Movies: Saki Takaoka

Japan around 1860: popular courtesan Asagiri will be freed soon from her service, yet she cannot imagine any other existence. Until one day at a local festival, Asagiri meets the young artisan Hanjiro by chance – an encounter that changes her destiny...

A restaurant opens at midnight. Both the menu offerings and personality of the owner draw a series of flawed patrons including Tamako, whose boyfriend has passed away, live-in worker Michiru, and ruckus-raising Kenzo....

On a massive luxury cruise ship while at sea, the loyal butler and a mysterious woman cross paths as they try to uncover a murder-mystery that occurs on the ship....

As a young man returns home after his first year away at college he recalls his senior year of high school and the iron-willed, big city girl that turned his world upside down....

8 short stories comprise this anthology movie, based on the Tales of Terror TV series. The segments are, in order: The Night Watchman (directed by Akio Yoshida), Wisps of Smoke (Kosuke Suzuki), Gloves (Hirohisa Sasaki), The Weight (Kosuke Suzuki), Fu...

Based on a 2016 novel by Mana Sakura, “The Lowlife” shows the stories of three women who work in Japan’s adult video industry....

Former yakuza underling Kazuma Kiryū has recently been released from prison after a lengthy incarceration and is trying to piece his life together and distance himself from his yakuza past. Unfortunately, Kiryū's problems slowly escalate as he is pur...

Weaving two storylines together: the first is the story of 18th-century shogunate intrigue and loyalty, and the second is a ghost story about a beautiful woman who falls victim to passion and evil....

Years after the events of Megazone 23 II, the only city on Earth is the supposedly idyllic Eden. There lives Eiji Takanaka, a B Level hacker who has just been accepted into EX, the organization that controls Eden. However, before his first day on the...

An anonymous letter is delivered to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The letter states that a criminal of a murder case will appear at the countdown party Masquerade Night that will be held at Hotel Cortesia Tokyo. Detective Kosuke Nitta mus...

A woman has an ugly face. She has been called 'monster' since childhood. A case occurs in her town that leads to her being ejected and a relocation to Tokyo. She obtains plastic surgery and begins working as a prostitute. She makes some dough and ext...

'Female' is comprised of five short films adapted from five novels by female authors. Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto, Tetsuo Shinohara, Ryuichi Hiroki, Miwa Nishikawa, and Suzuki Matsuo....

Enigmatic, rejected, heartbroken. Masahisa Fukase must rebuild his life, overcome tradition, his inner demons and the pain of a broken marriage. The fascinating love story of the iconic Japanese photographer, his wife, his art and his family told for...

A university student has the usual dreams and aspirations. It turns out to be a pipe dream and so she murders her own flesh and blood. The usual media heads seek an answer in order to sell copy. A psychologist is writing a book about the character an...

Hibino Tsubaki is a young teenage girl with a talent for styling other people's hair. Yet, Tsubaki suffers from low self-esteem and isn't very comfortable styling her own hair. She also has a tendency to dress old-fashioned. She's teased at high scho...

Detectives Shintarou Sakurai (Sho Aikawa) and Koichi Hikage (Susumu Terajima) are partners. They are also corrupt and often blackmail criminal groups and seize their money. One day, the Chief of Police becomes aware that 2.5 million yen in seized mo...

A former couple remembers their most intimate days, only to part once again. A bittersweet love story inspired by a Jim Jarmusch masterpiece, set in times of the COVID-19 pandemic....

Yokubo from director Tetsuo Shinohara is based off of the award-winning love story by Mariko Koike. A young man searching for physical comfort and dumb lust, and the world-weary woman drowning in a sea of men that works with him. This is a fantastic ...

A dead body in a suitcase is found on a mountain. The body is identified as Takao Honma. 3 years ago, he was kidnapped by Rika Amamiya and went missing. Detective Jiro Okuyama tries to catch Rika Amamiya. He uses a dating app, while using a fake name...

A terminally ill girl, who dreams of going to Finland to see the northern lights, falls in love...