Sadao Abe

When the brutal Boshin War breaks out in Japan, a group of inmates on death row unite to defend a fortress against the Imperial army.

A novice red blood cell and a relentless white blood cell work together to protect their human from invading germs, pathogens and other threats.

Shuhei is leading a tough life. His alcoholic mother Akiko can only hook up with bad guys and order Shuhei to go get money from his disapproving grandparents instead of going to school. Except raising the little half-sister, his rock-bottom life seems to have no end.

Masaya is a university student, but he attends a school that's not his ideal school. His days are generally gloomy. One day, he receives a letter from serial killer Haimura. He was convicted for nine murders and received the death penalty. Back when Haimura was committing his murders, he ran a bakery store. At that time, Masaya was a middle-school student and a customer at his bakery store. According to the letter, Haimura confesses to having committed eight murders, but he insists that he did not commit the last murder. Masaya begins to investigate the last murder case involving Haimura.

On the night before ‘Black Friday,’ which is the one of the busiest commerce days, a cardboard box, that is delivered from the world's largest shopping site, explodes. Soon after, a series of mysterious explosion cases occurs. The entire nation becomes terrorized by the shocking events. Funado Erena has just began to work as the center director for a large distribution warehouse that covers three-quarters of the Kanto area. Erena must gain control over this unprecedented situation with team manager Nashimoto Ko.

In 1924 Yuri killed 57 people as a spy before going underground as the madam of a small brothel. There, she encounters an orphan whose family was murdered and holds the key to finding a large sum of money reported missing by the Imperial Japanese Army. But with an army of soldiers after them, they must fight to survive.

No synopsis available yet.

Commemorating the 70th anniversary of TV broadcasting in Japan, and the 60th anniversary of the Taiga drama, this special depicts the struggles of creating the first Taiga drama.

No synopsis available yet.

Snarky 1980s PE teacher, Ogawa Ichiro, is back — crashing through the wall of Café Scandal! This time, he's brought along the café "master" and 83-year-old inventor, Inoue, embarking on a new, time warping adventure. After sending Kiyoshi into the past to prevent Yuzuru's fated encounter with daughter, Junko, Ichiro travels to the night of the Great Hanshin Earthquake (1995) and greets a surprise visitor, while learning of an incident coming in 2036.

Masahiro Nishiki is a veteran bank clerk, working at the Nagahara branch for Tokyo Daiichi Bank. One day, a cash-lost incident takes place at the Nagahara branch. Masahiro Nishiki chases after the truth behind the cash-lost case with his colleagues Airi Kitagawa and Yoji Tabata.

Sou Makimoto works in the "send-off" department at the city hall. The department's main responsibility is to hold funerals for people who die alone and bury them at a cemetery. Makimoto doesn't like to socialise with his colleagues or listen to them. By doing his job, he meets various people and slowly begins to change his life.

This is the story of a strange encounter brought about by the atomic bomb, based on the true story of Akihiko Ito, a journalist who lived in Nagasaki and traveled throughout Japan to collect the stories of atomic bomb survivors.

No synopsis available yet.

Humanity is suffering from a series of mysterious murders across the globe, known as the 'Mincemeat murders'. High school student Izumi Shinichi has a parasite living off him, having replaced his right hand, and he might be the discoverer of truth.

Humanity is under attack by human-mimicking flesh-eating alien parasites. One parasite bonds with his young high school student host, and he convinces the parasite to help him stop the others.

Offshore, shrouded in fog, there is a mysterious island that is said to be the home of a family of monsters. It is strictly forbidden to approach it. But one day a human child, Mushroom, it loses and coming face to face with the mysterious creatures that live there. The arrival of Mushroom, makes panic on the island because the monsters are actually terrified of living humans.

After losing their restaurant in a fire, a husband and wife come up with a strange plan to rebuild their shattered finances: marrying the husband off to a series of lonely women and defrauding them.

An unstable young woman pines for the ex-boyfriend who nearly beat her to death – and who has mysteriously disappeared.

Residents in a town have a hard time due to the land tax and forced labor. 9 people, including Juzaburo Kokutaya (Sadao Abe), worry about the future of their town. They then set up a plan to save the town. The plan is to lend large amounts of money to han (historical term for the estate of a warrior) and distribute the interest annually to the residents, but if they're caught they will lose their lives.

After detective Natsumi Yukihira brings an end to the police hospital terrorist case, Natsumi is transferred to the Nishimonbetsu Police Station in Hokkaido. Meanwhile, a series of grotesque murders occurs in downtown Tokyo involving nails placed in the body of the victims. The fingerprint of Natsumi's ex-husband, freelancer journalist Kazuo Sato, is found on the the body of a victim and Kazuo is placed on the most wanted list. Soon after, Kazuo finds Natsumi and hands her a USB memory stick. The device contains information on a secret organization within the police department. Kazuo tells Natsumi that the series of murders are warnings and suspects become the next victims. Natsumi is then arrested as a suspect. Tokyo prosecutor Katsuaki Murakami appears at the Nishimonbetsu Police Station to investigate.

In 1944, the American military lands on the shores of Saipan. Refusing to commit suicide with his superiors or be forced into camps for prisoners of war, Captain Oba Sakae leads a group of his men and other similarly minded local residents into the mountains. Even after hearing reports of the Japanese military's surrender, Oba dismisses the reports as propaganda and continues to launch guerilla attacks against the American soldiers, earning him the nickname "The Fox". Soon, even the American commander who's charged with the task of capturing Oba comes to admire his persistent enemy.

In the year 1716 a mysterious epidemic stickens men in the country of Japan, dropping the population of men to 1/4th of its prior state. With the drastic reduction of men, the gender roles have become reversed in Japan. Woman become the dominant members of society and males are sought out for the ability to produce children. A young man named Unoshin Mizuno hopes to marry childhood sweetheart Onobu, but due to class differences realizes this is almost impossible. To raise his social status and also save his poor family, Unoshin Mizuno enters the Ohoku (inner chambers of the Shugun's castle) and attempts to vie among 3,000 other men for the affection of the female shogun. What Unoshin Mizuno quickly learns about the Ohoku is that the men there are all beautiful, but highly ambitious and conniving. In this environment, the 7th shogun Tokugawa passes away and the new shogun Yoshimune Tokugawa takes the thrown and enters the Ohoku.

Natsumi Yukihira (Ryoko Shinohara) receives secret documents of an organization that controls the country from the shadows. Because of this, Natsumi's ex-husband, Kazuo Sato (Teruyuki Kagawa) pays a terrible price. Natsumi goes back to the Investigation #1 of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to take on the organization, but Natsumi becomes involved in a new case. She gets closer to the final enemy.

Akinori Kimura (Sadao Abe) and his wife Mieko (Miho Kanno) opens an apple orchard in their hometown of Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture. Due to Meiko's allergic reaction to pesticides, Akinori Kimura has to grow his apples without the aid of chemicals. Because of this challenge, his family endures hardships and suffers severe financial difficulties. Akinori Kimura even contemplates suicide. A miracle then happens...

A gothic lolita merges with a teddy bear to fight zombies and save the world.

Ryoro Kurojima is the director of a Tokyo apology center. His job is to teach others how to apologize. Ryoro Kurojima solves problems by using his apology techniques on anything from simple arbitration to a national crisis.

After years of trying, Kyoko and her husband Takehiro are finally pregnant. But their joy at the prospect of becoming parents ends suddenly when they learn Kyoko has stage four cancer. They now must face agonizing decisions that force them to choose between the life of Kyoko or the health of their baby. Adapted from a true story.

"Box" Shuko Yoshino (played by Yuko Takeuchi), a researcher at a medical university, was suddenly hit in the head while working. When she woke up, she found herself locked in a sealed metal box. Ryota Murakami (played by Satoshi His Wife), a single office worker in "Glasses Bring Happiness", accidentally received a smart glasses. With the help of the glasses, he began to interact with the beautiful woman. Ayumu Miura (played by Mizuki Yamamoto); "Fierce House" Yukiko (Played by Miki Nakatani) Moved into a new house with her daughter Zhuli, but there seemed to be a terrible grudge living here; Hatsuno (played by Takashi Abe), the head of the financing department of "×", accidentally found a × on his forehead, but the people around him couldn't see it at all. Shotaro (played by Shinnosuke Manjima) is experiencing a difficult moment in life. When he was pushed to the extreme, he suddenly told the first lie in the world, and he and his two friends embarked on a magical journey.

A new female detective joins the special investigations team and dives into some of their hardest cases in this follow-up to the series 'Unfair.' The team investigates a grisly video circulating online that asks viewers to answer 'yes' or 'no' questions with potentially deadly outcomes.

A new female detective joins the special investigations team and dives into some of their hardest cases in this follow-up to the series 'Unfair.' Just as a girl asks the team for help finding her missing father, a man calls to say he has four hostages and makes a cryptic request.

Detective Ryoko Kozuki receives a demotion after having an affair with a superior. She succeeds in arresting a rapist in an undercover operation that puts her at risk. Her achievement immediately becomes the talk of the precinct, but no one approaches her because of her past. Ryoko is determined to bring criminals to justice. She takes on “The Prime Ministerial Candidate Snipe Case” which took place 15 years earlier.

Akira Mochizuki survived a kidnapping as a child. Now, she's a detective, and there are signs that the kidnapper may be back again after 20 years.

Momoko, a strange and seemingly emotionless girl obsessed with 18th century France, befriends a Yanki biker and the two experience the ups and downs of their unusual lives in a rural Japanese town.

A young boy with a troubled home life becomes "chosen," and he stumbles into the middle of a great war of yōkai (a class of mythological creatures), where he meets a group of friendly yōkai who become his companions through his journey. Now he must fight to protect his friends and free the world of the yōkai from oppression.

The inhabitants of a small Japanese town become increasingly obsessed with and tormented by spirals.

The prequel to the TV series "Tiger and Dragon" broadcast as a two-hour special before the series.

Gan and his girlfriend Ai are mild-mannered toy shop owners by day but, when evil lurks, they transform into superheroes Yatterman 1 & 2. With the help of a dog-shaped robot, Yatterwoof, they take on the Doronbow gang, lead by the sexy Lady Doronjo. Together, they must stop the evil gang from finding the four magical skull pieces that will allow them to control the world!

Based on renowned Japanese writer Natsume Soseki's same-titled short story collection, Ten Nights of Dreams brings ten fantastical dream sequences to film with great visual and psychological panache. Representing the combined efforts of eleven directors, this outstanding anthology delves into the surreal subconscious with ten madly imaginative, reality-subverting visions that range from wonderfully wacky to nightmarishly unsettling.

Director Jun Ichikawa spins this affectionate portrait of the people who populate Shimokitazawa, a bohemian corner of Tokyo filled with small theater companies and smoky coffeehouses.

A young boy named Taichi Ogawara finds a fox cub on the side of the road and takes it home as a pet. He discovers it is blind, deaf, and mute. Because of this, he names it Helen, after Helen Keller.

In 1868, after the fall of the Shogun-dominated Japan, the new government orders people from Awaji, near Kobe, to re-locate to the northern part of Hokkaido. These people once supported the now displaced Samurais of the older days. After two years, over 500 of them settled in their new land under the leadership of Hideaki, husband of Shino. However, as crops fail he is to go to Sapporo to learn new techniques of farming, leaving his wife and daughter for 5 years. All this time, the new community is constantly watched by the government which choose to again uproot them from their new homes.

When a devoted detective probes the suspicious death of her father, she uncovers massive corruption and finds herself in grave danger.

Takashi Miike directs a stage version of Zatoichi, the tale of the blind swordsman.

Home-design sales representative Tomohiro lives with his wife and their son. As his job involves houses, it is his motto to take great care of the family who live in the house. However, he has been working so hard that he has forgotten to cherish his own family. When he looks after a client who wants to leave her father-in-law in a nursing home, it reminds him of his grandmother whom he loved so much. Father's death, grandmother's struggle with disease, and home care - those were grueling times, but the memories have become invaluable for Tomohiro. He realizes his family is the most precious thing of all. On a day off, he and his family decide to visit his mother who lives alone in their old hometown.

When Bussan learns he has less than a year to live, he decides to continue his life as usual. He spends his time with his friends, a band called Kisarazu Cat's Eye. Their funny adventures range from playing gigs to solving a mystery surrounding counterfeit money, but Bussan's impending death is never far away.

No synopsis available yet.

Taishi lives with his father Kazushi. His mother left home when Taishi was very young and he barely has any memories of her. He believes that his mother left home to study in Paris. His favorite moments come once a week when he receives a letter from his mother. But one day, during Taishi's summer vacation, he learns that his mother isn't in Paris but in Shodoshima, Japan. Taishi then decides to take his pet dog with him and bicycle from his hometown of Yokohama all the way to Shodoshima. On his 500 kilometers trip to Shodoshima, Taishi meets various peoples and touches their hearts, while leaving behind small miracles. What Taishi doesn't know about his mother is that she suffers from memory loss and that's why she lives apart from her family. Taishi's father Kazushi soon learns that his son has left for Shodoshima and he sets out to find his son.

Fourth installment in Deka Matsuri omnibus series. 8 films.

This special takes place three years after the end of the original series. Makoto is homeless as a result of his mom selling out their shop and soon becomes involved in a ‘bone smasher’ case, in which someone puts homeless people to sleep and breaks their bones.

Hosted by veteran comedian Tamori, "Bizarre Tales 2007 Fall Special" presents five tales. 1. Mirai Dousoukai - starring Ishihara Satomi. 2. Countdown - starring Abe Sadao. 3. Jihanki Otoko - starring Joshima Shigeru. 4. Gomi Onna - starring Matsushita Yuki. 5. 48% no Koi - starring Shiraishi Miho. Synopsis: A "trainee angel" named Natsumi works on Earth for an advertising company. In order for her to become a fully-fledged angel, Natsumi must facilitate the meeting of a man and a woman who are destined "by fate" to spend their lives together, and she has her sights on a man who works in the same building.

Onuki asks people in a hospital to perform a play for Paco, who suffers from memory disorder. His only hope is to help Paco survive from her illness.

Kimihiko Onizuka is a salaryman infatuated with maiko (apprentice geisha) and whose greatest goal in life is to play a party game called "yakyuken" with one.

After terminally ill Bussan finally passes away he misses hanging out with his still living friends and decides to return to Kisarazu. In his ghost form however only his most trusted friends can see him, and his meddling in the lives of the living results in the return of Ozzy and a long dead team of American baseball players who drowned off the shores of Kisarazu. It's down to Bussan and the Cats to save the day and restore the town to order, but can Bussan bring himself to say bye-bye once and for all?

Eiko Akimori is a 23-year-old woman who lives alone in an apartment. One day, Eiko is made to buy a big stone ring that brings happiness from a catch sales on the way home from work.

Yaji and Kita are two men who live in Edo. They are deeply in love. Yaji is married to a woman, while Kita is an actor addicted to various drugs.

On a cold Monday morning, a group of counselors clock in at an old-fashioned social services office. Their task is to interview the recently deceased, record their personal details, then, over the course of the week, assist them in choosing a single memory to keep for eternity.

A scientist taints his mother's scientific experiment with his own drug that transforms pain into a pleasurable experience. Unfortunately for the three women involved in the experiment, the drug works a little bit too well.

The day after being dumped by the boyfriend to whom she was going to give her virginity, Sawako Tsukahara (Kumiko Endo), an office lady in the accounting department of Manpan Trading Co., is dispatched as a helper to General Affairs Section 2. General Affairs Section 2, nicknamed "Shomuni," is the company's cesspool department where underachieving office ladies are gathered. The members of the General Affairs Department are Chinatsu Tsuboi (Reiko Takashima), who is in charge of the department; the femme fatale Kana Miyashita (Michiko Kawai); the self-disciplined Yumiko Maruhashi (Asako Kobayashi); the boastful Kayoko Tokunaga (Mari Hamada); the unremarkable Section Chief Inoue (Masao Komatsu); and the stray cat, Butcha.

After killing the man he believes murdered his daughter, a white-collar worker returns to his mundane life, until he's approached by a man offering a mysterious job opportunity.