Best movies like Hikari: Sparkling Blue Sky Hikari Aozora

Rintaro directs a tale of three children who visit a land of wonder. This is the first "3D anime" that Madhouse has produced. Oh, and there are penguins.

When she was a middle school student, Futaba Yoshioka liked Kou Tanaka who was unlike the other boys and quite gentle. Kou Tanaka then moved away and they lost contact. At the end of Futaba Yoshioka's first year as a high school student she meets Kou Tanaka again. Kou Tanaka’s name has changed to Kou Mabuchi and his personality seems different from his middle school days.

The Cove tells the amazing true story of how an elite team of individuals, films makers and free divers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate the hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and deadly secret. The shocking discoveries were only the tip of the iceberg.

Kogure Nao is a shy and cute high school student. One day, Onise Taiga asks her "would you like to date with me on the promise that we will get married?" Nao is unable to turn down his proposal because she is scared of him. Taiga has red hair and piercing eyes. His appearance gives off the impression that he is a bad boy, but he is actually considerate to others and good at cooking. After getting to know Taiga, Nao begins to have feelings for him.

Pop singer Mima Kirigow looks forward to a bright new career when she quits her chart-topping trio to become an actress. When she lands a role in a sexually charged murder mystery, Mima’s life begins to fall apart.

Earth is peaceful following the Tournament of Power. Realizing that the universes still hold many more strong people yet to see, Goku spends all his days training to reach even greater heights. Then one day, Goku and Vegeta are faced by a Saiyan called 'Broly' who they've never seen before. The Saiyans were supposed to have been almost completely wiped out in the destruction of Planet Vegeta, so what's this one doing on Earth? This encounter between the three Saiyans who have followed completely different destinies turns into a stupendous battle, with even Frieza (back from Hell) getting caught up in the mix.

Young Horus lives in a mythical Scandinavia of the Iron Age. Recovering the stolen Sword of the Sun from a rock giant, he learns he must travel to the lands of his ancestors, encountering the beautiful but enigmatic Hilda as his journey leads to a series of adventures.

The lady of a top fashion magazine doubles as a jewel thief and becomes involved in Moroccan intrigue.

Hikaru Tsutsui is a high school student. He enjoys animation and video games in the virtual world, but he doesn't enjoy his real life. People at his school don't even know he exists. One day, he cleans up the pool at his school with beautiful Iroha Ikarashi. Iroha approaches Hikaru and confesses that she likes him.

This Japanese melodrama chronicles the exploits of a geisha's beautiful daughter. The daughter is the geisha's pride and she spares nothing to insure that she has a bright future. But the hard-working young woman's dreams of becoming a dressmaker are shattered.... She then becomes a nightclub hostess who plays cards with male patrons using her body as the prize.

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.

The government calls one of its top agents out of retirement to battle an evil organization that is trying to put the silk industry out of business by using silkworms. Stars Peter Schuyler, Loraine Masterton, Joyce Schuyler, Dan Kopper.

A popular fashion model, Hikari Fujimi, has more than one identity. To avenge her parents, who were killed by the leader of a crime syndicate, she received training to become an assassin from Nirasaki, her father’s right-hand man. With multiple personalities-- herself; a woman with superhuman skills; and an innocent girl who repents her sins-- she changes at will.

Wolf, a young métis hunter living on the mountain. While hunting deep in the woods he discovers Crane, an older man with a mysterious past and the scars to prove it. Wolf nurses him back to health. Over time their bond gets deeper and they fall in love. When outsiders begin to show up looking for Crane, blood begins to flow. Cornered by an army of crooked cops, Wolf and Crane work together to boobie trap the mountain, taking them out one at a time until they come face-to-face with the man who pulls the strings…. Bretten Hannam’s debut feature is an ambitious action/thriller with outstanding performances from Justin Rain (Defiance) and Festival favourite Glen Gould (Rhymes for Young Ghouls, Charlie Zone).

Reprising his role from the popular TV series "Koya no Suronin" (The Lowly Ronin), Mifune Toshiro stars in this full-length, stand-alone made for TV movie. The wandering ronin is reminiscent of his most famous role as the samurai without a name in Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro". He travels about Japan, and while he may seek happiness, violence and tragedy always cross his path. This time it is a woman carrying a young infant who he encounters on the road that leads him into a tale of violence, intrigue and a village in uproar. A great story and cool action scenes, a movie not to be missed!

Some of the finest jidai-geki actors appear in this exciting and entertaining tale of intrigue and action in old Japan. Teaming up the ever-popular Misora Hibari with the greatest samurai action hero of all-time Wakayama Tomisaburo is a brilliant stoke of casting. Hibari takes on the role of Mori no Ishimatsu, a young man who gets involved with real-life Yakuza legend, Shimizu no Jirocho, 'Boss of the Tokaido'. Ishimatsu manages to interfere with a dispute between the Shimizu and their competition, the Marugame family, even going so far as to become an avenger's assistant. It's not the first time Hibari has played a man in a film (also in Benten Kozo), and her acting skills are at their best as she mixes in a bit of humor along with excellent swordplay. Wakayama Tomisaburo, as always, gives an outstanding performance as the powerful and beloved Yakuza Boss Jirocho.

It’s cross and double-cross in these further adventures of Ryuzen, the wayward priest played by Katsu Shintaro as he tries to help a woman who may be the heir to a fortune get what is rightfully hers. Matsuo Kayo, who first rose to international stardom as ‘the supreme ninja’ in “Shogun Assassin” gives an outstanding performance in this clever and exciting caper tale set in the samurai era. Ryuzen agrees to help her, but is he just in it for himself, and is she really who she claims to be? When they come up against Boss Tobei it’s a virtual free-for-all as everyone struggles to walk away with a fortune in gold!

Sawako works as a manga writer. Her husband of five years, Toshio is also a manga writer. On a summer day, Sawako begins to write her new manga. The story for her new manga deals with adultery. The manga describes Toshio having an affair with her editor and Sawako having an affair with her driving instructor. Toshio reads Sawako's manga with fear and jealousy.

What happens when an innocent 18-year-old girl has to work in the adult video industry? Find out the hilarious results in Rinko Eighteen, based on the comic by Matsumoto Taka. In her first starring role, gravure model Tashiro Sayaka stars as Rinko, an aspiring doctor who returns home to find out that her father is bankrupt and has divorced her mother. With nowhere to go, Rinko signs up for the first job she finds, which turns out to be a production assistant at an adult video production company. Naturally, nothing can possibly prepare her for the work waiting for her at her new job…

A sensual love story that depicts the whereabouts of love that two women with opposite personalities weave around one man. When I was a student, Reiji and Sumire graduated without feelings though they had both feelings. After a while, Reiji reunites with Sumire, who returned from her former girlfriend, Koko. Popular sexy actress, Airi Natsume made her first appearance in a pink movie.

Gordon Buchanan goes to meet the world's cutest animals to reveal their hidden biology, and find out why people have such a strong emotional response to them.

Blues Story presents an impressionistic history of one of the most lasting art forms America has ever produced - as told for the first time through the eyes of the artists who lived it. Combining exclusive interview and performance footage with vintage clips and the music of many Blues legends long gone, the history of this richly felt music is illuminated - from its African roots to its American urban expression - along with its profound place in our cultural heritage. The result is a rare, first-hand glimpse into the lives of these vanishing artists, and a moving, insightful and informative look into a music that continues to be loved by millions throughout the world.

Bill Moyers and filmmaker David Grubin give viewers a rare glimpse into dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones’s highly acclaimed dance Still/Here. At workshops around the country, people facing life-threatening illnesses are asked to remember the highs and lows of their lives, and even imagine their own deaths. They then transform their feelings into expressive movement, which Jones incorporates into the dance performed later in the program. For this documentary, Jones demonstrates the movements of his own life story: his first encounter with white people, confusion over his sexuality, his partner Arnie Zane’s untimely death from AIDS, and Jones’s own HIV-positive status.

Everybody loves ice cream. It’s cool, sweet and delicious. It’s also the tantalizing topic of this happy documentary program that takes viewers to ice cream places across America from Vermont to Hawaii, highlighting outstanding places to get a cone or a bowl. An Ice Cream Show features mostly small ice cream lovers – from makers and eaters to collectors and cone-makers.

A lonely young man moves in a 50-year-old apartment building. When he meets the cheerful residents, he finds himself surrounded by small happiness.

Takashi Aoyama has way too much work to do and pushes himself mentally too hard. He blacks out and collapses at a railroad station. When he is about to be hit by a train, he is saved by Yamamoto. After his encounter with Yamamoto, Takashi recovers his bright personality and gets better results at work. One day, Takashi sees Yamamoto boarding a bus to the cemetery with a serious expression.

When Muraki, a porn producer, watches a blue film depicting a gang rape in a school, he becomes obsessed with the lead actress. Quite by chance, whilst looking to reserve a location for a shoot, he happens to encounter her at a love hotel where she works as a receptionist. Her name is Nami and she reluctantly agrees to speak with him, and confesses that it was her in the film. Then, Muraki tells Nami that he wants her to model for him.

Set in the year 2019 in Japan. In order to crack down on free expression, a new law is passed, which allows for the government to create an armed force to find and destroy objectionable printed material. Meanwhile, to oppose this oppressive crackdown, the Library Force is created. The Library force, including instructor Atsushi Dojo and Iku Kasahara, work to protect the libraries. A fierce battle then ensues between these two groups.

Paul is dead, killed at his own party. Everyone is a suspect, and most of them had a motive. Written and performed by Emily Head, directed by Guy Unsworth, and filmed live in one take, we meet each suspect to see how they react under interrogation, and see if the mystery can be solved. The stage at the New Wolsey Theatre becomes a complex cage (designed by David Woodhead) in this Original Theatre Online premiere. Playing every chatacter, Head uses different accents and subtle physical changes of facial expression or mannerisms to define each character. Paul is slowly unmasked as someone many would want to harm, and a twisted story unfolds through the different accounts we may or may not want to believe. It is clear something is drastically wrong in this psychological thriller.

Satoshi loses his eyesight completely at the age of 9 despite numerous surgeries, but grows up with cheerful spirit thanks to his mother Reiko’s unconditional love. Surrounded by affection and friendship at high school, Satoshi’s future seems bright until one day his family realizes that he is losing his hearing as well. Determined to never give up, Reiko tries everything she can to give him hope.

Doi of the Maeda Construction Company's Advertising group has little passion for his work. One day the group's leader Asagawa declares, "Let's build the hangar for Mazinger Z!" Having been dragged in by Asagawa, Doi and his co-workers commence putting on appearances of having taken on this request from a fantasy world.

"Tachiguishi", that is to say, grifters who make it their profession to "eat-and-run", was created by the world-famous filmmaker, Mamoru Oshii. In 2006, he directed "Tachigui -- the Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters", a feature film which was made using a new technique called superlive-mation. It combined fact and fiction to tell daring stories of professional grifters, leaving viewers with a feeling of nostalgia for the Showa era. Following that, another movie has been completed. This new live-action film, "Eat and Run - 6 Beautiful Grifters" was made with the objective of filming its main actresses as beautifully as possible. The film is made up of six episodes directed by six different directors who rose to the challenge, two of whom are Oshii himself.

The Spiders, a 1960s Japanese Group Sounds band, star in this rare Monkees and Beatles inspired secret agent movie. During their Asian tour spies try to smuggle plutonium hidden in The Spiders' guitar amps!

Akemi is unable to get over the death of his girlfriend, but a book leads to his encounter with Akane, a woman with a wonderful smile. He gradually falls for Akane, who soothes him with her positive outlook and cheerful disposition, but Akane has a boyfriend who has a limited amount of time left to live.

A movie adaptation of Funayama Kaoru's novel of the same name, which depicts the story of a modern youth who is attracted to the evil path. Saburi Shin, a well-known actor who also demonstrated his skill as a director in a bold social work, embodies a person with a complicated dilemma in a shadowy manner, and is a dramatic work that plays a part in the lead role.