Discoveries from Japan World Cinema

Nagoya, 1983: Legendary filmmaker Koji WAKAMATSU decides to open a cinema – not least to show his own films. The Cinema Skhole quickly turns into a hot spot for local cinephiles. Junichi INOUE tells an empathetic and almost true story about motion picture enthusiasts in this loose sequel to Kazuya SHIRAISHI’s DARE TO STOP US.

An assignment is issued to a lady sniper to destroy the mafia. The second-in-command of the Akita-kai, a yakuza group based in the Kanto region, is stabbed to death by a hitman from the Kansai-based San'yu-kai, which is aiming to expand into Kanto. Around the same time, Komoro Hisashi, the Akita-kai's action squad leader, is warmly welcomed back by the Akita-kai chairman, who has just returned to freedom after 14 years. However, concerned about the San'yu-kai's movements, he advises him to lie low for a while. Meanwhile, Shinjo, who was a young member 14 years ago, has risen through the ranks to the point of having his own gang. Amidst all this, Komoro meets and falls in love with a nurse named Akie...

Tokyo is suddenly covered by a dome-shaped electromagnetic cloud for an unknown reason and is totally blocked and isolated from other parts of the world. The temperature inside the cloud is slowly increasing. The Soviet Pacific fleet is getting closer. The U.S. is forcing Japan to form a new government. Scientists and research workers outside Tokyo have to race against time to find out how to get through the cloud in order to rescue the 12,000,000+ lives in Tokyo and the fate of the country.

After his father figure - a yakuza boss, is murdered, Azusa Moribe goes on a killing spree to exact revenge.

Rintaro (Sometani Shota) returns home for the first time in a while to prepare for and attend his father's funeral. He and his sister are surprised to find that their mother has canceled the catering order, and instead will be making the food herself in accordance with her late husband's will. The first dish she brings out is simply sunny side up eggs, and the attendees are at a loss. Rintaro recalls that this was the first meal his father had cooked for him and his sister.

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.

A treasure appears in front of antique dealer Norio Koike (Kiichi Nakai) and potter Sasuke (Kuranosuke Sasaki). The treasure is Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s chawan (procelain tea bowl) called Houou, that has been missing.

Todo Shunnosuke is a movie director who passed away thirty years ago. Just before his death, he told his wife about three short films which contained a secret. Years later, Todo's wife, who is on the verge of death, asked Madame Marmalade to solve the mystery. (2nd part of the 2-part Quiz movie : the audience gets to find out the answers to some questions asked in the "Question Version" film, and the people who got the answers right get their names placed in the film).

A scientific exploration in search of a new energy source unleashes a group of powerful demons who begin possessing human bodies and destroying civilization. Close friends Akira and Ryo wind up on different sides of this epic struggle. Akira’s inner strength allows him to maintain his identity and fight for good, but the weaker Ryo is completely overtaken by Satan himself.

A female hair stylist is torn between two lovers as she waits for treatment in a gynecological ward. She meets the other patients who are there and gets to know their stories.

Four pianists take part in the preliminary round of an international piano playing competition. Each has a story that is different and unique. One is a former child prodigy who stopped playing when her mother died. One is a Julliard student. One is a new face and yet comes recommended.

Kyoko is the third daughter of the Nonomiya family, a very ordinary family. Momoko, the eldest daughter, is married to Ichiro, the president of Mihara Shoji, and Riko, the second daughter, is married to Jiro, the managing director, and they plot to marry Kyoko to Saburo, the third son of the Mihara family. Kyoko is angry at the marriage talk that is being pushed forward without her permission, and declares that she "definitely won't get married," but before she knows it, she begins to become aware of the other person...

Japan and Russia clash in what comes to be known as the Russo-Japanese War. An attempt by the Japanese fleet and army to take Port Arthur fails, and a Russian fleet bears down on the Sea of Japan. Admiral Heihachiro Togo sends his fleet to confront the Russians, with results which stun both nations. Meanwhile, Major Genjiro Akashi makes secret negotiations with the Bolshevik revolutionaries in Russia, negotiations that have repercussions far beyond the conflict at hand.

The story on Arcadia's mystery, on which the 13th television episode was based.

In order to counter the rapidly increasing organized crime, the development of Polymar Suits resumed under the direction of the newly inaugurated police superintendent. But when three of the test version Polymar Suits are stolen, former street fighter and current detective Takeshi Yoroi is tasked with recovering them and the invincible hero Hurricane Polymar is born!

A young man walks through the streets holding a sign that reads, “The trial for the Tobata Incident 19 years ago was a frame-up!” He has taken up the fight alone on behalf of his innocent father, who is serving time for murder.

Yuri leaves Ryo with mysterious words. Ryo goes to Hokkaido knowing that his doppelganger magician is missing. Ryo realizes Yuri was also the magician’s lover and he learns magic. The story that crosses over two identities, illusion and magic.

A legendary gangster raises himself out of a small town and gathers followers on his rise to power.

The prestigious private Sakuraryo Gakuen, which has a 90-year tradition, has now lost its glory to the ground, and the back organization of the athletic club, the male “Black Warriors” and the female “Red Warriors”, have made use of them. One girl, Oda Yoko, who has transferred to such a school, sneaks into the principal's room to find out the truth of the death of her best friend, Atsushi Katayama

The Edo period. Once a famous swordsman, Kyutaro Madarame, aka “Madara the Devil,” is now a masterless samurai. When a white cat called Tamanojo appears before Kyutaro, the encounter changes him forever. Starring Kazuki Kitamura. This offbeat tale of samurai spirit and adorable animal antics returns to the screen on a breathtaking scale!

A treasury official passed over for promotion and obsessed with careerism interferes in the lives of his three sons, who seek escape from his relentless pressure in the mortal danger of mountain climbing.

A man accustomed to calling the shots in his girlfriend’s work life becomes intrigued by a nurse and begins drawing her into a sexual world she never imagined.

The story is of two people. One is deaf, the other deaf and mute. They marry after meeting at a school reunion, and the film follows their trials and tribulations ... and joys.

In 2029, Scrooge escapes from a research facility where he had been confined as an experimental subject. His body was remodeled by genetic manipulations and he uses his psychic power to kill the chasers. One day, he meets another experimental subject called Carol. When three psychic chasers hunt down the two, Carol asks Scrooge to use his right arm to extract a weapon from her body.

While on the road, famed Yakuza Boss Jirocho is falsely accused of starting a peasant's uprising and chased by the law. Meanwhile, one of his henchmen in an attempt to raise money for the Boss gambles away not only all their funds, but their clothing as well. Jirocho, famed for his honesty and integrity must take on the challenge of rival gangs while trying to elude the government's officials at the same time. Things really heat up when the most famous of all Yakuza Bosses, Chuji of Kunisada gets involved. Will he team up with his old friend or is gang warfare about to erupt?

One day a company executive learns that his younger brother, whom he recommended, embezzled company funds. To save the situation he withdraws his life savings and gives money to his younger brother. He then suddenly disappears…

Arriving in the town of Hakodate, a wandering musician, Shinji Taki, is soon recruited by the local gang as a hired hand. However, with the arrival of a sinister gunman, Taki's mysterious past catches up with him.

What is the life of a Geisha like once her beauty has faded and she has retired? Kin has saved, and become a wealthy money-lender, spending her days coldly collecting debts. Even her best friends, fellow Geisha Tomi, Nobu, and Tamae, are now indebted to her. For all of them, the glamour of their young lives has passed; Tomi and Tamae have disappointing children. Kin has two former lovers who still pursue her; one she wants to see, and the other she doesn't. But even the one she remembers fondly, when he shows up, proves less than satisfactory.

A lonely young man moves in a 50-year-old apartment building. When he meets the cheerful residents, he finds himself surrounded by small happiness.

Rei Kiriyama is a 17-years-old shogi (Japanese chess) player. He debuted as a professional shogi player when he was in middle school. He lives by himself in Tokyo, because his parents and younger sister died in an traffic accident when he was little. One day, Rei Kiriyama meets three sisters who are his neighbors. The three sisters are Akari Kawamoto, Hinata Kawamoto and Momo Kawamoto. This is his first meeting with someone outside of the shogi world in many years. Having meals with the Kawamoto family brings warm feelings to Rei Kiriyama. As Rei Kiriyama continues his shogi career, his interactions with his neighbors allows him to grow as a shogi player and as a person.

Third part of Nihon Kyokakuden series is set in Kanto in 1924. Ken Takakura playing a ship's mate befriending fish shop owners harassed by yakuza.

Patalliro du Malyner VIII is the crown prince of Malynera, a kingdom that produces diamonds. Despite being ugly and mischievous, he is loyal and fair. Many enemies of the throne, including Malynera's Prime Minister, plan to get rid of him and take control of the rich nation. Patalliro, however, has the protection of Jack Barbarosa Bancoran, his haughty and extremely handsome bodyguard, who will protect him even from the latter's own lover, the beautiful bishonen hitman Maraich Juschenfe and other assassins.

As Japan is preparing to host the Olympics, a gang member wanting to go to America is sought after by the police after helping his friend conduct a robbery.

Three women and one man - with an assortment of weaponry - wage war against giant mutant sandwhales in a barren digital landscape, all to achieve points within the virtual reality video game called Avalon.

When the '70s ended the anger of young people rose, differences in social values ​​occurred between adults and young people, and the word "generation" began to be widespread among the young people.,The film depicts a group of young men and women who are forced to flee their homes after committing a murder. The screenplay is written by Atsushi Yamatoya, wherein he asks whether these young people are sick or sensible.

Once a man has sex and releases semen, that's it. However, a woman can enjoy pleasure over and over again while being held by a man. Mineko, the owner of a boutique, likes lesbians more than men. She invited her girlfriend Aiko, a female student she met in the downtown area, to her home and caressed her. Her Aiko was a virgin. Her Mineko has a patron named Yuji, her rich son. However, Mineko has been avoiding him lately. When he learns that Mineko is into lesbian love with her girlfriend Aiko, he follows them into a love hotel and enters their room... This work, directed by Jurumi from a screenplay she wrote herself, is a sensational story depicting the mysterious caresses of women and the insane lust of men. Yumiko Kamishiro, Yumika Hayashi, Yumi Hama, Ai Kawai, and Masayuki Kinoshita are competing.

The dashing Dr. Mambo and his unlikely sidekick, Jibako the thief, help Princess Laura, former ruler of Eden, to regain her birthright from the usurping president Capo.

A female projectionist is haunted by the image of a small boy while a killer prowls the city. The projectionist's relationship with her attractive and successful reporter friend drives the plot deeper into insanity.

Nijiiro Days follows the colorful lives and romantic relationships of four high school boys—Natsuki Hashiba, a dreamer with delusions of love; Tomoya Matsunaga, a narcissistic playboy who has multiple girlfriends; Keiichi Katakura, a kinky sadist who always carries a whip; and Tsuyoshi Naoe, an otaku who has a cosplaying girlfriend.

Kakekomi tells the stories of Edo women in the 1800s that escape abusive husbands and lovers by taking refuge in Tokeiji, a monastery in Kamakura.

A boy genius named "Kadokawa" invents the ultimate anesthetic for SM play. Kadokawa's madness is turned into reality by his childhood friends Oyamada and Saigo. "A near-future science fiction work that will burn out the "endless everyday life.

Hironoshin is a samurai of the Echigo-Nagaoka clan. One day, Hironoshin attends a party at a mansion in Edo where his lord, Tadakiyo is invited to recite poems. Hironoshin is asked to give his opinion and foolishly comments that the piece was plagiarized. Infuriated, Tadakiyo orders Hironoshin to live his life without honor as a ‘cat flea picker', which is in fact a pseudonym for a male prostitute. The honest and straight-shooting Hironoshin convinces himself that he has no other options, and resigns himself to live as a sex worker. Hironoshin becomes an apprentice to a flea-picker boss who encourages him, convinced that Hironoshin is exacting revenge in the guise of a prostitute.

A young girl tries to maintain a long-distance relationship with an aspiring fisherman.

An evil ninja Rider, Kamen Rider Fuma, appears from the virtual reality world in an effort to conquer Earth! It is up to the CR Riders to use the power of virtual reality gaming to save a young girl’s life and stop the evil plans of Machina Vision CEO Johnny Maxima before the Bugster Virus infects all of humanity!

It's a man's world. Shimamura, an artist, comes to this snowbound town to rejuvenate himself. He connects with Komako, a geisha he met on a previous trip, and it seems like love. She's the foster daughter of a local family, almost engaged to the family's son Yukio, now dying of consumption. He's tended by his sister Yuko who's angry at Komako for abandoning her brother. Shimamura returns to Tokyo but promises he will be back soon. In anticipation of his return, Komako breaks with her patron and her family loses their home. Complications arise when Shimamura doesn't come back as promised. Then Komako discovers that he and Yuko knew each other in Tokyo. Can Komako escape destiny?

Sennen no yuraku is set in a small community called “Roji” where Kenji Nakagami—one of the most famous novelists in Japan—drew the absurdity and passion of life since its inhabitants have been living and dying. There were beautiful men in “Roji” who struggled to live with the blood of the Nakamato Clan, blood called “noble yet unholy.” Oryu, a midwife, has watched all those men growing up, living and dying... She is now aging old and starts to talk with the dead men souls of the Nakamoto Clan...

The movie "Umizaru" is the story of 14 young Japan Coast Guard officers who take part in a grueling training to become rescue divers. They must endure and survive a 50-day training. Daisuke Senzaki (Hideaki Ito) and 13 other recruits take part in the training. With his love for the ocean and dream to work as a rescuer at sea, a rescue diver seemed like the perfect occupation for Daisuke.

In 2020, the world is forced into lockdown by the COVID pandemic. As remote work is popularized in order to keep the infection rate under control, a young man employed by a company in Tokyo moves to a country town on the Sanriku Coast in Miyagi Prefecture, where he could enjoy fishing, in search of a new lifestyle. But gradually, we found that there were problems such as "empty houses" in the local area.

Tora-san gets into an argument with his uncle and sets out on the road again. In Kyushu he meets a young woman named Keiko and the shy zoologist Saburō, and attempts to play matchmaker between the two when they all return to Tokyo.

Aya Okamura has been working for two years and has begun living on her own for a job opportunity. With her mother working overseas as a doctor, her father is now living alone with the family's longtime pet cat Mii-san. One night, Aya returns from a long day at work, and as she rests on her bed, she reminiscences about the times the family had together. She remembers the sadness she felt when her mom went overseas, and the solace she felt when her father brought home Mii-san to give her comfort. Then, she receives a phone call.

Elmer is told by a traveling cat about a baby dragon who is being held captive and mistreated on the scary Wild Island. Elmer decides to investigate and battles tigers, crocodiles and gorillas in order to rescue the little dragon.

Guy is a Japanese street-brawler in New York who chooses to train under the famed boxer, Roman, with the hopes that he can raise enough money as a heavyweight to fund a life-saving operation for his father.

Set in an actual forest said to be rife with supernatural phenomena, this next-gen horror film is based on witness accounts of people who saw "It" and the protagonists’ encounter with the mysterious "It".

An animator with a butt fixation receives a surprise visit from a woman he had an affair with while in Brazil. But a switched suitcase at a traffic backup and a goofy gang of criminals tests their relationship.

In the Meiji era, Countess Kibune must undergo surgery to save her life, but she refuses to receive anesthesia because she is afraid to reveal a secret. She asks a young doctor, Takamine, to operate on her without anesthesia.

Japanese film directed by Masahiro Honda.

This is the 2019 summer movie for Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger. It is twin-billed with the summer movie for Kamen Rider Zi-Oi: Kamen Rider Zi-O: Over Quartzer!. It will feature the debut of Ryusoul Gattai Kishiryuzin.

The sixth and last Moonlight Mask film in the original series produced by Toei in the 1950s.

The film is set in Fukagawa in the early Showa period and depicts a fateful confrontation between two men who rise and fall in a black stream, trying to live a real human life, violating the cruel laws of the passing generation.