Zekkyo

Five different directors adapt the works of Japanese author Otsuichi in this collection of unconventional live-action and animated shorts. A woman is murdered under odd circumstances in the title film, "Zoo"; twin sisters are treated differently in "Kazari and Yoko"; two siblings find themselves trapped in "Seven Rooms"; a survivor learns about life and death in "When the Sun Shines"; and parents lose the ability to see each other in "So Far."

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.

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.

Three distinct tales unfold in the bustling city of Tokyo. Merde, a bizarre sewer-dweller, emerges from a manhole and begins terrorizing pedestrians. After his arrest, he stands trial and lashes out at a hostile courtroom. A man who has resigned himself to a life of solitude reconsiders after meeting a charming pizza delivery woman. And finally, a happy young couple find themselves undergoing a series of frightening metamorphoses.

Asuka is an aspiring model who moves to Tokyo to pursue her career. She moves into a small apartment with a friend of a friend, Kasumi. A bizarre murder occurs in the hotel across the street. The body was mutilated and repositioned into a lurid work of art. After this, a string of murders start happening all around the two girls, as if some crazed serial killer was following them. At the scene of each crime, the perpetrator leaves a black lip print, and is subsequently dubbed "The Black Kiss.

A young Brooklyn boy witnesses the brutal murder of his mother and grows up obsessed with finding her killer. Thus begins his life as a quiet, straight-A student by day and a self-appointed hero at night. But what is a real hero? And who decides what is right or wrong? As the boundaries blur, Sean's dual life wears on his psyche and his two worlds careen dangerously close to colliding. Like a graphic novel you can't put down, Boy Wonder challenges morality, distorting perceptions of what is right and what is justified, as it races to its shocking conclusion.

A woman uncovers sinister secrets while investigating the apparent suicide of her sister.

While celebrating with her friends in her new cheaply rented apartment (with balcony and view of the sea) on the thirteenth floor of a building, the young Sayaka unexpectedly jumps off the balcony committing suicide. Her mother goes insane and her older sister, Mariko, decides to investigate the mysterious death of her sister. She finds that there have been many suicides of young women living in apartment 1303. She finds a book telling the tragic story of the Yukiyo and her mother, the first tenants of the apartment and uncovers the truth behind the suicides.

Overdomineering female police detective Jamie McDowell still tries to run her 19-year old only son Peter's life although he is a builder who lives alone. She strongly opposes his engagement to Kelly Shaw, who he doesn't know very long, and forces him to bring her to diner, where Jamie and mother Susan Shaw repeat that mistake. After Kelly provoked her ex-fiancé Ray Rankin in a bar 'to test Peter's love' again, they part in anger. That evening the mothers, who went out together, find Kelly burnt to death in Susan's house; an expert clearly concludes arson. To her horror, Jamie quickly finds the evidence seems to point at one logical suspect: her son Peter...

Keiko Suzuki is a lonely waitress in Tokyo. Her father passes away of cancer and she becomes obsessed with the passage of time. And so, three weeks before her 22nd birthday, she decides to record this period of time in the most accurate way possible, regardless of how lonely or banal this record ends up being.

This enticing period melodrama depicts a long-suffering woman's relationship with her brilliant but self-destructive writer husband in postwar Tokyo. Based on a semi-autobiographical 1947 novel by Osamu Dazai, the story centers less on the womanizing, heavy-drinking, suicidal hero than on the wife who loves him. Written by Palm Springs International Film Festival

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.

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

Mari lives a comfortable life as a single woman. She has a nice job at a company and resides in an apartment in the suburbs of Tokyo. A couple lives next to door to her. Mari can hear them argue or making happy conversations everyday. One night, when Mari comes back home, she sees her next door neighbor sitting in front of his door and shivering from the cold. He locked himself out.

Misugi Akira and his lovely companion Maria arrive in Tokyo on a special mission. It seems Akira is there to pick up Ito Kaori, whom he has known since Kaori was a child, so that she can join his and Maria's clan... of ageless vampires! But before Akira can get to the rendezvous point, the one-time doctor is distracted by a woman making a suicide attempt. Finished with that, he hurries to get Kaori only to find her dead... from a local serial killer who fancies himself to be a vampire. When one of the police detectives on the case, Saeki Shoji, starts digging into Kaori's death, the links he finds all seem to lead straight to Akira and Maria. So now the pair decide their best course of action is to try and track down the serial killer themselves as soon as possible...

Tokyo Friends is a Japanese television drama released on June 3, 2005. Unlike many other dramas, it was never aired on TV but released as a set of 3 DVDs. Volumes one and two contain the first 4 episodes while volume three contains the last episode. Each episode is approximately 70 minutes. The Tokyo Friends Premium Box was also released which includes all 5 episodes, a bonus DVD, and 12 postcards. Although this is a very typical Tokyo-story and was never aired on TV, it was quite successful probably because it was Ai Otsuka's debut as an actress.

Tsukiko Otonashi is a fashionista who is too beautiful to be a detective. She is also intrigued by urban legends so much so that she believes all crimes are somehow linked to these legends. She even conducts her investigations in such a way as to prove them to be true. Tsukiko also likes to make use of whatever she can. She especially likes to enlist the help of crime lab officer Hitoro Katsuura, who happens to have a crush on her. Many other unique characters will make appearances as she investigates the crimes related to urban legends, using odd and exquisite techniques.

Labor Standards Inspectors... are you aware of their existence? For the sake of the 52 million actively employed people across the nation, the government had set up this body to help ensure that there is safety at workplaces. Danda Rin, is an example of a very diligent and strict inspector. She doesn't compromise when it comes to the rules. The story opens with the transfer of Danda Rin to the new Labor Standards Inspector office. "She had caused her boss at her ex-office to go bald!!" is the rumor that accompanies her to her new office. Danda Rin is someone who doesn't do things in half measures, which is totally unlike the laidback male colleagues in the office. "Unpaid overtime", "Managers in name only", "Power harassment by managers"; these are all the things she fights against!

An explosion take place in a street of Tokyo. Many people were killed or seriously injured. One casualty is Chihiro, the wife of Public Security chief inspector Kuraki Naotake. While trying to find why his wife was being implicated in the explosion case, Kuraki comes into contact with Public Security sergeant Akeboshi Miki and Metropolitan Police Department inspector Osugi Ryota who are also investigating this case.

Tamotsu is suspected of murdering his actress wife Shizuka Harada. He flees to Taiwan and commits suicide. Tamotsu’s friend Banji Masuzawa works as a private detective, and has doubts about Tamotsu’s death, but the case is covered up by powerful media mogul Heizo Harada.

Higurashi Tabito has lost four out of his five senses--his sense of sound, smell, taste, and touch. The only sense he has is sight, which he relies on for his job as a detective who has to investigate and find various missing objects. He works at the detective agency with Yukiji, his buddy and manager, and Tei, his adopted daughter. No matter what it is, Tabito always finds the missing object. His investigative methods, however, are a little bizarre. His eyes seem to be able to see everything, including things that regular people can't see, like scents and emotions. Without a single blood relative left in the world, the lonely Tabito pours his heart out on his job. Each case he solves brings him closer to Yukiji, Tei, and her daycare teacher Yoko, who all treat him like family. Wrapped in their warmth, his heart begins to melt.

When Rei Okumori was in the 3rd grade of middle school, he killed his father to protect his mother Akiko. His father physically abused his mother. They buried his dead body in their yard and made it appear he went missing. Since that time, they kept they their secret and did not tell anyone. 8 years later, Rei Okumori is now a law school student and pursuing his dream of becoming a lawyer. At his law school, he meets Sawa Tachibana who hopes to become a public prosecutor. They fall in love and Rei Okumori wants to marry Sawa Tachibana. He begins to receive a message from someone that knows his secret.

Eiichi Nishio (Kento Nagayama) is a young actor. He is not very popular and only receives offers to play dead bodies. One day, he wanders around Nakameguro, Tokyo and recognizes the restaurant/bar Izakaya Fuji. He saw pictures of Izakaya Fuji on a woman's Instagram account and decides to go in.

In Tokyo, an old person, who lived alone, is found dead. Detectives from the Police Station investigate the case. According to the victim's neighbors, a woman sometimes came in and out of the victim's home. That woman is Miki Yamamoto. She does housework for her customers. The detectives from Police Station visit Miki’s house. What is the truth behind the cases?

In 2008, Isao Sudo is found dead in Shizuoka Prefecture. He ran a used car store in Tokyo. Detective Satoru Kusaka from Shizuoka Prefecture investigates the death of Isao Sudo. He learns that in 1974, Isao Sudo's son was kidnapped and killed in Shizuoka Prefecture. In 1988, Seiichiro Shigeto (Takaya Kamikawa) was appointed to lead a team of 6 detectives and they reinvestigated the kidnapping and murder case involving Isao Sudo's son. Detective Satoru Kusaka has a hunch that the case involving the death of Isao Sudo's son will lead to the case involving the death of the father. Detective Satoru Kusaka meets Seiichiro Shigeto to gather information.

Freelance writer Harada Ririko and former lecturer on folklore Shimano Hitoshi go around to Tokyo’s hidden spots with horror stories. They encounter many apparitions in places that everyone knows about in the 23 wards. There is the office lady who wanders the subterranean drains of Shibuya ward in search of her missing mother. The mistress who hides a dead body in Koto ward’s Yume no Shima. The riddle of the Ikebukuro woman and romance in old age. The secret of the female CEO who encounter an apparition in a late night taxi plying Minato ward. The doctor’s wife whose fate is at the mercy of Itabashi ward’s tree which is supposed to severe ties between man and woman. The mystery of a woman and the Suzugamori execution grounds related to a crime scene in Shinagawa ward.

In Tokyo, a murderer leaves his signature, an `X`on the dead body. When found, the mark appears eerily similar to that of the one seen on the body of the dead wife of Detective Genji Ando. Banned from the investigation, he secretly reaches out to Jin Jinbo, an associate professor at the medical school`s genome analysis lab. Who better than a DNA expert to identify this potential serial killer?

On Christmas morning, Fujino Ryoko finds her classmate Kashiwagi Takuya’s dead body at their snow covered school. The police and the school conclude that Kashiwagi Takuya died by suicide. At that time, an anonymous letter is delivered to Fujino Ryoko. The letter states that Kashiwagi Takuya was murdered by a group of students including Ooide Shunji. The media and SNS begin to question whether Kashiwagi Takuya really died by suicide or was he murdered. The school principal tries to take control of the narrative, but this leads to a more chaotic situation. Fujino Ryoko is disturbed by people's reaction to Kashiwagi Takuya’s death. She asks for a trial and an unprecedented school trial begins.

Due to an accident, Sakura Hiraga gave up on her dream. She is now married and her husband runs a hair salon. They live in a luxurious penthouse apartment. Her life seems glamorous and she is envied by everyone. What everyone does not know is that Sakura Hiraga is abused physically and verbally by her husband. She is unable to leave her situation. Sakura Hiraga considers herself a goldfish in a fishbowl. One day, due to a goldfish, she meets a man.