ICHI 2008

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.

Tokyo Towers: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad 2007

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.

World's End / Girl Friend 2005

Shinnosuke and Misawa are joint managers of a Bonsai shop. Suddenly Shinnosuke's childhood friend Haruko turns up. She has split up with her boyfriend and finds herself out on the streets. Shinnosuke starts to like her and really wants to cheer her up, but he can't manage to express his real feelings or stop picking up other women. Misawa is dumbfounded by Shinnosuke's behavior but also has complex feelings of love for his friend.

Ashura 2005

Adapted from the successful play, the film takes place in 19th-century Japan, where a war between demons and their slayers is fought. Izumo, a kabuki actor with a demon-slaying past, meets and falls in love with Tsubaki. However, something is not right, as mysterious marks appear on her body as time progresses. At the same time, it is announced that Ashura, the queen of all demons, will be resurrected and bring destruction to the universe.

Karaoke Terror 2003

One of a gang of karaoke loving middle aged women is murdered by a young man. Her friends track him down and kill him. His friends track them down and kill the killer and it escalates!

The Sea Is Watching 2002

O-Shin is a young brothel worker who, one night, helps a young samurai escape from his pursuers. Against the warnings of her fellow workers, particularly Kikuno and the brothel's owner, O-Shin falls in love with the samurai.

Shooting Stars in the Twilight 2002

Hiromi works in a posh French restaurant. One day, he meets an ordinary-looking old man who has a discerning palate. He is no ordinary cook, and can pinpoint the exact problems with Hiromi's dishes. His name is Tatematsu Ippei, a legendary chef renowned for his work in France once upon a time. After a food poisoning mishap, his fiance Sophie had left him and he cut himself off from the culinary world. Hiromi is engrossed with Ippei's cuisine and asks for lessons. Meanwhile, Sophie, now the wife of the director of a top tableware manufacturer, comes to Japan. Ippei cooks a banquet for her using Hiromi's restaurant as a front. Sophie notices that the food is made by Ippei, her former lover. The two meet and enjoy a short-lived reunion, but go on to live their own separate lives.

Leave It to the Nurses 2002

Flighty young nurse Izumi Asakura longs to have her honeymoon in a far off tropical paradise but her doctor husband feels that he cannot afford to take time off from developing his career. To Izumi's dismay, Wakabakai General Hospital is fast becoming a far less pleasant place to work, thanks to the appointment of a militaristic chief nurse who demands steadfast adherence to protocol. Things get much worse, however, via the arrival of Saruwatari, a hypochondriac desperate to be re-admitted so that he can enjoy the attentions of nurse Shoko Ozaki. When the chief nurse has him ejected by security, Saruwatari comes back armed and takes everyone on the floor hostage. Shoko happened to be on her lunch break at the time and has trouble getting back into the building when the police swarm around it en masse. The authorities are not sure just how to deal with the situation, though, since the "victims" seem to be taking things far less seriously than they are.

Sunflower 2000

Reunited by the death of a friend, a group of former schoolmates reassess themselves and their earlier times together.

The Night the Angel Turned Away 1999

Keiho 1999

The psychiatric evaluation of a young actor arrested for a brutal double murder concludes he may be unfit for trial. Further investigation, however, reveals the crime was a well-planned statement against the section of Japan's criminal code granting diminished responsibility to the mentally impaired.

Bonds 1998

Tetsuro Haga is a troubled gangster, living under the assumed identity Ise for ten years, to escape jail for gunning down his cruel adoptive father. His life begins to unravel when a journalist following him takes an interest in the wife of a boyhood chum, and the wife of another close friend takes an interest in Ise. A couple of murders later, Ise/Haga goes on the run and also sets out for revenge.

Sharaku 1995

A crippled kabuki player is taken into a strolling company of itinerant actors. An influential publisher notices his honest, bold drawings, and nurtures him despite persecution and betrayal. The film explores the eternal relationship between artist and producer, and describes the emanicipation of a man who refuses to let himself become the plaything of power and money.

Nurse Call 1993

A drama about a nurse starring Hiroko Yakushimaru

Twinkle 1992

Shoko and Mutsuki’s marriage is a facade to appease their families, but as Mutsuki falls for a college student, their lives become a quest for love beyond societal norms.

Swimming Upstream 1990

One day after school, Kaoru glances at Sonoko at the pool side. He falls in love with her at first sight and decides to join the swimming team even though he cannot swim.