Kiyohiko Shibukawa
Taxi carry customers every day. At that moment, the life of a driver who lives in a taxi intersects with a customer who has each situation. A conversation of just a few minutes to a few tens of minutes can create a faint love. Enjoying the once-in-a-lifetime meeting, sometimes sadness, sometimes laughing, and a dense human drama unfolds in the car. Kotaro Yamaki, the main character of such a story and an individual taxi driver, loves Chinese food in the town. Most of the famous Chinese restaurants in Tokyo are in my head, and after sending customers, the man stops at the famous Chinese restaurants in the town. And he eats the supreme gem. The "joy of life" born there. It is linked to the life of the customer I met by taxi. After eating, the man who left the store slowly lit a cigarette and muttered. "Well, do you want to run another run?" Then the man started running in the night city again.
It follows a young man who dreams of becoming a general and Ying Zheng, whose goal is unification.
Middle-aged Fumi lives a quiet seaside life, she spends her days working at a small local factory, spending time with her neighbor’s son, and attending her sober-lifestyle group. One night while driving home her car is struck by a small meteorite, the odds of which are 100 million to 1. Seeing this as a good omen, Fumi decides she should be open to new possibilities in her life, even perhaps romance…
Kato is an up-and-coming scriptwriter in the middle of a severe slump. He submits ideas for potential movies but makes no headway whatsoever, and spends his days downhearted and distressed. When he heads out to buy "Dog Man," food for his lover's beloved pooch Cerberus, one thing leads to another and he stumbles into "Ideal Mart," a convenience store where he can find everything his heart desires. There, he encounters a mysterious married woman named Keiko, who gets his creative juices flowing again, but...
Ichi and Hachi, former high school baseball players, drag out their broken dream of competing in Koshien and lead junk filled days. After getting into a car accident involving yakuza, they get pulled into the middle of a bloody conflict.
It is 1965, a time of rapid economic growth for Japan and also a time when the people called Sanka, a nomadic band of outcasts, were fading away. Having arrived at his father’s countryside estate from Tokyo to focus on preparing for his high school entrance exam, a lonely 15-year-old named Norio (Rairu Sugita) encounters three Sanka, first teenage Hana (Naru Komukai), then her father Shozo (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) and her grandmother. Taken under their wing and drawn to their simple and rugged lifestyle, Norio begins to spend his summer days fishing in the rivers and catching snakes in the bush for food. He also witnesses how they are discriminated against by people like his authoritarian father who rejects their illogical lifestyle. With bad blood already existing between Norio and his father, and a hopeless desire to become one with the Sanka, Norio is forced to confront the cruel reality of his age.
After, Shogo Ogami’s death in Hiroshima, Detective Shuichi Hioka successfully implemented Shogo Ogami’s plan, which was to control the yakuza to prevent further gang wars and save innocent people from getting harmed. Shuichi Hioka manages the criminal organizations, but, due to one evil person who gets released from prison, the situation drastically changes.
The super unconventional lawyer is back! Our new friends are comic book girls! And the biggest enemy of all! The strongest lawyer who manipulates the prosecution behind the scenes sets out to prove the devil... Take on a case that is 100% impossible to prove!
Set in the year 1985, an arson-murder case takes place at an apartment in Tokyo. The victim is novelist Kohei Kimizuka. Ritusko Ikematsu is soon arrested for his death. Ritusko Ikematsu and Kohei Kimizuka were childhood friends. Prosecutor Tsutaguchi takes charge of the murder case. He begins to contact people who knew Ritusko Ikematsu. Prosecutor Tsutaguchi learns of her unfortunate life and the men surrounding her. The men's impressions of Ritusko Ikematsu are all different. Prosecutor Tsutaguchi then learns of a case that took place in 1955 in Tsugaru, Aomori Prefecture, where Ritusko Ikematsu and Kohei Kimizuka grew up. He believes that case is the key to solve Kohei Kimizuka’s murder.
Kaname Azuma is sick of her marriage life with her husband and she decides to divorce him. She leaves Japan and travels to South Korea. There, she visits her brother Teruo's villa. Teruo is surprised by Kaname's sudden visit, but after he hears of her marriage life, he lets her to stay with him. Somehow, Teruo and Kaname happen to enter The Cursed Sanctuary X.
Saki's father is an alcoholic and her mother is a follower of a new religion. She sees her father's strange behavior and her mother's loneliness. Her family is collapsing, but Saki struggles to look for her future.
Seven years ago, a mysterious monster was found deep in a rural coal mine. Since then, rumors of a plague spread through the small town, and people experience an unexplainable mental illness. A young Shugendo practitioner goes missing only to resurface transformed, intent on exorcising the world from the monsters haunting it.
Three patients of different backgrounds, illnesses and stages are being treated at a psychiatric clinic in Nagano Prefecture. Their cases range from the criminal to merely asocial. That should be that, but soon matters take a darker turn when a corpse turns up and a murder has occurred. The culprit fingered is one of the patients.
In 37 Seconds, 23-year-old comic book artist Yuma, physically disabled due to profound cerebral palsy and emotionally stunted by her well-meaning but overly protective mother, forges her own unusual path to sexual awakening and independence while at the same time discovering love and forgiveness.
A girl finds an old handgun in her attic and the symbolic object conjures a mystical scene of samurai (a stellar cast of actors joined by the 20-person Edo punk band Seppuku Pistols, who also provide the soundtrack) gathering within the moss-grown location of Kasosan Shrine in Tochigi Prefecture.
While walking their shiba dogs, 3 middle-aged men meet at the park everyday. They do not know each other's names. They keep their distance, but chat about whatever is on their minds.
Shirato Takamasa is a detective at the Investigation Cooperation Section of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. His job is to catch wanted criminals by only relying on their faces. One day, he sees Sunami's face who was a senior detective, but had a mysterious death 4 years ago.
Ko, a man in his late 30s, lives in the countryside with his wife and teenage son. Mitsuhiko, who runs a local car dealership, also stayed in his hometown. One day, their mutual friend Eisuke returns from a long military operation and their reunification brings back both pleasant and painful memories.
Miki, Yuto, Hiroko, Naoki and Kota have been friends since they were little. They all graduated from high school. They have dreams about their future as well as anxiety. Miki's father goes missing with her college admission fee. Yuto has discord with his father who runs an auto repair shop. Yuto happens to get involved in a crime. Hiroko wants to marry her boyfriend, but she also distrusts him. Naoki and Kota have their own worries. These five friends think about themselves for the first time.
Junoshin Kake is a ronin. To get hired by the Kurokaze Han, he lies and tells them that a religious group is trying to destroy them. He gets hired by the Kurokaze Han, but they learn that Junoshin Kake lied. Junoshin Kake is given the death sentence and he must think of an escape plan.
Story is set after the movie "Room Laundering." Miko Yakumo (Elaiza Ikeda) continues her work "room laundering." She struggles to solve the worries of ghosts staying in the rooms. Meanwhile, the relationship of Miko Yakumo and Akito Nijikawa (Kentaro Ito) develop romantically.
After the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923, a troupe of female sumo wrestlers arrive in Tokyo.
Enokida Trading Post is a second-hand shop run by Yojiro Enokida , whose personal mantra is, "Anything but garbage. We take it all." The shop serves as a gathering place for employees and regular customers, who come with troubles in hand. One summer day, part of the shop's sign falls down. Yojiro thinks this is a sign that something spectacular is about to happen, and indeed their problems take on lives of their own from that day onward.
Kamagasaki is an "invisible" slum of Osaka that attracts day laborers and prostitutes since WW2. When the local gang has its treasured cauldron stolen, a war to find it begins involving the thugs, a 12 years old kid, a prostitute and a pickpocket, including the giant cauldron used to feed the destitute: The symbol of Kamagasaki.
Yakumo Miko's father died when she was 5 years old. The next year, Miko mother went missing. Miko then moved in with her grandmother, but, at the age of 18, Miko's grandmother passes away. She shuts herself away from others. One day, her uncle from her mother's side, Ikazuzi Goro appears. He sets up a place for Miko to live and also a place for her to do part-time work. Her part-time job is "room laundering." After starting her job, Miko sees ghosts. She struggles to solve the worries of the ghosts who are staying in rooms. Ikazuzi Goro tells Miko that her mother was able to see ghosts which affected her. Miko asks him to find her mother.
Kagerota is a young ninja who embarks on his first mission: stealing the goldfish from a wealthy samurai. He succeeds, but then a mysterious fat cat starts following him. His distinctive red nose leads Kagerota to believe that the feline stalker is actually the reincarnation of his long last father, a legendary ninja who left him when he was ten years old.
Manni suddenly encounters mass murder at a pub on the 22nd birthday day. From the Izakaya, the people who ran away because of their lives, are targeted from K of the Dracula tribe and Yamada of the Neo Vampire tribe of the Corbin tribe. Manami was a child of destiny that was predicted to save the Dracula clan. Manami is about to be caught up in K, is taken away to the Yamada of the Corvin of Anti-Dracula, and they are confined in the Tokyo Vampire Hotel, also called Hotel · Requiem, who runs against people. And the Korbin tribes had advanced a terrible plan using this hotel. The plan is to collect a large number of human young men and women, tell the end of the world, choose to survive in this powerful shelter hotel and to secure food (human blood) for the rest of my life. What is the mission of K? What is the fate of Manami? And the battle between mankind and Vampire and Neo Vampire begins.
Hozumi is a doctor and he is friends with manga artist Soeda. They both like Asako who works at a tropical fish shop. Hozumi eventually gives up Asako for his friend Soeda. Soeda and Asako decide to get married, but, after they get married, Soeda dates another woman and abuses Asako. He even pushes Asako to have an affair with Hozumi. Hozumi still has feelings for Asako, but his love changes to hatred.
Twenty years have passed since the sudden disappearance of Amy, who was the femme fatale in her film studies group. Something that Naoko said triggers emotions that were frozen in time for the group's members, who see each other for the first time after a long absence: Asada Iida,Naoko,Okamoto,Miho,Goto and Kizuka.
A humorous suspense drama starring Gen Hoshino, currently Japan's most popular actor. The story is set in a shared house for people with various complicated pasts who have no place to go. Once rejected by society, the residents help each other as they try to get back on their feet.
A girl named Olga is pursued by both the World Government and a man named Mad Treasure, as she is the only one who knows the location of the Pure Gold, a substance that can buy the entire world. Olga ends up sailing with the Straw Hat Pirates, and they journey to find the Pure Gold on the lost island of Alchemi, which is located inside the stomach of a large angler fish named Bonbori.
Akago (Fumi Nikaido) is a red goldfish able to change into a girl. She possesses a pure and sensuous side. She lives with an old male writer (Ren Osugi) whom she calls “Ojisama.” One day, the ghost of Yuriko Tamura (Yoko Maki) appears. She is a woman the writer knew in the past.
Samao Daikoku’s family register was taken which keeps him from escaping the underground life that he has led. To get away once and for all, Samao Daikoku breaks into Daikichi Ebisu's coin locker to steal gold. Daikichi Ebisu is involved in a criminal organization. In the locker, Samao Daikoku finds a hard disk containing personal information on runaways, homeless people, bankrupt people and prostitutes. He hides the hard disk, but is locked up by Daikichi Ebisu. There, he sees a prostitute, Ami Nanmu and he also faces an evil gang boss, Kan Senju. Samao Daikoku is tortured by the gang boss. The mystery behind Samao Daikoku’s past is revealed.
Akira (Hayato Ichihara) admires Genyo Kamiura, the most powerful yakuza. Genyo Kamiura has been targeted numerous times, but he has never been killed. He is called the invincible person. Because of Genyo Kamiura, Akira enters the world of the yakuza. His yakuza colleagues treat him like an idiot, and Akira can't even get tattoos because of his sensitive skin. An assassin is sent to take out Genyo Kamiura. The killers know that Genyo Kamiura is a vampire. Thus begins the apocalypse.
Tetsuo (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) is a lowlife. A film director with a small indie hit many years back, yet he has never gotten any further as he refuses to go against his 'artistic integrity'.
A three-way battle of hoodlums vs yakuza vs gyoza factory manager! A fierce battleground in Osaka, where territories are fought over with impunity. There, a group of hoodlums, who are in good shape and gaining momentum, have launched a series of surprise attacks on the Yakuza.
In 2010, a musician, Watanabe Toshimi was planning to go back to his hometown in Fukushima to do farming. His son Toui was going to re-take high school entrance exam which he had failed the previous year. Both looked forward to starting new chapters in their lives. In 2011, Toshimi had to cancel his plan because of the Great East Japanese Earthquake. His hometown was within 20 km of the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant. To cheer up his father, Toui who passed a high school entrance exam promised him to go to school every day. Toshimi promised Toui to make him bento every day.
A failed director is trying to get his next movie off the ground, while dealing with his cranky brother and his estranged wife.
An omnibus recorded in a short film by five film directors with the motif of the song "Kai Band".
In a leap year in the 21st Century, actress Emi returns home for the first time in 12 years. Almost thirty but still far from being a popular star, she finds that the only thing unchanged back home is the view of old countryside. She finds all her friends older, properly grown up, and married with children. There are also matters to think of, such as money and age. She is not getting any younger. But Emi still believes that she is no ordinary person. She still believes in miracles. She is not going to change. Some day she will be transformed into someone really special. Depicting the dilemma, hope and fear that many women feel as they are about to turn thirty, this charming film features inspiring performances by the young cast.
'We have to kill him', the wife and her lover thought. When three childhood friends reunite, it doesn't take long before two of them feel the woman's husband is in their way. They push him into a lake, but the boat capsizes and all three are thrown into the water. The lovers reach the shore, but the husband is nowhere. Has he drowned? They decide to wait at a lakeside hotel for his body to be found.
"Ouroboros" is an ancient symbol that depicts a snake eating its own tail - meaning infinity. Based on a popular comic, a clumsy detective and a cool gang stand up to true evil. Ikuo and Tatsuya grew up in a children's orphanage together. When their favorite teacher, Yuiko, is murdered, a policeman wearing a gold watch covers up the incident. Ikuo and Tatsuya promise each other to avenge their teacher someday. Twenty years later, Ikuo is a detective in Shinjuku second police station investigating various cases with elite detective - Mizuki, while smart and handsome Tatsuya has become one of the top members of a gang group.
A man, who once dreamed of becoming a punk rocker, is working as a low salaryman at a musical instrument parts company. He’s secretly in love with his colleague. One day, he finds a little turtle on the rooftop, naming it Pikadon.
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.
Nana is 19 and lives in a corner of Tokyo. Her birth mother and Marin, a girl the same age who she loves, were the only people she could trust. Nana confronts them in her yearning for love, but the world does not give it to her. With her whole life ahead of her, Nana struggles, suffers, and begins a search for the true meaning of love.
Chiyoko’s mother died when she was young. Since that time, Chiyoko has closed her heart to others. After her pet dies, Chiyoko feels loneliness. Her mother liked the Italian movie "La Strada." Due to movie study club senior, Masamune, Chiyoko is able to watch the Italian movie "La Strada," which her mother liked. Chiyoko soon acts in a movie directed by Masamune.
Rika Inaba is a beautiful and strong-headed director at the Teito Television Broadcasting Company. Ever since she was young, she had dreamed of becoming the best news reporter in the business, but on into her fifth year with the TV station, she finds to her dismay she's been transferred to a lighter fare, information program where she is assigned to report on the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Meanwhile, Daisuke Sorai had just reached his long-sought goal of becoming an aerobatics pilot only to injure his leg, crushing his chances at ever becoming a member of the elite Blue Impulse flying team. He gets assigned to the force's public relations desk and subsequently finds himself attached to Rika in the role of attendant. Sorai and Rika differ on just about everything; their views, their mindset. But they share one thing: their childhood dreams have been shattered and they've hit a wall in life. From there, a mutual understanding begins to germinate, drawing them toward each other and toward the discovery of a new dream.
Kazuomi Nara lost his job due to the bankruptcy of his company and Shiori, his fiancé, is pregnant. Running away from reality, he steals a car and ends up in a field with four strangers, Joe, Marco, Santa and Tokie. An old man who can't ride a bike, a con artist, a virgin and a shop keeper. As confused as he is, Kazuomi decides to stay with these four strangers.
Hitoshi Nagano (Kazuya Kamenashi), who works at an electronics store, picks up a cellphone left behind by a customer and goes about a scam. He calls the person's mother and pretends to be her son. He then gets the mother to transfer money to his bank account. Soon, Hitoshi gets a lot more than he bargained for. (Source: Asianwiki)
After the death of his father, Chihiro goes to live with his older half-brother Togo and his girlfriend Satomi. Togo and Satomi greet him with open arms, but Chihiro feels loneliness. He becomes interested in Naoya's dance practice, but a case takes place around Chihiro.
A mysterious city woman named Kiyomi is cared for by an old village woman. The male villagers are intrigued by Kiyomi, especially Masaru, a young man who the surrogate grandson to the old woman, eats dinner with her every night. Despite constant questioning, Kiyomi refuses to talk about her past. The enigma of her presence only bewitches the men further. Shinji, a writer, gives her the only copy of his book. Tatsuya, a farmer, offers her his ripest tomatoes. Kiyomi acts timid, but she secretly likes the attention. But when the old woman collapses, there is no one to protect the frail city woman. Later, a sinister man from the city arrives looking for Kiyomi. A disturbing truth will be revealed about her while a strange and outrageous battle of love will ensue.
Takashi is country hipster, work avoiding, not-so-smart life expert in vague rural-urban area in the north from Tokyo. He lives together with his grandmother and laughs at his friend who goes to real work - shoveling cow manure. On one day, a young woman arrives to the area and claims to be Takashi's half-sister from this' father's escapade. And she is the kind you can't get easily rid off...
The year is 1987 and Japan is just reaching the peak of its economic success. Eighteen-year old Yonosuke Yokomichi arrives in Tokyo from Nagasaki. Ordinary in every way possible, he lives in a suburb far from the excitement of the big city and commutes to a university in the center of Tokyo.
Petrel Hotel Blue is about friends Yoji, Yukio, and Kohei attempting a vehicular robbery. Yoji never shows, Kohei flakes at the scene, and Yukio takes the fall for the failed endeavor. Years later, Yukio is freed from prison and enacts a revenge plot against Yoji. From this point, one might anticipate an unsympathetic vengeance story consistent with the Asian arthouse of the past decade, but with Wakamatsu the intrigue is a pretense. Yukio traces Yoji to the isolated island hotel that he now manages with a sensuous and silent woman named Rika. From this desolate environ, literally a kind of primordial Nowhere replete with ominous black volcanic sand, reality quickly deteriorates. Tensions and rivalries rise, things are said, people are killed, dreams are inhabited, space and time crumble. The catalyst of this degeneration, and the cause for Yoji’s absence all those years ago is one and the same: Rika. And she has curves that will make you blush.
Sennen no yuraku is set in a small community called “Roji” where Kenji Nakagami—one of the most famous novelists in Japan—drew the absurdity and passion of life since its inhabitants have been living and dying. There were beautiful men in “Roji” who struggled to live with the blood of the Nakamato Clan, blood called “noble yet unholy.” Oryu, a midwife, has watched all those men growing up, living and dying... She is now aging old and starts to talk with the dead men souls of the Nakamoto Clan...
On November 25th 1970, a man committed ritual suicide inside the Tokyo headquarters of the Japanese Ministry of Defence, leaving behind a legacy of masterpieces and a controversy that echoes to this day. The man was Yukio Mishima, one of Japan's greatest and most celebrated novelists. With four members of his own private army - the Tatenokai - Mishima had taken the commandant hostage and called upon the assembled military outside the Ministry to overthrow their society and restore the powers of the Emperor. When the soldiers mocked and jeered Mishima, he cut short his speech and withdrew to the commandant's office where he committed seppuku - the samurai warrior's death - tearing open his belly with a ceremonial knife before being beheaded by one of his colleagues. What was Mishima truly trying to express through his actions? And what did he witness during his final moments?
Set in a university campus attached to a hospital, "Ikiterumono wa Inainoka" revolves around a girl who escapes from the hospital, a strange man, students who talk about an urban legend, students involved in a love triangle, coffee shop workers, men who witnessed an accident, an otolaryngologist who has a crush on a hospital employee, idol university students, a mother who looks for a child and suddenly the characters disappear. Laughing, the world comes to an end.
The life of a student named Kanou is transformed when a tiny man informs him that Earth will soon be annihilated. Kanou decides to do just as he pleases with the time he has left, leading to strange adventures that could be real -- or just a dream.
It’s not often that a coming-of-age story revolves around a 29-year-old chronic masturbator who still lives with his mom, but that’s just one example of the many ways Daisuke Miura's Boys on the Run is refreshingly atypical. The film is based on a manga by Kengo Hanazawa which was originally serialized in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Spirits from 2005-2008, and although the adaptation is fairly loyal visually, the overall tone has been changed both in how the characters behave and how the story arc is presented.
A college senior (Mirai Moriyama) takes a bicycle trip for his last summer vacation. On his trip he comes across drive-in "HOUSE475" and its manager Seii (Hidetoshi Nishijima). The college senior then helps out at the store and becomes influenced by his experience at "HOUSE475".
This black-and-white film tells the story of an actor beaten down by life who recovers through a peculiar experience. First feature-length film by director Miyake Sho. Glows with the true-to-life performance by Murakami Jun, who approached the director with his enthusiasm to appear in the film. Shot in Ibaraki Prefecture's Mito City following the earthquake. Haji (Murakami) is an actor on the cusp of turning 40, who has gotten stuck in life. At the invitation of an old friend, he visits his hometown for the first time in ages. On the way Haji has an accident, and wakes up to find himself transported back to high school with his adult body in tact.
In 2011, top-secret data on nuclear power is stolen from a university facility. At the same time, leaked information comes in about enriched uranium from the Korean peninsula. Sumimoto of the external affairs fourth division suspects that a conspiracy has been hatched to rock Japan-Korean relations.
When easy-going Aoyagi meets an old friend for a fishing trip, he ends up drugged, framed for the Prime Minister's assassination, and on the run from corrupt cops. It's only the beginning of what quickly becomes the worst, weirdest day of his life. But he'll get by with a little help from his friends, who include a famous pop diva, a rockabilly deliveryman, a crippled old gangster, and the world's most cheerful serial killer.
Live action film "Shibyo Osen Dead Rising" based on the zombie action game "Dead Rising." Set in Japan and directed by Keiji Inafune. Produced by Capcom, the game studio that also produced the popular Resident Evil series, the Xbox 360/Wii game Dead Rising was a George Romero-inspired third-person shooting game that followed a reporter's effort to fend off a zombie attack in a mall. The game was immensely popular, expanding to downloadable content and multiple spin-off versions on other platforms. Four years later, the sequel of the game has arrived, and Capcom is hyping up the release with a live-action feature film. Directed by game producer Inafune Keiji (Onimusha, Mega Man) in his directorial debut, Shibyo Osen - Dead Rising promises to create a never-before-seen type of third-person-style action film that also features the over-the-top zombie violence that made the games so popular.
Based on the Japanese legend of 15th century adventurer, Oguri Hangan Daisukeshige, Toyoda places us in a surreal world of tattooed Japanese slave workers whose real life roles serve more as symbols than actual characters. After being hired by a local despot, Daizen, to massage away a nasty venereal disease, Oguri is viley betrayed after refusing to stay longer.
A rock band writes a song called "Fish Story" based on a sentence from a badly translated novel by a quack translator. The song exceeds the boundaries of space and time and ties people and their stories together. Thirty-seven years go by, and the song strikes a comet and saves the Earth from total destruction.
In the year 20XX, anarchy reigns over Tokyo after a devastating earthquake destroyed the city. Isolated from the rest of the country, the chaos-ridden city is ruled over by an autocratic governor (Izumiya Shigeru) who has forbidden all forms of entertainment including cinema. Timid movie lover Furuta (Wentz Eiji) and mischievous rocker Nitta (Nakao Akiyoshi), two peddling high school boys lost in the city's wasteland, gather forces and lead a youth rebellion against the governor.
A yakuza must take care of some children from a nursery
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.
Amy and Sonny are two girls with contrasting personalities. Their "secret hideout" is an antique shop. One day, Amy falls in love at first sight with an older man named 'J'
Based on the Best Selling Anime Series "SAIKANO" Shy coed Chise (played by Aki Maeda from Battle Royale) is madly in love with high school athlete Shuji. The two share a bond which only intensifies when war breaks out in futuristic Japan. But Chise has a secret that - if revealed - would not only destroy her relationship but would also put her life at risk. Chise is not an ordinary teenage girl, she is actually the ultimate weapon of mass destruction, a genetically engineered cyborg built specifically for extreme military use. When she goes into battle, Chise strikes fear in everyone around her, including her own troops. Her boyfriend must never know.
An actress suffers an identity crisis when she finds herself spirited away from the bustle of Tokyo to a tropical paradise. A visually stunning ode to the need for a spiritual and tranquil life.
Shinnosuke (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) and Misawa (Keishi Nagatsuka) are joint managers of a Bonsai shop. Suddenly Shinnosuke's childhood friend Haruko (Mami Nakamura) turns up. She has split up with her boyfriend and finds herself out on the streets. Shinnosuke starts to like Haruko and really wants to cheer her up, but he can't manage to express his real feelings or stop picking up other women. Misawa is dumbfounded by Shinnosuke's behavior but also has complex feelings of love for his friend. Haruko realizes that Shinnosuke is falling in love with her but she pretends not to notice in order to keep the peace between the friends. Then one day Shinnosuke suddenly blurts out his feelings for Haruko, but she has just hooked up with another man. Haruko moves out of the shop and in with the man, but then his wife returns and Haruko finds herself out on the streets again. Shinnosuke has to start cheering her up all over again.
For his fourth full feature, Toyoshi Toyoda has abandoned the theme of the angry young man, examined in depth in Pornostar, Blue Spring and 9 Souls. Kuchu Teien is, on the face of it, more a drama, a character study, than a typical Toyoda genre flick. Yet within this beautifully structured and photographed film, there lies a dark soul. Ostensibly the story of a happy family, it becomes increasingly clear as the movie progresses that the Kyobashis are anything but. Despite a family agreement that they are all open with each other, the entire household knows the opposite is true.
Despite the fact that Kyoko's a girl herself, approaching women on the streets and asking them to pose nude for her proves to be quite a chore. At first she accosts every pretty girl that walks by, until Miho (Kawai) catches her eye. Feeling that she has that certain something special, Kyoko insists that Miho pose for her. Her own life floating rudderless after the separation of her parents, Miho accepts, half entertaining the idea to get back at her father (Taguchi), who has gone on to form a new family and who hasn't been in touch with her in years. The two girls walk around town, Kyoko snapping pictures and listening to Miho's stories. Gradually the two young women begin to sense a mutual attraction. When the time comes to get down to the nitty gritty of the nude shots, the girls' defences come down along with their clothes.
A look at the problems two couples, Kohei and Kinuko, and Manabe and Hijiri, have in their relationships, and the solutions they try to devise as a way out. Kohei and Kinuko, despite their age difference, seem like a happy pair, but their is an insurmountable distance between them. Kohei is married to another woman, and Kinuko, though she know he will never divorce, can't bring herself to break off the relationship and start anew. Manabe and Hijiri, meanwhile, start off happily enough, but eventually their passion begins to wane as Manabe starts looking to other women for sex. Hijiri, feeling rejected, moves into an apartment next door to Kinuko, where she plots to break up the mismatched couple to her own advantage.
A group of 11 criminals are trapped in a warehouse with bracelets. The 11 learn that they are part of a game where the prize is 3 million yen and a clean record. The object is to reach the Baron's house. However, the obstacles they face involve hunters with laser guns who will go after the contestants. It seems as if this game is fun...however, the game proves to be a battle of life and death.
Hubert is a French policeman with very sharp methods. After being forced to take 2 months off by his boss, who doesn't share his view on working methods, he goes back to Japan, where he used to work 19 years ago, to settle the probate of his girlfriend who left him shortly after marriage without a trace.
As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of.
Soon after being named the new leader of his high school's gang system, Kujo grows bored with the violence and hatred that surround him. He wants desperately to abandon his post… but his once-enviable position of power has a strange way of making him feel powerless.
A young man decides one day to start killing yakuza. After he kills his first two he gets roped into helping a wannabe gangster and his bumbling underlings to perform a hit. While things work out in the beginning, this young psychopath quickly becomes more trouble than the gang expected. Will they be able to rid themselves of him, or will they be his next victims?
