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Life seems to be good for Shintoto, an up-and-coming rakugo artist who has just had his first sexual experience at a local brothel. Lucky for him, he gets to date the beautiful sex worker he meets that day, and a younger high school rakugo aficionado is also vying for his attention. But for clumsy, heart-on-his-sleeve Shintoto, life doesn’t stay rosy for long.Read More »
For his 23rd birthday, Shintoto receives from his fellow Shins, Rakugo colleagues and friends, a somethinggy bank: the pass towards a new friendship.Read More »
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The story centers around Mikage, a young woman who loses her parents when young. She grows up in a lonely household with her grandmother who dies when Mikage reaches adulthood. Grief-stricken, she finds solace in the kitchen. Yuichi, a friend of Mikage’s deceased grandmother, invites her to live with him and his mother. Then Mikage discovers that Yuichi’s mother is actually his cross-dressing father. On the other hand, Mikage realizes that the wealth of gadgetry in Yuichi’s kitchen is lovingly detailed…Read More »
A light comedy which celebrates youth’s freedoms, aspirations, and boundless energy. Mayumi and Mai are hair stylists who open a Barber shop called The Pink Cut. The place is an immediate success, due mostly to their super-short skirts. When the girls decide to stop wearing underpanties, business goes thru the roof. Eventually Main and Mayumi add special massages and cream rinses to their list of extras. The girls laugh all the way to the bank. Ah, the joys of entrepreneurship!Read More »
The ups and downs of the Takezawa family after one of the four daughters found out that their father had been in an unknown love affair.Read More »
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A frank coming-of-age story, in which young Yoichi falls for Gloria at the local strip joint. Yoichi’s innocent nature has him attending her shows every day, filling his mind with her beauty. The standard bittersweet disappointments of the coming-of-age story are offset by irreverent moments of levity; a quirk of director Yoshimitsu Morita’s which he became known for.Read More »
‘Keiho’ is a fascinating thriller dealing with memory, guilt and justice. A young actor is arrested for a brutal double murder. He confesses but pretty soon the possibility of him being mentally ill and therefore legally incompetent comes to the fore. A young female psychiatrist working on the case (called Kafka, interestingly enough!) becomes convinced that he is faking his apparent schizophrenia. All very good and ‘Primal Fear’ so far, but after that things get much more complicated, ambiguous and interesting. ‘Keiho’ is strongly acted, well written, and imaginatively directed, and will keep you guessing right until its’ final scenes. Supposedly based on a true case, unresolved at the time of the movies original release, this is a real gem that beats 90% of Hollywood’s lame and predictable thrillers at their own game. Try and see this one!Read More »
The tragic tale of two lovers whose passion burns so intensely it destroys them. Based on the bestselling novel by Junichi Watanabe, is about the fated love affair between Shoichiro, a middle-aged man who has come to regret devoting his whole life to his work, and Rinko, a beautiful woman trapped in a married life filled with depression and disillusion. A man engaged to Soichiro’s daughter, Chika, has fallen in love with Rinko, and Soichiro meets with her to ask her to end the relationship. However, despite their unpleasant first meeting, soon Shoichiro and Rinko find themselves drawn to each other, and find in each other something that had been missing in their lives. Their burning passion heightens, until their yearning for everlasting, perfect love leads to a fateful decision.Read More »
An emotionless hit man is sent on a mission to a remote town. There he stays with a caretaker / driver / servant / doctor who is given minimal instruction over the phone by “the organization.” A prostitute joins them. Death is inevitable, but whose?Read More »