Tetsu Watanabe
Action actor Tateishi Daisuke who struggles with loneliness after suffering a traumatic experience due to an accident during filming. One day, he comes across a senior high school girl Ayumi who is being harassed consistently by Chinese brokers and the local yakuza. He decides to protect her from them. However, after this incident, he comes to develop a mindset of seeing violence as a way to gain the affirmation and approval of others thus gradually loses himself and behaves in an extreme manner.
Fukumi is a high school janitor whose father was a gangster. He works at the school as a janitor instead of belonging to the gang so he can watch out for Yui, the daughter of his deceased father's brother Majima Yoshiki. One day, a gang feud erupts. Yoshiki is killed and Yui becomes the next target.
After being dumped by his fiancé, heartbroken Hong Kong police officer Fallon Zhu gains 200+ pounds. His superiors demote him to the job of escorting convicts to Japan. When a convict in his custody mysteriously dies, he must team up with citizen Thor to solve the mystery.
Takashi learns there’s more to this exclusive high school than meets the eye when he’s recruited into its ultra-secret, mega-capital investment club.
Ooshima Shino is a 1st-grade high school student. She has difficulties pronouncing words that start with vowels in front of people. Because of her speech impediment, she does not get along with others. Shino meets Kayo who likes music, but she is tone-deaf. They decide to start a band and Shino begins to change.
Dollmaker Haruhiko Kasukabe, nicknamed Haru-san, lost his wife Ruriko in an airplane crash 22 years ago and has been living with his only daughter Furi since then. It is the day of Furi's wedding. However, Furi only told Haruhiko about the wedding a month before. Since the bridegroom had some trouble at his overseas job, he was only able to return to Japan the day of the wedding, so Haruhiko has not met him even once. What kind of man did Furi choose to marry, and why did she hide such an important thing for so long...!? Haruhiko, worrying over all this, shuts himself in his room and decides not to go to the wedding... then, something completely unexpected happens to him. His late wife Ruriko appears before him. The truth is, she has appeared at Haruhiko's side many times before. What could be Ruriko's goal...
A man is murdered after stealing documents from the Olympic Department of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
When a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and tears through the city, the government scrambles to save its citizens. A rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape to uncover the monster's weakness and its mysterious ties to a foreign superpower. But time is not on their side - the greatest catastrophe to ever befall the world is about to evolve right before their very eyes.
Run for Love is a Chinese romance anthology film featuring five love stories respectively in Japan, United States, Norway, Turkey and Saipan.
In the past, Kurumi Usushima (Yuto Nakajima) wanted to become a ballerino, but he is now a detective. Kurumi Usushima and his senior detective, Takao Washio (Masahiro Takashima), solve a case by using the hypnosis technique past life regression.
When Tendokai's headquarters are attacked, underboss Washio Kazuma orders his trusted lieutenant to investigate a possible mole inside the family.
Located in the downtown area of Nagoya, this 60-year-old, bath and toilet co-op, accomodation is a room with no room "Makanai-so".
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.
An Orthodox priest, Father Nikolay, the brother of a Yakuza boss, is drawn into in a mob war in Japan. He escapes to the small Russian village of Glubokoe, where he finds that war has found him again.
An overweight exchange student with no friends decides to join the university’s sumo team at a Japanese university. But in order to get in, first he has to fight the team leader.
A blackmail arrives at Appi ski resort. “We demand 30,000,000 yen as consolation money for the destruction of the environment. If you do not respond to the demand, a time bomb set on the ski slope will be detonated.” If the bomb goes off, it will not only hurt the skiers but trigger an avalanche and cause a major catastrophe. The general manager of the ski pistes, Kurata (Ken Watanabe) pleads for an immediate shutdown of the ski site and reporting to the police, but the president of the ski resort gives priority to business interests and decides to negotiate with the blackmailer. And a negotiation process for a despicable ransom case with a massive hostage of all the skiers at the resort begins.
In Japan, gonzo filmmakers hatch a three-pronged plan to save an actress's career, end a yakuza war and make a hit movie.
Ryosaku, a struggling actor, endures daily abuse from his wicked wife. One day, the janitor of his apartment gives him a 'The Pod of Good Fortune'. And his life begins to go awry. The sudden death of his abusive wife...suspicion of murder...an impulsive cover-up...same old routine on set...an unexpected visitor...and the body count rises. This fi lm closely follows the daily life of the protagonist as the bizarre and horrifi c drama unfolds. When people are pushed to an extreme situation, it's also the most comical. Full of such aspects, the stor y reveals the secret side of the people surrounding the protagonist. Where will the 'The Pod of Good Fortune' lead this man's unfortunate life? Only the Pot can tell.
Hasumi Kayoko, the rookie investigator at the all-female Hasumi Detective Agency, always observes people and cases in a level-headed manner. She detests lies and secrets, and has a strong sense of justice. Her late father worked at the city news desk of a newspaper, but committed suicide 7 years ago. However, the truth lies in darkness and Kayoko's mother, Kyoko, the agency's director, has been secretly pursuing the facts. An incident becomes the catalyst that entwines Kayoko and the people around her, and she closes in on the truth behind her father's death.
A shopping arcade in a working-class Tokyo neighborhood filled with Baki fans comes under threat when an unscrupulous corporation tries to take over.
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.
Inu o Kau to Iu Koto is a Japanese television series which premiered on TV Asahi on April 15, 2011. Its full title is The Story of Keeping a Dog〜180 Days of a Dog Named "Sky" Stayed in our Home〜.
Shamoto runs a small tropical fish shop. When his daughter Mitsuko is caught shoplifting at a grocery store a man named Murata steps in to settle things between the girl and the store manager. Murata also runs a tropical fish shop and he and Shamoto soon become friendly. However Murata hides many dark secrets behind his friendly face.
A heartwarming tale about the turning point in the life of an elite business man in his fifties and a local train that has been running since 1911. Hajime is in line to be the next head of a prominent electronics company. He toils day and night over his work and has no time for his family. But one day, his mother in Shimane falls ill, and his best friend dies in an accident. Grief-stricken, Hajime returns home, where memories of his childhood dream come back to him. He had always wanted to be a train conductor and drive the local "bataden" Ichibata Electric Railway.
Sharply revealing the issue of Japanese construction industry where bid-rigging was a common practice among the giants. After working diligently for three years at a construction site, Heita unwillingly transfers to a sales department where he becomes a part of the illegal collusion -- to limit open competition and obtain high-price public works within the colluding parties. He is torn from conducting unlawful action to save his company, yet deep inside wishing to abide by the law to follow his justice. What will his answer be?
Jiro (Jiro Sato) is a 32-year-old man who doesn't have a job. He lives at his parents' house and doesn't go outside or socialise with people. After the death of his father, Jiro's mother runs away and leaves behind a 6 month dog named Ichiro and some clues for Jiro. To find his mother, Jiro has to venture out into the world.
Rina Sakurai, a popular model of Koakuma Ageha, a hair and make-up magazine for gals, makes her actress debut. Abandoned by family and betrayed by her boyfriend, Haruka Ichinose comes to Tokyo with her pet turtle, Jimmy. With heaped up blonde hair, flashy fashion, beloved Jimmy, and no fixed address, she takes interviews. But she has no luck on job hunting and becomes a net cafe refugees. One day, she finds a flyer and she jumps into a cabaret. What kind of future is waiting for Haruka?
After being forced to resign from her publishing company job when her magazine goes out of circulation, office worker Haname Jinchoge (Kumiko Aso) is given the name of her real father-Noburo Jinchoge when her mother (Keiko Matsuzaka) falls into a coma after nearly drowning in a pond while searching for kappa. Unsure if Noburo (Morio Kazama) is her father, Haname decides to visit him but tells him that she is a distant relative, he happens to be the shopkeeper at an odd antiquities shop called Light Bulb Co., working for her father is a punk rocker named Gas (Ryo Kase).
The dead have risen to feast on the flesh of the living, and just when it seems that all hope for humanity has been lost, bikini girls with machine guns take one last shot at saving mankind from certain extinction. In the near future, a deranged scientist named Sugita has conducted a series of experiments intended to reanimate the dead. Unfortunately for the entire population of the planet, these experiments were a resounding success. Now, as a massive, shambling army of the undead launches a bloody war against their living counterparts, wandering beauties Aya (Eri Otoguro) and Reiko (Manami Hashimoto) team up to destroy every last zombie in sight. Unfortunately, Aya's sword-wielding schoolgirl sister Saki (Chise Nakamura) is in league with the nefarious Sugita. When Aya discovers that Saki has killed their father, she vows to take brutal revenge against her murderous younger sibling. Meanwhile, the zombie population is growing at an alarming rate.
"You will die six hours later." Keishi, a youth who proclaims himself a seer, suddenly says this to Mio, who is walking along the streets of Shibuya. At first, Mio scoffs at it as nonsense but ever since her acquaintance was murdered a few days ago, she realises that she has also become a victim of a stalker. Half believing it, she decides to hang around with Keishi. Later, with the help of Sawaki, a detective she knows, the stalker is identified. She thinks the case is closed but a totally unexpected person attacks her...
Sugata Kentaro used to be one of the most hopeful trainee to be a professional Shogi (Japanese chess) player, but fails at the final test. Now he has become a "Shinkenshi," a gambler who plays Shogi for money, and boasts his 182 wins in a row. But he is devastated when he is beaten completely by a young woman known as "Ukeshi" who takes any challenges and never loses. As Shogi means everything to him, he decides to train himself harder to become the strongest player. Based on a popular comic, this comedy drama is about a young man's exciting journey to reorganize his life through a series of tough challenges in Shogi guided by a mysterious girl.
Takeshi Kitano plays a version of himself in which he's a struggling director cycling through a number of different genres in an effort to complete his latest project.
A pro baseball player Shunsuke Ogi was fired by the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants because of a shoulder injury. After one year, he still dreams of coming back to the game, and decides to put everything behind to try out again. After he cancelled his wedding with his fiancée Satsuki Ninomiya and threw away the ring to forget Satsuki, a lightning bolt strikes him to death.
Toru Aizawa, a 11 year old boy suddenly finds a tiny egg on a red mysterious stone. the egg hatches and comes out an abnormal little turtle (Toto) which not only grows rapidly, but also flies in the air and even blows fireballs. At the meantime, a series of mysterious ship wrecks are reported. Later on, even more disasters happen when a huge evil ferocious monster Lizard (Zeus) suddenly comes out from the sea and attacks, wrecks and demolishes the world. the last hope of mankind relies on the friendly great monster, Gamera, which looks similar to Toto, but disappeared 33 years ago. Is Toto the descendant of Gamera? is Toto able to fight against the huge evil?
While combing through the belongings of his recently deceased aunt, Matsuko, nephew Sho pieces together the crucial events that sank Matsuko's life into a despairing tragedy.
Twin brothers, Tatsuya (Shota Saito) and Kazuya (Keita Saito), grew up with their next door neighbor Minami (Masami Nagasawa) like siblings. Minami's dream is that her school's baseball team will participate in the national Koshien High School Baseball Tournament. The twin brothers make a pact that they will take Minami to the tournament.
Master swordsman Akiyama Kohei’s simple life in retirement is jarred into violent sword action when he meets an elderly fencing instructor who may be the target of a group of thieves planning a major armed robbery. At the same time dojo master Daijiro saves the life of man who, although skilled in archery has an aversion to killing and a woman artist comes into town where she is in danger of being raped by one of the thieves. From the pen of noted author Ikenami Shotaro, creator of such classics as Bandit Ve. Samurai, Hunter In The Dark, The Last Samurai, and Hissatsu-The Professional Killers! Brilliant storytelling that leads to superb swordsmanship!
Beat Takeshi lives the busy and sometimes surreal life of a showbiz celebrity. One day he meets his blond lookalike named Kitano, a shy convenience store cashier, who, still an unknown actor, is waiting for his big break. After their paths cross, Kitano seems to begin hallucinating about becoming Beat.
Heiji is an undercover policeman in the city of Edo. He possesses a superior skill of throwing coins. When a criminal is caught, Heiji throws coins at the offender and reveals his true identity. Like “Abarenbo Shogun,” “Mito Komon” and “Toyama no Kinsan,” “Zenigata Heiji” is about an official working undercover to catch criminals. The hero was created by novelist Kodō Nomura in 1931.
When Bussan learns he has less than a year to live, he decides to continue his life as usual. He spends his time with his friends, a band called Kisarazu Cat's Eye. Their funny adventures range from playing gigs to solving a mystery surrounding counterfeit money, but Bussan's impending death is never far away.
Decades after the original, a new Godzilla emerges in Tateyama. The Japanese government commission a new defense measure. A cyborg Godzilla, made from the remains of the original monster that devastated Japan in 1954.
A shy young girl named Tomie lives alone in a dreary house with her widowed father and is bullied by girls in her high school. To escape her dismal existence she writes gothic stories and daydreams. Her life changes in a big way when she’s suddenly befriended one day by a pretty, sophisticated girl who also happens to be named Tomie. Fascinated by her new friend, she invites her home. When her father gets a look at his daughter’s guest he has to do a double take–she’s the absolute spitting image of his first love who was murdered twenty-some odd years ago by his best friend (who also fell for her, then took his own life). She had made such an impression on him, in fact, that he’d named his daughter after her. He soon learns that his daughter’s friend is indeed the same Tomie he’d loved, miraculously alive and as young and beautiful as ever. He soon falls under her spell again but learns he must pay a terrible price to be with her.
Haru, a schoolgirl bored by her ordinary routine, saves the life of an unusual cat and suddenly her world is transformed beyond anything she ever imagined. The Cat King rewards her good deed with a flurry of presents, including a very shocking proposal of marriage to his son! Haru embarks on an unexpected journey to the Kingdom of Cats where her eyes are opened to a whole other world.
A foreign university student tries to fit in in Kyoto by reading books to the blind and finds himself falling in love.
The long-established Kanto Ichienkai, Nabarikai, was shaking. Chairman Nabari is suffering from an elderly illness of 80 and is trying to give his mark to someone. The ambitious young head Tezuka naturally thought that he was the tracer, but Nabari nominated his granddaughter, who recently learned of his existence. Tezuka, who has turned upside down, secretly seeks out his granddaughter and plans to kill him.
Ikebukuro West Gate Park was a wildly popular, highly influential Japanese television drama by screenwriter Kankuro Kudo, based on a novel by Ira Ishida, that initially aired on the Tokyo Broadcasting System during the summer of 2000, and directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi. The success of the television series would launch a manga adaptation the following year. In a break from traditional Japanese programming, the series used edgy graphics and scene breaks to highlight a story involving themes drawn from the underbelly of modern Japanese society: hip-hop youth gang warfare, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, drug abuse, the Yakuza, rape and murder. Notable among the cast are Tokio lead singer Tomoya Nagase, film star Ken Watanabe, and future stars Koyuki, Satoshi Tsumabuki, and Tomohisa Yamashita of Johnny's Jimusho idol group NEWS. The series is also credited for bringing up the profile of actor Yosuke Kubozuka.
The story follows a trio of Japanese youths of Chinese descent who escape their semi-rural upbringing and relocate to Shinjuku, Tokyo, where they befriend a troubled Shanghai prostitute and fall foul of a local crime syndicate. Like many of Miike's works, the film examines the underbelly of respectable Japanese society and the problems of assimilation faced by non-ethnically Japanese people in Japan.
Kansuke Kandaiji, an expert witness who takes see's the heart's of people and determines the true value of things.
Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.
In this made-in-Japan drama/comedy/gangster movie from director Juzo Itami a star actress, Biwako (played by Nobuko Miyamoto), is the sole witness to a grizzly murder. The cops persuade Biwako to play the bait to catch the killers. Two veteran detectives are assigned to protect her at all times, and as the film progresses the guardians have no choice but to deal with the overly dramatic, hilarious, and sometimes harrowing ups-and-downs of Biwako's life. Beautifully shot and dynamically structured in a way that only the Japanese are capable of, Marutai reminds us that sometimes the most loyal friendships are formed under the darkest circumstances.
Rei, the deadly but reluctant assassin for the Zero Division of the Tokyo Police Department, befriends a young man after she sees him cruising a gay bar looking for johns. After he gets beaten up by a group of street thugs, she takes him in to live with her. When a series of vicious murders takes place, she begins to suspect that the killer may actually be her friend taking revenge on everyone who has abused him. Will she uphold her duty to the police, or protect her only friend?
Ever since an accident in the mountains outside town, Takuji's slept in a coma; his neighbors care for him as new events occur every day.
A comedy in which Furaibo and a detective work together against a bomber.
Swallowtail Butterfly takes place in an alternate Japan, in a ghetto where immigrants from all over the world have come to live and make their fortune. The city is called Yentown, and it is much like Tokyo. Sixteen-year-old Ageha (Ito), a young girl whose mother has just died, is passed on from person to person until a prostitute named Glico (Chara) finally takes pity on her. Under Glico's care, Ageha has many experiences with the other poverty-stricken immigrants in Yentown. Eventually, due to a sudden twist in fate, the immigrants are given a chance to realize their dreams. But in doing so, they destroy their solidarity, and have to face their problems separately.
A historical chivalric drama with tears and laughter, telling the story of Jirocho Shimizu's family, his confrontation with Katsuzo Kurokoma's family, right up to the final battle on the Tenryu River to avenge Ishimatsu Mori.
A hibernating species of giant carnivorous bird is awakened on a Japanese island shortly after the Japanese military encounters an unidentified mass moving beneath the water off-shore.
A young foot soldier in the yakuza seeks revenge when his prostitute girlfriend dies after a session with a high-ranking Japanese politician with a taste for torture. He sets out on a 'kamikaze' mission to kill his bosses and the politician; along the way, he acquires the aid of a taxi driver who has recently returned to Japan after living in South America for several decades and is struggling to cope with poverty and the prejudices of native-born Japanese.
A look a the lives of two sex workers in Tokyo: Rei, who works as an S&M dominatrix, and Ayumi, in the more straightforward profession of call girl. In addition to their working life, the film also looks at their private lives. Rei is acting in an amateur theatre company (along with the receptionist from Ayumi's escort service), while Ayumi is living with her student-boyfriend as he struggles to finally get accepted to college.
The seventh movie of the series “Yakuza Ladies” focuses on a wife of a small Osaka family. She risks her life to protect her husband’s family and its members against much larger, more established organizations.
The original is a manga work by Shigeru Tsuchiyama serialized in the magazine "Leed Comic". The director is Takeshi Watanabe of "Kyouju Luger P08", the script is Masaya Ishikawa, and the shooting is Naoaki Imaizumi. A hard-boiled action by a combination of a former yakuza detective and a gangster who is a police officer. Performers are Kazuya Kimura, Rikiya Yasuoka, and Katsuya Kobayashi. Kyotaro Inugami, a detective at the port station, is a former yakuza. The young head of the gangster group Tsuneno-gumi, Choji Hanawa is a police officer. They were two people glaring at each other, but there are two people, Assistant Commissioner Masaru Sasaki and Shiro Sasaki ...
An undercover narcotics officer is killed, and after his funeral some yakuza break into his apartment and rape his wife, Nami, while looking for the drugs they claim he stole from them. Afterwards Nami attempts to commit suicide, but after being rescued by a mysterious yakuza she decides to infiltrate the gang and get revenge.
Kitano plays Murakawa, a Tokyo yakuza tiring of gangster life. Along with a few of his henchmen, he is sent by his boss to Okinawa to help end a gang war, supposedly to mediate between two warring clans. He finds that the dispute between the clans is insignificant and whilst wondering why he was sent to Okinawa at all, Murakawa's headquarters are bombed and he and his gang are ambushed in a bar.
The Earth is headed for disaster and when an archeological research team visits Infant Island to find out why, they discover two tiny women who reveal that the Earth is fighting back for all the harm humans have done here and sends out the evil Battra to destroy us. The Cosmos, as the girls are called, offer their help by calling Mothra to battle the creature. Unfortunately, Godzilla also appears and a three way battle begins that threatens to destroy Japan.
A grand old Japanese hotel is trying to get a prestigious contract as the site of a summit meeting of important foreign officials. Unfortunately, this hotel is quite popular with the Yakuza (Japanese gangsters) and is a favorite target of theirs for extortion. They employ a variety of schemes to con the hotel out of 'hush-money.' The hotel needs to rid itself of the Yakuza and finally begins to fight back by hiring Mahiru Inoue, a lawyer who is an expert at dealing with these criminals on their own terms. This film by Juzo Itami combines action with farce, as an all-out war ensues. Written by Tad Dibbern
When deaf garbage man Shigeru (Kurôdo Maki) finds a broken surfboard on one of his runs, it piques his curiosity, even though he has no experience with surfing. So he repairs the board and, with loyal girlfriend Takako (Hiroko Oshima), who also is deaf, he sets out to learn how to ride the waves. He goes through mishaps and the locals mock him. But, with the help of a shop owner who once was a surfing legend, Shigeru may finally have a chance to become one with the sea and the surfing community.
A suspense drama based on Osamu Takahashi's original work starring Shinobu Otake. The shooting location of Gunkanjima is a famous tourist attraction. When Mansako returns to her husband's parents' house, she noticed a young man named Shinji playing drums at a village festival. Shinji who felt her gaze also looked back at Mansako. Masako invites Shinji to her house to welcome her husband together, and is witnessed by a housewife who came to inform her husband of the accidental death while helping him change clothes. She is stigmatized for infidelity. They are separated, but they vow to meet again 12 years later.
This work further strengthens the neo-chimpira line of Toei V-Cinema which has a reputation for being more powerful than the movie.
On an obscure Pacific Island just north of Australia, the Japanese Empire has operated a prisoner of war camp for Australian soldiers. At the close of World War II, the liberated POWs tell a gruesome tale of mass executions of over eight hundred persons as well as torture style killings of downed Australian airmen. In an attempt to bring those responsible to justice, the Australian Army establishes a War Crimes Tribunal to pass judgement on the Japanese men and officers who ran the Ambon camp. In an added twist, a high ranking Japanese admiral is implicated, and politics become involoved with justice as American authorities in Japan lobby for the Admiral's release. Written by Anthony Hughes
Two brothers, Jinta and Wataru, are raised in a travelling circus. After an accident, Jinta decides to leave the circus and travels the countryside working as a con-man. After a run-in with a local gang of yakuza, he is invited to join their ranks, where he makes the mistake of falling for a boss's mistress. Wataru stays with the circus and works hard to regain its former glory
