Akira Emoto
Birthday: Born in 1948-11-03 in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan
Deathday: Alive
Old good "Emo-chan" of modern Japanese cinema. Emo's father was a close friend of legendary episode player Taji Tonoyama in elementary school days. His mother's grandfather ran a shamisen store in Ginza, Tokyo. Both parents like movies and theaters. After graduating from Machinery Department of Tokyo Industrial High School, Emoto got a job at a trading company. However, he became an actor and became a student of the acting classes of the theater company "Marui", which is headed by Nobuo Kaneko, and met Yusaku Matsuda who was in the same class. In 1999, he won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Dr. Akagi. He also won the award for best supporting actor at the 7th Hochi Film Award for Dotonbori River and Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san.
TV Credits
元禄繚乱
Character: Genshiro
The 38th NHK Taiga Drama is Genroku Ryoran. The "Forty-seven Loyal Samurai" is one of the most enduring and best loved stories of Japan's history. Generations have grown up hearing the stirring tale of Oishi Kuranosuke, chief councillor of the Ako clan who leads his men through suffering and hardship to ultimately avenge their lord after he is unjustly forced to commit harakiri. NHK's 38th Taiga Drama "Genroku Ryoran" is the ambitious remake of this classic epic and boasts a cast that reads like...
盤上の向日葵
Character:
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WATER BOYS
Character: Mama (of a bar)
Water Boys is a Japanese television drama series aired in Japan on Fuji Television in 2003. There is a fairly large cast due to the amount of members in each team. There were 32 swimmers in this drama who were carefully chosen to fit their roles, but none of them had ever done synchronized swimming before....
Re:名も無き世界のエンドロール 〜Half a year later〜
Character: Kawabata
Six months ago, life went dark for the underworld negotiator Kida when his lifelong friend and fellow former outcast Makoto became embroiled in a deadly plot. Makoto had risen to become the head of a powerful trading firm, but the events that unfolded on Christmas Eve put an end to all that. Since then, Kida has continued to drift through life without a single bright spark to light up his life. Nobody cares if he lives or dies except his underworld boss, who values Kida’s inimitable skills....
特命！刑事どん亀
Character:
Toshiyuki Nishida plays the role of Don Kameda, A.K.A “Don-Game”. Don-Game is a cafe owner who loves jazz and long epic songs. But that’s actually him in disguise. He’s in fact the chief of a secret organization called The Tokyo Police Confidential Investigation Division and works directly under the Tokyo Police Commissioner. With their unique members and exceptional teamwork, TPCID solves mysteries that the police can’t even untangle...
功名が辻
Character: Hideyoshi Toyotomi
Kazutoyo lived during the end of the Sengoku period (1546-1605). He was the first feudal lord of the fief of Tosa on the island of Shikoku. He served Nobunaga Oda, Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Chiyo (1557-1617) was his wife, and was known in history for her dedication and devotion to her husband (like Matsu was to Toshiie in Toshiie to Matsu). She is the daughter of a samurai who served the feudal lord Asai....
Out ~妻たちの犯罪~
Character:
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西郷どん
Character: Ryu Samin
Saigo Takamori, the hero of the Meiji Restoration, was born to a poor, low-ranking samurai family in the Satsuma domain (present day Kagoshima Prefecture). His simple honesty caught the attention of its charismatic feudal lord of Satsuma, Shimazu Nariakira. Nariakira’s assertion that the love of people is what will enrich and strengthen the nation captivated Saigo who took on Nariakira’s secret mission and eventually became a key person for Satsuma. Not a portrait of him survives today and much ...
オリバーな犬、(Gosh!!) このヤロウ
Character: Hadashi no Tyosuke(裸足のチョウスケ)
Police dog handler Ippei Aoba has a problem. It's called Oliver. To others, Oliver is a genius police dog that comes from a long line of geniuses, but, to Ippei, he appears—literally—as a lazy, foul-mouthed, middle-aged man in a dog costume....
私立探偵 濱マイク
Character:
Mike Hama, Private Detective, is a chain-smoking, wisecracking tough guy with a weakness for the ladies and a soft spot in his heart, especially for his kid sister Akane. Mike's so down on his luck he'll take any case, from finding a lost pet to spying on cheating spouses. But every now and then, along comes a client with dubious and dangerous case… and that's when Mike shows his stuff....
ロング・グッドバイ
Character: Heizo Harada
Tamotsu is suspected of murdering his actress wife Shizuka Harada. He flees to Taiwan and commits suicide. Tamotsu’s friend Banji Masuzawa works as a private detective, and has doubts about Tamotsu’s death, but the case is covered up by powerful media mogul Heizo Harada....
ホーム・スイート東京
Character: [Ramen Shop Owner]
Englishman Bryan Jenkins was living peacefully with his Japanese wife Itsuki and daughter Alice in London, when his Japanese mother-in-law suddenly passes away, and the family decides to uproot to Tokyo to look after his father-in-law Tsuneo....
流星の絆
Character: Togami Masayuki
Based on a novel by mystery writer Keigo Higashino, Ryūsei no Kizuna tells the story of three orphans, whose parents were murdered long ago. Together, the three vowed on a shooting star to one day avenge their parents. After many years, the two brothers have found the murderers, and are set to carry out their plan for vengeance when they realize they've made a serious miscalculation; you see, their sister......
ハルとナツ 届かなかった手紙
Character: Kotaro Nakayama
As Haru emigrates from Japan with her family to the coffee plantations in Brazil, Natsu is left behind in the care of spiteful relatives. Losing all contact, each must make her own way in an unforgiving world. Hardships abound in the struggle to survive in war-torn Japan and in the face of anti-Japanese sentiment in Brazil, financial ruin, familial pressure, abandonment and lost love. However they also experience the precious joy of survival and success. Now, after 70 years, Haru comes back to J...
てにあまる
Character:
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HUNTER ～その女たち、賞金稼ぎ～
Character: Shogo Ooiwa
On a return flight to Japan, cabin attendant Isaka Rei arrests a thief at Narita Airport’s International Terminal, and receives a reward of 1 million yen. However, she is half-forced to resign from her job as a cabin attendant because of this roundup. Furthermore, her younger sister, Akane, has made her a guarantor and disappeared, leaving her 10-year-old daughter, Haru behind. Rei starts to live with a reluctant Haru at ‘Shunkato’, the small eating house that Akane has been running. There is a ...
オリンピックの身代金
Character:
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いつかこの恋を思い出してきっと泣いてしまう
Character: Masahiko Hayashida
Follows the story of love, friendship and growth of six young men and women who move from countryside to the big city of Tokyo, each with their own dreams and aspirations. Among them is Sugihara Oto and Soda Ren. After her mother died, Oto was raised by adoptive parents in Hokkaido. Although she has given up on having any high hopes or big dreams for her future, she still remains positive and faces life with optimistic attitude. One day, she finds out the fact that her adoptive parents are plann...
A LIFE ~愛しき人~
Character: Danjo Toranosuke
When Okita Kazuaki was starting out as a doctor, he was forced to resign from the hospital. He left his girlfriend Danjo Mifuyu behind and went to the US alone. 10 years go by and he comes back as a surgeon with outstanding skills to save his former teacher from illness. His teacher is none other than his ex-girlfriend’s father. In the time that Okita was away, Mifuyu had married his own good friend Masao, who is now the deputy director and the heir of the hospital. To make matters worse, this f...
フランケンシュタインの恋
Character: Tsurumaru
A monster was created from an incident that took place 100 years ago. He possesses super physical ability and can live forever. He yearns for humans and listens to the radio. He picks up things thrown away by other people. The monster dreams of living as a human. One day, he meets a young woman Tsugaru. He falls in love with her....
満天のゴール
Character: トクじい
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未来への１０カウント
Character: Kenzo Ashiya
When Kirisawa Shogo was a high school student, he was a brilliant amateur boxer. He won 4 boxing tournaments and he seemed to have a bright future in the sport. During his university student days, he quit the sport of boxing. Life went on for Kirisawa Shogo. But, after his beloved wife died, his life has now become a total mess. He doesn't have any hope or desire to live. He just spends his days working part-time jobs to make a living. One day, his friend asks him to coach the boxing team at the...
インハンド
Character:
Tetsu Himokura is a parasitologist. He enjoys researching the lives of parasites at his home laboratory and he barely leaves his home. He also has assistant Haruma Takaie to help him. Tetsu Himokura's right hand is a robotic prosthetic hand. He is very smart, but blunt to others....
水曜ドラマスペシャル
Character:
“Monday Drama Special” (Getsuyou Drama Special) is a long-running drama that aired on TBS every Monday from 21:00 to 22:54 (JST) from October 2, 1989 to March 19 , 2001 . program....
銀と金
Character: Hitoshi Kuramae
Morita, a man who never succeeds in anything, takes his anger out in gambling. He meets an underworld fixer named Ginji Hirai, who introduces him to the underworld trade, where billions of yen changes hands every moment, and speculators and other influential people bet their lives for greed....
絶対零度
Character: Sosuke Kagami
Izumi Sakuragi is a new police sergeant with the Special Investigations Office, which was set up within the Metropolitan Police in November last year. The new investigation team uses DNA analysis and the latest in forensics science to investigate cold cases as well as cases suspected to involve missing persons....
グッド・ドクター
Character: Akira Shiga
Minato Shindo has savant syndrome. His memory is amazing, but he has difficulty communicating with other people. When Minato was little, he dreamed of becoming a doctor. He met Doctor Akira Shiga and he wanted to become a pediatric surgeon. Akira was surprised by the 7-year-old's memory of the human organs and he decided to support Minato in achieving his dream. Eventually, Minato graduated from medical school and passed the national exam for medical practitioners. Now, Akira works as a director...
17才の帝国
Character: Washida Tsuguaki
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 amo...
正直不動産2
Character: Tetsuo Kishi
Hotshot Nagase Saichi is Tosaka Real Estate’s top realtor. He lies through his teeth and will stop at nothing to seal a deal. One day, he disturbs a monument located at a construction site. Cursed with the inability to tell a lie, he is forced to run his mouth off with things that are better left unsaid. With so many angry clients, he's got no hope of surviving as an honest realtor....
相棒
Character: Hyoue Yarikura
Detective Ukyo Sugishita confronts crime on the basis of his own convictions. He has a partner that works for him in the Special Task Unit. For the first 7 seasons, Ukyo’s first partner is Kaoru Kameyama. He is a good-natured, hot-tempered, straightforward and somewhat scattered detective. Beginning in Season 8, Takeru Kanbe replaces Kameyama. Contrary to his predecessor, Takeru is a lanky, cool, conceited and confident detective. From Season 11 to Season 13, Ukyo’s partner is a young detective ...
ふるさと再生 日本の昔ばなし
Character:
Hometown Rebuilding: Folktales from Japan is a Japanese anime television series that adapts various traditional stories from Japan. The narration and all character voices are provided by veteran Japanese film actors Akira Emoto and Yoneko Matsukane. An English-subtitled version began "simulcast" availability on the streaming service Crunchyroll March 12, 2012....
混声の森
Character:
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雲霧仁左衛門
Character:
During the Kyoho period in the reign of Tokugawa Yoshimune, there is a gang of thieves active not just in Edo but also the Tokaido and the Nakasendo, and all across the Kansai region, stealing large sums of money with skillful techniques. They only target the very wealthy and never kill or injure people. They appear with the clouds and disappear like the mist. On the night that the beautiful Ochiyo is to become the bride of a dry goods dealer, a large amount of money hidden inside the shop is st...
やんちゃくれ
Character: 水嶋钦一
The 59th NHK Asadora Drama is Yanchakure. Location includes Osaka. In Osaka, "yanchakure" is a bit of an old word which is used to describe tomboyish or mischievous young girls. Mizushima Nagisa happens to be such a girl, that, no matter how well-intentioned her motives nor how hard she tries, Nagisa just seems to end up failing. In fact, she has failed at different things in her life so many times that she has come to see it as a source of personal strength, her philosophy being one of, "It's n...
妖怪人間ベム
Character: Nameless Man
Bem, Bela, and Belo are not "monsters," nor "humans," but "humanoid monsters." They usually disguise themselves as a human family living together, but their appearances transform into ugly monsters when their emotions become uncontrollable due to intense anger or extreme sorrow. Even if they save humans out of a sense of justice, they are feared and hated by humans just because they are humanoid monsters. They have lived in this manner for centuries, and their only wish is to become humans as so...
とんび
Character: Kaiun
Yasu's mother passed away when he was very young and his father abandoned him. Yasu's wife, Misako, also lost both her parents when she was young. The two spend their days in happiness, watching their young son, Akira, grow up. Unfortunately, a freakish accident occurs that results in Misako sacrificing her life to protect her son. Yasu loses himself in grief and remorse, but recovers as he vows to raise his 3 year-old son as best as possible....
新･信長公記 〜クラスメイトは戦国武将〜
Character: Yotaro Befunokami
A story about a high school full of delinquents, and its elite class that has clones of famous warlords from Japan's Warring States period fighting it out....
さよならの向う側
Character: Hiroshi Yamawaki
“Who is the last person you would like to see？” When junior high school teacher Sakuraba Ayako wakes up, she sees a man standing there. Calling himself a guide of this mysterious place that extends in front of them, he tells her that this is “goodbye’s other side”. As his words sink in, Ayako recalls that she has died. She lets slip that she had never thought she would die in this manner. Visitors to this other side can meet people of this world one last time within a 24-hour time period. Ayako ...
ジャパニーズスタイル
Character: Hifuji Umekoshi
30-year-old Kakioka Tetsuro returns home for the first time in 10 years to save his family’s traditional inn Niji no Ya after he hears that his father has been hospitalized. But he is lost for words when he sees that it has completely changed. The dignity and service of the inn, which boasts a 100-year heritage, has totally vanished. It has transformed into a haunt where employees who are not easy to deal with linger around. There is Terakado Lucy Kazuko, a flamenco dancer who says a stream of o...
拾われた男
Character: Himself
Satoru Matsudo moves to Tokyo in hopes of becoming an actor. He has trouble breaking into the industry, but his luck begins to change when he finds an airplane ticket belonging to a talent agency CEO. Time passes, and Satoru makes a name for himself as an actor. He gets a call from America. Hoping it is a Hollywood offer, he instead hears about his estranged older brother....
精霊の守り人
Character: Sfar
The heroine Balsa is a skilled bodyguard and a masterful spear-wielder. One day she rescues Prince Chagum who has fallen into a river. The prince is carrying a mysterious spirit egg in his body, and is in danger of being assassinated by his father, the Mikado, who fears this will damage his imperial prestige. Balsa embarks upon a perilous journey when she accepts the queen’s plead to protect her son from her husband....
聖徳太子
Character: Anahobe no miko
In the late 6th century the leaders of the Yamato Dynasty had no clear plan for the creation of a unified state. Battles still raged among various warrior clans. Shotoku Taishi, second son of Emperor Yomei, strived to create a new nation out of this chaos. NHK captures this great man from a time in history rarely depicted on screen, in a story of epic proportions. Shotoku Taishi is known mainly through legends and myths and has been viewed as more god than man. The elaborate and colorful costume...
プラチナタウン
Character:
Tetsuro Yamasaki returns to his hometown to find that it is in financial crisis. He quits his job and settles in his hometown to help the town get out of this crisis....
モリのアサガオ
Character: Keizukuri Hukahori
New prison officer Naoki Oikawa is assigned to the death-row section. When he observes the death row inmate's fear of their impending executions (they can be carried out without forewarning), he thinks about the death penalty system. Naoki Oikawa then encounters new death row inmate Mitsuru Watase. Mitsuru Watase is on death-row for killing a man who attacked his parents. Naoki and Mitsuru were also on the same baseball team as children....
悪党 ～加害者追跡調査～
Character: 铃本茂树
Saeki Shuichi was a detective, but he quit his job. He now works at a detective agency. One day, a couple asks the detective agency to find a man named Sakagami. The man killed the couple's son and served at a youth detention center. Kogure Masato is the director of the detective agency. He tells Shuichi to work on the case. Shuichi is also part of a victim's family. When he was a child, his older sister was murdered. While Shuichi watches Sakagami, the couple asks him to find some materials whi...
竜馬がゆく
Character:
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Get Ready!
Character: Hiroshi Bojo
This dark medical drama examines the meaning of human life, centring on a team of unidentified black-market doctors who undertake any kind of surgery with superhuman surgical skills and exorbitant medical expenses. Hazama Eisuke, also known as "Ace", is a genius surgeon who works as a patissier during the day. He has an operating room equipped with the latest equipment in the basement of his patisserie, where he performs surgeries on patients who have been abandoned by others. Shimoyamada Jo, al...
JKと六法全書
Character: 桜木倫太郎
Sakuragi Miyabi is a high school student in Aomori. She lives with her lawyer grandfather and receives special education from him in the field of law. Sakuragi Miyabi soon becomes the youngest person to pass the bar exam on their first try. A decision is then made to send Sakuragi Miyabi to her grandmother in Tokyo, who works as a director of a law office. Sakuragi Miyabi begins to work as an apprentice lawyer at her grandmother’s law office. Despite her position, she still has the mindset of a...
新宿野戦病院
Character: Keisuke Takamine
A gripping medical drama centered around a hospital in Kabukicho. Featuring a diverse cast of characters, including those from male host bars and street kids many with complicated backgrounds....
なぜ君は絶望と闘えたのか
Character:
Adapted from the book with the same title by Ryusho Kadota, a journalist who followed the "Hikari City Mother and Child Murder Case" that took place in Hikari City, Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1999, the drama is a fictionalized human story of a bereaved family that suffered repeated setbacks and was on the verge of despair, but continued to fight on with the support of others....
壬生義士伝 新選組でいちばん強かった男
Character:
Based on the novel by Jirō Asada, the TV movie depicts the lives of the Shinsengumi warriors during the turmoil of the late Edo period....
半沢直樹
Character: Keiji Minobe
Hanzawa Naoki works as a loan manager at the Osaka Nishi branch of Tokyo Central Bank. One day, Hanzawa makes a loan contract for 500 million yen with Nishi Osaka Steel Company. Hanzawa didn't want to approve the loan, but he had to due to the branch manager's order. Nishi Osaka Steel Company seems financially stable, but the company actually hides massive amounts of debt through fraudulent accounts. The company is caught. Three months later, Nishi Osaka Steel Company goes bankrupt. The bank's b...
太平記
Character: Moronao Kô-no
The drama centers on Ashikaga Takauji's rise to power, overthrowing the Kamakura shogunate and eventually establishing the Ashikaga shogunate....
八代将軍吉宗
Character: Tokugawa Munenao
The drama is depicting the life and times in 17th and 18th century Japan during the rule of the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune....
Movie Credits
Zatoichi
Character: Pub Owner
Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople....
Umami
Character: Salaryman
Following a near-death experience France's leading chef throws himself into a quest seeking the flavor that has confounded his life since he was defeated by a Japanese chef's bowl of noodles as a young man....
Hard Days
Character: Yutaka Senba
After going to extremes to cover up an accident, a corrupt cop's life spirals out of control when he starts receiving threats from a mysterious witness....
The Great Department Store Robbery
Character:
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The Eel
Character: Tamotsu Takasaki
A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After his release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking to almost no one except for an eel he befriended while in prison....
A Crowd of Three
Character:
A Crowd of Three tells the story of two men, Kenta & Jun, who grew up as almost brothers at a children's facility. Kenta & Jun now works as part of a demolition crew but become fed up with their jobs. The friends then decide to take a road trip up north to visit Kenta's brother at the Abashiri prison....
Noise
Character: Shoji
Shishikari is a remote island, which is behind the times. The island suffers from a decreasing population and declining industries. Keita Izumi (Tatsuya Fujiwara) begins to produce black fig on Shishikari Island. Because of his well received product, the island is close to receiving a 5 billion yen grant from the government, which is part of the goverment's policy to reinvigorate rural economy. The residents of the island are excited, but their peaceful days changes by the appearance of Mutsuo K...
The Life of Budori Gusuko
Character: Narrator / Dr. Kūbō (voice)
The fairy tale follows a young man named Gusukō in the Tōhoku forests of northeastern Japan in the 1920s. After an onslaught of droughts and natural disasters, Gusukō is forced to leave his home and search for a better life elsewhere. Gusukō joins a group of scientists at the Ihatov Volcano Department, which deals with the same natural disasters that drove Gusukō from his home....
Turn
Character: Matsubara
Maki is a talented copper plate artist, however, just before her first gallery show, she gets struck by a truck. When she comes to she is at home. When she ventures outside, the city is deserted and she knows something is deeply wrong. Each day repeats; she wakes up at 2:15 in the afternoon. Gradually things start change, the phone rings, and she finds that she is not alone......
The Great Yokai War
Character:
A young boy with a troubled home life becomes "chosen," and he stumbles into the middle of a great war of yōkai (a class of mythological creatures), where he meets a group of friendly yōkai who become his companions through his journey. Now he must fight to protect his friends and free the world of the yōkai from oppression. The yōkai originate in Japanese folklore and range from the cute and silly to the disturbing....
Living Rights
Character:
The fifth work of the "Kita-Shirakawa school movie" in which a student of Kyoto University of Art and Design, a professional film staff, and a cast team up to make a film. With a certain big disaster, people are struggling for love while holding their own circumstances, and as a result, they ask what it is to "live correctly" even in a vague and uneasy era. Ittoku Kishibe played Yanagida, the protagonist of the protagonist who created and exhibited objects that incorporate radioactive materials ...
Banana, Gloves and Whale Shark
Character:
Banana, Gloves and Whale Shark...
Rain Fall
Character: Tatsu Ishikura
A hit man looks to protect the daughter of one of his victims against CIA assassins....
The City of Lost Souls
Character: Kuwata
Brazilian-Japanese gangster Mario rescues his Chinese girlfriend Kei as she's about to be deported from Japan. Desperate to escape, he hides in Tokyo's booming Japanese-Portuguese community and seeks passage from the country from a Russian mobster. To meet his price, they hold up a bigtime drug deal between the Chinese Mafia and the local Yakuza....
ICHI
Character:
Ichi is a blind entertainer that travels the countryside with her traditional Japanese guitar and walking stick. She’s in search for the kind man that brought her up as a child, but because of her beauty she encounters problems every step of the way. Fortunately for Ichi, she is also a gifted swordswoman and carries a lethal blade within her walking stick....
Villain
Character: Yoshio Ishibashi
Shimizu Yuichi is a shy and lonely day laborer looking for love. He aimlessly spends time corresponding with girls via telephone dating services and going on random encounters with girls looking for spending cash. His world is shattered one day when he is involved in the murder of one of his former encounters, the sweet-faced Ishibashi Yoshino who, after being jilted by playboy Masuo Keijo, berates and mocks the troubled loner....
Kaizokuban Bootleg Film
Character: Tatsuo
Two best friends—Tatsuo, a retiring Yakuza member, and Kiyoshi, a cop—travel to the funeral of a woman they both loved....
Sakurada Gate Incident
Character: Magojiro Kaneko
Mito Domain Samurai Seki Tetsunosuke must pay the consequences for his role in the assassination of Great Elder Ii Naosuke. Based on true events....
Girls, Guns and Gangsters: Shinji Somai & Sailor Suit & Machine Gun
Character:
A documentary featuring actor Akira Emoto, film scholar Chika Kinoshita, Somai biographer Tatsuya Kimura and Sailor Suit assistant director Koji Enokido discussing the making of the film, its director and its legacy....
The Suspect: Muroi Shinji
Character: Seigo Tsuda
One day in February, 2005, Metropolitan Police Department Superintendent Muroi (Toshiro Yanagiba) is arrested to take responsibility for a botched murder case he headed. His faithful colleagues, including Arashiro (Toshio Kakei) and Okita (Miki Maya), only exacerbate the situation when they try to help clear his name. Is Muroi guilty as charged or merely taking the fall? What is the truth behind the murder? Two lawyers, one determined to get Muroi, the other resolved to save him, a feud between ...
Worst by Chance
Character: Shigeharu Kaneshiro
Hidenori is a Japanese-Korean man with no sense of belonging, destination or education. He drifts around and meanders through life until a death reminds him of his heritage and so begins a journey to South Korea....
Betrayal tomorrow
Character:
A violent detective who can handle assault and blackmail in a straight forward manner....
One Day in January
Character:
Every year on the fourth of January, Shobei's soba restaurant serves "Sanada Soba"; soba noodles topped with grated spicy daikon radish. Even regulars refrain from coming to the restaurant because of the extra spicy soba. But on year, a stranger comes in and finishes the bowl, announcing that it tastes familiar. The man begins to visit every year on the 4th of January to eat Sanada Soba. Shobei develops a warm feeling towards the peculiar customer he interacts with once a year....
Golden Slumber
Character: Hodogaya Yasushi
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....
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
Character: Major Akira Yuki
A mysterious extraterrestrial being resembling Godzilla rapidly approaches Earth. The monster, dubbed SpaceGodzilla, lands to challenge the King of the Monsters....
Dr. Akagi
Character: Dr. Fuu Akagi
At the end of WWII, Japanese doctor Akagi searches for the cure for hepatitis in the prisoner-of-war camp....
Maborosi
Character: Yoshihiro
A tragedy strikes a young woman's life without warning or reason. She continues living while searching for meaning in a lonely world....
The Chasing World
Character: Doctor
A teenager is transported to a parallel world where everyone who shares his family name is being hunted down by the dictatorial government....
Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit
Character: Counselor
In an attempt to spur citizens into taking more productive roles in society, the Japanese government issues death messages, or "ikigami", informing them that they have only 24 hours left to live. The film follows a young man tasked with delivering these messages, as well as the victims....
Sumo Do, Sumo Don't
Character: Professor Tokichi Anayama
A college senior, Shuhei, is blackmailed by a professor into joining the school's sumo team. He is aided by a group of misfits who must team together to defeat their rivals or face disgrace and the disbandment of the sumo club....
The Silk Road
Character:
In 1026, students in western China are shanghaied into the forces of crown prince Li Yuanhao of Xi Xia, who wants to control the length of the Silk Road. One student is Zhao Xingde, who becomes the favorite of his commander, Zhu Wangli. While sacking a fortress, Xingde discovers Tsurpia, princess of the Uighur. He hides her; they fall in love. When he's sent away to study Xixian, he leaves Tsurpia in Zhu's care, but returns to find her engaged to Li. Tragedy follows, and he and Zhu enter a pact ...
I Want To Live Once More: Shinjuku Bus Fire Incident
Character: Hirofumi Maruyama
On the night of August 19, 1980, a bus was set on fire by the vagrant Hirofumi Maruyama at the Shinjuku West Exit Bus Terminal. In the burning flames, Mitsuko, who was exhausted by her affair, suddenly thought of suicide. As a result, she escaped too late from the bus and suffered a serious injury. From there, she was hospitalized for a long time. As she gradually recovered, the wife of her affair partner, Soroku Sugihara, died of cancer. Soroku proposed to Mitsuko again, and they lived togethe...
Starfish Hotel
Character: Mr. Trickster
Office drone Arisu finds his own life imitating the mystery novels of his favourite writer when his wife disappears and he finds he is being pursued by a sinister figure in a rabbit suit....
In His Chart
Character: Doctor
There is a degree of realism when a professional in the field writes about his vocation and such is the case here. Adopted from a novel written by a doctor and set in Nagano, doctor Kuriharai is overwhelmed by the number and variety of patients he has to see due to a shortage of physicians where he practices. He aspires to work somewhere more convenient, specialize and see more of his wife, but faces a dilemma many other doctors experience....
Manhattan Kiss
Character:
An adult love story written and directed by Yasushi Akimoto of "Goodbye Mama" and shot on location in New York. Haruko and Natsuko are sisters who get along like friends. One day, her younger sister Natsuko visited her older sister Haruko in New York. However, the real purpose of Natsuko's trip to the United States was to meet her affair partner Mami Okawa, who left her without saying anything and was transferred to New York. Natsuko immediately visits Okawa and introduces her to her older siste...
April Bride
Character: Teishi Nagashima
On April 5, 2007, a couple married in a church. At first glance, it was a typical wedding. The bride, however, was suffering from late-stage breast cancer and had been given only a month to live. A young woman is diagnosed with breast cancer but keeps the information from her boyfriend. When he finds out, he decides to plan a wedding even though she only has one month to live. Based on the true story of Chie Nagashima, a women afflicted with breast cancer and her husband Taro Akasu....
Ace Attorney
Character: Saibancho (Judge)
Based primarily on the first game in the series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, the film focuses on rookie defense attorney Phoenix Wright, as he strives to protect his clients in various murder trials, including the death of his mentor, Mia Fey, and the accusation of rival prosecutor, Miles Edgeworth. Phoenix's greatest ally is Mia's younger sister Maya, a spirit medium whose body is possessed by Mia to communicate with him....
Karate-Robo Zaborgar
Character: Dr. Akunomiya
An evil criminal organisation called Sigma kidnap prominment business leaders to harvest their DNA and only Karate-Robo Zaborgar can save them....
Goal of the Sky
Character:
A single mother who returned to her hometown at the lowest point of her life, and a doctor who is energetically working in remote areas. While helping the local elderly, they begin to move forward to overcome the wounds they carry in each other’s hearts. Life, death, and hope intersect....
Haru's Journey
Character: Michio Nakai
Stuck in a fishing village in Hokkaido, Tadao's grand-daughter Haru is desperate to visit Tokyo, a trip Tadao is reluctant to make....
Unforgiven
Character: Kingo Baba
An old swordsman, his former comrade and a young braggart are hired by prostitutes to track down bandits who mutilated one of the women....
The Setting Sun
Character: Dr. Miyake
...
The Motive
Character: Yoshifumi Katakura
Four people are discovered brutally murdered in an up-scale high-rise apartment. All the victims appear to be family, but as the investigation deepens it is discovered that one of the victims isn't related to the family....
The Friends
Character: Nagatomo
A delightful and moving coming-of-age story. One summer, three young boys take an increasing interest in an eccentric old man who lives alone in a house surrounded by an overgrown garden. The boys form a bond with the recluse and set about weeding and replanting the garden....
September 1923
Character: Teiji Igusa
Based on the murder of nine street peddlers in the aftermath of the Great Kanto earthquake....
Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet
Character: Yoneuchi
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (1884-1943) was the Japanese Naval commander who was given the order to attack Pearl Harbour, an order he was duty bound to obey which went against his own personal beliefs. While this infamous attack is a low point in Japanese and US history it wouldn’t have happened if the Japanese government had listened to Yamamoto in 1939 and searched for a more peaceful way to end their war campaign, proving his many ominous presages of the outcomes of the attack to come true....
Lovers Lost
Character: Ishizuka
A poignant love story between a 29-year-old woman, who has once been a prostitute but is now the mistress of a wealthy jewelry merchant, and a 19-year-old college student....
Wandering
Character: Agata
In a park on a rainy evening, a 19-year-old university student, Fumi, offers an umbrella to a soaking wet 10-year-old girl, Sarasa. Realizing her reluctance to go home, Fumi lets her stay in his place, where she spends the next two months in peace....
Cast Me If You Can
Character: Homeless guy
An actor, who always plays supporting roles and lives in the shadow of his famous playwright father, falls in love with an energetic aspiring actress and rediscovers himself....
BON-UTA, A Song from Home
Character: (voice)
Taiko drummer, Hisakatsu Yokoyama, and fellow evacuees of Futaba, Fukushima fight to keep their beloved “Futaba Bon-Uta” alive after their hometown, is wiped out by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hit the Töhoku region in Japan....
The Lightning Tree
Character: Kakunoshi Enokido
Set during the Edo Period, a young man from a noble family meets a young woman under a special tree called "Raiou" (the tree was struck by lightning at one time with the broken part eventually sprouting out cherry blossoms). The young woman lived freely in the mountains after she was abducted as a young child. The couple soon fall in love under the Raiou tree, but become acutely aware of their different social positions & the ramifications it has on their relationship....
Yellow Elephant
Character: Arechi
Married couple Aiko Tsumari and Ayumu Muko live a happy and peaceful life. Aiko is bit naive, while Ayumu works as a not so popular novelist. One day, a letter arrives for Ayumu. Because of this letter, the couple become estranged......
祈り ―幻に長崎を想う刻―
Character:
...
Touken Ranbu 2
Character:
In the year 995, due to a secret talk between Michinaga Fujiwara (Akira Emoto) and Seimei Abe (Terunosuke Takezai), Yorimitsu Minamoto (Kanji Tsuda) is ordered to subjugate ghost Shutendoji, who lives in Oe Mountain. Yorimitsu Minamoto and his men soon encounter difficulties in carrying out their mission due to the appearance of strangers. These strangers are handsome warriors Munechika Mikazuki (Hiroki Suzuki), Kunihiro Yamanbagiri (Yoshihiko Aramaki), Hasebe Heshikiri (Masanari Wada), and Tous...
海の見える理髪店
Character: 老店主
...
The War and a Woman
Character: client of woman
Set towards the end of World War II, Nomura (Masatoshi Nagase) is a writer who is in despair. A woman works in bar and is a former prostitute. Many years ago, her father sold her to a brothel due to the family's severe financial hardships. The writer and the woman then agree to live as husband and wife until the war ends. The woman doesn't feel sexual pleasures due to her past, while the man lusts for the woman's body. Meanwhile, Ohira (Jun Murakami) fought for Japan in China. He participated i...
The Innocent Game
Character:
Kiyoyoshi Kuga attends law school, aiming to work in the legal field as a lawyer. His childhood friend Mirei Orimoto also attends the same law school. One day, a leaflet is distributed by an anonymous person at their law school. The leaflet makes accusations about the past of Kiyoyoshi Kuga and Mirei Orimoto. Soon, unpleasant cases takes place around them. Kiyoyoshi Kuga talks to Kaoru Yuki, who is an extremely smart classmate and in charge of the mock trials. These three people chase after the ...
Private Lessons II
Character: Oba
Ken, an insecure young man from Japan, meets Sophie, an interesting and sensual woman who teaches him the secrets of love and life....
The Taste of Fish
Character: Shojiro Sanada
It may sound cliché, but Japanese people really do love their fish. If Japan has the best and freshest fish in the world, then Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market is where you're most likely to find them. It's the home of Japan's biggest daily fish auction, and it's a place of fierce competition between fish merchants that have been in the business for generations. Based on a comic series, The Taste of Fish follows businessman Shuntaro, who has a successful career in a trading company and is in a stead...
The Shadow Spirit
Character: mimasaka koushirou
A series of murders of beautiful girls occur in Tokyo not long after the end of the war. Also the daughter of a retired actress, Yuzuki Yoko, has gone missing. In the meantime, a religious cult that claims to shut away misfortunes in a box has been gaining popularity, displaying an eerie aspect. Yoko's daughter is alleged to have been run over by a train, and taken into a research institute situated in a gigantic box-shaped building. A private detective Enokizu (Abe Hiroshi), a writer Sekiguchi ...
Owl
Character:
A mother and daughter are stranded in small, isolated cabin, and are starving to death. In order to survive, they plan to entice men that happen to stray to their cabin with sex, and kill them. All goes well until a local cop shows up and, then, an old relation....
KT
Character: Hiroshi Uchiyama
This movie is a political/espionage thriller, based on a real kidnapping incident of Korean politician, Kim Dae-Jung....
The Most Beautiful Night In The World
Character: Journalist
Betrayed and disgraced, big-city reporter Kazuya Mizuno is banished to a desk at Kaname's boring little town newspaper. But Kaname isn't as boring as it seems on the surface. Not with characters around like Shimeko, a girl genius with a childlike lack of propriety, and her ace fisherman/folk-singer dad. Or the overbearing and unpleasant local Shinto priest, a former Christian cultist. Or Endo, Kazuya's new colleague, a bitter drunk after his son's suicide. Or Kin, a former terrorist, now a hermi...
Will to Live
Character: Doctor
It is based on the story of The Ballad of Narayama updated to the present day, with the substitution of putting a parent into an old people's home for the abandonment of the original. The film won the Golden St. George and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 21st Moscow International Film Festival....
Wood Job!
Character: Toshiro Yamane
After failing his university entrance exam, Yuki Hirano sets his eyes on the role of a forestry trainee. Setting off for training he doubts his decision many times, but eventually after passing the training course, he is sent to Kamusari Village for a year of work experience - where he becomes assimilated with the beauty of nature and the warm-hearted people of the village....
0.5 mm
Character: Takeshi Sasaki
Sawa, a home helper for a middle class family with an elderly infirm grandfather, is forced to stretch her morals to keep her job. As a result, she finds herself broke and out on the street. She survives her first night by striking up an ambiguous friendship with a kindly old man, gaining access to a portion of the immense wealth held by Japan's aging population. She continues with similar encounters, and while these begin as scams or revenge on rampant sexism, they ultimately become vulnerable ...
John Rabe
Character: Matsui Iwane
A true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38....
Fujio Akatsuka's Gag Porno: In the Mood Once Again
Character: Daigorô Hatayama
Softcore porn collaboration between Nikkatsu director Shinya Yamamoto and gag manga artist Fujio Akatsuka, utilizing both creators' comedy techniques in an erotic setting....
Life Back Then
Character: Masashi Inoue
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 th...
Oh! Father
Character: Hayashi Tomita
Yukio is a typical high school student in every way except that he's an only child in a family of five. This is because he has four fathers, each with their own unique personalities and interests. The only thing they share in common is their love of their son. When Yukio witnesses a robbery, he becomes involved in a bizarre string of incidents involving his fathers....
Postcard
Character: Yukichi Morikawa, the Father-in-Law
Toward the end of World War II, middle-aged soldier Keita is entrusted with a postcard from a comrade who is sure he will die in battle. After the war ends, Keita visits his comrade's wife Yuko and bears witness to the tragic life she has led....
The Lakeside Murder Case
Character: Tomoharu Fujima
Three couples are staying at a lakeside cottage with their children. They want them to prepare intensely for a prestigious high school's entrance exam with the help of a private tutor. One night, one of the wives confesses to her husband that she has killed his mistress....
Farewell, Kuro
Character: Shuzo Hanazono
Based on a true story set in Matsumoto city, Nagano, during 1960s. A stray dog wanders into a high school's grounds. The dog, named Kuro, stays at the school and becomes a special friend to everyone....
Barber's Sorrow
Character:
A S&M comedy about a masochist barber....
Shylock's Children
Character: Hajime Sawazaki
...
The Last Frankenstein
Character: Prof. Sarusawa
Professor Sarusawa and his psychic daughter Mai live together after the suicide of the Professor's wife years earlier - which was caused by a suicide plague running rampant throughout the city. Dr. Aryo lives in a nearby castle with his wife, whom Dr. Aryo created, and a hunchbacked assistant. Dr. Aryo once worked at the same university with Professor Sarusawa but was fired for his morbid experiments. Now, Dr. Aryo may hold the key to unlocking the origins & cure for the suicide virus which ...
The Whispered City
Character: Artist
Director Jun Ichikawa spins this affectionate portrait of the people who populate Shimokitazawa, a bohemian corner of Tokyo filled with small theater companies and smoky coffeehouses....
The Happiness
Character:
the story of a vagrant (Ishibashi) who arrives in a town in Hokkaido. With only a threadbare suit, an old pair of sneakers and a bag containing all his worldly possessions the proprietors of a local convenince store (played by Jun Murakami and Akemi Sakurai) taske pity on the man and bring him in....
All Around Us
Character: kunimasa Yasuda
Kanao, a courtroom portrait artist, observes crimes, scandals and the decline of Japanese values without passing judgement. As he and his wife endure the tragedy of their first child’s death, hope slowly unfolds and their love story flickers to life once again....
Ninja Kids!!!
Character:
The film stars Seishiro Kato as Rantaro who is sent to a ninja training school by his parents. During the summer, their teacher is invaded by a group of rival ninjas culminating in a race to ring a bell on top of a mountain....
Present for You
Character:
Shigeru Kajiwara (Joe Odagiri) works part-time at a company that sells mysterious health food. One day, the other employees run off with the company's money....
Memories of Matsuko
Character: Tsunehiro Kawajiri
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....
Yudo: The Way of the Bath
Character: regular customer
Two estranged brothers inherit Marukin Hot Springs, a small-town bathhouse. One sees it as an homage to their late father; the other—a struggling architect—as lucrative real estate for condos. Their eclectic collection of townsfolk customers show them the value of the bath goes way beyond a scrub and soak....
River of First Love
Character: Hidejiro Tasaki
8-year old boy, Shimpei, who loves fishing and painting, lives with his beautiful mother, surrounded by nature. His mother, Satsuki, has a weak constitution and lost her husband years ago. She takes care of her son lovingly but sometimes strictly, on her own. Shimpei's childhood sweetheart, Sayuri, is deaf, but somehow they can understand each other and they always spend time together....
The Go Master
Character: Kensaku Segoe
The life of Go master Wu Qingyuan from his meteoric rise as a child prodigy to fame and fortune as a revolutionary strategic thinker, as well as the tumultuous conflicts between his homeland of China and his adopted nation of Japan....
Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad
Character: Doctor from Sasazuka Clinic
Adapted from the bestselling Japanese autobiography of the same title, this gentle coming-of-age drama concerns an adolescent boy, Boku - Masaya, torn between the inherited recklessness of his father Oton and the inherited responsibility, wisdom and emotional strength of his mother Okan. Following a period of intensely rebellious behavior, Boku learns that his mom has contracted cancer; suddenly, his mother comes to live with him in Tokyo the entire emotional landscape of his life is altered....
After the Flowers
Character: Soan Nagai
Ito, daughter of a clan official, encounters Magoshiro Eguchi. Magoshiro is a low ranking samurai sparks an attraction with Ito. Ito challenges Magoshiro to a sword match using bamboo sticks. Mahoshiro accepts. The pair's duel causes sparks to fly an attraction from both sides. Meanwhile, Ito faces an arranged marriage with Saisuke Katagiri and Magoshiro is with Kayo......
Abduction
Character:
The film opens with kidnappers of a corporate executive making an unusual ransom demand: that a wizened executive from another company haul large bags of money through downtown Tokyo as the media documents his every move. When the first old man almost dies from exhaustion, a second, and eventually a third elderly corporate fat cat is ordered to do the same. The police detective assigned to the case (Tetsuya Watari) and his younger partner (Masatoshi Nagase) are livid with indignation at this sor...
Beijing Watermelon
Character: Mr. Teramoto
Shunzo is a popular greengrocer in a town near Tokyo. His life, and the lives of his wife Michi, and their two children, undergoes a dramatic change when he encounters Li, a poor college student from China....
It's Only Talk
Character:
Based on an award winning novel, It's Only Talk is about the life of Yuko, a 35-year old woman. She is single and unemployed, and suffers from manic depression. The movie begins with Yuko moving to Kamata Town....
Life Can Be So Wonderful
Character: Haeo
Five short stories of life's joys and sorrows are brought together in this omnibus drama from Japan....
Cold
Character: Jin Ichinose
Genius scientist Kikuo Himura (Yosuke Kubozuka) succeeds in developing a miracle cure for the cold virus. There are now people who are after Kikuo Himura's cold vaccine. Doctor Ichinose (Akira Emoto) is jealous of Kikuo Himura and tries to get the formula which is only in Kikuo Himura's head. Dougen (Chris Peppler) is a high-ranking member of a secret organization. Him and his subordinate try to get the vaccine source by any means necessary. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman, Sakurako (Manami Konish...
The Rainbow Seeker
Character:
A young man fails his company entrance exams and leaves home to work at a run-down cinema in Tokushima, whose owner lives to bring entertaining films to the residents of his small town....
Moon and Cherry
Character: Sakamoto
When an alluring young woman joins an erotic writing class, she begins a game of sexual cat and mouse with a naïve college student. As they venture into more and more unpredictable territory in the bedroom, he begins to think she might be using him as a test subject for her fiction more than anything else....
Japan Sinks
Character:
In the aftermath of a major earthquake, scientists predict that Japan will sink into the sea. As further disasters follow, politicians plead with other countries to take refugees, while scientists struggle to save Japan itself....
The Cycling Genius Is Coming!
Character:
Teru (Yuya Endo) has been brought up in a hill town and spent his childhood conquering the slopes on his bicycle. Being a cycling fanatic, who resents defeat, he joins Kamegaoka High School, which used to boast a powerful cycling club. There he meets Hatomura (Yuichi Nakamura), an ace of the club who wants to turn around the club which has deteriorated to the point of dissolution, and Yuta (Hiroki Suzuki), an aloof cycling genius with unshaken confidence in his speed who does not allow others to...
Yamai wa kikara: Byôin e ikô 2
Character:
A comedy about a young woman who has terminal cancer....
Time Trip App
Character: Ryuzo Yanagita
In 1868, a battle between new government forces and shogunate forces are about to take place in Edo. Katsu Kaishu wants to avoid useless bloodshed and sends a peace envoy to Takamori Saigō, but Katsu Kaishu is unable to get a response from Takamori Saigō. One day, Katsu Kaishu meets high school teacher Mikako and her student Masaya who is captivated by the shogunate. Mikako and her student Masaya tells Katsu Kaishu that they are from the future. Katsu Kaishu takes care of Mikako and her student ...
Humanoid Monster, Bem
Character: Kao no nai otoko
Bem, Bela and Belo arrive at a new town plagued by a series of mysterious, unsolved cases which, as they discover, are caused by another youkai, one more powerful than they have ever encountered. The story will also focus on Belo's first love, and his increasing desire to become human. In the meantime, Bem and Bela have found a way to become human, but are conflicted about whether to let just Belo turn human, or along with Belo, become humans themselves....
Asahiyama Zoo Story: Penguins in the Sky
Character: Itsuro Usui
Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido, is the northernmost zoo in Japan. The unpopular zoo welcomes a new zoo keeper, young Yoshida (Yasuhi Nakamura), who has more affection for insects than people after years of being bullied at school when he was young. Yoshida soon realizes that Asahiyama Zoo is facing a financial crisis and the zoo director Takizawa (Toshiyuki Nishida) has been doing everything in his power to save the zoo from closing down. Moved by Takizawa's passion, Yoshida and other zoo keepers ca...
I Can Hear the Duck Singing
Character:
A man fed up with city life moves to a village in the mountains...
A Lone Scalpel
Character: Matsuo Okawa
Dr Toma, a skilled surgeon, starts work at a regional hospital in Japan. After performing an operation to remove a patient’s liver cancer, something that normally would not be done at this hospital, he quickly gains a very good reputation amongst the town’s people. Some of his colleagues become so jealous they are resentful and waiting patiently for the perfect opportunity to crucify him. Soon they get their chance as Dr Toma considers performing a controversial operation…...
Roar of the Crowd
Character:
Based on the non-fiction books by Takushi Ono (the NHK announcer, not the gymnast) and Yoshinari Tobe....
Scrap Heaven
Character: Detective Yabuta
The lives of a young cop, a sanitation worker and a brooding pharmacist violently intersect on a bus that's hijacked by a suicidal political flunky, then cross paths again months later....
Heaven's Story
Character: Souichi
A young girl named Sato watches on television as a man named Tomoki states brazenly at a press conference that he hopes convicted murderer Mitsuo is eventually placed back into society so that he can kill him with his bare hands....
Fancy Dance
Character: Masoho's boss
Yohei, a punk rocker, becomes a Buddhist monk in order to inherit a mountain temple. Though initially rebelling against the tough monastic discipline, he learns to adjust. Then his girlfriend shows up, enticing him to return to his rock 'n' roll roots....
Journey to the Shore
Character: Mr. Hoshitani
Mizuki’s husband Yusuke has been missing for three years. He suddenly comes back home as a ghost and asks Mizuki to go on a trip with him. Their trip consists of visiting the people that helped Yusuke on his previous travel....
Vampire in Love
Character: Sojiro
Kiira seems like an ordinary young girl, who likes to talk with her friends and to dress up. Her ultimate goal is to become the world's best baker, but what differentiates her from others is that she is a vampire. She has never told anyone her secret, including her childhood friend Tetsu, whom she played with everyday and liked as a child. After her parents died when Kiira was only 12-years-old, she had to go live with her relatives and lost contact with Tetsu. Now, 8 years later, Tetsu appears...
Egoist
Character: Yoshio Saito
After losing his mother at the age of 14, Kōsuke spent his depressed adolescence hiding his gay identity in a rural town. Now working as a fashion magazine editor, he spends his free time with his close friends. One day, he meets Ryūta, a personal trainer who works in part to support his aging mother....
Ripples
Character: Taro Kadokura
Yoriko Sudo believes in a new religious group Midoriinochikai, that worships water. She lives peacefully, devoting herself to the group daily....
A House on a Hill
Character: Yoshitarō Terashima
Rieko Sugita, a young and beautiful hairdresser who happens to visit a bedding shop owned by Yoshitaro (Emoto) and the latter becomes so besotted with her that they begin an affair without his wife's knowledge. On the other hand, Rieko hates her late mother (Fueki Yuko) for sleeping around with other men but is actually following in her footsteps by sleeping with men for money. One day, she reunites with her first love Naoki (Ozawa) who has become an assistant professor and shares a dark secret ...
Sleeping Forest
Character: Daisuke Ota
A man is found dead in a office of Takayanagi Ballet Company. The suspect is a female dancer at the ballet company. The Takayanagi Ballet Company insists that the incident is a self defense case, but after an investigation there's doubts in that claim. Then, the director of the Takayanagi Ballet Company is poisoned to death. Are the cases related?...
The Man from Shimizu
Character:
On the day his mother dies, young gambler Jirocho swears in front of her grave that he'll never gamble again. But, that night, Jirocho heads to a gambling den, where he bets the condolence money for his mother's funeral. No surprise to learn he loses the lot. Not the hard-boiled yakuza story it seems, this is a comedy featuring many new artists who were making a name for themselves at the time....
Round About Midnight
Character: Totsuka
While on a cigarette break in between sets, Koji, a jazz musician, witnesses a murder and runs into a girl, Linda, who is being pursued by the killers. Mistakenly identified as prime suspects, they have to solve the crime but time is running out: Koji has to be back to perform in his club by midnight, as a very special guest will be attending....
Love Letter
Character:
A romantic film about the spiritual exchange between a gangster and a Chinese woman who got married to him under false pretenses....
Do Unto Others
Character: Shosaku Shiba
A community is shocked when the bodies of an elderly man and the manager of a home-visit nursing centre are found. The passing of 42 elderly patients is connected to Shiba, a caretaker recognised for his affection and dedication....
GARO -Gold Storm- Sho
Character: Priest Soutatsu
Ryuga and Makai Priest Rian attempt to cleanse the Golden Armor when they are confronted by living weapons- the Madou– who have another way to free the world from Horrors. In the process, Ryuga will unlock a new stage of power referred to as Garo Sho....
Angel Guts: Red Vertigo
Character: Yakuza
Nami is a nurse and the unwilling object of her patients' lust. When she is hit by a car whilst fleeing from the home of her unfaithful boyfriend, the driver of the car takes her as a sexual prisoner....
Capone Cries a Lot
Character: Ushiemon
Umiemon is a naniwa-bushi singer who travels with his wife to the United States in hopes of achieving fame and fortune....
No Place to Go
Character:
Michiko used to work as a live-in part-timer at an izakaya, but suddenly lost her job and her house at the same time due to COVID-19 pandemic. There are no new jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and diners and internet cafes are closed. Michiko is at her wits' end, but there in front of her is a bus stop that stands slightly brightly in the darkness, illuminated only by the streetlights....
Nagisa
Character: Priest
Set in the late 60s in a small seaside town, this coming of age drama centres on a young girl named Nagisa. She spends her summer holidays working in a local seaside bar, searching for her lost cat, dancing to rock’n’roll and discovering first love....
Muromachi Burai
Character:
Set in war-torn 15th century Kyoto, on the eve of the Onin War, the movie centers on a band of outlaws led by Hyoe (Oizumi) a scoundrel whose lethal sword skills place him at the tip of the spear in a deadly uprising against the corrupt Shogunate and its army, led by former friend-turned-archrival, Doken (Tsutsumi)....
Drugstore Girl
Character: Koji Nabeshima
Pharmaceutical student, Keiko witnesses her boyfriend having an affair. Shocked and disappointed, she jumps on a train ("destination anywhere, east or west, she don't care") and ends up in a town named Masao in Tokyo's remote suburbs. There, she gets a part-time job at a newly opened drugstore. What do ya know.. The local shopping district's middle-aged men all fall for the young girl's charms, and they start practicing lacrosse once they have found out that that's her favourite sport....
Sailor Suit and Machine Gun
Character: Detective Kuroki
A high-school girl inherits a declining yakuza organization, which seeks to repair its fortunes under her leadership....
The Mohican Comes Home
Character: Osamu Tamura
Eikichi left his hometown in Hiroshima for Tokyo. He tried to find success with his music band, but failed. Several years later, Eikichi goes home to tell his father, Osamu, that his girlfriend is pregnant. His father curses him out, but he is also excited to have a grandchild. Osamu has a party to celebrate the news, but, at the party, he collapses and goes to the hospital. Eikichi struggles to make his father happy....
The Big Bee
Character: Murofushi
Set in 1995. A helicopter, operated remotely, is hovering in the sky over a nuclear power plant. The power company, prefectural government and media all receive a fax. The fax contains a threat that if the nuclear power plant is not taken offline the helicopter will be dropped. 8 hours is given as the deadline. Making the situation even more dire, a young child is in the helicopter....
Shin Godzilla
Character: Ryuta Azuma : Chief Cabinet Secretary
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....
Maria's Stomach
Character:
A carnivorous monster lives on the island of Sipang. A group of office ladies band together to fight it....
The Second Is a Christian
Character: Kumashiro
The story of beautiful Christian nun, Kyoko who is the object of affection for two very different men - one the happy-go-lucky yakuza gangster, Haruhiko who is the next-in-line to takeover the ragtag "Tenryu Gumi" gang and the other bumbling police detective Kumashiro. The Tenryu Gumi is a collection of misfits and other troublemakers but are relatively peaceful due to their Christian beliefs. Their bitter rivals are the more traditional "Kuroiwa Gumi", a much more sadistic and violent group led...
When Cinema Reflects the Times: Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Edward Yang
Character: (voice)
From the 1980s to the 1990s, New Taiwanese Cinema gained international attention for adopting a completely different approach to that of the commercial films which had preceded it. This piece contrasts Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang, two rivals who were the driving force behind New Taiwanese Cinema. The closing of a cinema invites us to reflect on society and the passage of history....
Migawari Mission
Character: Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu
A new film by Hayato Kawai....
Doppelganger
Character: Murakami
Shortly after hearing from a colleague about a woman whose brother committed suicide after seeing his doppelgänger, a Japanese engineer on the verge of a breakthrough in medical technology is confronted by his own....
Black Widow Business
Character: Jun Sakurada
Kozo Nakase attends meetings for single widowers looking to remarry. He meets Sayoko Takeuchi and eventually marries her. Not longer after their marriage, Kozo Nakase suddenly collapses and dies. Kozo Nakase leaves everything to Sayako. The rest of his family are left out of his will including his daughter Tomomi. Tomomi hires a private investigator, Honda, to find out more about Sayoko....
Battle Heater
Character: Riichi Hama
Furuchi and Hama are two unsuccessful repair agents and electronic engineers. One day Furichi finds a so-called Kotatsu heater. Soon after this Furichi dies in a traffic accident. But with the help of a stun gun succeed Hama Furichi bring back to life, but also Kotatsu heater comes alive then....
Tora-san Goes to Vienna
Character: Hyoma Sakaguchi
During his wandering throughout Japan, Tora-san meets a suicidal man. He travels with the man to Vienna, but winds up homesick for Japan....
Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san
Character: Kondo
During his travels, Tora-san gets drunk with an old man in Kyoto. Though Tora-san never fully comprehends his importance, the old man is a Living National Treasure ceramist. At his home, Tora-san makes a good impression on the old man's maid, who apparently falls in love with Tora-san....
Hana
Character: Hiroshi Torigoe
Yoichiro Nozaki, a high-achieving office worker, collapses from an aneurysm. The doctor advises immediate surgery, but the outcome is uncertain. Even if successful, he might lose all his memories. Resigning from his job and leaving the surgery consent form blank, Nozaki falls into a deep depression. Seeking a change, Nozaki decides to go on a trip. On the morning of his departure, he meets Torigoe at their designated meeting spot. Torigoe suggests avoiding the expressway and instead taking Nati...
The Yen Family
Character: Shinichi Amemiya
Set in Japan during the bubble era, this unique home comedy cheerfully and humorously depicts the daily life of a strange family that works together to accumulate a small amount of money, while mixing irony and satire....
The Pearls of the Stone Man
Character: Kumaji Ueda
Atsushi and Ryoko are a married coupled. They decide they want to live around nature and move to Biei in Hokkaido, Japan. Atsushi isn't sure what to do with his free time, so Ryoko asks him build a stone wall around their house. Atsushi experiences tragedy, but later gets closer to his estranged daughter, Satoko. Atsushi continues building the stone wall....
Elevator to the Gallows
Character:
A phone conversation occurs between a man and a woman. They both state their love for each other and that they will do this so they can be together. The woman is in a hotel room with a view of the port. The man is inside of a parked car with a view of the ocean. A man named Colonel appears and hands the man a box with a loaded gun inside. The Colonel states "its a present from the witch". The woman's name is Meiko (Michiko Kichise) and she is the young wife of Takamitsu Temiyako (Takamitsu Temi...
Shippu Rondo
Character: Masaomi Togo
An illegal biological weapon K-55 is stolen from a university lab. The university lab can't even call the police because the secret nature of the weapon. The school lab then receives a message stating that the entire country is now being held hostage and they must pay a ransom of 300 million yen....
A Honeymoon in Hell: Mr. & Mrs. Oki's Fabulous Trip
Character: wet guy
Although Nobuyoshi and Saki just got married and moved into a new apartment, their relationship still lacks spark. Things start to change as they meet a weird fortune-teller who also happens to operate tours to hell. Without further ado the young couple books a honeymoon trip which takes them to the most bizarre, colorful and fun vision of hell you could ever dream of....
Harimao
Character: Army Major
A movie about Yutaka Tani, also known as " Malay Tiger Harimao, " who was active on the Malay Peninsula during the Pacific War...
Dance till Tomorrow
Character:
Live action adaption of Naoki Yamamoto's romantic comedy manga series....
Maru
Character:
Sawada graduated from an art university but cannot rely on it to make a living and is working as an assistant to a famous contemporary artist. He lost his independent will and became accustomed to simply doing what he was told. One day, Sawada had an accident on the way to work and lost his job because of an arm injury. When he returned to the room, there was an ant on the floor. After drawing a circle as if guided by an ant, Sawada's daily life begins to be eroded by the circle....
Kaza-hana
Character: Hot Spring Inn Owner
A government employee meets a hostess of a "pink club," and together they set out on a journey....
Fly, Dakota, Fly!
Character:
In January 1946 a British military transport plane departs from Shanghai on its to Tokyo, Japan. During the flight the airplane makes an emergency landing on Sado Island. The residents on the island have heard stereotypes of the British soldiers and have mixed feelings about the their new "guest." Nevertheless, for the next 40 days the islanders take care of the crew members until the plane can take off once again. This includes Chiyoko Morimoto who is the daughter of the inn owner where some of...
Lu Over the Wall
Character: Ashimoto's Grandfather (voice)
In a small fishing village, a gloomy middle school student named Kai meets a mermaid named Lu....
Location
Character: Konno
The melodramatic story of a pink crew’s tragi-comedic adventures on location. A fictionalized adaptation of set photographer Ichiro Tsuda's 1980 book The Location (Za Rokēshon), an illustrated 229-page document about the cameraman’s experiences with pink cast and crew on the sets of several films produced in the late 1970's....
Waterboys
Character: Mama
In a Japanese school, 5 adolescent geeks join the new sport teacher and take up the challenge to take part in the synchronised swimming competition, in-spite of the mockeries of the real sportsmen....
Mukoku
Character: Seppo Mitsumura
Kengo was gifted in Kendo (Japanese martial art) but he quits after a tragic incident. He works as a security guard and spends his days drinking. One day, he encounters a high school student Toru, who has a natural ability in Kendo. Toru revives the spirit of the sport in Kengo and he resumes practice again....
A Living Promise
Character: Zenzo Takeda
Yuma Nakahara is the CEO of an IT company and he is a workaholic. He is focused only on expanding his company. He receives a phone call from his former co-worker and friend Kouhei, but Kouhei doesn't say anything. Yuma gets the sense that something is wrong and heads to Kouhei's hometown of Shinminato, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. In Shinminato, Yuma meets other people and becomes involved in the Shinminato Hikiyama Festival. His outlook on life begins to change....
Revolver
Character: Keisuke Mineya
When a gun belonging to a police officer is stolen, it ends up in the hands of a student, who decides to use it on a yakuza who beat him recently. Now the police officer is hot on the student’s trail, and he’s determined to prevent the gun from going off....
Random Lives
Character: Hanamura
Questioning the meaning of people's lives, the multiple stories include the work of a manga artist, old men get involved in a fight and a murder, a bus incident which affects those who survive it, fishing, cherry-blossom viewing and more...
Suspicion
Character: Shigekazu Akitani
A car going at 25 mph plunges into the sea at Shinko Harbour, Toyama prefecture. Inside is the local business magnate Fukutaro Shirakawa, who perishes. Riding alongside him and surviving unhurt is his second wife, Kumako. It soon comes to light that Kumako’s husband was insured for 300 million yen and she is arrested on suspicion of murdering her husband for the insurance money. The newspapers denounce her as an evil woman, while the public is in no doubt about Kumako’s crime. Ritsuko Sahara is ...
Double Bed
Character: Tôru Yamazaki
Kato is a small time TV producer. He has a wife Masako, and a young son Taro. Kato also has a friend Yamazaki who he knew since college. Yamazaki has a girl friend Riko who lives with her younger sister Yuko who's an actress. Yamazaki is a lyric writer/womanizer and he starts to have an affair with Masako, but he's still going out with Riko....
Color Me True
Character: Tadashi Honda
Kenji is a young aspiring movie director. He falls in love with Princess Miyuki, who came from a black‐and‐white movie....
Teacher and Three Children
Character: Yoshio Ichikawa
The 95-year-old director shot the film in his hometown of Ishiuchi, Hiroshima. The story is based on a teacher he had when he was a child....
The Hunter and the Hunted
Character: Neko
Jin (Yakusho), a young, widowed police detective who is thinking of leaving the force to better take care of his 8 year old daughter Misaki (Kanno), by chance arrests Neko (Emoto), an accomplished middle aged burglar who has just fixed Misaki's bicycle. After Neko has several weeks to see Jin in the interrogation room, he decides to confess to Jin and teach him how to become a capable detective and worthy adversary. By the time Neko serves his 10 year sentence, Jin is a highly regarded detective...
A Grain of Wheat
Character: Honda
“A Grain of Wheat” is a story of two bakeries in Yokohama. A French baker, Eriko, makes a sudden visit to Honda who is the owner of a historical bakery in Yokohama. They have different attitudes towards the craft of bread making but they start to feel mutual respect as they make bread together....
Mottomo Abunai Deka
Character: Maeo
Taka and Yuji find evidence in a 15-year-old case, but the statute of limitations expires in four days and they're hunting illicit gun manufacturers....
Free and Easy 8
Character: Yukawa
When Su-san invites his late friend's daughter to come along on a fishing trip, she falls in love with Hama-chan's fishing protégé....
Another Heaven
Character: Doctor Akagi
A pair of hard-boiled Tokyo cops are investigating a gruesome murder: after killing the victim, the murderer cut his skull open and cooked his brain in a stew. As they try to track down the killer, they discover that, quite literally, everybody is a suspect. Will they bring the terror to an end, or will they become part of it themselves?...
Evil and The Mask
Character: Detective Aida
Kuki Fumihiro is a son from a wealthy zaibatsu (conglomerate) family. His father raises him to become pure evil. Kuki kills his father to protect his adopted sister Kaori. Afterward, Kuki disappears. He undergoes plastic surgery and takes the identity of Koichi Shintani. He watches Kaori and faces the great evil that exists within the Kuki family....
Shikei Kijun
Character: Kyusaku Tsushima
Do criteria exist for the death penalty? Yusuke Mito, a law faculty lecturer who did not become a lawyer even though he passed the bar exam, the famous lawyer Kojiro Otomo who advocates the abolition of the death penalty, and the public prosecutor Mariko Nagase studied law together. Each have their own thoughts about the death penalty. One day, Otomo’s wife is murdered by someone. Shinzo Sabae who is resentful of a lawsuit that Otomo had been in charge of, is arrested as a suspect. Otomo reverse...
Shoplifters
Character: Yoritsugu Kawado
After one of their shoplifting sessions, Osamu and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold. At first reluctant to shelter the girl, Osamu’s wife agrees to take care of her after learning of the hardships she faces. Although the family is poor, barely making enough money to survive through petty crime, they seem to live happily together until an unforeseen incident reveals hidden secrets, testing the bonds that unite them....
Neko Ninja
Character: Kariyazaki
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....
The Heartbreak Yakuza
Character:
A hardened gangster encounters by chance a woman he hasn't seen since childhood. They are both engulfed in the underground world of intergang warfare....
Hutch the Honeybee
Character:
Hutch the Honey Bee and friends set on an adventure to find Hutch's missing Queen Bee Mother, whom he lost during a surprise attack by a group of Hornets. In the process Hutch makes friends with various other animals. At a town called Sepiatown he even befriends Amy, a kindhearted human girl who can talk with insects ......
Recall
Character: Seiji Nomura
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....
Love Is Five Seven Five
Character: Grandfather
A haiku club comprised of five unlikely students aim to win the national high school haiku tournament....
Bedtime Eyes
Character:
Based on a polemic novel by Amy Yamada, Bedtime Eyes is about the intense love relationship between a second rate Japanese jazz singer and a black American GI on the margins of the law....
11’09”01—September 11
Character: Sakichi Furuhashi (segment "Japan")
Filmmakers from all over the world provide short films – each of which is eleven minutes, nine seconds, and one frame of film in length – that offer differing perspectives on the 9/11 terrorist attacks....
Iwane: Sword of Serenity
Character: Urakusai
Iwane Sakazaki returns to his homeland and gets caught in the middle of an incident that results in the tragic death of two of his best friends from childhood. He decides to leave his domain, parting with his fiancée Nao, and becomes a vagrant masterless samurai with nothing more to lose. Iwane drifts to Edo, filleting eels during the day and working as a bodyguard at night for Imazuya, a reputable money exchanger. He gradually wins the trust of the people around him because of his mellow nature...
Goodbye Mama
Character:
A successful office lady, who has made herself sexually available to a doctor, has her routine disrupted when her former boyfriend's son appears in her life. She is not connected to the boy, but his father has been in an accident....
A Tale of Young Elopement
Character: Matsuda
A 30-year-old man's life gets up-ended when his girlfriend accepts an arranged marriage meeting with a more successful man....
Sniper
Character: Tatsuyuki Miyata
Detective Ryoko Kozuki receives a demotion after having an affair with a superior. She succeeds in arresting a rapist in an undercover operation that puts her at risk. Her achievement immediately becomes the talk of the precinct, but no one approaches her because of her past. Ryoko is determined to bring criminals to justice. She takes on “The Prime Ministerial Candidate Snipe Case” which took place 15 years earlier....
Survival Family
Character: Sasaki Shigeomi
A world wide electrical outage occurs. Everything that requires electricity comes to a stop. Tokyo is nearly ruined. Yoshiyuki Suzuki decides to escape from Tokyo with his family....
Yona Yona Penguin
Character: Jii (voice)
Rintaro directs a tale of three children who visit a land of wonder. This is the first "3D anime" that Madhouse has produced. Oh, and there are penguins....
Masked Crusader, Mr. Jirenman
Character: Kantarô Iwata
A meek salaryman who gets no respect at home and is belittled at work gets inspiration from Superman and somehow becomes a strangely suited, hugely endowed, masked sexual avenger....
Castle of Sand
Character: Chiyokichi
A bruised and battered corpse in Shibuya, Tokyo has the attention of the local cops. A veteran detective is assigned to the case. The last utterance of the victim is one clue that detective Imanishi has to work on. Yet, the case becomes more tangled quickly. Elsewhere, a prodigy named Waga Eiryo is composing an orchestral piece. Remake of The Castle of Sand (1974)....
A Sower of Seeds
Character: Shuzo Morikawa
Kinjiro, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, is a good-natured fellow who goes around the country helping farm families. At his new appointment in Usuki City, Oita Prefecture, he visits a tea-growing family he has known for a long time. There, he finds the family head's granddaughter Minori, who lost her job in Tokyo and has just returned home....
Oz Land
Character: Boss
Kurumi is hired at a high-end hotel, but is instead dispatched to work at fun fair that is connected to the business network. The new work is out in the country and there is not much else to do or places to go. The go-to employee is one Yoshiko. Kurumi wants to be successful and valued and is eager to learn from Yoshiko. All is not as it seems on the surface however....
They Say Nothing Stays the Same
Character: Toichi
Toichi is a boatman who ferries the villagers to a town on the other side of the river. Besides rowing a boat for the villagers all day long, he barely communicates with anyone except Genzo, a young neighbour. Upstream, a large bridge is being constructed. Everyone is excited, but Toichi has mixed feelings about it. One day, Toichi meets a mysterious girl. Having no family and no place to go, Toichi lets her stay with him, but this encounter starts to bring about changes to Toichi's life....
The Promised Land
Character: Goro Fujiki
A girl is kidnapped and the perpetrator roams freely. When a similar case occurs along the same road and in similar circumstances a suspect is identified leading to the accused running away and going into hiding....
Winning Pass
Character:
This is a story about a high school student who had it all going for him. He was great at basketball, he had a love like no other, until a day where he loses the ability to walk. This is the story of his struggle through hardship to regain it all....
Body and Soul
Character:
Yoshihiko now lives with a couple of old friends, a married couple, Ryosuke and Aya. They share a past in several senses. It was Ryosuke who walked off with Yoshihiko’s girlfriend Aya. In doing so, he broke up with his own girlfriend, Reiko. Now they are all back together again and old feelings begin to surface....
Three for the Road
Character:
...
Casting Blossoms to the Sky
Character: Seijiro Nose
In the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, a journalist arrives in Nagaoka, a city decimated during a WWII air raid and by the 2004 Chūetsu earthquakes, to report on the disaster; there, she learns about the experiences of its inhabitants and stumbles upon a stage play written by an enigmatic student of her ex-boyfriend....
Show Me the Way to the Station
Character:
A young girl, Sayaka, develops a heartwarming friendship with an old man named Hasu. Based on an award-winning novel by Ijuin Shizu....
The Key
Character: Soichiro Anzai
Ikuko is a mature, reserved Kyoto woman married for many years to a respectable, now-middle-aged man. The only problem in their relationship has been that her husband is dissatisfied with her lack of passion during lovemaking. All this changes after they meet the young Mr. Kimura...
Universal Laws
Character:
A young man working as a first-class fashion designer decides to give up his business and return to his hometown after the sudden death of his father....
Disciples of Hippocrates
Character:
The story revolves around Ogino, who is in the last year of his medical studies. Between lectures, exams, on field training, his commitment as a pro-reformist militant and his girlfriend, Ogino is starting to wonder if he's really cut out to be a doctor....
The Nagaharu Yodogawa Story: A Cineaste's Life in Kobe
Character: Matashichi
Depicts the life of Nagaharu Yodogawa....
Shall We Dance?
Character: Detective Miwa
A bored Japanese accountant sees a beautiful woman in the window of a ballroom dance studio. He secretly starts taking dancing lessons to be near her, and then over time discovers how much he loves ballroom dancing. His wife, meanwhile, has hired a private detective to find out why he has started coming home late smelling of perfume....
Shimo-ochiai Yakitori Movie
Character:
...
Make-Up
Character: Kikuo Tsutano
...
Nosari: Impermanent Eternity
Character:
A young man wanders and makes calls to elders who live alone. Saying “Granny, it’s me,” he lies to them that he is their grandson. An old lady, who runs a music shop in the declining shopping area in Amakusa, answers his call and warmly accepts him. Pretending as her grandson, he settles down in the town. He gets used to his friendship with young villagers, the sound and landscape of Amakusa, and the old lady’s everyday life....
Congratulatory Speech
Character: Yasuhei Higashida
...
Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai
Character: Shop Owner
Set in the 19th century, "Moeyo Ken" follows the life of Toshizo Hijikata. He was the vice-commander of the Shinsengumi and fought against the Meiji Restoration....
Legend of the Cat Monster
Character: Ryohei Shimura / Joji Tamura
A legendary actress thought to be dead is discovered living in an isolated mansion. A screenwriter is tasked with writing her comeback film, which leads the two to live under the same roof....
Boku to Mama No Kiiroi Jitensha
Character: Shotaro
Taishi lives with his father Kazushi. His mother left home when Taishi was very young and he barely has any memories of her. He believes that his mother left home to study in Paris. His favorite moments come once a week when he receives a letter from his mother. But one day, during Taishi's summer vacation, he learns that his mother isn't in Paris but in Shodoshima, Japan. Taishi then decides to take his pet dog with him and bicycle from his hometown of Yokohama all the way to Shodoshima. On his...
Living in the Sky
Character: Concierge Kondo
In the time after Naomi’s parents suddenly die, she happens to meet and bond with the popular actor Morinori Tokito who lives in the same apartment building....
Godot of the Emotos
Character:
The acting family, the Emotos, are the subject of this documentary following Emoto Akira and his sons....
Underdog: Part One
Character: Sakuro
Tells the story of three bottom-dog boxers who gets used as punching bags. Pro boxer Suenaga Akira fell off the path to greatness but still tries to crawl his way to the top. Omura Ryuta is a youngster who grew up in foster care. Miyagi Shun, a TV celebrity with famous parents, takes a shot at boxing as part of a TV show. Three underdogs with very different back stories put their pride on the line as they exchange blows....
Happy Flight
Character: Saito
A variety of aviation professionals such as pilots, flight attendants, the ground crew, mechanics, dispatchers, controllers, and the bird patrol crew all support a single flight. They have only one mission: to secure the safety of the passengers....
Stardust Over The Town
Character: Kumabe Rokuzo
Story of the struggling chorus group "Yamada Osamu and the Hello Nights", who gain an unexpected new member in the young Ai, who pursues her dream of becoming a singer....
Zebraman
Character: Kitahara the Crab Man
A down-and-out school teacher receives the calling to become the real life personification of an old television superhero, Zebraman....
Teacher's suitcase
Character: Sensei/Matsumoto Harutsuna
Tsukiko is in her late 30s and living alone when one night she happens to meet one of her former high school teachers, 'Sensei', in a bar. He is at least thirty years her senior, retired and, she presumes, a widower. After this initial encounter, the pair continue to meet occasionally to share food and drink sake, and as the seasons pass - from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms - Tsukiko and Sensei come to develop a hesitant intimacy which tilts awkwardly and poignantly into love....
The Great Yokai War: Guardians
Character: old man
Kei Watanabe is a fifth grade elementary school student. He has inherited the hunter's blood to hunt yōkai. To save the world from being destroyed, Kei Watanabe challenges a war against the yōkai....
Kodokunogurume ōmisoka supesharu ~ tabe-osame! Setouchi shutchō-hen ~
Character:
...
It Feels So Good
Character: Kenji's Father (voice)
When it rains it pours. Kenji divorced his wife, lost his job and his old squeeze Naoko is getting married back home in the north of Japan, specifically in Akita. He returns there in order to attend her wedding. Naoko surprises him by proposing that they have sex again. The one night stand is the new beginning....
The Dog Bridegroom
Character: Kenkichi Okumura
Ninomiya Azusa is a depressed elementary school teacher in Tokyo, who has problems both at work and in her personal life. One day, she suddenly hears a voice saying "If you go to Imore Island, you will get what you want.", so she decides to give it a try....
Tetsujin 28: The Movie
Character: Yunosuke Otsuka
One of the true classic's of anime's much-loved robot genre....
The End of the Tiny World
Character: Kawabata
Kida and Makoto grew up together because they have it in common that they don't have parents. And a transfer student, Yotchi, also gets along with them because she has a similar background, which is that they come from not such a good home environment. They spent their school life supporting each other. But, at the age of 20, Yotchi disappeared. Then Lisa, the daughter of a politician and a top model, appears in front of the two men. Makoto takes an unusual romantic interest in Lisa, who lives i...
I Never Shot Anyone
Character: Takashi Renjo
Renji Ishibashi, starring in the movie for the first time in 18 years, plays a hero with two faces, a dull novelist and a legendary killer. Susumu Ichikawa, an obsolete writer with no manuscript at all, had another face - a legendary hitman. But the truth of the matter is... he had never shot a person. One day, he receives a murder request from a friend. Seeing this as an opportunity to achieve the ideal hard-boiled novel, he decides to hire a real hitman and demands that he report to him the a...
Wonderful Paradise
Character: Homeless
In consequence of his professional mistakes and declining career, Shuji and his family, the Sasaya’s, are forced to leave the wealthy suburb of Tokyo. The move is slow, long and heartbreaking, and the two Sasaya children, an old teenager and a young adult, unwittingly turn the grieving process into an exuberant and unpredictable farewell party!...
A Naive History of the Bakumatsu Era
Character: Kogoro Katsura
In the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, there was a cute warrior, Souji Okita, who belonged to the armed police of the shogunate in Kyoto. Very few knew that Souji was not a boy, but a woman. Souji loved the vice-leader of the armed police, Toshizou Hijikata. Souji suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis and coughed up blood during a battle. Toshizou helped her but said that he did not care for the girl with a smell of blood. Souji had a real talent for swordsmanship and no one but Ryouma Sakam...
A Man
Character: Norio Komiura
Akira works as a lawyer. One day, he meets with his former client Rie, who asks Akira to perform a background check on her late husband Daisuke....
Prodigy
Character: Hisashi Kikuna
Naruse Uta is a "unique" 13 year old child. She possessed the talent to read sheet music even before she could speak, but has now come to the point where she hates playing the piano. Her father was also a piano virtuoso, but mysteriously disappeared from her life at a young age. Because of her father's disappearance Uta's mother had to move out of their posh home and into a far modest working class neighborhood. In this working class neighborhood there is a local grocer. The grocer's son Kikuna ...
Shonen to Inu
Character:
New Takahisa Zeze movie, adaptation of the book "Shonen to Inu." To be released in Spring 2025....