Top 250 Movies Like Life'S Punchline

It is an ensemble drama that opens with laughter and connects failure to hope!

A list of the best movies similar to Life's Punchline. If you liked Life's Punchline then you may also like: Five Easy Pieces, Zoo, A Night at the Opera, Night Waitress, Drowning Love and many more great movies featured on this list.

A comedy trio who gave up on their dreams and disbanded. An older sister who quit working in a company and became a shell of her former self. A younger sister who works in the city at night without a goal. 5 people who can't come back from their failures. In their 20s. But these failures are just a "lead up" to success later in life!? It is an ensemble drama that opens with laughter and connects failure to hope! Takaiwa Haruto (Suda Masaki), Minowa Junpei (Nakano Taiga), and Asabuki Shunta (Kamiki Ryunosuke) are members of the unpopular comedy trio, "Macbeth". Nakahama Rihoko (Arimura Kasumi) is a waitress at the family restaurant where the trio always meet to create stories. Tsumugi (Furukawa Kotone) is her younger sister. Every episode begins with the skit of the comedy trio "Macbeth" and as the title suggests, the opening conte* is connected as an important hint to the rest of the episode's story. (Source: @kamikidays)

Five Easy Pieces

A drop-out from upper-class America picks up work along the way on oil-rigs when his life isn't spent in a squalid succession of bars, motels, and other points of interest.

Zoo

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."

A Night at the Opera

The Marx Brothers take on high society and the opera world to bring two lovers together. A sly business manager and two wacky friends of two opera singers help them achieve success while humiliating their stuffy and snobbish enemies.

Night Waitress

Helen Roberts, who's on probation, goes back to work as a waitress at Torre's Fish Palace, a San Francisco waterfront dive. The customers are low characters trying to make time with Helen and ex-rum runners trying to make a dishonest dollar. Some of the latter, including Helen's unwelcome suitor Martin Rhodes, are after a mysterious, valuable hidden "cargo"; when violence erupts, Helen finds herself innocently involved, and is soon on the run from both cops and crooks.

Drowning Love

Natsume Mochizuki works as a teen model in Tokyo, but she learns that she has to move to her father's hometown of Ukigumo. She is in a desperate situation because she can't do the things she wants to do in Ukigumo. One day, she meets Koichiro Hasegawa. He is the successor of the Hasegawa family. His family is wealthy and is respected in the area. Natsume Mochizuki and Koichiro Hasegawa become attracted to each other, but something changes their fate.

One Chance

This film follows the remarkable and inspirational true story of Paul Potts, a shy, bullied shop assistant by day and an amateur opera singer by night.

Over the Fence

A recently divorced and traumatized man moves to Hakodate, Hokkaido and attends a vocational college to learn carpentry along with several other students who are in the same boat as he. When a couple of the guys go to a hostess club the man meets an unconventional girl who likes him and a relationship is born.

Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning

Before he was a protector, Kenshin was a fearsome assassin known as Battosai. But when he meets gentle Tomoe Yukishiro, a beautiful young woman who carries a huge burden in her heart, his life will change forever.

Rurouni Kenshin: The Final

In 1879, Kenshin and his allies face their strongest enemy yet: his former brother-in-law Enishi Yukishiro and his minions, who've vowed their revenge.

The Kirishima Thing

A story about the disappearance of Kirishima, a star athlete of the volleyball club, and how his disappearance affects every person in school.

Kiwi!

The story of a Kiwi who spends his whole life working towards achieving his dream.

Kuroko's Basketball the Movie: Last Game

Shortly after the Inter-High of Kagami and Kuroko's second-year, a street basketball team from the USA called Team Jabberwock came to Japan to play a friendly match against a Japanese college-level street basketball team, Team Strky. Despite their best efforts, Strky is brutally crushed by Jabberwock. After the match, the Jabberwock players insult the players from Strky and all of Japanese basketball, claiming Strky's basketball was at the same level as monkeys and telling the players and crowds to quit playing basketball and kill themselves. As a revenge match, Kagetora assembles a dream team of all members of Generation of Miracles plus Kuroko Tetsuya and Kagami Taiga, along with bench players Hyūga Junpei, Takao Kazunari, and Wakamatsu Kōsuke, forming Team Vorpal Swords, with the hopes of reclaiming the pride of Japanese basketball.

Survive Style 5+

Five bizarre stories with no apparent connection to one and other eventually become intertwined, resulting in surreal circumstances.

I Am a Hero

Hideo Suzuki is a 35-year-old mangaka assistant, whose life seem to be stuck around his exhausting but low-paying job, unfulfilled dreams, strange hallucinations and unsatisfying relationships. He sees himself as a supporting character in his own life, has low self-esteem, resulting in frustration. One day, the world as Hideo knows it is shattered by the presence of a disease that turns people into homicidal maniacs, whose first instinct is to attack and devour the nearest human.

Freesia: Bullet Over Tears

In the near future of a Japan, the ancient 'Act of Vengeance' is revived and professional executioners are permitted to kill criminals by the requests from their victims. People who are to be executed are notified of the execution time and date in advance and they are allowed to have their own guard.

High School Debut

Based on the best selling manga, Haruna Nagashima (Ito Ono) devoted herself to softball while in middle school. Now that she is in high school, Haruna believes its time find a boyfriend. Unfortunately for Haruna, she didn't pay attention to trends and is now clueless on how to attract a boy. Through a fortuitous event, Haruna encounters popular upperclassman You Komiyama (Junpei Mizobata) Haruna asks You to teach her how to become attractive to boys. You agrees but with one catch. She can't fall in love with him ...

The World of Machida-kun

High school boy Machida is a loner who is not particularly good at his studies or extracurricular activities. He does seem to have his heart in the right place however. When he is injured at school instead of the school nurse at the infirmary a school-mate tends to him. He develops a crush for her and soon enough the feelings are returned.

Your Name.

High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen randomly, and the two must adjust their lives around each other.

Dragon Quest: Your Story

Luca follows in his father's footsteps to rescue his mother from evil Ladja. Finding the heavenly hero who wields the Zenithian sword is his only hope.

Erased

Struggling manga author Satoru Fujinuma is beset by his fear to express himself. However, he has a supernatural ability of being forced to prevent deaths and catastrophes by being sent back in time before the incident occurred, repeating time until the accident is prevented. One day, he gets involved in an accident that has him framed as a murderer. Desperate to save the victim, he sends himself back in time only to find himself as a grade-schooler one month before fellow classmate Kayo Hinazuki went missing. Satoru now embarks on a new quest: to save Kayo and solve the mystery behind her disappearance.

March Comes in Like a Lion

Rei Kiriyama is a 17-years-old shogi (Japanese chess) player. He debuted as a professional shogi player when he was in middle school. He lives by himself in Tokyo, because his parents and younger sister died in an traffic accident when he was little. One day, Rei Kiriyama meets three sisters who are his neighbors. The three sisters are Akari Kawamoto, Hinata Kawamoto and Momo Kawamoto. This is his first meeting with someone outside of the shogi world in many years. Having meals with the Kawamoto family brings warm feelings to Rei Kiriyama. As Rei Kiriyama continues his shogi career, his interactions with his neighbors allows him to grow as a shogi player and as a person.

Monsterz

A somber paranormal thriller that offers an original, exciting variation of the tale of two men with supernatural abilities, locked in a duel to the death. A battle between a man who can control people with a stare, and the only man he cannot control. When their fate cross, the survival battle begins. The two men with inevitable fate, who will survive?

Pink and Gray

Popular actor Rengo Shiraki dies suddenly. Due to his sudden death, unpopular actor Daiki Kawata attracts the spotlight due to his close friendship with Rengo. Did Rengo Shiraki commit suicide or was he murdered?

Triangle

Momose (played by Sousuke Takaoka), who used to be a street punk, lives with girlfriend Kayo (played by Tomoko Tabata). Trouble brews for the couple when Kayo's younger sister Momo (played by Erena Ono) moves into their home for the summer. Momose finds himself gradually being drawn to the free spirited ways of Momo. A new love comedy from Keisuke Yoshida director of "Cafe Isobe".

Sekigahara

The background to and depiction of a watershed battle in Japanese history, at Sekigahara in 1600, when Tokugawa Ieyasu's Army of the East defeated the Army of the West of Ishida Mitsunari. The story includes the intrigues and shifting loyalties of the various retainers, family members, and samurai.

Sicko

Sicko is a Michael Moore documentary about the corrupt health care system in The United States who's main goal is to make profit even if it means losing people’s lives. "The more people you deny health insurance the more money we make" is the business model for health care providers in America.

Tokyo Friends: The Movie

Rei Iwatsuki moved from her hometown Kōchi to Tokyo to pursue her dreams. On arrival, she found a job as a waitress in a restaurant and met guitarist Ryuuji Shintani. Ryuuji liked her voice and invited her to join his band as the vocalist, The Survival Company (also known as Sabakan). The two started a relationship but then broke off when Rei wanted to write her own songs. Rei met other girls also working in the restaurant, Hirono, Ryoko and Maki, all in pursuit of their own dreams, and became good friends with all of them. One day, Rei receives news that Takashi was seen in New York and she decides to go look for him...

Chasing Rainbows

The road-show troupe of a top Broadway show go cross-country while taking the audience along on the on-stage scenes as well as what happens and is happening back stage of the production. The spectacular dancing ensembles and colorful costumes and pulchritude on-stage offers a contrasting background to the drabness of the backstage, where joy, sorrow, tragedies, deception, and romance are intertwined.

Here and There

Pedro returns home to a small mountain village in Guerrero, Mexico after years of working in the US. He finds his daughters older, and more distant than he imagined. His wife still has the same smile. Having saved some earnings from two trips to the US, he hopes to now finally make a better life with his family, and even to pursue his dreams on the side by starting a band: Copa Kings. He cherishes the everyday moments with his family. The villagers think this year's crop will be bountiful. There is also good work in a growing city an hour away. But the locals are wise to a life of insecurity, and their thoughts are often of family members or opportunities far away, north of the border. While working in the fields, Pedro meets and begins to mentor a teenager who dreams of the US. That place somehow always feels very present, practically knocking at the door. "Aquí y Allá" is a story about hope, and the memories and loss of what we leave behind.

Again

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.

Someday's Dreamers

Suzuki Sora is a cheerful country girl from the small town of Bie. She made a promise to her father, and following this promise applies and is accepted for a magic intership in Tokyo, where she will face the life in a big city. While training to get better with her magic, she meets a mysterious boy also practicing to become a mage. While he can not use magic that well and he seems distant and cold at first, Sora’s fate intertwines with his and the two are thrown together, learning a lot of new things about life and each other.

The Princess and the Pilot

The war between the Levamme Empire and the Amatsukami Imperium has been raging for years. In the midst of this struggle, the prince of the Levamme Empire declares his love for Juana del Moral and vows to end the war in one year, as part of his marriage proposal. When the Amatsukami catch wind of this, they assault the del Moral residence, targeting Juana's life. As a last-ditch effort to bring the prince his bride, the San Maltilia Airforce employs a mercenary of mixed blood—a bestado—to fly Juana to the prince in secret.

The Asadas!

Masashi is a photographer. He has his parents and an older brother Yukihiro. Through the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Masashi begins to take staged photos of his family.

Insomniacs After School

Two sleepless teenagers find kinship as they escape to their school's astronomy observatory. Unable to sleep at night, Ganta Nakami is cranky in class and unpopular with his classmates. He discovers that the school observatory, once used by the now-defunct astronomy club, may be the perfect place for a nap—but he's not alone. Fellow insomniac Isaki Magari is willing to share the observatory with Nakami, and a friendship between the two begins as they bond over the most unlikely of things. Dark rumors about what befell the members of the astronomy club keep people away from the school observatory, and that's what makes it the perfect sanctuary for Nakami and Magari to get some much-needed rest. Unfortunately, the school faculty can't allow its unsanctioned use. But if there were a new astronomy club, maybe these two insomniacs could have a place to call home!

Strobe Edge

Ninako Kinoshita has never been in love until an encounter with the school's most popular boy, Ren Ichinose, leads the two to befriending each other. Ren's patient and kind personality is a far cry from his unapproachable idol status at school, and soon Ninako falls in love with him. However, she must cope with the fact that he already has a long-time girlfriend.

Halfway

In this high school romance Hiro is dismayed to learn her new love Shu will be going away to college in Tokyo. She asks him not to go.

A Man

Akira works as a lawyer. One day, he meets with his former client Rie, who asks Akira to perform a background check on her late husband Daisuke.

Café Funiculi Funicula

Kazu works at "Funiculi Funicula" cafe. There is a mysterious rumour that if a customer takes a specific seat at the cafe, that customer can travel back to a time of their choice.

Cinderella Game

Sana Haitani (Kasumi Yamaya) is a member of an idol group. She's following the dreams of her now deceased older sister who always wanted to become a top idol. Unfortunately, Sana's idol group is disbanded. She is then kidnapped and taken to an uninhabited island. What awaits for her is a card battle. If she wins in the card battle against other kidnapped idol girls, she can become a top idol. But, if Sana loses ... she will die.

Exam Hell: Broken and Murderous

Keisuke Miyahara oversleeps on the day of his entrance exam for Tokyo University. To postpone the exam starting time, Keisuke Miyahara sends an email to the school warning of a bomb. His plan works and he is able to take his exam and passes. On the day of his entrance ceremony, a man named Hiroshi Tanaka appears in front of Keisuke Miyahara and threatens him.

MOTHER

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.

From Today, It's My Turn!!: The Movie

Set in 1980s Japan, two students transfer into the same school on the same day and become a duo fighting delinquents.

Noise

Shishikari is a remote island, which is behind the times. The island suffers from a decreasing population and declining industries. Keita Izumi (Tatsuya Fujiwara) begins to produce black fig on Shishikari Island. Because of his well received product, the island is close to receiving a 5 billion yen grant from the government, which is part of the goverment's policy to reinvigorate rural economy. The residents of the island are excited, but their peaceful days changes by the appearance of Mutsuo Komisaka. Keita Izumi and his friends Jun Tanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama) and Rookie Police Officer Shinichiro Moriya are suspicious about him. One night, Keita Izumi's daughter goes missing. Due to that, Keita Izumi, Jun Tanabe and Shinichiro Moriya happen to kill Mutsuo Komisaka. They decide to hide Mutsuo Komisaka’s murder to protect the future of the island and their families. It turns out Mutsuo Komisaka was a psycho killer. Police officers come to Shishikari Island to catch Mutsuo Komisaka.

SPEC: Zero

High school student Saya Toma lost her parents and younger brother in an airplane accident. Detective Akio Kondo came and told her "your family has a high possibility that they were killed by people who have spec." That was the first time she heard of "spec". 6 years later, Saya Toma, who has never forgotten what the Detective said, decides to become a detective. She returns to Japan after receiving training by the FBI in the United States. Saya Toma is assigned to work unsolved cases in the Public Security Bureau. Meanwhile, because of Satoshi Chii's scheme, Juichi Ninomae considers Saya Toma his parents' enemy and tries to push her to the edge. Satoshi Chii's scheme has also caused Saya Toma and Juichi Ninomae to forget that they are brother and sister. The siblings are headed to a life-staking fight. A girl named Maho Ueno becomes involved in their fight. To protect Maho Ueno, Saya Toma uses "spec".

SPEC: Close~Reincarnation

Mysteries are revealed like the words "Simple Plan," "Third Secret of Fatima" and also the mysterious white man which are all mentioned in the movie "SPEC: Heaven".

SPEC: Close~Incarnation

Mysteries are revealed like the words "Simple Plan," "Third Secret of Fatima" and also the mysterious white man which are all mentioned in the movie "SPEC: Heaven".

Kamen Teacher: The Movie

Set in the near future of Japan with the educational system nearing collapse. To rehabilitate the lawlessness at public schools and its troubled students, the government sends Kamen Teacher to designated schools.

Taro the Fool

Tarō is a vagabond, a wannabe, an urchin, and not what anyone would call mainstream. He does not care. Do not even ask him about his background or age. He would not know and he would not bother. The man meets two others and he begins to experience a new set of conditions.

Kamiki Ryunosuke – 20 Year Old Travel Vietnam Railroad

Actor Kamiki Ryunosuke (21) takes an 6 day travel for the length of 450 kilometers by train in Vietnam. Renowned as a railway fan, Kamiki will have chance to travel by various types of trains from the normal ones to night sleep ones to see the charm of foreign countries.

A Green Story

Van Vlahakis left Greece five decades ago with 22 dollars in his pocket. He arrived in the US hoping for a better future for him and his family. Eftichios as is his Greek name not only managed to live the American dream for himself, but also created Earth Friendly Products, a US giant for environmentally friendly cleaning products. His story is not only about transforming his life but also the lives of the ones around him as the owner and CEO of Earth Friendly Products. The story centers on the modern day Vlahakis, who is diagnosed with cancer and given only few months to live. During this time, he reflects on his early life as an immigrant during the 1950's and ultimately decides to push himself to the limit by closing one final business deal that will concretize his company's success, even if it means taking on a large corporation that is trying to take over his company.

12 Gifts of Christmas

When Anna Parisi, an unemployed fine arts painter, is unable to make ends meet, she is hired to become a personal Christmas shopper for Marc, an uptight corporate exec. As they begin working together, Marc learns that Christmas giving has less to do with the amount of money spent and more to do with the importance of the gift, while Anna discovers she might find success as an artist in a way she never expected. The best gift of all of course is the love they discover with one another.

Bakuman

Moritaka Mashiro doesn't want to follow in the path of his uncle who worked as a manga artist, but ultimately died because of exhaustion. Moritaka Mashiro figures he will graduate from school and work at an office. Things change though when falls in love with a girl at school. The girl, who hopes to become a voice actress, tells Moritaka they can marry, but only after they both achieve their dreams. Moritaka then teams up with fellow classmate Akito Takagi to publish their first manga.

Teiichi: Battle of Supreme High

Teiichi Akaba is a student at a prestigious private male high school known for producing important politicians and bureaucrats. His dream is to become the prime minster and make his own country. To help achieve his dream, he wants to become elected as his school's student council president. The elected student president receives privileges and a better chance for promotions later in the political & bureaucrat world. A power struggle takes place surrounding the student election.

Princess Jellyfish

Plain, timid and obsessed with jellyfish, Tsukimi is a far cry from her idea of a princess. Her tepid life as a jobless illustrator comes complete with roommates who harbor diehard hobbies that solidify their status as hopeless social rejects. These wallflowers run a tight, nun-like ship, but their no-men-allowed-not-no-one-not-no-how bubble is unwittingly burst after Tsukimi brings home a rescued sea jelly and a beauty queen... who's actually a guy. When the threat of losing their cozy convent inspires this glamour boy to turn the neurotic entourage into a portrait of success, will Tsukimi take her chance to bloom, or will she end up a hot mess?

Daily Lives of High School Boys

The story of a school festival that is being jointly organized by Tadakuni, Yoshitake, and Hidenori's all-boys school and an adjacent all-girls school. At an all boys high school, Tadakuni (Masaki Suda), Yoshitake (Shuhei Nomura) and Hidenori (Ryo Yoshizawa) are close friends and think usually all day about girls. Their high school then co-hosts a school festival with an all girls high school.

Sensuikan Cappellini-gou no bouken

Based on a real story during WWII where Japanese naval soldiers met Italians who were in the submarine Comandante Cappellini used to transport strategic materials to and from Japan.

Hankyu Railways - A 15-Minute Miracle

"Hankyu Densha" follows the lives of various people who commute on Hankyu Railway's Imazu Line - connecting the cities of Nishinomiya and Takarazuka in Hyogo prefecture. One of the commuters is Shoko (Miki Nakatani), an office worker in her 30s who lost her boyfriend to a younger colleague. There's also a college student (Erika Toda) who is so easily persuaded by her no good boyfriend. Other commuters include a grandmother & granddaughter, a house wife, a female high school student, and a female otaku college student. Although the train ride takes only 15 minutes between two stations, the lives of these commuters are changed as they interact with each other...

Yokai Housemate the Movie

Mio Meguro (Fuka Koshiba) continues her dream of becoming a writer, while living with yokai (folklore monsters) in a share house. She struggles in her job in the editorial department of a publishing company. She proposes plans at her company, but her plans are rejected. A popular AI dating app has become popular, but Mio Meguro isn't interested because of her work. One day, Mio Meguro meets genius mathematician AITO (Ayumu Mochizuki), who was raised in England. She falls in love with him, but her love causes problems for the share house and yokai.

Character

A kind man aspires to become a manga writer, but villains and evil deeds do not come easily to him, for he has little experience or natural inclination for them. Things take a surprise turn when he comes across a family who were described as idealized that are no more. He uses the real-life situation for his work.

Under the Open Sky

Mikami, an ex-yakuza of middle age with most of his life in prison, gets released after serving 13 years of sentence for murder. Hoping to find his long lost mother, from whom he was separated as a child, he applies for a TV show and meets a young TV director Tsunoda. Meanwhile, he struggles to get a proper job and fit into society. His impulsive, adamant nature and ingrained beliefs cause friction in his relationship with Tsunoda and those who want to help him.

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.

Perfect Days

Hirayama seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine he enjoys his passion for music and for books. And he loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past.

Call Me Chihiro

An unapologetic former sex worker starts working at a bento stand in a small seaside town, bringing comfort to the lonely souls who come her way.

We Made a Beautiful Bouquet

Two people meet each other after missing the last train home, leading to a beautiful relationship over five years.

Phases of the Moon

Osanai Kei enjoys a peaceful and happy life with his wife Osanai Kozue and daughter Osanai Ruri, but his wife and daughter die in an accident. Osanai Kei's life suddenly changes. One day, a man named Misumi Akihiko visits Osanai Kei. Misumi Akihiko tells him that on the day Osanai Kozue and Osanai Ruri died, Osanai Ruri, who was a complete stranger to him, was coming to see him. Misumi Akihiko tells him about a woman named Masaki Ruri, who he once loved. These people, who don't seem related, connect under the name of love.

Love Like the Falling Petals

Haruto Asakura falls in love with hairdresser Misaki Ariake and asks her out. Watching Misaki Ariake work hard to achieve what she wants, Haruto Asakura, who almost gave up his dream to become a photographer, begins to pursue his dream again, but Misaki Ariake is diagnosed with a disease that ages her 10x faster than normal.

Hirugao

Set 3 years after the drama series. Kitano Yuichiro comes to give a lecture in the town where divorcee Sasamoto Sawa now lives quietly. The two meet again and their love story continue.

Downsized

Ebony and Michael were forced into a modern "shotgun" wedding after becoming teenage parents, putting their personal goals on hold in order to support their family. Amazingly, the two high school sweethearts managed to overcome the odds and establish a seemingly ideal life for themselves. However, the success that initially was meant to strengthen their family has become the very thing that is driving them apart. As a result, Michael desperately tries to hold onto everything he's worked his entire life to gain. This leads the family on an unconventional adventure to restore the faith, hope, and trust that initially brought them together.

Dr. Coto's Clinic

In this drama set on Shikina Island, a far-flung island of the Japanese archipelago located more than six hours from the Japanese main islands, the young physician Kensuke Goto arrives at the island and has to deal with the island's inhabitants, not eager to accept him, at a clinic lacking sufficient medical equipment. Here's a human drama showing how Dr. Coto values the dignity of human life while unflinchingly facing disease with a serious attitude.

Amiko

Amiko isn’t like other children. Her endless energy makes her an outcast at school and gets her in trouble at home. When a painful family loss disrupts her seemingly idyllic seaside life, her sense of isolation intensifies, yet it doesn’t stop Amiko from inviting people into her world.

Mio on the Shore

Mio is 20 years old. Having lost her parents early, she and her grandmother run a traditional inn in Nagano. However, her grandmother gets sick. Mio moves to Tokyo and lives with her father’s best friend, Kyosuke. He runs a public bath. She begins to work at the public bath, but it is scheduled to be demolished to make way for redevelopment.

Any Crybabies Around?

A man has a baby, runs away, then comes back, but he can't just show up, apologize, and hope that makes himself a grown man.

Someone

5 university students gather to exchange information on their job search activities. They encourage each other and post their thoughts & worries on Twitter, but behind that they have a lot on their minds. Takuto Ninomiya observes those around him. His roommate Kotaro Kamiya has a bright personality and communicates well with others. Mizuki Tanabe is Kotaro Kamiya’s ex-girlfriend. Takuto Ninomiya has feelings for his roommate's ex-girlfriend. Rika Kobayakawa is determined to land a job. Takayoshi Miyamoto is critical of job-seeking activities, but he later tries to get a job.

Ten Years Japan

Five short stories from five different directors set ten years in Japan's future.

I Give My First Love to You

Takuma knows that his life is shorter than the others and he feels that his demise is getting near. He chose to stay away from the girl that he loves so that she can easily move on. What he didn't know is that he is under-estimating her.

Show Me the Way to the Station

A young girl, Sayaka, develops a heartwarming friendship with an old man named Hasu. Based on an award-winning novel by Ijuin Shizu.

Kiseki: Sobito of That Day

Based on the true story of 4 member Japanese pop group "GreeeeN.” Jin is the producer of “GreeeeN” and his younger brother Hide is the lead member for the group. Their song "Kiseki" is released as their 7th single and becomes a huge hit. Hide and the other 3 members have others jobs including working as a dentist.

It's a Flickering Life

The story centers on a man who loves movies, having once worked at movie studio in pursuit of his dreams, surrounded by great directors and famous actors. In this tale of love and friendship spanning a lifetime, the "god of cinema" that Go has worshipped since he was young will transcend time, and work a miracle in the lives of one family.

Our Departures

Akira is widowed and left with a pre-teen stepson. Travelling with him to her late husband's hometown, she meets her odd father-in-law and yet decides to make a go of living and working there. She attends training and joins the railway company where her father-in-law works and her late man dreamt of ending up as a child.

Gift of Fire

Towards the end of WWII, the Navy gave the Kyoto University's physics lab the secret of a bomb that makes use of nuclear fission energy. While doing research to save Japan, the researchers there wonder if they should promote the development of weapons as scientists. Research enthusiast Ishimura Osamu tries to experiment purely but is at the mercy of the time period. His brother, Hiroyuki, also has to face the truth of the war. Asakura Setsu wants only to talk about the future. A story based on historical facts about youth during the tragedy of war.

March Goes out Like a Lamb

The time spent between professional Shogi player Kiriyama and his three stories helps to heal his wounds. As he prepares to secure another win in an upcoming tournament, the father who left the three sisters appears and disturbs the peace.

Special People

Special People is based on a true story of Diane Dupuy. Diane Dupuy creates a unique black light theatre company called Famous People Players. The cast consists of people who are developmenatlly challenged. Seven members of the cast play themselves in the movie as well as the man who discovered this talented performance group and gave them their start in show business: Liberace.

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.

SPEC: Shou

Set one year after the fight between detectives Saya Toma, Takeru Sebumi, and Satoshi Chii. More confrontations ensues between the detectives at the Unidentified Crimes Unit of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Takeru Sebumi returns after taking a break due to his eye problems. Kenzo Ichiyanagi is appointed section chief, while Kotaro Nonomura is demoted. New member Shu Kikkawa joins the team.

A Mother's Touch

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.

Ghost Book Obakezukan

The forbidden book that will make any wish come true "The Ghostly Book of Books". However, in order to make your wish come true you have to go through a life-threatening trial. What is that trial...?

Fortuna's Eye

Shinichiro Kiyama is completely alone in the world. One day, he realizes he possesses "Fortuna's Eye", an ability through which people whose death is drawing near appear transparent to him. It is a gift that torments him. Then he meets a cheerful, optimistic girl Aoi Kiryu who makes him feel at ease. Shinichiro develops feelings for her, but after a brief period of happiness, Aoi's body suddenly starts turning transparent.

Pandemic

ER doctor Tsuyoshi Matsuoka receives a patient with a virus unlike anything he's seen before. His symptoms include high fever, convulsions, vomiting of blood and multiple organ failure. Could this be a new form of influenza or is it some other variety of virus? As the situation worsens and more cases begin arriving, a medical officer from the World Health Organization named Eiko Kobayashi is dispatched to the area. At the rate the virus is spreading, the entire city’s transportation system and infrastructure would be brought to a halt within 3 months. Within 6 months it could spread to tens of millions of people--reaching a death toll far worse than any war.

The Forbidden Play

Naoto Ihara lives happily with his wife Miyuki and their son Haruto. Their happiness is crushed when Miyuki suddenly dies in a car accident. Naoto falls into deep grief over the death of his wife. Meanwhile, Naruto buries his dead mother Miyuki's finger in their garden and prays everyday for her to come back to life. The family is visited by video director Hiroko Kurasawa, who used to work with Naoto Ihara. There she sees Haruto shouting a strange spell in their yard. Unexpected and bizarre phenomenons soon take place around Hiroko Kurasawa.

Judge

Seven people who committed the seven deadly sins : lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride are locked up in a sealed space by someone. These seven people must play a game which is a matter of life or death.

Last Letter

It is only at their sister's and mother's funeral when a woman meets her niece after many years. The niece is now a grown girl. The sister takes on the task of informing the deceased's friends of the death while the daughter cannot bring herself to symbolically accept the demise of her mother. In the midst of all this an old flame messages the sister to say he is still in love with her, but is he messaging the living sister or the dead one?

Threads - Our Tapestry of Love

Ren Takahashi and Aoi Sonoda were both born in 1989. They met for the first time at the age of 13 and became each other's first love, but they separated. At the age of 21, they met again. They were unable to undo their past. Now, they are 31 years old.

Lust in a Karaoke Box

When members of a student club gather at a karaoke box, events don’t unfold in predictable ways, leading to a uniquely absurd ending when dawn breaks.

Love, Life and Laughter

Love, Life and Laughter tells the story of a pair of working class youngsters with big dreams – a cheery chorus girl and a serious writer. The film toys with our expectations, blurring the boundaries of reverie and reality; tragedy and comedy. Directed by George Pearson, the film was considered lost for many years until in March 2014 when a copy was discovered in an old Dutch cinema.

Renai Shousetsu

A love story starring Tamaki Hiroshi, Konishi Manami, Ikeuchi Hiroyuki, Hirayama Aya and Kamiki Ryunosuke. Hiroyuki, a fourth-year law student who has just broken up with his girlfriend Miwa, is approached by Satoshi, a student at the same university, on his way home from school and asked to do something strange. He wants to make a will for himself. Satoshi, who calls himself the "God of Death," begins to tell him about his mysterious past. He wants to get close to people but cannot. He says that everyone he was close to would die. So he has lived his life without befriending or loving anyone since he was a child. But when Satoshi meets a woman named Mizuki, he unexpectedly falls in love with her. And that was the beginning of a very sad love story...

Why did the girl have to lose her memory?

When the suspect of an arson case refuses to cooperate with the investigation, the detectives search his house and find a locked-up little girl. She doesn't talk and there are no clues to her identity, so assistant psychology professor Narumi Saku is asked to counsel her.

A Samurai Chronicle

A retired samurai must redeem himself for a crime that he committed earlier in his life.

xxxHOLiC

To be free of his dark visions, Kimihiro Watanuki will work for Dimensional Witch Yūko, a mystical woman quick to help those in a bind—for a fee.

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