Shota Sometani
Twenty-five-year-old Momo has friends. Her parents live some distance away, but they sometimes get together to dine out. She dates an acceptable guy, and they share drinks at home. She apologizes to unreasonable clients over the phone at work and hones her ability to keep things civil with coworkers at drinks after work. This perfectly ordinary life means Momo doesn't immediately notice a nagging feeling: "I want to die." For her, it's a phrase she must never say aloud. One summer, unable to bear the thought of the coming Monday, Momo takes a day off from work. She begins to visit other people who struggle with thoughts of suicide, but have discovered alternatives and choose to live instead. She connects with these "Papagenos" through social media. Over the course of her difficult journey, Momo herself begins to discover other choices beyond death.
In the year 202X, Japan feels a deep sense of stagnation and has been branded by the world as a country on the decline. Wanting to break free of this endless situation, Prime Minister Washida sets up an experimental project Utopi-AI. Commonly known as the UA concept, leaders are selected from all over the country by AI and made to govern cities that have degenerated. It has been said that the reason why young people cannot take charge of politics is their lack of experience. AI has a massive amount of data that one person cannot possibly “experience”. In other words, AI can supplement any amount of “experience”. As if to prove it, AI chooses 17-year-old Maki Aran who is immature and wants an ideal society, to be the Prime Minister. The other members are all young people around the age of 20. Maki and his compatriots use AI to push forward reforms to regenerate the degenerated regional cities as the experimental city UA.
Dead bodies with eyeballs ruptured are continuously found. Their direct causes of death are heart attacks and they acted like they were possessed right before their deaths. Mizuki is a university student. Her friend dies in front of her. Meanwhile, Haruo’s younger brother dies. Mizuki and Haruo begin to investigate together. They learn that Eiko holds a key to the mystery. Soon, Eiko's eyeballs rupture and she dies by a heart attack. Before she dies, she mentions the word "Shirai-san.”
After the Onin War, the world is plunged into chaos. Amid this situation, heroes of the warring states begin to emerge in an attempt to unify the country and rule in these turbulent times. In the mid-1540s, there is a young wandering samurai in Mino which is strategically located between the East and West. His name is Akechi Mitsuhide. At this time, there is plenty of internal strife within the Toki clan which rules Mino. Surrounded by the Oda of Owari, the Imagawa of Suruga and the Asakura of Echizen, Mino has constantly faced the risk of invasion. Mitsuhide is pulled into battle and destroys the enemy. His bravery as well as stratagem catches the attention of Saito Toshimasa, the chief retainer of the Toki clan, and he is singled out. This man who is also known as Saito Dosan will go on to takeover the Toki and make Mino his own.
Documentary detailing the making and shooting of the 25th Anniversary book. There are talk sessions with four actors who have spent a lot of time with Kamiki in private and public life. He discusses his thoughts on acting with Sometani Shota, the actor of his generation who Kamiki respects the most. He visited his alma mater, Horikoshi High School with his high school classmate/ best friend Nakamura Hayato. He also met up with his childhood friend Shida Mirai and have a great time talking about his personal life with Kanata Hongo, who they feel is very close to each other. (Source: @neet21_)
A cat who dreams of reuniting with its owner & works as a housekeeper to save money.
Following the excitement of first Bangkok and then New York, a big murder case takes place in Tokyo. Chinatown master detectives Tangren (Wang Baoqiang) and Qinfeng (Liu Haoren) are invited to take up the mystery. Adding to the excitement are the other detectives on the CRIMASTER international detective list as well as the current top rank, Q. Yet another hilarious battle of wits is set to take place...
A group of saints living together in a room in Tokyo's tachikawa apartment, the awakened man Buddha and the son of god Jesus, form an effort to make jokes in order to challenge the manga. Then enjoy the first experience of the karaoke box, in order to escape the heat and enter the family restaurant to sleep for a long time, enjoy the life of the lower world.
When feudal lord Itakura Katsuakira decides to prepare his samurai troops for the onslaught of modernization by having them compete in a marathon, his independent-minded daughter Yuki secretly joins the race.
Rintaro (Sometani Shota) returns home for the first time in a while to prepare for and attend his father's funeral. He and his sister are surprised to find that their mother has canceled the catering order, and instead will be making the food herself in accordance with her late husband's will. The first dish she brings out is simply sunny side up eggs, and the attendees are at a loss. Rintaro recalls that this was the first meal his father had cooked for him and his sister.
A young boxer and a call girl get caught up in a drug-smuggling scheme over the course of one night in Tokyo.
A young Japanese woman named Yoko finds her cautious and insular nature tested when she travels to Uzbekistan to shoot the latest episode of her travel variety show.
SAINT☆YOUNG MEN 2nd Century imagines a world where Jesus Christ (Kenichi Matsuyama; Death Note) and Gautama Buddha (Shōta Sometani; Himizu) take a vacation on earth and become roommates in an apartment in Tokyo. When the two attempt to hide their identities and partake in all that modern Japanese society has to offer, including cosplay in the otaku mecca that is Akihabara, hilarious antics are sure to ensue! From shopping for rice cookers to playing the lottery, not to mention an unexpected brush with the law—this film offers a refreshing and imaginative narrative of two supreme beings’ perspectives of the mundanity of everyday life in Japan. Based on the popular slice-of-life manga SAINT☆YOUNG MEN, serialised in Japan since 2006, this comedic series of vignettes featuring Jesus and Buddha are sure to put a smile on your face.
"A world" - After graduating from a university, close friends Takashi Tsurug and Tomohiko Miwa begin work at a company which does brain research. One day, Tomohiko introduces Mayuko Tsuno as his girlfriend. Takashi is stunned. When he was a university student, Takashi saw Mayuko Tsuno every day on the train opposite from the one he rode. He became attracted to her back then. "B world" - When Takashi Tsurug wakes up, his girlfriend Mayuko Tsuno makes breakfast as usual at his apartment. His friend Tomohiko Miwa introduced him to Mayuko and they have lived happily as a couple. Everything seems to be going smoothly, but Takashi begins to have doubts. Tomohiko, who worked with him at the same company, disappears and he can't discern if his memory is real or imaginary.
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.
The triangular relationship between three 21-year-olds - the unnamed narrator, his male roommate Shizuo, and a woman named Sachiko who works at the same bookstore as the narrator.
Jun is a university student. She meets high school student Haru. To Jun, Haru looks just like Sachiko who was the girlfriend of her now deceased father. Jun and Haru meet Tokio. Tokio is the grandson of Sachiko and they learn that Sachiko is now deceased. They find an open-reel tape from Sachiko's articles.
Three friends who will soon graduate from high school decide to take one last trip together.
During the Late Tang Dynasty, a manor is invaded by a demon cat and a sense of unrest befalls the capital of Changan. A poet is charged with investigating the case and meets up with a monk. The two work together and pull apart the thread of clues to reveal a history of truths leading to the events.
The time spent between professional Shogi player Kiriyama and his three stories helps to heal his wounds. As he prepares to secure another win in an upcoming tournament, the father who left the three sisters appears and disturbs the peace.
Rei Kiriyama (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is a 17-years-old shogi (Japanese chess) player. He debuted as a professional shogi player when he was in middle school. He lives by himself in Tokyo, because his parents and younger sister died in an traffic accident when he was little. One day, Rei Kiriyama meets three sisters who are his neighbors. The three sisters are Akari Kawamoto, Hinata Kawamoto and Momo Kawamoto. This is his first meeting with someone outside of the shogi world in many years. Having meals with the Kawamoto family brings warm feelings to Rei Kiriyama. As Rei Kiriyama continues his shogi career, his interactions with his neighbors allows him to grow as a shogi player and as a person.
Miyuki Asakawa (Yukino Kishii) tells her colleague Etsuko Yamagiwa (Kaho) that she has a ghost in her home. When Etsuko goes to Miyuki's home, there is only Miyuki's father there. Etsuko becomes worried about Miyuki's state of mind and takes her to the psychiatric hospital where her husband Tatsuo (Shota Sometani) works. There, Miyuki receives a diagnosis that she lacks the concept of "family." Later, Etsuko tells her husband Tatsuo that she is not comfortable with Dr. Jiro Makabe (Masahiro Higashide). Tatsuo introduced her to Dr. Jiro Makabe earlier at the hospital. Etsuko has a feeling of unease about her husband working with Dr. Jiro Makabe. One day, Etsuko hears Dr. Jiro Makabe state "I came to Earth to invade."
Something’s wrong and Etsuko is one of the first to notice. It’s not just the sky that looks different, Etsuko suddenly begins hearing strange noises and an increasing number of inexplicable things are happening around her.
Tokunaga, a comedian who is down on his luck, has a shock encounter with Kamiya, an older comedian when he visits a fireworks event in Atami on a job. Tokunaga is deeply touched by Kamiya and asks if he can become his apprentice. Kamiya is a genius type of comedian who is full of human kindness. He accepts Tokunaga’s proposition on the condition that he will write his biography.
The ever-evolving Sion Sono, who burst onto the Japanese film scene with "I Am Sion Sono!!" in 1984, has made a name for himself in world cinema as a numerous award-winner, festival favorite and provocateur. Directed by Arata Oshima, son of rebel filmmaker Nagisa Oshima, who had praised Sono's early work before his passing, this documentary gives insight into the man, the poet, the painter, the scriptwriter, the husband and the boy who will eventually grow up to be the Sion Sono. Lineage, history and the past meeting the present are themes in this film in which Oshima connects the dots in Sono's creative life by taking the camera to the site of his upbringing and following the production of his most recent film "The Whispering Star," also screening at this year's JAPAN CUTS. -JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film
Takuji Kameoka is a 37-year-old bachelor whose occupation is a “miscellaneous actor”. His only interest is drinking. One day he falls in love and his boring life begins to change. The film is based on the book “Actor, Takuji Kameoka” by Akito Inui, a five-time nominee for Japan’s most prestigious literary prize, the Akutagawa Prize. Satoko Yokohama, a much-admired up-and-coming newcomer, directs the film and we can immediately tell that she is a special talent, with a unique understanding that flows through to her actors and crew.
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.
Satoshi Murayama, the shogi (Japanese chess) master known as the arch-rival of Yoshiharu Habu, the shogi genius of the century, died of an intractable disease at age 29. Satoshi devoted his life to fighting not only the disease but also his rivals, feverishly pursuing the highest title, at risk to his life. Director Yoshitaka Mori (Hyakuhachi (2008), Space Brothers (2012)) depicts Murayama's true struggling life, full of love from his parents and teacher, based on the non-fiction novel written by Yoshio Osaki. Kenichi Matsuyama intensely portrays Satoshi and physically embodies the character.
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.
In the early 1990s, experiments were carried out secretly in Japan. Two different methods were used in the experiments. One method involved forcing stress upon expecting parents and when the baby was born, provoke the baby into mutations and develop their special abilities. The other method involved birth to babies having abilities of animals and insects. The special abilities were derived from gene manipulation. Subaru, Saya and others were born from those experiments.
Following the death of his wife professor Kyoichi leads a solitary life by the sea. A stray cat called Mii, who was being fed by his wife, not only continues to drop by, but also seems to be visiting the altar Kyoichi has set up for his deceased wife. While uncomfortable with the cat and its visits, he nonetheless takes up a search when Mii goes missing. The endeavour connects him with the town's folk and reveals that he is not alone.
High school student Yoshio Kamogawa suddenly gained the power to read other people's minds. One day, he receives mail from Sae Asami in Tokyo asking for his help. Yoshio Kamogawa loves Sae Asami. Yoshio Kamogawa goes to Tokyo and infiltrates the high school where Sae Aami attends. Yoshio Kamogawa then becomes involved in a strife between 3 different groups as he tries to save Sae Asami. Shizuka Tachibana also falls in love with Yoshio Kamogawa.
Alien pods come to Earth and, naturally, start taking over Human Hosts. One such pod only manages to take over one human's, Shin Izumi, right arm. Together they grow and co-exist, all the while the other aliens are making meals of other humans; Shin feels he must put a stop to it all, but his alien, Migi, doesn't see why.
Kyuta, a boy living in Shibuya, and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast from Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu who becomes his spirit guide. That encounter leads them to many adventures.
Moritaka Mashiro (Takeru Satoh) doesn't want to follow in the path of his uncle who worked as a manga artist, but ultimately died because of exhaustion. Moritaka Mashiro figures he will graduate from school and work at an office. Things change though when falls in love with a girl at school. The girl, who hopes to become a voice actress, tells Moritaka they can marry, but only after they both achieve their dreams. Moritaka then teams up with fellow classmate Akito Takagi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) to publish their first manga.
A high-school student Yoshiro has never got a spotlight in his life and spends his days aimlessly. What only shines in his life is a girl Sae at his school. Even if being completely disregarded by her, he still dreams of becoming her true love in the future. One day, he finds himself having a mind-reading psychic power. As he looks around, there seem more psychics born in the city, and somehow they are all virgins! One uses his psychokinetic power to fulfill his sexual desire or turns into a flasher using teleportation ability... On the arrival of the psychics like Yoshiro, the city gets gradually infested with the erotic terrorism evoked by a mysterious group. Knowing he has never got any attention from the girl of his dreams, Yoshiro determines to use his power to save the world from this steamy chaos and show off what he has got to the love of his life!
Web adaptation of All Esper Dayo! manga featuring an original story.
Saki and Toshi were born and raised at the shabby "Drive in Gamo," located on the side of a road. Their father was a yakuza but he was kicked out of the group. Because of their father, Saki and Toshi were known as being part of the idiot family. Saki in desperation with her life became a troubled kid. She got pregnant and ran away from family. But one day, Saki who suffered from physical violence by her husband, comes back home.
Takahata Shun's day at high school begins just as boring as ever, but it doesn't end that way. He and his classmates find themselves forced to play children's games with deadly stakes. With no idea who is behind, the only thing Shun and other students can do is keep trying to win.
After a symphonic music career in Europe cut short by hearing loss, Ao (Oizumi Yo) returns home to run his family's farm in Hokkaido alongside younger brother Roku (Sometani Shota). Roku carries on the family legacy of wheat farming, but Ao becomes obsessed with starting a winery specializing in Pinot Noir. The brothers' troubled relationship is upset further when one day mysterious yet charming Erika (Ando Yuko) pitches camp in a neighboring field. A Drop of the Grapevine is the second of director Mishima Yukiko's Hokkaido Trilogy, an intended triptych that features the natural bounty and scenic landscapes of Japan's northern island.
Beautiful Noriko Miki works at a cosmetic company. One day, Noriko is murdered. People begin to suspect her co-worker Miki Shirono might have killed her. Television begins to cover her story. A TV show interviews Miki Shirono's colleagues, family, people from her hometown. Rumors turn into fear. Is she a wicked a woman?
A bittersweet coming-of-age film based on a novel dealing with forestry. Yuki Hirano wants to live an easy life, like working a part-time job after his high school graduation. But, after his high school graduation, Yuki hears from his homeroom teacher that he has been hired for a job. When Yuki gets home, his mother is packing his stuff. Yuki's mother and his homeroom teacher decided that Yuki will work as a forestry trainee after his graduation. Yuki will have to go Kamusari Village. Since then, Yuki begins to work as a forestry trainee and becomes assimilated with the beauty of nature and the warm-hearted people in the village.
Alien pods come to Earth and, naturally, start taking over Human Hosts. One such pod only manages to take over one human's, Shin Izumi, right arm. Together they grow and co-exist, all the while the other aliens are making meals of other humans; Shin feels he must put a stop to it all, but his alien, Migi, doesn't see why.
This erotically charged drama from Japanese director Ryuichi Hiroki (Vibrator) traces the intersecting stories of a group of employees and visitors at a notorious "love hotel" in Tokyo's red-light district.
In an alternate Japan, territorial street gangs form opposing factions collectively known as the Tokyo Tribes. The simmering tension between them is about to boil over into all-out war.
After the forced suicide of Nobunaga Oda at the Incident at Honnō-ji, powerful figures Katsuie Shibata (Koji Yakusho), Hideyoshi Toyotomi (Yo Oizumi), Nagahide Niwa (Fumiyo Kohinata) and Tsuneoki Ikeda (Koichi Sato) meet to decide on a successor. The conference would become Japan's first group made political decision. The meeting was known as the Kiyosu Kaigi. --AsianWiki
Sono Sion's short for the Venezia Festival's 70th Anniversary.
Su-chan, Mai-chan, Sawako-san follows the lives of three women who are former co-workers. 34-year-old Su-chan works at a coffee shop and has feelings for the manager there. 34-year-old Mai-chan works at an OA machine maker. She is in a relationship with a married man. 39-year-old Sawako works as a web designer and also takes care of her grandmother. -san and her mother take care of her grandmother.
Shōta Sometani shoots Sion Sono having fun with some girls while having coffee.
Reiko Himekawa (Yuko Takeuchi) is a female detective at the Metropolitan Police Department. Reiko doesn't come from an elite background, but she has risen fast through the ranks with hard work. Reiko than becomes involved in a murder case named "Strawberry Night" due to the mysterious use of those words surrounding the case ...
Yuko Ichihara is the sexy owner of a strange store which offers to make any wishes come true for a price. Kimihiro Watanuki has a special type of blood that attracts spirits and ghosts. He goes into the shop owned by Yuko Ichihara and asks her to get rid of the spirits. Yuko offers to do so if he works part-time at the store.
A young man Kentaro Saeki (Haruma Miura) keeps failing his bar test and does not know what to do any more. His older sister Keiko is a freelance writer. Kentaro and Keiko begin to search for information on their grandfather Kyuzo Miyabe (Junichi Okada) who dead in the special forces during World War II. Their grandfather Kyuzo Miyabe was terrified of death and obsessed with life. Why did he join the special forces? According to his fellow navy soldiers, Kyuzo Miyabe was a genius and also a coward. Kentaro and Keiko then discovers the shocking truth which has been sealed for 60 years.
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?”
In Notsu, Oita Prefecture, there are many people with supernatural powers. High school student Yoshio Kamogawa (Shota Sometani) is one of them and can read other people's minds. Yoshio uses his powers for trivial reasons.
Koichi and Atsumi are lovers who have known each other all their lives. A year ago, however, a suicide attempt by Atsumi left her in a coma. Through 'sensing', a type of neurosurgical procedure allowing contact with the intentional aspect of a comatose patient's mind, Koishi tries to find out why Atsumi tried to kill herself, and to bring her back to consciousness. He enters her subconscious, and is told to find a picture of a plesiosaur she drew when she was a child. It turns out that a childhood incident buried in their past will bring their minds together.
In present-day Japan, little Masashi moves from an evacuation center to a small village. There he will discover that every child has the ability to communicate with a fantastic creature, but they are being used in an evil plan to collect the children’s negative energy. Artist Takashi Murakami ‘s debut film is an amazing epic story that is an X-Ray of children’s hopes and fears with the artist’s unmistakable visual style.
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 man and a woman share the same time and same space. One day in the morning, they go their separate ways. The woman meets her old friend, but she looks annoyed. The man also meets his old friend again, but his thoughts are somewhere else.
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...
Akane is a high school teacher who hears a rumor from her students that there is actual footage on the Internet of someone's suicide. The footage is said to drive anyone who sees it to also commit suicide. Akane does not believe the rumor at first, but when one of her female students dies after viewing the footage, she and her boyfriend Takanori are fatefully drawn into the horror that has been created by the man who appears in the suicide footage, Kashiwada. Kashiwada's intention is to create chaos in the world by bringing back Sadako and the power of her curse. Now Akane has to fight against Sadako and Kashiwada to save the lives of herself and Takanori.
In this modern adaptation of the Dostoyevsky classic, a loner named Miroku takes it upon himself to kill a teenage girl leading a prostitution ring. She's an insect that hurts everyone around her. She needs to die -- and he's going to kill her. Why is that wrong?
After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, a woman must find a way to raise the son and daughter that she had with him. However, their inheritance of their father's traits prove to be a challenge for her.
A chronicle of the life of Yasui Santetsu, a 17th century master of go who turned his attention to astronomy and created a new calendar for Japan. Based on the life of Santetsu Yasui (December 27, 1639-November 1, 1715), appointed as the first official astronomer in the Edo Period and would go on to create the Jokyo calendar at the imperial request.
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.
A popular high school teacher concocts an extreme plan to deal with the rise of bullying and bad behavior among the student body.
The Tokyo Olympics are about to open, and Rynosuke Chagawa is excited to receive a new TV set to watch the upcoming events. His wife Hiromi is pregnant and he has built a second level on his shop to provide his adopted son Junnosuke with a private space to study for entrance to Tokyo University to set up a career with a major company. He dreams of sparing Junnosuke the struggles that he has faced as a writer. The family continues to rely upon Hiromi's income from her bar. Meanwhile a rival story, The Virus, by a new writer has appeared in the periodical that has been publishing his stories "Boy's Adventure Book" and he fears the new competition. Norifumi Suzuki also receives a new TV, but more of a deluxe model. Mutsuko Hoshino (Roku) is still the principal mechanic in the Suzuki family's auto repair shop, but she dresses up some mornings to go to a nearby street with the hope of a "chance" meeting with Dr...
A Man With Style is a bittersweet family drama which has at its centre two fifty-something school friends – widower Junichi Miyata (Ken Mitsuishi), a blue-collar worker and Sanada (Tomorowo Taguchi). Both are rather ordinary middle-aged men, far removed from any association with ‘style.’ Junichi Miyata is the more cantankerous and frustrated of the two in Ishii’s oeuvre. His wife died of cancer ten years ago, leaving him with an overriding memory of a silly but hilariously acted children’s song of bunnies she used to sing and two children who now, aged 18 and 19, hardly engage with him and are keen to move to university in Tokyo. He is short-tempered with them and nags them endlessly to no avail.
Kyohei Nagashima (Masaki Okada) has shut away the world. During his high school days he was the target of bullying and experienced horrifying moments. Now as a young adult Kyohei takes a new job. He works for a company that specializes in cleaning out the homes of recently deceased individuals. With his new job Kyohei meets co-worker Yuki (Nana Eikura). Yuki has also experienced a traumatizing event as a teen and has also shut herself away from the world. These two young people form a bond as they go through the homes of the recently departed people. They gradually open up to each other and in the process to the world. Yet, their fragile psyches may or may not be ready for such changes ...
Set after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, all 14-year-old Sumida Yuichi wants to become is a regular boy and live a decent life. His environment though repeatedly drags him into the mud. He runs his parent's rental boat business, which is located next to a nondescript lake. His mother frequently comes home with different men and soon she leaves him entirely. His father only comes around looking for money. Chazawa Keiko is a classmate of Sumida Yuichi. She harbors a severe crush on Yuichi. Keiko's home life isn't much better than Yuichi's. Her mother builds a gallows with a noose in place for Keiko to take her own life. Her mother believes her life would be better off without Keiko. Under these circumstances, Keiko pays a visit to Yuichi's home. A group of people are lingering nearby who live in makeshift tents on the property. Keiko tries to befriend Yuichi, but she is berated and even physically assaulted. She doesn't get deterred though and sticks around.
Miura Haruma takes on the role of Koji, a college student aiming to become a professional photographer. One day, he receives an unusual request to shadow the client's girlfriend and take pictures of her; this assignment leads to subtle changes in his relationships with the women around him. Nana Eikura plays the ex-girlfriend of Koji's childhood friend, while Manami Konishi plays Koji's sister after one of his parents remarries, and Haruka Igawa plays the woman that Koji is photographing.
Set in the Ryukyu Kingdom during the latter days of the Tokugawa shogunate, a woman takes the guise of a Eunuch to pass a government examination. She eventually becomes a government official still in the disguise of a man.
In a noisy classroom, biology teacher Madoka proceeds with his lesson in a small voice.He is unable to look the students square in the face nor admonish them for talking or sleeping in class. Only Tsubura looks upon him with a smile. Very much infatuated with Madoka, she records his idiosyncrasies in her biology notebook through illustrations--tapping his hand on his chin is proof that he is annoyed; messily tugging at his hair when he is at his wits' end. Tsubara, fearful of being forgotten after she dies, only eats things loaded with preservatives so that even if she dies, her body will not rot. Believing such things, Tsubara, thinking that "combining Mr. Madoka who has no one with me who needs someone would surely be perfect," gets the wild idea of a genital exchange with Madoka.
In a small rural town, a brother and sister goes missing and there's also a serial killer case involving woman as the victims. Mayu Misono (Aya Omasa) is a sophomore high school student in the town. She is called "Ma-chang". When Mayu Misono was young, she was also kidnapped and locked up. Since that time she has been traumatized and has become indifferent to everything around her. One day, in front Mayu's mansion, her childhood friend Mii-kun (Shota Sometani), who was kidnapped with Mayu, suddenly appears. Ma-chang hugs Mii-kun. Up until now, she has waited for Mii-kun. Mayu has lived in the mansion alone, until a week ago, when she kidnapped two elementary school aged kids and has kept them locked in her mansion. To hide Mayu's crime, the four of them will live together in the mansion. The truth of what happened 10 years ago becomes slowly revealed. The reason Mi-kun tries to protect Mayu, even puts his life at risk, all connects to an unexpected real criminal.
"A School Behind Bars" centers around Asahi Junior High School, which is located within Nagano Matsumoto Boy's prison in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture - the only public school in Japan that is located inside a prison. The school's students are all prisoners ranging in age from 20-70. The students are carefully selected after taking an entrance exam and being selected by the school's admission board.
30 something year old Yuriko (Noriko Eguchi) works as a aromatherapist at an aroma salon. She uses essentials oils and her hands to soothe her client’s inner well-being. Yuriko also has a secret she can’t tell anyone; She gets incredibly turned on by the sweaty scent of a 17 year old high school student named Tetsuya (Shota Someya). Tetsuya is also the nephew of the salon owner (Jun Miho). Meanwhile, salon client Ayama (Saori Hara) asks to practice aromatherapy, but her real intent is to press her large breasts against Yuriko.
The story begins with the disappearance of a school bus and four high school girls. Still unsolved three years later, the case gets revived when one of the girls reappears. Odagiri plays a sharp national investigator searching for the truth behind the incident, which leads back to a seemingly peaceful town.
Yukio Kasai (Sometani Shota) is running through the mountains to escape something, when suddenly he is accidentally hit and knocked unconscious. The man driving is Shigeru, a single father who lives nearby in a small rural fishing town. Shigeru then offers Yukio a strange proposal, whilst he recovers he can ‘help repair a boat’. Yukio is however haunted by nightmares and just when he starts to feel comfortable, his tragic past catches up to him with dire results.
The story focuses on 26-year-old Rika (Ueto), a single editor who is unskilled in love. The story starts when a man (Uchino) appears before her, telling her that he is her husband from 10 years in the future. He informs her that she will meet the young version of himself in a few days, but begs her not to marry him. Tokyograph
Akito has been the ears and voice of his mother, Reiko, since he was a child. Reiko was born deaf and has long dreamed that her son would become a professional pianist. Akito is studying to enter a prestigious music college, but he begins to have doubts about his talent. One day, he meets Izumi, a deaf girl who plays in a street band. He is attracted to her positive nature, but his mother disapproves, fearing Izumi could hinder his success in "a world with sound." Reiko insists Akito focus on his piano, but her expectations burden him. Then Akito begins to question his mother's attitude towards life as well as his own when he discovers something new about her.
After Japan's defeat in WWII, "Pandora no hako" follows a young man named Risuke (Shota Sometani) who has contracted tuberculosis. He travels to the countryside to a unique nursing facility to receive treatment for his disease. At the sanatorium all the patients and nurses go by nicknames and Risuke decides to reinvent himself as Hibari. During his stay, Hibari develops realationships with other patients and nurses. After Hibari's friend Tsuikushi (Yosuke Kubozuka) gets discharged from the nursing facility, Hibari writes to him about his relationships with Dakesang (Mieko Kawakami) the chief nurse and Mabo (Riisa Naka) another nurse that is bright and seems to like him.
Momoko (Yui Aragaki) is a quiet and lonely high school girl who's only passion is to cheer traditional cheer squad, but all she could gather were good for nothing guys, who could not find places in school. They start the cheer squad with a disaster, but when they finally find the true meaning of "cheering" someone, their passion becomes power and gives strength to those that are cheered.
The movie is part of the Kindaichi TV movie series. Kindaichi is played by actor Goro Inagaki. The character's grandfather began with the written word. Kousuke Kindaichi started life in the novels of Seishi Yokomizo, written and set in post-war Japan. Inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, Kindaichi is still very much a unique character, giving the Japanese their very own literary hero-detective. Young Hajime Kindaichi is a young man with bad dandruff and worse dress-sense (decades before Columbo), who wears a trademark, scruffy sunhat. He also happens to be better than the police at deductive reasoning. Having gained publicity for solving a high-profile murder case, the detectives allow him to work with them again. This story is slimmer than the twisty plots of Inugami and Village, but is graced by the presence of Chiaki Kuriyama (Battle Royale, Kill Bill Vol. 1, The Great Yokai War) in the title role.
A mysterious old woman appears before Setsu, who has recently lost her only child in a tragic accident. She says she can bring Setsu's son, Daio back to life. After agreeing to this sinister proposal, Daio returns to his mother, but to Setsu's horror, he is half decomposed and inhuman. To make him human again, he needs fresh human organs. Setsu does everything she can to reincarnate her son, but Daio just turns into a different kind of monster. No one can stop him as he continues to feed his hunger, claiming victim after victim.
Midori (Asami Mizukawa) is in her late 30's and is a cutout picture artist. She has anxiety about her future. Takano (Kodai Asaka) is a 25-year-old bureaucrat at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. He is under a heavy workload and he becomes lethargic at his workplace. One day, he sees a list of people who committed suicide due to temporary employment. On that list, he becomes interested in a 25-year-old young man who killed himself. Takano begins to investigate the background of that young man. --asianwiki
A unique black comedy set in Ginza Cinepathos, a long-established movie theater that closes at the end of March 2013 while being familiar to movie fans with its retro appearance and unique lineup. Unique guests visiting the theater draw a human pattern during breaks.
