Manabu Hamada

During the invasion of Normandy the photograph of a slim Korean man in German uniform was found. It transpired that the man had served as a soldier in the Japanese, Russian and German armies. His incredible story inspired director Kang Je-Gyu to create this epic war drama.

The first 'Front and Back' film.

With Munakata Seizo as boss, Sawamura Ryuichi and Soma Kunihito establish the Munakata-gumi under the banner of Resshikai. Soon after, Shindo-gumi’s Shimaki, carrying the missing ransom money, shows up at Munakata’s ramen shop. Meanwhile in Kyushu, Shindo-gumi schemes with the infamous Moji family for profit.

The Toyokai leadership fends off attackers, but the assailants’ identity and motives remain unclear. Suspecting the rival Teito Union, Uesugi grows wary. Assigned to Uesugi’s crew, Soma digs into their networks—uncovering traces of former Teito members like Sudo Reiji, who has fled overseas.

An unhappy young woman from an abusive family is married off to a fearsome and chilly army commander. But the two learn more about each other, love may have a chance.

As men and women around the age of 30 struggle to reach their dreams, they also go through trial and error in love. This work, which depicts the encounter and parting of such a man and woman.

Oda Nobunaga and Nōhime were originally married to mend a hostile relationship between neighbouring regions. Unfortunately, they were like oil and water, making for a somewhat unhappy marriage. When Oda's enemy, Imagawa Yoshimoto, attacks Owari with his vast army, Oda is devastated by the overwhelming gap in military strength. However, Nohime encourages him not to despair, and the pair draw up a tactical plan that will allow them to overcome the odds.

After saving homeless Nozomi from an attack in the park, truck driver Ryuuhei offers Nozomi a part-time job in his truck and decides to set on an aimless trip. As they travel together, they encounter various eccentric individuals, including a deriheru girl (prostitute), a street poet, and a man who is being chased by the yakuza, and gradually learn about each other's circumstances.

Munakata Seizo, who runs a ramen shop while secretly carrying out underworld work for Toyokai boss Mukai Shigemasa, gains a reputation for his efficiency—soon whispered about as the assassin group “Resshikai.” One day, Mukai’s wife Harue and granddaughter Shizuka are abducted.

Two Osaka comedians, Makoto (Tomomitsu Yamaguchi) and Kinta (Go Morita), are riding bicycles in Tokyo when they're hit by a dump truck. They regain consciousness in 1945, but not of their own bodies. Somehow, their souls have been transported into the bodies of two tokkotai (special forces, or "kamikaze") pilots. Having grown up in a peaceful, carefree Japan, the two comedians experience severe disorientation at having to suddenly deal with the realities of war. They attempt to escape their squadron, knowing that Japan will eventually lose the war, but are nevertheless moved by the young men they meet, all of whom have very different opinions about their fate and the responsibilities that have been placed upon them.

A kidnapping for ransom seemingly goes off without a hitch, but as one thread left unsolved suddenly reveals many more mysteries, the whole operation threatens to descend into chaos.

Ishigami comes home from work and discovers his wife dead. Just then, he receives a phone call from his wife and falls in utter confusion. Unexplainable things keep happening as Ishigami struggles to find his wife. Gradually, Ishigami realizes all his memories are gone and finds himself acting like someone else. What is his true identity?

When Toyokai underboss Eda collapses, boss Mukai appoints Naoe Takehiko as acting underboss. At Mukai’s request, Sawamura joins him for business talks in Nagoya. Meanwhile, within Hachio-kai, tensions flare as newly freed boss Shirota’s faction clashes with acting leader Kurose Akito over the group’s new direction.

A group of terrorists has taken hold of the largest dam in Japan. They also capture the workers as hostages, and demanded $5 billion yen from the government with a 24 hour deadline in exchange for the lives of the hostages. To make things more complicated, there was a snowstorm and no one can get in or out near the area. Fortunately, the terrorists did not capture Togashi, the dam controller, and he is the only person who can rescue those hostages from the terrorists...

The eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, fights against evil rampant in Edo while blending in with the common people as Tokuda Shinnosuke, the third son of a poor samurai retainer, commonly known as "Shin-san". The story depicts Yoshimune, who is shaken by the issue of succession, the drama within Edo Castle, and a difficult case involving a conspiracy that occurs in the castle town, with the addition of new characters and a sense of the era.

Having barely survived, Soma returns to the fold. Munakata and Sawamura raid Sudo’s hideout, but a hail of gunfire wipes out their leads. Meanwhile, a scandal involving Minister Kanzaki—engineered by Nawa-kai—hits the tabloids, only to be silenced under pressure from both Hachio-kai and Toyokai.

With the release of Uesugi Yoshitake approaching, the Toyokai receives an assassination threat against him. The leadership raises security, while Munakata Seizo restructures his group—naming Sakai Atsushi as underboss and Murata Kunio as his aide. Meanwhile, Sawamura Ryuichi and Soma Kunihito try to settle a dispute involving old comrades, but…

Mei has been in love with Yuya all her life. They've grown up together. But when they reach their second year of middle school, Yuya suddenly professes his love for her older sister, Haruna.

Shimazaki Sanpo is an experienced mountain climber and rescue team volunteer. Sanpo loves the mountains and wants as many people as possible to experience everything they have to offer so much so that he never holds a grudge against anyone for causing an accident due to their own negligence. Even if a fellow rescuer dies, he's the kind of man who can look toward the corpse and say "You did your best." One spring, newcomer Shiina Kumi is assigned to the Nagano prefecture mountain rescue team where she experiences growth thanks to Sanpo's guidance and the seemingly harsh training methods of the team's captain, Noda. However, she becomes depressed when she's unable to translate her skills to a real-life situation. As her confidence wanes, multiple accidents occur simultaneously due to a mountain blizzard, forcing the entire team into action.

A yakuza movie starring Koji Matoba, depicting the lives of men left behind in the times. In the Ryuan-gumi, which is based in Yokohama, drug business was prohibited by the leader Engetsu. One day, in order to protect leader's teachings, Mouri of the Ryuan-gumi assassinates the leader of the Yamagami group, a hostile organization that trades drugs. This causes a conflict with the neutrals in the Ryuan-gumi. During this turbulent time, the leader Engetsu asks Mouri to take care of his son Saiga and guide him on the path to becoming a yakuza.

The fifth 'Front and Back' film.

Mie’s father died during the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. One day, she finds a bundle of unsent New Year’s cards, which languished there for 28 years. To find out why the cards were never sent, Mie tracks down Haruhiko Sakacho. Haruhiko played on the same high school baseball team with her father. Mie eventually gathers together her father's former teammates to play in the Masters Koshien (a senior league baseball tournament). Mie also uncovers a truth about her father and the baseball team.

The fourth 'Front and Back' film.

Mizutani Kei, who starred in the V Cinema production A Weather Woman that also gained popularity overseas, gives a delightfully humorous performance as the battling protagonist who gives up a glamorous nightclub career to take up farming. Thirty-five-year-old bar worker Yukie (Mizutani) marries customer Jotaro (Hamada Manabu), the eldest son of a farming family. She revels in the humble joy of being a farmer's wife. Then one day, a man named Mishima (Yoshioka Mutsuo) who once deceived Yukie reappears, and seeks a physical relationship with her.