Japanese Cinema - Movies

Movies

Japanese Cinema Movies

Audition

One of the most notorious J-horror films ever made, Takashi Miike’s Audition exploded onto the festival circuit at the turn of the century to a chorus of awards and praise. The film would catapult Miike to the international scene and pave the way for such other genre delights as Ichii the Killer and The Happiness of the Katakuris. Recent widower Shigharu Aoyama is advised by his son to find a new wife, agreeing Shigeharu seeks the advice of a colleague having been out of the dating scene for many years. Taking advantage of their position as a film company they stage an audition. Interviewing a series of women, Shigeharu becomes enchanted by Asami, a quiet, 24-year-old woman, who is immediately responsive to his charms. But soon things take a very dark and twisted turn as we find that Asami isn’t what she seems to be… Pulling the audience into a story that will lead to one of the most harrowing climaxes in cinema history, Miike twists and turns us through delirious editing and shocking visuals for one of the most depraved nightmares of all time!

Pokémon 4Ever

Forty years ago, the Mythical Pokémon Celebi fled from a vicious hunter, and a young Trainer named Sammy rushed to protect it. Sammy and Celebi vanished in the forest—becoming yet another strange legend that the townspeople tell. In the present day, Ash and friends arrive in the forest, and find that the story is true when both boy and Pokémon turn up again! This time, the Iron Masked Marauder is after Celebi, armed with a cruel device that makes any Pokémon mindlessly obedient and evil. Can Ash, Sammy, Misty, and Brock withstand the power of the corrupted Celebi, and restore it to its true self?

Ichi the Killer

Takashi Miike's ICHI THE KILLER has endured as one of the most influential pieces of genre filmmaking of the last two decades, and now it returns in a stunning all-new digitally restored special edition approved by Miike himself.

Pokémon Heroes - The Movie

Ash gets a special peek into the secret home of Latias and her brother, Latios, but this peaceful place is soon threatened by the thieves from before—Annie and Oakley—who are after both Legendary Pokémon and a mysterious jewel called the Soul Dew. These elements combined will let them control a powerful machine that normally protects against danger. When the machine malfunctions, though, it not only puts Latias and Latios at serious risk, but the entire city of Alto Mare, as well!

Dark Water

After terrifying audiences worldwide with the blockbuster J-horror classic Ring and its sequel, director Hideo Nakata returned to the genre for Dark Water, another highly atmospheric, and critically acclaimed, tale of the supernatural which took the common theme of the “dead wet girl” to new heights of suspense and drama.Based upon on a short story by Ring author Koji Suzuki, Dark Water follows Yoshimi, a single mother struggling to win sole custody of her only child, Ikuko. When they move into a new home within a dilapidated and long-forgotten apartment complex, Yoshimi begins to experience startling visions and inexplicable sounds, calling her mental well-being into question, and endangering not only her custody of Ikuko, but perhaps their lives as well.Beautifully shot by the same cinematographer as Ring and Pulse, and featuring an especially unnerving sound design, Dark Water successfully merges spine-tingling tension with a family’s heart-wrenching emotional struggle, creating one of the very finest and most unsettling contemporary Japanese horror films.

Blade of the Immortal

Manji, a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. He promises to protect a young girl named Rin and help her avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu. The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine...the 100th film by master director Takashi Miike.

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda

One of the most important artists of our era, Ryuichi Sakamoto has had a prolific career spanning over four decades. From techno-pop stardom to Oscar-winning film composer, the evolution of his music has coincided with his life journeys. Following Fukushima, Sakamoto became an iconic figure in Japan’s social movement against nuclear power. As Sakamoto returns to music following a cancer diagnosis, his haunting awareness of life crises leads to a resounding new masterpiece. 'Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda' is an intimate portrait of both the artist and the man.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Bonds Beyond Time

It’s a whole new deal! For the first time, Yugi, Jaden & Yusei are together in an all-new adventure! With his world crumbling into chaos, a masked menace known as Paradox travels into the past to eliminate the source for his world’s destruction - the Duel Monsters card game! Standing in his way are three legendary duelists who will do whatever it takes to save what’s on the line - their friends, their family and the game they love. For the first time ever, Yugi, Jaden and Yusei will team together and battle with all their hearts in a duel that will decide the past, present and future!

Tetsuo - The Iron Man

A strange man known only as the "metal fetishist", who seems to have an insane compulsion to stick scrap metal into his body, is hit and possibly killed by a Japanese "salaryman", out for a drive with his girlfriend. The salaryman then notices that he is being slowly overtaken by some kind of disease that is turning his body into scrap metal, and that his nemesis is not in fact dead but is somehow masterminding and guiding his rage and frustration-fueled transformation.

Rigor Mortis

In this eerie and chilling, contemporary, action/special effects laden homage to the classic Chinese vampire movies of the 1980’s, writer-director-producer, Juno Mak makes his feature directorial debut. Co-produced by J-Horror icon Takashi Shimizu, and reuniting some of the original cast members of the classic Mr. Vampire series, RIGOR MORTIS is set in a creepy and moody Hong Kong public housing tower whose occupants we soon discover, run the gamut from the living to the dead, to the undead, along with ghosts, vampires and zombies.

Suicide Club

A wave of unexplainable suicides sweeps across Tokyo after 54 smiling high school girls join hands and throw themselves from a subway platform into an oncoming train. Detective Kuroda (Audition's Ryo Ishibashi) and the rest of the police force are baffled as the bloodbath triggers a wave of suicides across the city. When a cryptic phone call tips off police to a strange website that appears to be tracking the suicides before they happen, the question becomes, are they really suicides at all? This outrageously bizarre, wicked social critique in the form of a creepy and enigmatic detective mystery examines the despair of the disaffected Japanese youth and the influence of pop culture on their lives. From international film festival favorite to cult sensation, master filmmaker Sion Sono's Suicide Club is a study of contemporary morality that is gruesome, darkly comic, and vividly original.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable: Chapter 1 (Live Action Movie)

Welcome to idyllic Morioh, whose ocean views and charming townscapes make it a breezy Japanese utopia. But a chain of grisly killings has cast a bloody pall of uncertainty over its residents, especially Josuke Higashikata, a high schooler with offbeat hair and even more eccentric abilities. Now, with his grandfather on Morioh's homicide list, Josuke must resort to his surreal ""Stand"" powers if he ever hopes to heal his beloved family and town. Josuke may have a Stand-wielding relative at his side, but the killer has plenty of help too.

Wife of a Spy

Master filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa won the Silver Lion (Best Director) at the Venice Film Festival for this riveting, gorgeously crafted, old-school Hitchockian thriller. The year is 1940 in Kobe, on the eve of the outbreak of World War II. Local merchant and amateur filmmaker Yusaku (Issey Takahashi, Kill Bill) senses that things are headed in an unsettling direction. Following a trip to Manchuria, he becomes determined to bring to light the things he witnessed there, and secretly filmed. Meanwhile, his wife Satoko (Japan Society’s 2021 Honoree Yû Aoi) receives a visit from her childhood friend, now a military policeman. He warns her about Yusaku’s seditious ways and reveals that a woman her husband brought back from his trip has died. Satoko confronts Yusaku, but when she discovers his true intentions, she is torn between loyalty to her husband, the life they have built, and the country they call home.

Tetsuo II: Body Hammer

Sequel to 'Tetsuo', this time has the Iron Man transforming into a cyber-kinetic gun when a gang of vicious skinheads kidnap his son. When the skinheads capture him, they begin to experiment on him... speeding up the mutative process!

Kite (Original Japanese Version)

She may seem innocent and naive, but don't be stupid. She's a cold-blooded killer, and if you're on the wrong side of the law, you may be her next target. After being orphaned at a young age by her parents' murder, Sawa was taken in by the detective assigned to her case. Not content to just watch as the justice system let criminals go free, he's decided to train her to be his instrument of justice.

Antiporno

Young artist Kyoko (Ami Tomite) wreaks havoc on everyone that she encounters, her worst being reserved for simpering older assistant Noriko (Mariko Trutsui), whom she routinely humiliates—or at least that’s what seems to be happening, before an abrupt about-face. A fourth-wall breaking, experimental study of feminine agency set against outlandish, eye-popping backdrops from rabble-rouser director Sion Sono.

Tokyo Fist

Once again Shinya Tsukamoto steps out from behind the camera and stars as Tsuda, the archetypal Japanese salary man, a cog in the machine seemingly cut off from his own being by hours and hours of work. He's married to polite and compliant Hizuru (Kahori Fujii), the dictionary definition of an ideal Japanese wife. Their life is happy, at least on the surface, until Tsuda's brother; Kojima (played by Tsukamoto's own real life brother, Kohji) shows up on the scene. As a pro boxer Kohji's business is violence and even before the proverbial sand is kicked in Tsuda's face we can already sense the wonder and jealousy with which he views his brother's transformed body; but once Kojima seduces Hizuru, revealing that he doesn't just excel at physical violence, but mental and emotional brutality as well, Tsuda starts training at the gym so he can wreak his revenge with his fists.

Pokémon: The Arceus Chronicles

A visit to the Sinnoh region turns into a high-stakes adventure when Ash, Pikachu, and friends join forces with powerful Pokémon to confront a looming threat! When Ash, Goh, and Dawn receive a mysterious message from the Mythical Pokémon Arceus, they meet up with Brock and head to Mount Coronet to investigate. There, they find a rampaging Heatran and the commanders of Team Galactic, who are determined to find their missing leader by opening a gate between dimensions. With a trio of Legendary Pokémon and Sinnoh Champion Cynthia on their side, our heroes have lots of help, but they’ll need all they can get to save Sinnoh from being destroyed!

Ace Attorney

In 20XX, to prevent the rise of crimes, bench trials a new justice system where the defense and prosecutor go head-to-head in court is started. Within just 3 days, a verdict is decided. Talented attorney Mia Fey, who shows understanding for her junior lawyer, Phoenix Wright, is murdered. Arrested for the murder is her spirit medium in training sister Maya Fey. Phoenix believes in Maya's innocence and takes the case where he meets Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth, a level-headed, prodigy attorney and childhood friend. An intense courtroom battle unfolds as testimony and evidence are presented. After the trial, Phoenix receives word that Miles has been arrested for murder! Phoenix steps forward to defend Miles. Opposing council is none other than Miles's master, legendary prosecutor von Karma who has been undefeated in court for 40 years. As the trial goes on, the 15 year old DL-6 case, where Miles's father Gregory Edgeworth was shot and killed in the evidence room, is examined closely.

R100

In this audaciously kinky, meta-comedic thriller, a lonely father with a secret taste for S&M (Nao Ohmori, best known for his titular turn in Takashi Miike's Ichi the Killer) hires a boutique dominatrix agency that specializes in guerilla acts of public degradation. Although the rough treatment and humiliation Takafumi Katayama receives from these leather-clad women—in cafés and on the street—drives him to ecstatic pleasure, he soon finds himself over his head during a surprise house call by one of the mistresses. After a freak and fatal accident, Takafumi is forced into action with a slew of vengeful dominatrices chasing him down. With the help of his son, he'll have to devise a plan to take on the relentless femmes fatales, who each possess a unique S&M talent by which to exact painful revenge. R100—the title a riff on the Japanese movie rating system, whose equivalent to NC-17 is R18—is directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto (Big Man Japan, Symbol) - one of Japan's most preeminent and beloved comedic talents.

A Snake of June

Rinko and Shigehiko are a strange couple, who connect as human beings but not lovers. They live more like friends and lead nearly independent lives. Both seem comfortable with this coexistence until Rinko receives a package of candid photographs of herself masturbating. The sender contacts her with the threat of exposing them to her husband so she submits herself to the anonymous voyeur's sexual games in order for the negatives and prints to be returned. Rinko is to comply with a set of assignments that place her constantly on the borderline between humiliation and pleasure. The voyeur knows exactly what Rinko's personal erotic fantasies are and makes her act them out one by one.

Kotoko

Kotoko (pop star Cocco in her first starring role) is a young mother struggling to raise her young son Daijiro. Her grip on reality is shaky at best. Through her narration we quickly learn she sees double of everyone, one good and one evil. The problem is she can't tell which one is real, and is constantly moving from apartment to apartment as she assaults neighbours she fears are out to harm her or her baby. Every moment of her life devolves into a paranoia induced state, where she worries about what tragedy awaits her son. She cuts herself in an effort to remind her that she is real, and what she's experiencing is not a dream or delusion. The only time she feels at peace, when all her anxiety melts away and she feels whole, is when she sings. Soon Daijiro is taken from her, as authorities believe she is in fact abusing her child, and place him in the custody of her sister. At the same time, a famous author (played by Tsukamoto) who hears Kotoko's singing on a bus begins to stalk her, mesmerised by what he hears. He follows her around, desperate to strike up a relationship with her, no matter what the emotional or physical cost it may have on him or her.

Prisoner 07: Reina

Reina Kisaragi, a news reporter, deliberately gets herself thrown into prison after receiving a tip that Haruna, her missing sister, may be inside. But once imprisoned, she discovers that the inmates are forced to participate in a twisted game, created as a betting ground for the rich and elite. Politicians and CEOs alike gather to watch, as the female prisoners are forced to fight each other to the death. The rule: 15 kills, and release from prison is guaranteed. The women battle desperately to try to earn their freedom, but in order to save her sister, Reina must discover what she is truly capable of.

Bullet Ballet

Goda (Shinya Tsukamoto) is a thirty-something documentary filmmaker. While his work may seem intriguing to some, his life is absolutely average - long hours at the office, drinks after work and an equally busy girlfriend: Kiriko, that he's been with for a decade. No surprises. No detours. No shocks. That is until he returns home one night to find police cars and ambulances surrounding the entrance to his apartment building. When he gets upstairs he's told that Kiriko has committed suicide. If this wasn't devastating enough Goda also learns that she killed herself with a bullet to the head. With Japan having some of the strictest gun control laws on the books not only is Goda left with the yawning, black "why" behind Kiriko's suicide, but also a whole other set of mysterious "hows", "wheres" and "whos". How did Kiriko get a handgun in the first place? From where? And most importantly from whom? Goda goes on a quest into the gritty criminal underworld of Tokyo in order to answer these questions and maybe inhabit the last days of Kiriko's life.

The World of Kanako

An uncompromising revenge thriller of operatic scope, The World of Kanako is a non-stop visual and emotional assault to the senses as it follows troubled ex-detective Akikazu on the hunt for his missing teenage daughter, Kanako. What he discovers in his search is an unsettling and harrowing web of depravity surrounding both Kanako and himself. As Akizaku stumbles along a shocking trail of drugs, sex and violence, he finds himself woefully unprepared for the revelations that affect all he holds dear.

Okinawa: The Afterburn

"Okinawa: The Afterburn" is the first documentary to provide a comprehensive look at the Battle of Okinawa and the ensuing 70-year occupation by the United States military. On April 1, 1945, American troops landed on Okinawa, beginning a battle that claimed the lives of some 240,000 people. The film depicts the battle through the eyes of Japanese and American soldiers who fought each other, along with Okinawa civilians who were swept up in the fighting, with carefully selected footage from the U.S. National Archives. The film also conveys the postwar fate of Okinawa, home to U.S. military bases and American soldiers -- and the related crimes, accidents, and pollution they have caused. In Okinawa, the legacy of the war translates into a deeply rooted aversion to military force. This has been expressed in recent years by the island-wide rejection of a plan to build a new U.S. base at Henoko, a source of controversy to this day. "Okinawa: The Afterburn" explores the roots of this resistance and Okinawa's vision for the future.

Uzumasa Limelight

Uzumasa has been called the Hollywood of Japan. Located in the historical Kyoto Prefecture, known as the cultural center of the nation, it has produced many “jidaigeki, ” Japanese period films which are set in or before the Edo period. These films are loved by the Japanese people and praised all over the world, but would not be what they were if it weren’t for the “kirareyaku, ” actors whose job it is to be killed by the lead star, without ever being in the limelight. Uzumasa Limelight is about those men, the unsung heroes of classic jidaigeki films; Actors who loved and respected the art, even when the production of classic jidaigeki films began to dwindle. Staring the legendary Seizo Fukumoto, Japan’s most famous kirareyaku who appeared as the “Silent Samurai” in the 2003 Hollywood film The Last Samurai, and using Charlie Chaplin’s Limelight as an underlying theme, the admirable story of these men dealing with a new generation and fading craftsmanship is told with melancholy and soul.

Wet Woman in the Wind

Dissipated Tokyo playwright Kosuke (Tasuku Nagaoka) has retreated to the countryside after deciding that he’s done with women, but the indefatigable cat-in-heat Shiori (Yuki Mamiya) has other ideas, clinging to Kosuke like his shadow.

Why Don't You Play In Hell?

Ten years ago, the Kitagawa yakuza clan attacked the Muto yakuza clan at Muto's own home, only to have Muto's wife fight back. This unexpectedly left the Kitagawa clan in shambles, with their top hitman Ikegmai wounded and Muto's wife in prison. Despite the carnage, the most unfortunate fallout from this attack is when Muto's beloved daughter, Mitsuko, has her adorable toothpaste commercial taken off the air. Now, Ikegami seeks revenge, while Muto only has one desire - to have his wife return from prison to see Mitsuko star in her first movie. Enter The F-Bombers, an eager but untalented group of wannabe filmmakers whose dreams of making movies have come crashing down after ten years. Circumstances have brought them to this fateful moment where they'll be able to film the climactic battle between yakuzas in an epic, over-the-top ending for the ages. Described by acclaimed director Sion Sono as "an action film about the love of 35mm," and based on a screenplay he wrote nearly 15 years ago, Why Don't You Play In Hell? is among Sono's best work as his trademark excess and outrageousness is infused with an affection for the Japanese films that have come before it. This is Sion Sono at his most endearing and awesome.

A Man Vanishes

One of the most important and complex works by two-time Palme d'Or winning director Shohei Imamura, A MAN VANISHES begins as an investigation into one of the thousands of missing persons cases that occur in Japan each year. The film follows the case of Tadashi, a handsome businessman who has suddenly vanished. Imamura and his crew interview the man's fiancée, Yoshie, who is desperately searching for him, and the filmmaker becomes increasingly involved in her life. But the "investigation" casts a shadow of doubt over the couple's relationship, Tadashi's business ventures, his relationship with Yoshie's sister, and even the investigating film director, Imamura himself, who may not be what he seems. Radical film in scope, technique, and aesthetic, A MAN VANISHES distills many of Imamura's central themes and obsessions, the film culminating a stunning sequence that explodes any stable sense of fiction and reality.

Tony Takitani

Tony Takitani is an illustrator who has been alone all his life, until he meets a beautiful woman who transforms his world. The only problem is that she has a secret: she is a compulsive shopper with a penchant for high end couture fashion that leads to darkly satiric consequences.

Oh! Invisible Man the Invisible Girl appears!?

Based on a legendary Japanese comic "Oh! Invisible Man", a crazy comedy about a father and daughter who have a genetic mutation allows them to become invisible.

Kotodama - Spiritual Curse

Latest film in the horror series that has spawned four films to date. Depicts the terrifying Fox Window connected to an alien world in another dimension, starring the five-member dance and vocal group TOKYO GIRLS' STYLE and co-starring Ishibashi Anna. Directed by JU-ON - The Beginning of the End's Ochiai Masayuki.Kitayamada High School, the site of a gas accident in 1988. Hitomi (Arai Hitomi) and three other kids sneak into the ruins to make a fake horror online video. They shoot in the abandoned school building, but…

The Burning Buddha Man

There is a series of Buddha statue thefts in Kyoto. Beniko (Yuka Iguchi), a high school girl, gets the Buddha statue at her family’s temple stolen and has her parents killed at the same time. Beniko hears from Enju (Minori Terada), her parents’ friend, that a robbery group called SEADDATTHA is the one who killed her parents, and feels the strong urge for vengeance. Enju offers Beniko to live with him since she has no place to go. She wanders into Enju’s secret room and meets an ugly creature that looks like a fusion of her parents and Buddha statue…

Tale of a Raindrop

This is a story of a young woman and her coming of age in Japan. In the winter before her college graduation, Michiru received a letter from a girl. Apparently, they are sisters who shared the same father. The letter explained their father who has left Michiru from her birth. Even though she had never cared about him, the fact about his existence spread within her. As she explored about him, she experiences irresistible youth and separations in her life. The youth of a girl is 'like the music pouring out from the world,' and fragile like a raindrop.

Love Life

Taeko and her husband Jiro are living a peaceful existence with her young son Keita, when a tragic accident brings the boy’s long-lost father, Park, back into her life. To cope with her pain and guilt, Taeko throws herself into helping Park, who is deaf and currently homeless. With nuanced performances and craftsmanship, Love Life is a melodramatic and moving meditation on grief and acceptance.

Mishima: The Last Debate (English Subtitled)

During the time of mass movement rising in late 60’s all over the world, an internationally acclaimed author, poet, playwright, actor, film director and critic Yukio Mishima, took part in a heated discussion with 1,000 members of the student movement at the University of Tokyo in 1969, just a year before Mishima’s ritual suicide. The original master footage of his last debate with students has been found after 50 years from the filming. Though they have different opinions to each other, Mishima addressed to and influenced the young audience with respect. Through the restored 4K footage and interviews of the people involved in the discussion, the people who knew Mishima at that time, journalists and authors of our times, the film pursues timeless thoughts of Mishima which appeals to the people even today.

August in Tokyo

In a suburb of Tokyo, a man was living as a yakuza and a woman was a part-timer. Although they never thought about their family before, they tried to reunite with them. Brother and sister, father and daughter; and they were almost back together as "family...

Monsterz

A man who can control people with a starecould rule humanity with his unusual ability if he so wished. But instead he chooses a life of solitude, using his gift only when necessary. Cleverly he makes sure that those under his control don't remember what happened or whose power they're under. His lonely life of misery changes when he meets Shuichi Tanaka. When the Man willseverybody in his sight to freeze, Shuichi is unaffected. Tanaka comes across as an ordinary man but he can defy the Man's telekinetic ability. Agitated and furious that he can't control him, the Man is determined to exterminate Shuichi. The man baits Shuichi by killing someone close to him. Shuichi seeks vengeance and during the ensuing battle, Shuichi realizes that only he can stop his nemesis. Unknown to the Man, Shuichi also has special powers. Brought together by destiny their battle becomes more catastrophic...

Strayer's Chronicle

In the early 90's, a top secret organization conducted an experiment to test the theory. Two methods were selected. One stimulated the secretion of abnormal hormones by subjecting the brains of expectant mothers to tremendous stress. The resulting mutations engendered children with extraordinary powers beyond the limits of normal human abilities. The other method involved genetic manipulation and implantation using animal and insect DNA. The subject mothers gave birth to children with entirely different yet equally powerful abilities.The two sets of children grew up separately, and their paths diverged. The first set embraced hope, and used their powers to benefit the future of mankind. The other set was consumed by despair and would try to destroy the world with their powers. Each set relied only on their own group, but destiny brought them together. As dark forces vie to harness their power, their battle will determine the future of mankind!

Real Girl

Iroha Igarashi, the prettiest girl in high school, is mistaken for a shoplifter at a bookstore but is rescued by Hikari Tsutsui, a hardcore otaku who loves 2D anime. The next day suddenly asks him to be her boyfriend. Although he is wary and wonders if he is being bullied in a novel way by someone who "has a life," he reluctantly agrees and the relationship between two completely different people begins.

Iwane: Sword of Serenity

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 who he was going to marry shortly after his return, and becomes a vagrant masterless samurai with nothing more to lose.Iwane begins living in a row house in 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 - including his landlord Kinbe, who helped Iwane find work, and his daughter Okon, who starts to have feeling for him - because of his mellow nature, the chivalrous way he treats everyone with courtesy, and his skills of swords.One day, he learns that Imazuya is being targeted in a conspiracy to sabotage a new monetary system implemented by the government. Though still trying to recover from the anguish he suffered back home, Iwane decides to protect the people who have given him support.

The Grapes of Joy

Haruna’s dream is making confectionaries who bring happiness to people who eat them. After graduating high school, she applies for work at Minamoto Kitchoan, a company that makes Japanese style confectionaries. Her winning smile convinces the company president to hire her, but her trainee assignments to shop sales, production, and product development do not go well, and she is sent out to assist at one of the vineyards that supply alexandria grapes, which are used for one of the company’s famous confectionaries. The farmer, Akiyoshi, does not want her help and tells her to leave, but she persists. Akiyoshi, it turns out, lost his only son Taro ten years before, and is determined that his vineyard will end with him. Vines his son grafted just before he died are about to reach the end of their productive life, and Akiyoshi plans to have them and their greenhouse destroyed. Haruna tries and fails to convince him to regraft these vines and thus keep Taro’s memory alive. When Haruna is about to quit the company and return her hometown, the area is hit with massive floods that leave Taro’s former greenhouse buried in a sea of mud. Haruna goes out to the vineyard and sets to work digging...

The Birth of Saké

In a world where most mass produced goods are heavily automated, a small group of artisans must brave tough working conditions to preserve the ancient tradition that we have come to know as saké. THE BIRTH OF SAKÉ reveals the story of passionate saké-makers and what it takes to make world-class saké at Yoshida Brewery, a 144-year-old family-owned small brewery in northern Japan. The workers at Yoshida are an eclectic cast of characters, ranging from 20 to 70 years old. As a vital part of this crew that must live and work for a six-month period through the brutal winter, charismatic veteran brewmaster Yamamoto (65) and the brewery’s sixth-generation heir, Yasuyuki Yoshida (27), are prime keepers of this tradition. Currently, stiff competition and the coming retirement of experienced workers intensify the pressure of preserving quality of taste, tradition and brand reputation for Yoshida Brewery. As craftsmen who must dedicate their whole lives to the making of this world-class saké, their private sacrifices are often sizable and unseen.

Gun Woman

A brilliant doctor vows revenge on a crazy sadistic killer following the murder of his wife and devises the perfect assassination plan by turning a young woman into the most lethal assassin the world has ever seen. This outrageous plan will unfold in the killer's heavily fortified underground lair.

Ogiwara Ikuzo, 63 years old

An old chef OGIWARA IKUZO had difficulties in owning his deserted Sushi shop. His quiet life with daughter was suddenly sucked into the maelstrom, after he got a headhunt call from the Global Sushi-Go-Round network. They offered him a position as thehead chef of their upcoming gorgeous restaurant. His Sushi shop was almost going bankrupt but his craftsmanship didn't allow him to throw away everything and close it. Global network also had difficulties in finding the ideal chef except him, so they began doing whatever they could, to change his mind. This is the story of how a little old Sushi man and his daughter fought against the mega force of global economy to protect his shop, and to win his pride back.

Heaven's Story

Sato is an 8-year-old girl. She is at the sea with her friends when her parents and older sister are murdered. The killer is apparently a man who blamed his business trouble on her father. It is decided that Sato will live with her grandfather. When Sato is on her way to her new home with her grandfather, she sees the news on an appliance shop TV. A young man (Tomoki) whose wife and child were murdered, says at a media conference that he will get revenge. His determination impresses Sato, whose family was also murdered.

The Untold Tale of the Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdom Saga is a historiography of the three nations of Wei, Wu, and Shu which are struggling for supremacy in China about 1800 years ago.It depicts the heroes aiming for unity of China, however, there are so many unrealistic anecdotes, unclear incidents and mysteries; thus numerous interpretation has been made by different readers.

The Catcher On the Shore

City boy Hiroto gets on the bus alone and heads to Nakijin Village in Yanbaru to spend the winter break at his grandfather's place. There he quickly finds his place, hanging out with his cousin Ryuuya, and taking care of the two family's goats. One day, one of them has gone missing... The Catcher on the Shore is a beautiful story on childhood and friendship.

Exploring the Snow: The Journey

Follow a group of talented snowmobilers on an intense journey as they travel the world in search of new terrain. Watch their story unfold as they ride the legendary deep snow of Japan, venture far into the backcountry of British Columbia with Chris Brown & Kalle “KJ" Johansson, and finally to the epic glacial environments of Norway in middle of summer.

The Chrysanthemum and the Guillotine

The magnitude 7.9 Great Kanto Earthquake killed nearly 150,000, and threw Japan’s nerve center of Tokyo and the surrounding Kanto plain into chaos. From this chaos came some of the early steps leading to the militarism of the following decades, and in contrast a flowering of local culture. One such flowering, little-known today, was the emergence of a nation-wide circuit of lady sumo wrestlers.

Before We Vanish

In his twentieth film, acclaimed horror director Kiyoshi Kurosawa reinvents the alien movie as a unique and profoundly human tale of love and mystery. Three aliens travel to Earth on a reconnaissance mission in preparation for a mass invasion. Having taken possession of human bodies, the visitors rob the hosts of their essence – good, evil, property, family, belonging – leaving only hollow shells, which are all but unrecognizable to their loved ones. Equally hilarious, thrilling, and profound, Before We Vanish reminds audiences of the continued strength of one of Japanese cinema's most unique auteurs – and the value of the human spirit.

Girl of the Sea

Yusuke, a high school student in Okinawa becomes a truant, because of his obsession for dugongs. His classmates, Yume and Hiroto, and his teacher Ryota visit his house and see his room with heaps of signs or anti-base demonstrations and other related things. Meanwhile, Ryota and his friends Tsuyoshi a photographer and Kenichi an editor of a magazine set out for a search for dugongs in Henoza for the magazin article about the relocation of the US Air Base, and happen to know about a terrifying ritual of Henoza… where the Futenma Air Base is planning to be relocated.

Sanada 10 Braves

14 years after the decisive Battle of Sekigahara, that virtually established the Tokugawa Shogunate's hegemony over all of Japan under the shogun Ieyasu. But vestiges of the old order remain in the form of a final resistance by the Toyotomi clan. Entering the fray on the Toyotomi side is a soldier revered and respected by many as the kind of hero who only appears once in a hundred years: Yukimura Sanada. But all isn't as it seems. Despite his manly appearance and reputation, Sanada owes his rise to glory to a miraculous string of good fortune and is actually a coward. Fortunately, Sanada encounters a former ninja named Sasuke Sarutobi, who has fled his ninja roots in hopes of staking his place in history. Sasuke sets about bridging the gap between perception and reality for Sanada by concocting a brilliant plan of deception. He recruits 9 misfits and gives birth to the Sanada Ten Braves who get to work turning Sanada into the greatest general in the land.

Killers

A series of horrific murders have just gone viral, posted anonymously by the handsome and seductive Nomura (Kazuki Kitamura) with a taste for torture. Thousands of miles away, disgraced journalist Bayu (Oka Antarra) can’t stop watching – and in a reckless moment discovers he, too, can kill. One man in Tokyo. One in Jakarta. A serial killer and a vigilante. As the posts multiply and the body count rises, a bizarre and psychotic rivalry begins – and the face-to-face showdown that’s coming will paint the city in blood.

DESTINY: The Tale of Kamakura

When young Akiko marries mystery author Masakazu Isshiki and moves in with him in Kamakura, her way of life becomes a constant source of amazement.A simple stroll through the streets brings her into contact with supernatural creatures such as spirits, goblins, ghosts, and not-grim-at-all reapers.As Akiko learns very quickly, Kamakura is a place where humans and non-humans live side-by-side in harmony.The Isshiki residence is also home to a parade of other distinctive denizens, such as Kin, a maid who may actually be 130 years old; Masakazu's incorrigible editor, Honda; and even a poverty-attracting entity.Although Akiko's newlywed lifestyle isn't quite as she'd imagined, it still turns out to be a lot of hectic fun.One morning, Masakazu awakes to find that Akiko has disappeared.The only trace of her is a loving letter to her husband...It seems that Akiko has met an unfortunate accident, died, and departed for the netherworld.Upon losing his wife, Masakazu realizes for the first time how much he loves her. To bring Akiko back to life, he decides to journey to the netherworld himself.What awaits Masakazu there are the supernatural creatures who took away his wife, and someone else he recognizes...At last, the destiny of the desperate Isshikis will reveal itself.

X-Game

After a childhood friend's suicide, Hideaki (Hirofumi Araki, “Prince of Tennis”) and his former classmates reunite to pay their respects. Soon after, a DVD, marked ‘X’ arrives revealing a man being tortured, triggering a flashback in Hideaki, reminding him of witnessing a schoolmate being subjected to humiliating “batsu” (punishment) games. One evening, Hideaki is kidnapped and when he awakens the next day, he discovers he is in a recreation of his old school-room, along with his fellow classmates. Trapped and held captive by mysterious hooded figures, each of them must now play a brutally violent, version of the punishment game, in order to survive. A twisty, horror/mystery ‘mash-up’ peppered with dark humor and inventive gore, director Yôhei Fukuda’s (of UK-banned “Grotesque”) shows how revenge is a dish best served cold and not very sweet – Japanese style.

Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog

Based on a true story, QUILL: THE LIFE OF A GUIDE DOG is the sweet, documentary-like tale of a yellow Labrador Retriever named Quill. We follow Quill from the litter to his selection as a guide dog shortly after his first birthday. When he is paired with a blind man named Watanabe, his new owner is at first reluctant to rely on Quill. But Watanabe is gradually won over by the dog's great patience, gentleness and skill.

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