Koji Ohkura
Produced by Hideto Iwai "Suddenly Reading a Book! Takako Matsu x Ryunosuke Kamiki x Takanori Goto x Koji Okura Second installment of the show. Iwai Hideto is the moderator & director of the read-through. The concept of this is a challenging impromptu script read-through. The actors participating will not be notified on the subject prior to the performance. They will be handed the script on the day itself & will have to read it on the spot. The cast read the script of "Sanpo Suru Shinryakusha" (Before We Vanish) by Maekawa Tomohiro for Episode 2.
Mio Meguro (Fuka Koshiba) is a timid person. She is afraid of being hated by others and this causes her to refrain from saying what she really wants to say. She doesn't have any specific things she wants to do. She got a job and eventually dated a man from her workplace work. Mio Meguro wanted to marry the man, but he turns out to be a bad guy. Because of him, she becomes penniless and unemployed. Her life descends into a bottomless pit. Mio Meguro then happens to get a sharehouse, where the mysterious creatures known as yokai live. The yokai try to solve her problems in radical ways.
On the night of her police university graduation, Natsume Hamanaka’s (Riho Yoshioka) younger brother dies in accident caused by Natsume Hamanaka. In the accident, Natsume Hamanaka also loses her eyesight. She gives up on being a police officer. 3 years later, Natsume Hamanaka still has gotten over what happened that night. One day, she is involved in a minor car accident. She hear's a young girl's voice asking for help. Natsume Hamanaka senses that the girl might be a kidnap victim. She reports what happened to the police, but the police doesn't purse her report. Natsume Hamanaka does not give up and keeps looking for the girl. She finds a young boy who was skateboarding near the fender bender car accident. Natsume Hamanaka believes a serial kidnapper exists.
Yaichi (Ryuta Sato) is a single father and he raises his elementary school aged daughter alone. One day, a foreign man named Mike (Baruto Kaito) visits him. Yaichi has an identical twin brother Ryoji, but Ryoji moved to Canada years ago. They have disconnected since that time. Mike introduces himself as the husband of Ryoji. They are a married gay couple. Yaichi is confused and doesn't know how to deal with Mike.
Mikoto Misumi is a pathologist at UDI (Unnatural Death Investigation) Lab. She can't stand neglecting unnatural deaths and believes there must be a truth behind the deaths. Team members that work with her are autopsy doctor Kai Nakado, recorder Rokuro Kube, clinical test technologist Yuko Shoji and UDI director Yasuo Kamikura. They work on unnatural death cases and try to reveal the truth behind the deaths.
Hidomi Hibajiri is a young girl who never takes off her headphones. Her whole life consists of going to school, helping out at her mother's cafe, and listening to music. With nothing else to break the crippling monotony, she keeps her headphones on at all times. That is, until she is run over by a mysterious guitar-wielding woman.
A woman was killed by a truck wheel, which flew off while the vehicle was in motion. As the freight company which owns the truck becomes the target of the public and the media’s wrath, Tokuro Akamatsu, the president of the freight company, realizes that a structural defect within the truck itself may have been to blame. A conspiracy of the wheel manufacturer's attempts to cover up a defective product is uncovered.
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.
Young public prosecutor Keiichiro Okino is assigned to the department of the Tokyo Public Prosecutors Office that deals with violent cases, where he will work with Takeshi Mogami, whom he admires. When a money lender is killed and it is suspected that someone from Mogami’s past is the perpetrator, the team prepares to do his best in order to prove the alleged criminal’s guilt.
In Tokyo, an old person, who lived alone, is found dead. Detectives from the Police Station investigate the case. According to the victim's neighbors, a woman sometimes came in and out of the victim's home. That woman is Miki Yamamoto. She does housework for her customers. The detectives from Police Station visit Miki’s house. What is the truth behind the cases?
Makoto Masaki and Haruko Kogetsu are both 29 years old and single. Since they were children, they have passed each other at various places like on the beach and shrines. Yet, the two are not aware of each other at all. One day, a man appears in front of Makoto Masaki and introduces himself as God. He tells Makoto Masaki about his destined soul mate and that she works next door. When he faces Haruko Kogetsu, he tells her "I'm your destiny."
Sakisaka Kento is a lawyer with an outstanding career. He seems cool and handsome, but he is a zealous person who will confront things that are unreasonable and wrong head-on. There are times when he values the words of a single person and not a lawyer. Sakisaki is regarded as the ace of the law firm, but his only weak point is a lawyer at the same firm who also happens to be his ex-wife Natsume Yoshie. He has been raising their daughter Mizuki as a single father since their divorce. A stylish lawyer who holds her head high, Yoshie is down-to-earth and a perfectionist. These two rival lawyers often have well-reasoned legal arguments regarding the cases of their clients. However, when they wander off topic, they will call each other “papa” and “mama” the moment they lose their cool and start quarreling like a couple.
Emiri Yoshii begins work at a general trading company. Due to her family's failure in business, she had to give up her dream of earning a MBA in America. Now, she hopes to become an executive of a company. Emiri is sent to the general affairs department at the trading company. She freaks out when she learns that lower level employees have to wear uniforms and she has to deal with everything from changing light bulbs to ordering business cards. Nonetheless, she works hard to pay off her family's debt. Emiri then finds herself in the crosshair of coworkers. Senior female employees are perturbed that she doesn't drink coffee with them and skips their gatherings. Meanwhile, the male employees like working with her, but only when they need an attractive women for matters like entertaining clients. The male employees do not give her serious work. Emiri, who appears popular among the male employees, soon becomes an outcast among the senior female employees. She becomes fed up with her situation and takes action.
26-year-old Hachiko Hojo (Yuko Oshima) works as a train attendant, selling items on a cart. She's good at her job, but she lacks self confidence. One day, she meets a movie producer (Koji Ookura). They decide to visit tourist attractions in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Hachiko Hojo looks back upon her life along the way.
Prosecutor Kohei Kuryu (Takuya Kimura) takes charge of a case with a foreign embassy possessing the key to solve the case. Due to the extraterritoriality involving the case, the investigation has not gone anywhere. A crisis then ensues. Kohei Kuryu and his office attempt to extract the truth behind the wall of the embassy.
The movie follows the life of an unpopular comedy duo. The duo, called "Boso Swimmers", have been working together for 12 years, but the duo sees little future in their comedy careers. They then begin to write their thoughts in a diary
Kageyama (Sho Sakurai) works as the butler for rich heiress Reiko Hosho (Keiko Kitagawa). Reiko happens to be a novice detective but lacks certain deductive skills needed by detectives. Because of this Reiko relies on Kageyamaa to help her solve cases. Meanwhile, Kageyama isn't afraid to mince words and often calls out Reiko with his sharp tongue!
A new salesman named Kosuke Okuda happens to meet Mao Watarai, a friend from his middle school days. Back then, Mao was called stupid and bullied, but now she is an attractive woman. Kosuke and Mao fall in love and decide to marry, but Mao has a secret…
An elite researcher (Tatsuya Fujiwara) dreams of committing the perfect crime.
High school student Noguchi learns that there isn't a single male softball team in the nearby area. He figures if he starts up a softball team, they are sure thing to go to the national tournament. He then persuades his friend Onitsuka to help him start a softball club. Once Noguchi and Onitsuka rounds up enough players, they teams preps to win one all important game in the tournament.
Riko Narumi plays an unpopular idol who in an attempt to boost her faltering career becomes police chief for a day. During the day a robbery occurs at a convenience store and instead of letting a real police chief deal with the robbery she decides to take the matter into her own hands.
A young man Tomoya Nagase and a girl Mayuko Fukuda both learn that they have an untreatable illness and are nearing death. When one reveals that they have never been to the ocean, they embark on a comical adventure to see the sea.
Journey to the West comes to the big screen like never before in the 2007 film Saiyuuki! Also known as Monkey Magic and Adventures of the Super Monkey, this is the latest in a long line of adaptations of the Wu Cheng'en tome.
35 year old Umezawa Isamu (Yamaguchi Tatsuya) works for a major trading firm and is a single dad to his only son, Hiroshi (Nagashima Mitsuki), a 6th-grader who hates to study but loves to play baseball. Ever since his wife divorced him on a whim 5 years ago, his days have been a constant struggle to keep up with work and household chores. One day, Isamu sets out on the task of finding his son a prep school for junior high entrance exams, but he becomes desperate when finding that most schools have already closed off applications. It is at such a time that Isamu hears about the Goddess of Exams. Rumor has it that she was accepted at all of the 17 topnotch junior high schools with top scores 2 years ago and that whoever she tutors makes it into the school of their wish 100%. Isamu finds out that the girl's name is Sugawara Michiko (Narumi Riko) and begins a frantic search for her. When Isamu finally finds Michiko and pleads her to tutor Hiroshi, she demands, "If you want me to tutor your son, kneel down at my feet and beg."
Orichalcum is a mystical metal material that gives great powers to the life form that possesses it. Many Eons ago, the Orichalcum was split into three and landed on Earth. The metal then took the form of three relics: Skanda’s Vajra, Jew’s Cross, and the Sword of Alexander. Anyone able to re-unite these three Orichalcum relics would then obtain the powers of a God. Now two rival aliens are in a heated race to reunite the Orichalcum. They land in Edo era Tokyo where the relics are thought to exist.
A sharpshooting rookie and a veteran with a brilliant track record are paired to solve a number of different cases. The two incompatible women clash about everything, and we see them developing a friendship, hating one another, working as team, laughing and crying as they follow the trail of clues set by a serial killer.
A school is supposed to be the safe place for children, but unfortunately it is not any longer. It has so many problems that even most dedicated teachers would give up eventually. Kohei KAJI (Atsushi ITO) a young passionate teacher who's just started his career at a junior high school, but he is thrown into the chaos and desperation when one of his student dies at school. Tamako TSUMIKI (Miho KANNO) is a cool elite lawyer who seems to have some secret connection with that dead girl. Is that an accident? Or suicide? Together they start investigate what has been going on at the school and they have to face some terrifying facts that show how easily one could fall. This is a controversial theme that questions every one of us if we can change the world.
Japan sinks! Proving once again that Japan will never cease to find inventive ways to destroy itself on screen, this summer's blockbuster Sinking of Japan brings apocalypse through tectonics. Based on Sakyo Komatsu's best-selling novel, Sinking of Japan was first put on the big screen in Moritani Shiro's 1973 classic. In 2006, director Higuchi Shinji remakes the disaster movie, taking the story to
"Aogeba Totoshi" deals with the issues of mortality and death through the eyes of a lonely student who has an morbid and albeit naive fascination with death. His teacher, Koichi is also grappling with the issue of mortality as he deals with the impending death of his ailing father, who has decided to spend his final days in the family home. As the story progresses, Koichi finds unexpected solace from his grief by letting his troubled student visit and meet with his father in the hopes that he will understand the meaning of life and death.
Based on renowned Japanese writer Natsume Soseki's same-titled short story collection, Ten Nights of Dreams brings ten fantastical dream sequences to film with great visual and psychological panache. Representing the combined efforts of eleven directors, this outstanding anthology delves into the surreal subconscious with ten madly imaginative, reality-subverting visions that range from wonderfully wacky to nightmarishly unsettling.
Adapted from the successful play, the film takes place in the 19th Japan where a war between demons and their slayers is fought. Izumo, an Kabuki actor with a demon-slaying past, meets and falls in love with Tsubaki. However, something is not right as mysterious marks appear on her body as time progresses. At the same time, it is announced that Ashura, the queen of all demons, will be resurrected and bring destruction to the universe.
Hosted by veteran comedian Tamori, "Bizarre Tales 2004 Spring Special" presents five tales. 1. Koroshiya desu no yo (It's a Hitman, You Know) - starring Mizuki Alisa. 2. Jibun-counsellor (Self-counsellor) - starring Inohara Yoshihiko. 3. Be Silent - starring Watabe Atsuro. 4. Sasoimizu (Pump-priming) - starring Harada Taizo. 5. Saigo no Hitotoki (The Last Moment) - starring Nagasaku Hiromi.
Seven friends gather at a party in Kyoto to celebrate Masamichi's entry to graduate school. Maki & her boyfriend Nakazawa join the party and get drunk easily after the friendship reunion. Kate has a crush on one of the cute guy who doesn't have any interests on her though. The cheerful and unforgettable night is full of joy while the whales and the thief incidents also attract the attention of them. Before the sunrise, seven friends meet again on the beach so as to witness the fade of youth days.
Sachiko and Masato Azuma, in their 4th year of marriage, had been so excited about the birth of their long-waited first child. They named their baby boy "Hikaru" (meaning light in Japanese). Nobody doubted that the birth of their precious son Hikaru would bring great happiness to the Azumas' family life. Until one day, Sachiko noticed that there was something different about Hikaru. This heartwarming drama is a story about family. Hikaru's mother goes through so many difficulties raising her autistic son, sometimes so overwhelmed that she doesn't know what to do. Then at Hikaru's school, with the help of one very special teacher, Rio-sensei, she learns to deal with her son's autism and think positive about her family life. Her story will touch the heart of all mothers with young children, mothers who have brought up young children, as well as woman who will be mothers in the future. --NTV
Heaven's Bookstore is a 2004 Japanese film directed by Tetsuo Shinohara about a struggling classical pianist who is sent to heaven to work in a bookstore. It is based on two novels, written by Atsushi Matsuhisa and Wataru Tanaka.
Tsuneo is a university student working part-time in a mah-jong parlour. Lately the customers have been talking about an old lady who pushes a baby carriage through the streets. They say she is carrying something for a crime syndicate, and they wonder what it is she has in the carriage... Money? Drugs? One day, the owner of the mah-jong parlour sends Tsuneo out to walk his dog. A baby carriage comes rolling down a hill and crashes into a guard rail. The old lady asks him to look into the carriage, where he finds a young woman clutching a knife. This is how Tsuneo first meets the girl who calls herself Josée.
As children, the introverted Smile was being bullied by a gang of kids until the brash Peco comes by and chases all of them them away. Peco then takes Smile under his wings and teaches him how to play the game of ping pong. From there a life long best friend relationship comes into existence between these two polar opposite kids. Fast forward a decade later, these two best friends try to deal with their own inner turmoils, as they move further and further into the regional ping pong tournament. Peco has to overcome a knee injury while trying to rediscover the fun aspects of the game of Ping Pong. Meanwhile, Smile now seems to have gained the killer instinct by going through a rigorous training regiment instilled by his high school coach. As the tournament progresses it becomes more likely that these two best friends will face off against each in the final match.
Locked away deep in his home and hiding a secret that keeps him there, Detective Kozaburo Himuro remains ever vigilant in his duties of police work. But how does the wunderkind detective investigate crime scenes without ever stepping out of his home? Enter traffic cop Kurumi Ayaki. She's a young lady who's about to marry and resign from the force when tasked with being Himuro's eyes and ears on the beat. While on the scene of the crime their only means of communication is via mobile phone. Together they investigate a series of mind-boggling murder mysteries that put them, particularly Kurumi, in constant danger. Can Kurumi keep up with Detective Himuro, and the fast-paced and dangerous work of criminal investigation?
