Best movies like Cinematic Liars of Asahi-za
A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Cinematic Liars of Asahi-za Starring Mitsuki Takahata, Kyotaro Yanagiya, Kayoko Okubo, Masahiro Koumoto, and more. If you liked Cinematic Liars of Asahi-za then you may also like: Unfair: the end, Why Don't You Play in Hell?, Opening Night, The Cherry Orchard, The Watcher in the Attic and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.
Movie theater Asahiza has existed for almost a 100 years in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture. Unlike other theaters, Asahiza plays old films and doesn't get a lot of customers. The manger of Asahiza, Yasuzo Morita, finally decides to close down the theater. When he is about to burn the old 35 mm films, a young woman named Rika Motegi suddenly appears and tries to stop him. Rika Motegi came to Minamisoma from Tokyo to save Asahiza.
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Why Don't You Play in Hell?
In Japan, gonzo filmmakers hatch a three-pronged plan to save an actress's career, end a yakuza war and make a hit movie.
Opening Night
Actress Myrtle Gordon is a functioning alcoholic who is a few days from the opening night of her latest play, concerning a woman distraught about aging. One night a car kills one of Myrtle's fans who is chasing her limousine in an attempt to get the star's attention. Myrtle internalizes the accident and goes on a spiritual quest, but fails to finds the answers she is after. As opening night inches closer and closer, fragile Myrtle must find a way to make the show go on.
The Cherry Orchard
At an all-girls school, a group of girls prepare for a stage performance of Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard".
The Watcher in the Attic
The landlord of a boarding house in 1923 Tokyo, is keen on spying on the bizarre close encounters taking place beneath his roof. One day he sees a prostitute killing a customer, and decides he's found his soulmate.
From the Manger to the Cross
The life of Jesus is played out in tableaux shot in the Holy Land.
Yassadaru Man
Kisaragi Hazime and Akahata Satomi, workers of Mihara City Hall in Hiroshima prefecture will try to recover the lost popularity of their official city mascot : Yassadaru Man and boost its image again.
Homeland
Jiro Sawada is a sophomore in high school when a false accusation drives him out his hometown: a small village in Fukushima Prefecture. The entire village is abandoned after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, but Jiro returns there to live. Before long, members of his family come and join him.
Mars: Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru
Kira is a sweet young girl with a traumatic past. She meets Rei who made her overcome her inner struggles. However, as much as they wanted to live as close to perfect as a couple can be, Kirishima tries to shake their relationship. Kirishima is a disturbed being who was bullied when he was young, and his outlook on life is what makes him do dark things.
True Mothers
After a long and unsuccessful struggle to get pregnant, convinced by the discourse of an adoption association, Satoko and her husband decide to adopt a baby boy. A few years later, their parenthood is shaken by a threatening unknown girl, Hikari, who pretends to be the child's biological mother. Satoko decides to confront Hikari directly.
Piranha, Piranha
Wildlife photographer Terry and her brother Art go to Venezuela for a photo shoot. They hire Jim Pendrake to guide them through the jungle. However, the trio run afoul of evil local hunter Caribe.
The Suspect: Muroi Shinji
One day in February, 2005, Metropolitan Police Department Superintendent Muroi (Toshiro Yanagiba) is arrested to take responsibility for a botched murder case he headed. His faithful colleagues, including Arashiro (Toshio Kakei) and Okita (Miki Maya), only exacerbate the situation when they try to help clear his name. Is Muroi guilty as charged or merely taking the fall? What is the truth behind the murder? Two lawyers, one determined to get Muroi, the other resolved to save him, a feud between two police departments, political power plays and legal trappings, all combine to orchestrate Muroi’s downfall.
A Woman's Life
One of many adaptations of "Onna no isshō", this time by Yasuzo Masumura as a starring vehicle for famed actress Machiko Kyo.
Hatsujô monogatari: Osananajimi wa Yari-mori
This work, in which Tetsuya Takehora picked up a megaphone and Komatsu Komatsu wrote the script, is a youth ensemble drama depicting young people who are worried about the stage in Aomori Prefecture. In front of Masami Kimoto, who had an awkward relationship with her lover Michio Oda for some reason, her childhood friend Teruo Ikeda, who returned to Aomori for a temporary return from Tokyo, appears. Teruo, who gained confidence through a part-time job called "self-rental," influences the relationship between Masami and Michio.
Pretty Woman
Elderly ladies rise to the challenge of staging a play and struggle to launch a theater company. Based on the actual amateur theater company "Theatrical Company Hono" in Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture, where the presiding officers and performers are composed of elderly women. They have been performing stage plays about issues related to the elderly for a long time.
Fantastic Girls
In 1980, Ayuko is a new transfer student in Okayama from Tokyo. She doesn't have any friends and relies on her boyfriend Hideo who is a college student. Ayuko likes to draw a romance manga of herself and her boyfriend. Ayuko's classmate, Takemi, becomes a huge fan of Ayuko's manga and they become close friends. Due to an incident though, they drift apart. 30 years later, Ayuko is now a manga artist and comes back to Okayama to give a lecture at her former high school. There, Ayuko meets Takemi who is now a teacher.
Prior Convictions
Kayo is a probation officer who forges ahead with her job. Continuing to work closely with ex-convicts, she is assigned to Kudo who had committed murder. As she endeavors to rehabilitate him, Kudo suddenly disappears and emerges as a suspect in a case.
Tokyo MER: Mobile Emergency Room: The Movie
The individuals that comprise the Tokyo MER team rush to on-site disasters and accidents, performing life-saving treatment thanks to the OR equipped within their vehicle. Their one mission is simple: leave no one dead. But conflicts arise when an unprecedented event rocks Yokohama after a bomb explodes in Landmark Tower, leaving thousands fighting to escape. Although the chief doctor Kitami believes they should not wait and presses for a quick dispatch, the more level-headed Chief Kamoi of the elite Yokohama MER thinks otherwise — they need to wait until the area is safe to enter, or they won’t be able to save anyone.
Traveling Sandwich
Ito Marika stars as the lead in this 2022 SP that tells the story of a group of friends, who run a food wagon serving sandwiches made with local produce, and their interactions with a farming family that they meet in Takasaki City in the Gunma Prefecture. TV Tokyo has teamed up with Takasaki City, Gunma in order to showcase a series of programs and dramas that are part of its efforts towards creating programs aimed at regional development in Japan. This will be its third production, following “Hatake Sono Manma Restaurant” in 2020 and “Nouka no Mikata” in 2021.
Lady Caligula in Tokyo
A housewife, tired of her husband’s infidelity, embarks on sexual adventures of her own, leading to a climactic masked orgy.
Gondola
Ryo came from Aomori Prefecture to Tokyo. He works as a window washer for high-rise buildings. For his job, he uses a gondola to clean the windows. Meanwhile, 11-year-old Kagari lives with her musician mother at a high-rise apartment. Her mother is always busy and Kagari plays with her two pet birds. One day, Kagari finds one of her birds injured. Ryo, who is washing the window right outside of the room, sees Kagari. Ryo takes Kagari with her injured bird to a veterinary clinic.
Same Old, Same Old
Focusing on the lives (and a few deaths) of three filmmakers, Rikiya Imaizumi (Their Distance, Sad Tea) tackles weighty themes in this new ensemble drama set in Tokyo and Fukushima. Director Kajiwara, struggling to earn a living from film, gets an offer to do a music video. But it doesn’t go well and he finds himself in an unexpected situation. Actress Aoba witnesses her filmmaker boyfriend's suicide and decides to hide his body. Gardener Taro plans to close the family business he inherits from his father, but receives a phone call one night from the self-declared girlfriend of his estranged twin, Jiro.
Our Brief Eternity
In Tokyo, the new type of virus called Emanon has spread out. Once people infected by the virus, they lose their most important person's memory. Teru, a guy who spends his life lazily, met his previous girlfriend Mio. But she has infected by the virus and forgot about him. Because of the virus, the world has plunged into confusion and it's been growing as a global pandemic. In the meantime, Teru and Mio restarted their relationship but he also infected and lost the memory about Mio. Tokyo fall into a turmoil and shattered. Teru and Mio ended up in the countryside where they've been before.
Fishmans: Otokotachi no Wakare 98.12.28 @ Akasaka Blitz
Fishmans' legendary final live performance under the Fishmans name before frontman Shinji Sato's passing. The show was recorded and filmed at Akasaka Blitz, a Japanese music venue based in Minato, Tokyo, on December 28, 1998, and released as an album nine months later. The album title roughly translates to "A Men's Farewell: December 28th, 1998", a reference to the tour name to bassist Yuzuru Kashiwabara's departure and to signal an "end of an era" for the band's three piece era.
Modern Love
"Parallel universes, doppelganger, world lines, reality, truth, jealousy, delusion, adoration, truth, regret, love, dreams, memories, borders. I don't understand it … I just want to see you!" The newly discovered planet Emanon emerges one night at the sky. A weird customer brings Mika a strange present from his journey to "Agartha". And she... is still unable to cope with the sudden parting of Teru.
A Giant Monster Appears in Tokyo
A large, dinosaur-like monster has risen from Tokyo Bay and attacked the city. As the government collapses into chaos, the people of a rural town in Fukui Prefecture, from whose perspective we see the entire movie, watch as the events unfold on TV. Some decide to run for their lives, some take it as a sign of the apocalypse, some go completely crazy, but most of the townspeople wait and watch, and wonder where the monster will head next.
The Crimes That Bind
Michiko Oshitani, who lived in Shiga Prefecture, is found dead at an apartment in Tokyo. She was strangled to death. Mutsuo Koshikawa is the owner of the apartment and he goes missing. Detectives including Yuhei Matsumiya who is a cousin of Detective Kyoichiro Kaga , have difficulties in solving the case. They can't find a connection between Michiko Oshitani and Mutsuo Koshikawa. They soon learn that Michiko Oshitani came to Tokyo to visit Hiromi Asai . They graduated from the same school, but there isn't a connection between Hiromi Asai and Mutsuo Koshikawa. Detective Yuhei Matsumiya finds something near Michiko Oshitani's body. That something has the names of 12 bridges surrounding the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo. Detective Kyoichiro Kaga learns of the clue and becomes agitated. There's a connection with his late mother
Sadistic Yoga
The female instructor Mariko gives yoga classes at a high-class club in Tokyo. She has a crush on Rika whom she gives private lessons to. When she notices bruises on Rika's body, Mariko learns that the young woman is involved in a highly abusive S&M relationship. On order to gain the affections of her student, Mariko decides to take revenge against the men in Rika's life.
Pretty Maid Café
Geeky Hideki can't seem to catch a break, so his friend brings him to a café to cheer him up. But Hideki finds more than good service at the café; he falls in love with his waitress, Misaki, who is dressed in a maid's uniform and caters to his every whim. He gets up the courage to ask her out ... to go fishing. Will his inexperience chase Misaki away? The third installment in the "Akihabara trilogy". Each of these stand alone films are set in the famed Akihabara shopping district in Tokyo which is a popular destination for hardcore fans of anime, manga, video games and model kits. This city-sized shopping area provides a colorful backdrop and plays an integral part in the storylines for each of the three movies.
Until Rainbow Dawn
When Hana falls in love with Ayumi, a girl she meets in her sign language group, she comes out to her parents who swiftly reject her. In an effort to cheer her up, Ayumi takes Hana to a deaf LGBTQ group in Tokyo, as they both find self-acceptance. A landmark film with a deaf cast and crew, this tender and sweet story showcases the beauty found within intersectionality and will warm the hearts of deaf and hearing audiences alike.
Rin
Kouta Noda is a 2nd grade high school student at a village. A transfer student, Tendo, from Tokyo becomes Kouta Noda’s classmate. Tendo has a mysterious mood. The two teens becomes friends and spend time having fun, but, one day, one of Kouta's friends disappears. There is a local village legend that one kid will disappear every 100 years.
Hadaka No Itoko
A love story directed by Otsuru Gitan, an actor, novelist, and film director, who directed all screens in Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture. A business man who has everything, including money, a woman, and fame, falls into the abyss and carries a large amount of debt. A man who felt in danger died and eventually moved to Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture, which was affected by the earthquake. A man who decided to live quietly as a reconstruction volunteer, staying at his aunt's house, but seeing the people around him who live without suffering the difficult reality, his desire begins to tingle again. Inspired by my aunt's daughter who gave me a mysterious atmosphere, he was a man who vowed to come back. Starring Sasaki Kokone of “Hello, My Dolly Girlfriend”.
Unfair: the end
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.