsiders after meeting a charming pizza delivery woman. And finally, a happy young couple find themselves undergoing a series of frightening metamorphoses.
108
2008 · 2h 6m
country: Japan
At a high school in the city of Yokohoma the baseball team trains to go to the top. There are struggles, hardships and successes and not all of it is due the star pitcher or batter and those in the centre of attention. There are rewards to being the great, but it is a long way to the top and they know it.
Then Summer Came
2008 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
A humorous wedding story fueled by a rather no-good father and son, disguised as the old and new “good guys.” The father Nobuo, and his son Tamio, are unable to mature, unable to break the parent-child roles, have no sense of responsibility, and keep holding on to the past. The pair is overwhelmed by all the colorful characters around them telling them what to do. They go to strenuous and humorous efforts to make Tamio’s wedding an event to remember.
Ano Hi Bokura no Inochi wa Toiretto Pepa yori mo Karukatta
2008
country: Japan
DIVE!!
2008 · 1h 55m
country: Japan
A diving club is in danger of going bankrupt. To save the diving club, a female coach returns from the U.S. to coach the club and promises that a diver from the club will make the Japanese Olympic team.
All Around Us
2008 · 2h 20m
country: Japan
Kanao, a courtroom portrait artist, observes crimes, scandals and the decline of Japanese values without passing judgement. As he and his wife endure the tragedy of their first child’s death, hope slowly unfolds and their love story flickers to life once again.
The Making of Noriko’s Dinner Table
2008 · 31m
country: Japan
A behind-the-scenes look at Sion Sono’s 2005 film Noriko’s Dinner Table.
Sweet Rain: Accuracy of Death
2008 · 1h 53m
country: Japan
Chiba appears seven days before a person dies an unexpected death. His job is to observe the person for seven days then decide either to ‘execute’ or ‘pass over’. Today, again, in the rain, he waits. His subject, her death due in seven days, is Kazue Fujiki. She works for a manufacturing company in the complaints department. Exhausted after her day, she emerges from her office. It’s time for the Reaper to go to work.
Shadow of Sand
2008 · 1h 16m
country: Japan
"Shadow of Sand" - Set in Tokyo in the 1980's. Yukie, a young woman lives with the vision of the lover she has murdered. After his death he continues to appear in her room. Yukie maintains her usual life, trying to avoid discovery of her crime until a new lover turns up.
Double Trouble
2008 · 1h 52m
country: Japan
Chief Iizuka, who works at the Cultural Center, misunderstands two chorus groups with similar names and double-books the concert hall on New Year's Eve. Although they talk to each other, neither of them gives up a step and develops into a big problem. Iizuka, who has lived his life with a "no-nonsense" attitude, finds himself in the middle of two groups and at a loss for words.
Little DJ
2007 · 2h 8m
country: Japan
Taro is a 12-year-old into baseball and radio, especially "Music Express," a song-request show. Sound quaint? But it is 1977 and a small town in Hokkaido, a more innocent, pure-hearted time and place, we are told. Taro, however, has a blood disease that lands him in the hospital where his aunt is a nurse. Rounds of tests, transfusions and injections sap his spirit, despite the kindness and dedication of his young doctor and the Doctor's hospital-director father. The latter, a music buff who broadcasts classics over the hospital's PA system, asks Taro to relieve him as DJ — and soon the boy is ensconced in the hospital director's well-stocked library-cum-studio, spinning popular J-Pop tunes. He also becomes acquainted with Tamaki, a girl he first calls "the mummy" because of her bandages and full body cast — she was injured in a traffic accident. He later changes his tune when she is revealed as a cute 13-year-old — for him, an older woman...
Watch Me
2007 · 2h 12m
country: Japan
10-year-old Shigeki, owns his own room for the first time. From his room, he sees a girl living in a big hill top house. Shigeki instantly fell in love with the girl. Her name was Yayoi. Shigeki buys a telescope with the help of his father and starts watching her. But after a while, Shigeki has to move away. He wrote a love letter to Yayoi, put it in her post and left town. Shigeki grew up and still watching Yayoi.
Asyl: Park and Love Hotel
2007 · 1h 51m
country: Japan
There is an old love hotel in Tokyo's Shinjuku district where couples can rent a room by the hour for romantic assignations. However, few of its regular customers seem to come there for sexual encounters; the hotel has become a hangout for rootless teenagers, senior citizens looking for a place to relax, and kids that play under the watchful eye of its owner...
Glasses
2007 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
An overworked career woman leaves her life in the city for an island vacation only to encounter eccentric local inhabitants.
Boy Meets Pusan
2007 · 1h 21m
country: Japan
A youth drama in which a young man visiting Busan, South Korea falls in love with a Japanese woman. Debut film directed by Masaharu Take.
Sad Vacation
2007 · 2h 16m
country: Japan
Kenji, abandoned by his mother, scrapes out a meager existence doing odd jobs including driving bar hostesses and their customers home. Besides this he takes care of the sister of an old friend in jail and a young illegal immigrant. Eventually his life reaches a turning point.
Kaidan
2007 · 1h 55m
country: Japan
Japan, 250 years ago. Soetsu is a moneylender who is killed by the cruel samurai Shinzaemon. His body is dumped in the Kasenega-Fuchi river. According to legend, all who drown in the river will never surface again. 20 Years later, Shinkichi, the handsome son of Shinzaemon, coincidentally meets Toyoshiga, the daughter of Soetsu. They fall in love. It is a doomed love, as the spirit of Soetsu is far from dead
Tokyo Towers: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad
2007 · 2h 22m
country: Japan
Adapted from the bestselling Japanese autobiography of the same title, this gentle coming-of-age drama concerns an adolescent boy, Boku - Masaya, torn between the inherited recklessness of his father Oton and the inherited responsibility, wisdom and emotional strength of his mother Okan. Following a period of intensely rebellious behavior, Boku learns that his mom has contracted cancer; suddenly, his mother comes to live with him in Tokyo the entire emotional landscape of his life is altered.
The Right Way of Playing with a Girl
2007 · 45m
country: Japan
The script won the 2006 TV Asahi contest for new scenario writers. The story is about the secret game between two childhood friends. In that game, Kurokawa is a princess and her friend Mizushima is her servant. They promised to keep on playing the game until someone finds about it.
Kitokito!
2007 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
Coming of age story about a boy and his mother.
The Matsugane Potshot Affair
2007 · 1h 52m
country: Japan
When a gold ingot and a severed human head are discovered in a small provincial town, the rush to solve the curious case wavers between tragic and darkly humorous.
Exte: Hair Extensions
2007 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
An aspiring hairdresser becomes the infatuation of a tricophilic man who sells hair extensions to nearby salons. The source is the corpse of a girl whose corpse continues to grow beautiful, voluminous, black hair that comes alive, either driving the extension user insane or killing them.
I Just Didn't Do It
2007 · 2h 23m
country: Japan
A young man is falsely accused of molesting a high-school girl on a train. He is arrested and charged, and goes through endless court sessions, all the while insisting that he is innocent.
Si-Sei 2 -The Fallen Spider-
2007 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
A tattoo changes a woman. A tattoo changes a man. Tattoo is everything ... Asami, a woman who breaks into an affair with a man who has a wife the name is Ninomiya, a man who leaves the house apart from his wife and is inviting a self-development seminar to live today. The two who atoned for the past and asked for salvation met by chance. Asami, who decided to carve a tattoo by her own choice, entrusts her skin to a genius skin carver, Kokari. Eventually, a splendid woman's tattoo leaps on her back, which dramatically changes herself. Tattoo greatly changes Ninomiya's way of life and captivates the sculpture that dreams of the completion of tattoos. Eventually, the fate of men and women who were tossed by tattoos began to fluctuate greatly.
Faces of a Fig Tree
2006 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
Comedy about a woman who finds a new life after she loses her busband.
Arigatou
2006 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
In the early morning of January 17, 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck, and Tadao Furuichi (Hidekazu Akai), who was running a camera store in Kobe City, lost his friends, his house, and his property. Tadao is busy volunteering for the reconstruction of the town, and one day he comes across his own golf bag that survived the earthquake. Feeling a miracle, Tadao decides to challenge the professional golf test before he turns 60.
Crickets
2006 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
Kaoru, a wealthy woman whose youth is fading, abandons the hustle and bustle of the city to live a peaceful life in a house on the coast. There she takes care of an old deaf, dumb and blind man as if he were an insect, a child or a pet. He can’t do anything for himself, so she feeds him and accompanies him on his walks. This strong mutual dependency offers Kaoru an escape from society and allows her to free herself from restrictions imposed by common sense.
The Catch Man
2006 · 1h 45m
country: Japan
Takashi, an unemployed young man, is entrusted with a "catch ball shop" by a stranger he meets in the park. While accepting people's feelings through catch ball, Takashi himself remembers the important things that he had forgotten.
Sanctuary
2006 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
A child suddenly disappears in a small village and his mother desperately searches for clues.
The Pavillion Salamandre
2006 · 1h 38m
country: Japan
Four beautiful sisters are entrusted with taking care of Kinjiro, a giant salamander and national treasure. Rumors spread that Kinjiro is an impostor, so a genius x-ray technician is sent to run some tests.
Sugar & Spice
2006 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
Recently graduated from high school, 17-year-old Shiro decides to put off college and work at a gas station instead. Shy and introspective, Shiro understands he is at a turning point of his life, but is unsure of what lies ahead. Though his parents disapprove of his decision, he has the support of his flower child grandmother who declares that a gas station is a romantic place for life's drifters. Surely enough, soon a new co-worker, college student Noriko, drifts into Shiro's life. He falls headfirst into a bittersweet first love that ushers him into the world of adulthood.
Colors
Colors
2006 · 1h 51m
country: Japan
A Cheerful Gang Turns the Earth
2006 · 1h 32m
country: Japan
Four strangers (a verbose romantic, a human lie detector, an expert pickpocket, and a woman with a preternaturally precise sense of time) are brought together by chance when they inadvertently team up to thwart a bank robbery. Recognizing the potential of their combined talents, they decide to form a bank-robbing gang themselves, just for the fun and romance of it. Their heists are played out swiftly and coolly, less like robberies than performance art. Eventually, the foursome's good-natured crime streak is interrupted when a man from one of their pasts creates a whirlwind of extortion and double crossing.
The Vanished
2006 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
A young reporter is covering the mysterious case of a child found dead with missing internal organs.
Invisible Waves
2006 · 1h 55m
country: Netherlands
After inadvertently killing his girlfriend, a man flees Macau for Thailand in an attempt to cope with his guilt, and avoid possible arrest. But the relocation doesn't prevent his problems from following him, as his new friends could be potential enemies.
Haru, Bânîzu de
2006 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
Tsutsui, an office worker, marries Hitomi, who has a son from a previous marriage. However, one day, he realizes that something is missing in the life he chose.
Big Bang Love, Juvenile A
2006 · 1h 25m
country: Japan
An unknown future. A boy confesses to the murder of another in an all-boy juvenile detention facility. More an exercise in style than storytelling, the story follows two detectives trying to uncover the case. Homosexual tension and explosive violence drives the story which delivers some weird and fascinating visuals.
Scrap Heaven
2005 · 1h 57m
country: Japan
The lives of a young cop, a sanitation worker and a brooding pharmacist violently intersect on a bus that's hijacked by a suicidal political flunky, then cross paths again months later.
Kagiganai
2005 · 1h 23m
country: Japan
Noriko's Dinner Table
2005 · 2h 39m
country: Japan
A teenager named Noriko Shimabara runs away from her family in Toyokawa, to meet Kumiko, the leader of an Internet BBS, Haikyo.com. She becomes involved with Kumiko's family circle, which grows darker after the mass suicide of 54 high school girls.
Hiroshima Showa 20 nen 8 Gatsu Muika
2005
country: Japan
The story is about a family of three sisters and one brother with a dog living and running a Japanese Ryokan in Tenjin-cho, Hiroshima near Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.
Gina K
2005 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
"Gina K" tells the story of the daughter of a famous stripper, who reveals her family history so she can stand proud as a vocalist. On stage she's feverish, but when she comes down she's just another girl.
Aegis
2005 · 2h 7m
country: Japan
The Isokaze, an Aegis-class escort vessel, sets sail on a routine training exercise, playing host to a platoon from the Fleet Training Group. No sooner is the Isokaze on open water, however, then the FTG reveal themselves to be terrorist stowaways who kill the ship's captain, send the rest of the crew overboard and take control of the vessel. The ship is carrying a secret biological weapon which the terrorists are now threatening to use to level Tokyo! Only a stowaway NCO, Sengoko (played by Sanada Hiroyuki from Ring and Twilight Samurai) is in a position to stop them - but does he really have what it takes to save the day? Playing like a cross between a sea-faring version of Top Gun and Die Hard, director Sakamoto Junji shows that it's not just Hollywood that can produce thrill-a-minute action spectaculars.
Welcome to Irabu's Office
2005
country: Japan
Akechi Kogoro vs. Kindaichi Kosuke
2005 · 1h 46m
country: Unknown
The two most famous Japanese mystery characters have come together to solve a crime. A year ago, a man was trying to commit suicide by jumping off a police station building. He was rescued by two men who happened to be the well known Akechi Kogoro and Kosuke Kindaichi. The famous duo were asked to be witnesses and provide information for the police record. From the surface, it was a simple case of suicide. However, soon after the incident, the police lieutenant committed suicide in his office. Slowly from the gathered evidence, the two most unlikely cases are being linked.
We Shall Overcome Someday
2005 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
Romeo, A.K.A. Kosuke Matsuyama, is a second-year high school student. A nice, normal, nonviolent type, he suddenly finds himself in the middle of a rampaging crowd of Korean boys, outraged by insults perpetrated by several of his idiotic class-mates on two Korean girls. He makes a narrow escape, but soon after, he and his best bud Yoshio are sent by their home-room teacher to invite the Korean students to a friendly soccer game as a way of restoring the peace.
Oboeteiru
2005 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
Going Home
2004 · 1h 23m
country: Japan
Haruo returns to his hometown for his mother’s second marriage, where he happens to meet his first love Miyuki for the first time in eight years. Miyuki is back in town with her daughter Chiharu, after leaving a failed marriage.
Black Kiss
2004 · 2h 13m
country: Japan
Asuka is an aspiring model who moves to Tokyo to pursue her career. She moves into a small apartment with a friend of a friend, Kasumi. A bizarre murder occurs in the hotel across the street. The body was mutilated and repositioned into a lurid work of art. After this, a string of murders start happening all around the two girls, as if some crazed serial killer was following them. At the scene of each crime, the perpetrator leaves a black lip print, and is subsequently dubbed "The Black Kiss."
Tokyo Noir
2004 · 2h 7m
country: Japan
Three tales that center around sex and citizens of Tokyo: A repressed woman embraces her sexuality, ("Birthday"), an unexpected reunion disrupts a sex worker's routine ("Night Lovers"), and a sex blogger discovers connection in the depths of loneliness ("Girl's Life").
Secret Journey
2004 · 1h 53m
country: Japan
I (Ken MItsuishi), documentary video maker, saw a guy named YUDA (Kazuma Honda) in middle of Tokyo. I was curious about Yuda and begun following him around, but one day he disappeared with my video camera. A couple months later, a lady name Michi Nakamura (Yukiko Okamoto) came to my office. She had the strap of my video camera that Yuda stole from me, and said she saw the address that was on the strap, so she came here. I asked her about Yuda, and she told me that he was dead. Right after she left my office, she was hit by a car, I visited her in hospital and she begins to tell me about the mysterious story of her and Yuda.
The Crying Wind
2004 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
Seikichi, makes his living fishing from a small boat off the coast of Okinawa. He and his 12-year-old grandson Akira live in a small, tree-lined village in the northern part of the island which is surrounded by a white-sand beach and plots of pine and flowering bushes. On the cliff that skirts the shore sits an open-air burial ground containing the skull of a kamikaze pilot who was shot down during the last days of World War II. When the wind blows through the bullet hole in the skull, it produces a whistling sound. The locals call it the "Crying Head."
Out of This World
2004 · 2h 3m
country: Japan
Five young musicians, each harboring painful memories, are assembled to entertain American soldiers at an Enlisted Men's Club. Tensions emerge between the tenor saxophonist, a disillusioned ex-soldier, and a bitter GI whose brother was killed in the war. And when the band plays the prohibited "Danny Boy" during a birthday bash for a sergeant whose son Danny had died a year ago, everyone must confront a past they'd rather forget.
Dead End Run
2003 · 1h
country: Japan
A collection of three short films by Japanese visual genius Sogo Ishii. Each short focuses on the protagonists running away from a threat.
Jump
2003 · 1h 55m
country: Japan
An ordinary salary man, Junosuke, goes in search of his lover, Miharu, who disappeared one night when she handed him the key to her room, and promised to be back in five minutes. She had only gone out to buy apples at the nearby convenience store, because Junosuke has one for breakfast every morning. Slightly drunk from the cocktail he had had earlier, Junosuke falls asleep, and wakes up the next morning to find that Miharu had never returned.
海流から遠く離れて
2003 · 19m
country: Japan
Commissioned by Yokohama National University, the film follows a man nearly twenty years after his graduation, who, facing a deadlock in his professional life, returns to his alma mater. Wandering slowly under the blooming cherry trees and through laboratories, classrooms, and the university library, he reflects on his past, present, and the meaning of the university in his life. The role is played by Ken Mitsuishi with cinematography by Masaki Tamura.
BORDER LINE
2003 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
Three storylines interweave in Border Line. Kurosawa (Murakami Jun) finds himself driving a taciturn young man named Matsuda (Sawaki Tetsu) halfway to Hokkaido, after accidentally knocking him off his bike; their fragile bond can last only so long. The housewife Aikawa Misa (Aso Yumi) tries desperately to hold her family together when her husband gets laid off and her son is so frightened of bullies at school that he throws up in the car; she’s reduced to taking a McJob in a convenience store. And Miyaji (Mitsuishi Ken), who collects debts for a yakuza gang, gets into trouble when his partner Kitajima puts personal need above duty.
Cop Festival: New Beginning
2003 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
Fourth installment in Deka Matsuri omnibus series. 8 films.
Kyotaro Nishimura Special: Murder on the ‘Traveling Go’ around Japan.
Kyotaro Nishimura Special: Murder on the ‘Traveling Go’ around Japan.
2003 · 1h 59m
country: Japan
Hiroshi Hamano, a professor at a medical university, is found dead. Going by the results of the autopsy, it appears he committed suicide by jumping off a roof, but going by eyewitness testimony and physical evidence at the scene, Detective Kamei suspects murder. A ticket for a train trip around Japan is found in the professor's pocket. However, nobody then could have known the shocking truth hidden behind the tour the dead man was supposed to attend...
Oh My God
2002 · 1h 37m
country: Japan
Hana is a nineteen-year old expectant mother. She travels with her grandmother's ashes to her grandmother's house. Hana's mother, who gave birth to Hana when she herself was a teenager, now resides in the home. They are on the outs with each other, but are forced to stay with each other when Hana's boyfriend fails to show.
Harmful Insect
2002 · 1h 32m
country: Japan
13-year-old Sachiko is about to encounter the most difficult moments in her young life. Her father abandons her and her mother attempts to commit suicide by slashing her wrist. Her teacher, whom she relies on heavily, leaves for northern Japan to take another job. Other students start to gossip about Sachiko and her former teacher. Sachiko then drops out of school and attempts to find herself.
The Great Jailbreak
2002 · 2h
country: Unknown
Kitahara (Hitoshi Ozawa) is a prisoner who is obsessed with escaping from prison. He is a born escapee, who is not waiting for anyone or seeking freedom, but is determined to break out of prison. What could Kitahara's new escape plan be? And what awaits at the end of the complex and intertwined bonds between men?!
Go Heat Man!
2001 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
17 year old Tokyo pizza delivery boy Kosuke crashes his bike into photographer Reiko and breaks her expensive camera. He promises to deliver homemade pizza to make up for her broken camera. After discovering that Reiko has moved 1,200 km away to her hometown of Nagasaki things become trickier, but Kosuke decides to fulfill his promise anyways by borrowing a moped from his workplace.
Hush!
2001 · 2h 15m
country: Japan
Naoya and Katsuhiro are boyfriends, new in their relationship. Things are uneven at first—Naoya is open and free while Katsuhiro is cautious and closeted—but nothing compares to the chaos that arrives when Asako, a troubled woman with a history of psychiatric problems, abortions, and casual sex, asks Katsuhiro to conceive a child with her.
Luxurious Bone
2001 · 1h 47m
country: Japan
Miyako works as a call girl, living with her close friend Sakiko. After encountering a client, Shintani, with whom Miyako experiences sexual pleasure for the first time in her life, the two women begin to drift apart. Miyako suggests that Shintani should sleep with Sakiko, an event that draws the three into a love triangle in which their various flaws and anxieties are reflected.
Eko Eko Azarak: Awakening
2001 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
The fourth movie in the highly sucessful Eko Eko Azarak series. Following the events of the second movie, Misa discovers, along with the rest of Japan, the strength of her newly acquired powers when she and her friends are attacked in the woods…
Firefly
2001 · 2h 44m
country: Japan
Emotionally withdrawn strip club dancer Ayako has never recovered from her mother's suicide when she was young. She begins a relationship with patient potter Daiji, but leaves him behind when she quits her job and returns to her home town after a 10 year absence.
Bad Company
2001 · 1h 38m
country: Japan
It is 1980. Sadatomo is at a secondary school in a small town. His parents barely take any notice of him. The strict teacher Kobayashi has hung up a 'humanity index' in the classroom, divided into the categories 'delinquents', 'scum' and 'people'. In each category he has hung name-cards of pupils. One day Kobayashi finds out that Sadatomo and his friends have stolen some things from a shop for fun. Their fathers are informed and as punishment, the children have to write a 'self-critical' essay of no less than thirty pages. For the first time, Sadatomo is beaten by his father. Shocked, he writes a piece entitled 'I am an onion', in which the teacher thinks he can detect a first sign of humanity. That is the start of a confusing situation in which it gets hard to distinguish lies, truth, justified self-criticism and opportunist wheeler dealing, even for the boys.
Eureka
2001 · 3h 38m
country: Japan
In rural Japan, the survivors of a tragedy converge and attempt to overcome their damaged selves, all while a serial killer is on the loose.
Film Noir
2000 · 1h 26m
country: Japan
The movie is absurd, and a thoroughly original take on the morale in Japanese society. The images are beautiful, and the people are as cold as the snow that surrounds them. The take on Melville's "Samoraï" from -67 is obvious, but Kobayashi turns the image around and portrays the killer as the weakest person in the movie - haunted by his demanding wife and the moaning contractor, who is one of the most mysterious characters ever portrayed in a movie.
Boy's Choir
2000 · 2h 9m
country: Japan
A young teen's father dies, and he is sent to an orphanage. He's teased because he stutters almost runs away, until a beautiful, androgynous boy, Yasuo, convinces him to join the choir.
Hakata Movie: Chinchiromai
2000
country: Japan
A musical- style comedy movie set in Hakata.
Whiteout
2000 · 2h 9m
country: Japan
A group of terrorists has taken hold of the largest dam in Japan. They also capture the workers as hostages, and demanded $5 billion yen from the government with a 24 hour deadline in exchange for the lives of the hostages. To make things more complicated, there was a snowstorm and no one can get in or out near the area. Fortunately, the terrorists did not capture Togashi, the dam controller, and he is the only person who can rescue those hostages from the terrorists...
Sunflower
2000 · 2h 1m
country: Japan
Reunited by the death of a friend, a group of former schoolmates reassess themselves and their earlier times together.
Chaos
2000 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
A kidnapping for ransom seemingly goes off without a hitch, but as one thread left unsolved suddenly reveals many more mysteries, the whole operation threatens to descend into chaos.
Audition
2000 · 1h 55m
country: Japan
Seven years after the death of his wife, widower Shigeharu seeks advice on how to find a new wife from a colleague. Taking advantage of their position as a film company, they stage an audition. Interviewing a series of women, Shigeharu is enchanted by the quiet Asami. But soon things take a twisted turn as Asami isn’t what she seems to be.
New Gokudo: Legend Three Dragons 2
2000 · 1h 27m
country: Unknown
It depicts the fierce battle between the Shanghai Mafia, who is trying to expand its power with sneaky hands, and Kuroiwa, the young head of the former Ryuo group.
Autumn Blossoms
Autumn Blossoms
1999 · 2h 2m
country: Japan
Sunday's Dream
1999 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
Kazuya goes to live with his mother Shinobu because his father, Yoshiki, who works in the same company, has fired him according to the company policy regarding redundancy. However, Shinobu soon gets remarried to Sakamoto depriving Kazuya of a place to stay. He then meets Sachiko who works in a salon where sexual pleasure is offered to men. They promise to have a date on the next Sunday by the sea.
Shady Grove
1999 · 1h 39m
country: Japan
Rika, a bright, attractive, and driven young woman, is intent on marrying her dreamy boyfriend Seiichi Ono who is not only tall and handsome but also an up-and-coming executive. One day, Ono abruptly dumps her.
Revenge
1999 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
Detective Tsukimoto kills his partner following a botched robbery and falls deep into debt and despair. After losing everything at the horse races, he is kidnapped by yakuza and offered a chance to clear his debts by putting his life on the line in a game called Cambodia Roulette.
The Fox with Gentle Shoulders
1999 · 1h 41m
country: Japan
The former legendary assassin, now living as a bartender after washing his hands of a violent past, unleashes the hidden violence within. Known as the "Fox with Gentle Shoulders" based on his name, Kijou worked as a bartender at a bar run by his childhood friend Reiko. One day, his former comrade Tokumitsu appears, asking him to hold onto something, but Kijou refuses. Tokumitsu has escaped with two hundred million yen from the organization.
Amateur Singing Contest
1999 · 1h 52m
country: Japan
Traditional Japanese pop singer Reiko (Muroi) decides to enter a well-known TV program for amateur singers along with a confused teenager (Ôtomo) and a 40-year-old father of four (Bito).
Tokyo Eyes
1998 · 1h 30m
country: France
The police are tracking a man who shoots at people. But the young sister of a detective finds that he's not the mad vigilante portrayed in newspapers.
Open House
1998 · 1h 56m
country: Japan
A struggling model and a troubled divorcee face loneliness and desperation in Tokyo.
April Story
1998 · 1h 7m
country: Japan
In spring, a girl leaves the island of Hokkaido to attend university in Tokyo. Once there, she is asked to reveal why she wanted to go there in the first place.
Pro Golfer Kinjiro Oribe 5: Beloved Lost Ball
1998 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
The f ifth film in the series Professional golfer Oribe Kinjiro.
Blood
1998 · 1h 32m
country: Japan
Kasaki the hitman needs to set scores with his target Ri after the syndicate hunts him and blackmails his childhood friend to kill him.
Happy People
1997 · 1h 20m
country: Unknown
Japanese anthology follows the depressing lives of several people just trying to keep going in a nihilistic world. Movie version of Kosuke Suzuki‘s previous SOV movie by the same title.
The Eel
1997 · 1h 57m
country: Japan
A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After his release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking to almost no one except for an eel he befriended while in prison.
Wild Life
1997 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
An ex-boxer working for a game parlor owner gets caught up in a complex blackmail operation he doesn't understand. Before long he's caught between two yakuza bosses and a mysterious thief who motivation is unknown. Add in the boss' daughter who has a crush on him and watch him struggle to make sense of it all and come out alive.
Pro Golfer Kinjiro Oribe 4: Shank Shank Shank
1997 · 1h 44m
country: Japan
The fourth film in the series Professional golfer Oribe Kinjiro.
The King of Minami: Con Man's Fate
1996 · 1h 26m
country: Unknown
#16 in the series, after "Futures Trading Hell."
A Weapon in My Heart
1996 · 1h 32m
country: Japan
A detective and his partner track down a call girl with information about a drug cartel. After taking her into custody, they are attacked by cartel members. The detective and the woman manage to escape, but they are soon hounded by a professional hitman hired to eliminate them and recover the heroin stolen by the woman.
Swallowtail Butterfly
1996 · 2h 28m
country: Japan
The struggles of a group of outcasts living in "Yentown", in an alternate-future Japan.
Helpless
1996 · 1h 20m
country: Japan
Yasuo is a gangster just released from jail. Believing his boss double-crossed him, enraged Yasuo is on his way to find the boss. But before setting out for the dangerous trip, Yasuo asks Kenji to take care of his mentally challenged sister, Yuri, and a mysterious black bag.
The Pillow Book
1995 · 2h 6m
country: France
Nagito has a fetish for calligraphy on the human body and meets her ideal soulmate Jerome, an English translator sent to Japan. However, once Nagiko's father's gay publisher rejoins the scene, the story is overtaken by treachery and bloodlust.
Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?
1995 · 49m
country: Japan
One summer day, a group of sixth-grade boys have an argument about whether fireworks are round or flat when viewed from different angles and embark on a journey for the answer during the annual firework festival. Meanwhile, one of their classmates, Nazuna, is troubled by her parents' separation and decides to choose one of the boys to run away with.
Love Letter
1995 · 1h 57m
country: Japan
Hiroko attends the memorial service of her fiancé, Itsuki Fujii, who died in a mountain-climbing incident. Although Itsuki's mother says that their old house is gone, Hiroko records the address listed under his name in his yearbook and sends him a letter. Surprisingly, she receives a reply, and discovers it came from his old classmate, a girl who also happens to be called Itsuki Fujii.
Kieta minoshirokin
Kieta minoshirokin
1994
country: Japan
The second-generation president and his brother-in-law of the Toba clan, a don of the music world, are kidnapped. Singer Chiaki and pianist Yonosuke contact Chiaki's father, a detective, and police surround the island. The president's mother-in-law, who entered the island with the ransom money, is shot and injured, but the culprit who stole the money cannot be found. Chiaki begins to investigate the island on her own, and soon finds Kunihiko's body, a hunting rifle, and the ransom money in an island bomb shelter. This is a mystery that challenges the mystery of a bizarre kidnapping and murder involving the family of a prestigious president
Wandering Brain
1993 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
A psychological suspense based on the novel of the same name by Naoki Prize-winning author Tsuyoshi Osaka. Psychiatrist Aiko Minamikawa was asked to conduct a psychiatric evaluation on a man named Oiwake who assaulted a woman. At that time, a series of murders targeting women who cut off her eyelids after killing them occurred.
Lady Weapon: Female Leopard
1993 · 1h 16m
country: Japan
After her beloved brother is killed, Kaori Haruna vows to avenge his brother and joins an Italian terrorist group. There, she learns all sorts of killing techniques before returning to Japan. At one point, she seduces men with her voluptuous body. Yabuki Joji falls in love with her and becomes obsessed with her, even risking his career as a detective. However, when Kaori turns into a ruthless sniper and fires her silenced gun, the curtain rises on a bloody tale of revenge...
Kokkai e ikô!
1993 · 1h 50m
country: Japan
A close look at the inner workings of Japan's political underbelly.
Fried Dragon Fish
1993 · 50m
country: Japan
A dragon fish is stolen by Tetsu Tobiyama and biologist Thomas Earwing seeks its return. Poo is led to Natsuro after she worms her way into a top secret file at Delta headquarters for information.
Ghost Soup
1992 · 58m
country: Japan
It's Christmas Eve in Tokyo as Ichiro is moving into his new apartment one month ahead of schedule. As he is getting settled in, two strangers enter the apartment and are surprised to find him there. They begin complaining that he is upsetting their plans for a Christmas party to be thrown in the apartment that night before attempting to kick him out.
Soyokaze Toki ni wa Tsumujikaze
1992 · 54m
country: Japan
A dramatization of veteran actor Ryo Ikebe's essay of the same name about his parents' eccentric marriage.
Hiruko the Goblin
1991 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
A school was built on one of the Gates of Hell, behind which hordes of demons await the moment they will be free to roam the Earth. Hiruko is a goblin sent to Earth on a reconnaissance mission. He beheads students in order to assemble their heads on the demons' spider-like bodies. Hieda, an archaeology professor, and Masao, a haunted student, investigate the gory deaths.
Estate Inheritance
1990 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
The unexpected death of Fujishima Motoharu, president of a medium-sized firm, triggers a fierce battle over his estate inheritance among family members.
Yun’s Town
1989 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
A Japanese boy in love with a girl of Korean origin must battle the prejudices of those around him in order to sustain the relationship.
The Panda Story
1988 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
Kayo, a zookeeper, dreams of raising a panda one day. However, she soon decided to study abroad in China, and her dream came true. As soon as Kayo arrived in Sichuan Province, she met a boy named Ryuryu, and together they helped save an injured panda cub. The panda cub regained his strength and was named Hua Hua, but one day he went missing…
Gate of Flesh
1988 · 1h 59m
country: Japan
Prostitutes in burnt out Tokyo ghetto of post-WWII Japan peddle their flesh and save one-third of their money for a proposed dancehall to be named Paradise. The hookers live in a bombed-out building, but they accept the precarious situation with typical resolve.
Yakuza Ladies 2
1987 · 2h
country: Japan
Yuki, the wife of a leading member of the Domoto family, must assume her husband’s role as a yakuza boss while he serves out a prison sentence. As she grows into her new role, she manages to assert control and increase the influence of her organization. But when her husband is released from prison, she finds him a changed man, lacking the character necessary to be a powerful yakuza leader. Conflict ensues and their marriage is challenged by a desire for power.
冷たいのがお好き
冷たいのがお好き
1987
country: Japan
Harue Hashimoto is a popular mystery writer. She always talks about murder tricks to make it look like an accident with her friends Mayumi Tsukasa, a singer, and Miki Kitamura, an editor. Miki has a habit of saying that she wants to kill her boyfriend Kyosuke Takamaki.
Final Take: The Golden Age of Movies
1986 · 2h 15m
country: Japan
Director Ogata discovers a new female star in Koharu Tanaka, who works selling candy at a studio theater and she is given a part as a bit player. After the studio's top leading lady is embroiled in a scandal, Koharu is suddenly thrust into the limelight when she replaces her in a film and gains instant fame and fortune. But the going is not always easy, and she soon seeks help from unexpected quarters.
Virgin Boy's Story
1986 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
Tora-san's Island Encounter
1985 · 1h 45m
country: Japan
Tora-san's family's neighbor, Akemi, who had been married in Marriage Counselor Tora-san (1984), runs away from her husband, who is only interested in work. Tora-san follows her to Shikinejima, and attempts to bring her back to her home. In doing so he encounters a school-reunion group who are traveling to meet their elementary school teacher, which is a reference to the film Twenty-Four Eyes by Keisuke Kinoshita. Tora-san joins them and falls in love with the teacher.
I Go to Tokyo
1985 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
A young man working as a cameraman in Tokyo is visited for three days by his parents from the countryside.
The Seburi Story
1985 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
The culturally isolated, nomadic Seburi people of western Japan are the subject of this tragedy about a few of the community's members who especially experience difficulties as modern Japan encroaches on their world. The setting is World War II, and conflicts have already arisen when the military police come to take Seburi men away into the army. Still following their own customs that can be harsh at times, and are particularly cruel to women (women must give birth alone and unaided, a woman's adultery is punished by burying her up to her neck in the earth and then leaving her for days), the Seburi are mainly treated with fear and animosity by the non-Seburi townspeople of the region. Along with the hardships arising from cultural clashes, nature's own vagaries present other challenges to the Seburi -- who still lived in tents until the 1950s. Winter avalanches and snowstorms cause as much havoc as the tensions engendered by the slow encroachment of the modern world.
Marukin marubi no kintamashii maki
1985 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Koji Tadokoro, the manager of a hot bento shop, lives an ordinary life with his girlfriend Noriko Kinoshita, who works at a nearby supermarket and loves sex. Tonight they are having sex, as if they are going to try to break the Guinness World Record, when suddenly the window opens and Nakagawa, a middle school classmate, appears. Shimizu, who had become a film director, has died. The two go to the funeral, and on the way home they pass a man accompanied by a beautiful woman. That man is none other than his childhood friend, Kimio Kondo. Kimio is the epitome of a money man. He is a doctor working at a university hospital, and on the side, he writes new music lyrics and is popular with nurses and popular singers. The three are excited to see each other again after a long time, and plan a class reunion trip to Kimio's luxurious mansion...
Itoshi no Lahaina
1983 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
The film depicts a couple who go on a trip to Hawaii to relieve their daily frustration and get caught up in various commotions. Written by Masakuni Takahashi ("Minatomachi Gentlemen's Record"), directed by Tomio Kuriyama (this was his first film), and photographed by Kosuke Yasuda. Theme song is by Davey Smith ("Itoshi no Lahaina").
Tora-san, the Expert
1982 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
Tora-san gets into an argument with his uncle and sets out on the road again. In Kyushu he meets a young woman named Keiko and the shy zoologist Saburō, and attempts to play matchmaker between the two when they all return to Tokyo.
Sailor Suit and Machine Gun
1981 · 2h 11m
country: Japan
A high-school girl inherits a declining yakuza organization, which seeks to repair its fortunes under her leadership.
Foster Daddy, Tora!
1980 · 1h 37m
country: Japan
After a friend and business colleague dies, Tora-san visits the man's daughter, then takes her to Tokyo so she can study for a night school exam.
Tora-san's Tropical Fever
1980 · 1h 44m
country: Japan
When cabaret singer Lily writes Toraya about her illness, Tora-san rushes to Okinawa to be by her side.
Hakatakko junjō
1978 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
Based on the comic by Housei Hasegawa