Akira Kobayashi

Akira Kobayashi

Born: November 3, 1938
in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
Akira Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林 旭, Hepburn: Kobayashi Akira, born November 3, 1938) is a Japanese actor and singer. His nickname is Maito Gai (マイトガイ, "Might Guy").

Movies for Akira Kobayashi...

Road to the Don Theatrical Version
Title: Road to the Don Theatrical Version
Released: June 18, 2003
Type: Movie
A young yakuza experiences various conflicts, tactics, betrayals, rules, etc. in the gangster world, stands out in the organization, and climbs to the top of the organization. The theatrical version of the popular video series adapted from the original work by Murakami Kazuhiko.
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Shura Group
Title: Shura Group
Released: February 16, 2002
Type: Movie
Remake of The Story of a Man Among Men (1984)
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Emperor of Upheaval
Title: Emperor of Upheaval
Released: June 12, 1993
Type: Movie
The anti-gangster law has been very bad for business, but one yakuza boss is running his syndicate like a ruthless conglomerate -- and thriving.
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Title: Wind of the Ryūkyū Islands
Released: January 10, 1993
Type: TV
The series tells The story of the 1609 invasion of Ryûkyû by forces from the Japanese domain of Satsuma, an event which changed the course of Ryukyuan history dramatically.
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A Legend of Turmoil
Title: A Legend of Turmoil
Character: Shuji Otaki
Released: January 15, 1992
Type: Movie
A story about the development of a bright and strong yakuza. Otaki is an old-fashioned respectful yakuza who tries to protect his small yakuza family. When his boss gets shot, he decides to go after the plotters.
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Again
Title: Again
Released: February 18, 1984
Type: Movie
An anthology that embodies the essence of Toei action films with a stylish flair, this movie follows an aging hitman (Jō Shishido) on a quest to find a former rival he once shared the screen with. The story unfolds as he roams, creating a distinctive narrative.
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Title: Falcon
Released: October 4, 1981
Type: TV
Worried about the state under heaven and lamenting the decadence of Bushido, the shogunate daimetsuke Inuijuzaemon (Shogo Shimada) decides that the only way to reform the shogunate is to cure it by force. Led by the leader Gennosuke Inui (Asahi Kobayashi), four men and women are summoned from the national government to organize a secret investigation agency. The four of them base themselves at Azamiya, a cooking tea house in Fukagawa, and take root in a corner of the city to expose the great evil that pervades the dark side of civil society. [TV series] (C) International Broadcasting
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Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Saga
Title: Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Saga
Character: Akira Takeda
Released: April 5, 1980
Type: Movie
The 224-minute compilation edition of Battles Without Honor and Humanity compiles these four movies: Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Deadly Fight in Hiroshima, Proxy War, Police Tactics.
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The Tragedy in the Devil-Mask Village
Title: The Tragedy in the Devil-Mask Village
Character: Bannai Tarao
Released: August 12, 1978
Type: Movie
Tarao’s services are called upon to solve the mysterious death of bride-to-be, Mariko, who was found dead with an eerie mask of a devil.
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Tarao Bannai
Title: Tarao Bannai
Character: Bannai Tarao
Released: April 8, 1978
Type: Movie
Legendary detective returns
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The Gate of Youth Part 2
Title: The Gate of Youth Part 2
Released: February 11, 1977
Type: Movie
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The Yakuza Code Still Lives
Title: The Yakuza Code Still Lives
Character: Akimitsu Hojo
Released: December 4, 1976
Type: Movie
After spending eight years in prison for murder, Hiroshi leaves his yakuza family to start a new life as a labor racketeer.
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Operation Plazma in Osaka
Title: Operation Plazma in Osaka
Released: January 31, 1976
Type: Movie
Amidst Japan's postwar economic boom, yakuza factions in Osaka fight for survival when Japan's largest crime syndicate plans a hostile takeover.
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The Murder Corps
Title: The Murder Corps
Released: May 24, 1975
Type: Movie
A violent upstart forms an alliance with the powerful Tensei-kai syndicate to fight on the front lines of an underworld war and take over all of Japan.
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The Gate of Youth
Title: The Gate of Youth
Released: February 15, 1975
Type: Movie
Mainly the story of Shinsuke and his stepmother, ranging from Shinsuke's infanthood to his mid-teens. Coal workers and the mines dominate nearly every aspect of the life of the characters. Shinsuke's father dies while bravely using dynamite to rescue a group of trapped Korean miners. Several older men attempt to help he and his mother cope, including a kind Korean and a Harley-riding yakuza.
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Code of Wolves
Title: Code of Wolves
Released: October 5, 1974
Type: Movie
In gangster-infested 1920s Yokohama, gambler Ishiguro gets in with the local gang -- but his view of life changes after the Great Kanto Earthquake.
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Father of the Kamikaze
Title: Father of the Kamikaze
Released: September 14, 1974
Type: Movie
Vice Admiral Takajiro Ohnishi could see that Japan's defeat in WWII was inevitable. He came to realize that the only way to force a negotiated solution was to convince the Americans that invading Japan would cause massive casualties on both sides. The cold logic of suicide attacks, where one man and one plane could kill hundreds, seemed the only solution. In one of the cruel ironies of fate, Ohnishi actually succeeded; he convinced the Americans that invading Japan would be too costly in lives. But what he could not foresee was that America had another way of ending the war.
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Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode
Title: Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode
Character: Akira Takeda
Released: June 29, 1974
Type: Movie
While Hirono is in prison, his rival Takeda turns his own crime organization into a political party, whose two executives stir up new tensions in their thirst for power.
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The Maizuru Showdown between The Yakuza Brothers
Title: The Maizuru Showdown between The Yakuza Brothers
Released: June 1, 1974
Type: Movie
With a Kansai syndicate vying for Tokyo, one man reunites with his roguish half-brother in the midst of negotiations, when all hell breaks loose.
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Violent Streets
Title: Violent Streets
Character: Yazaki Ryuji
Released: April 13, 1974
Type: Movie
With a Kansai syndicate setting their sights on Tokyo, a former yakuza boss gets dragged back into a world of violence.
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Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics
Title: Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics
Character: Akira Takeda
Released: January 15, 1974
Type: Movie
As Japan gears up for the 1964 Olympic games, the cops start to crack down on the gangs, under pressure from the public and the press, adding a new dimension in the war for power among the yakuza families of Hiroshima.
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Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War
Title: Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War
Character: Akira Takeda
Released: September 25, 1973
Type: Movie
Shozo Hirono has managed to separate from the Yamamori family and create his own small family, and extend his circle of acquaintances. These new friendships include a powerful underboss of the Muraoka family, Noboru Uchimoto.
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Zorome no San Kyoudai
Title: Zorome no San Kyoudai
Released: January 15, 1972
Type: Movie
In Osaka, a family sets up shop in Tsuruhashi. Trouble brews for three brothers – Jinzuke, Tadayoshi, and Eizo – when they come together in their hometown, Nakano Village, after getting word of their father's critical condition. In a Nakano Village divided by a clash between local pig bristle brush manufacturers and the village chief's group over factory expansion, the latter resorts to harassing the brush manufacturers associated with the Wadakura family. Tadayoshi and the villagers attempt to take on the village office but encounter opposition from the Wadakura family's interference. Meanwhile, Jinzuke finds himself at odds with the Wadakura family over territorial disputes in Tsuruhashi. He faces off against them, striving to thwart their factory plans...
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The Killer
Title: The Killer
Released: May 5, 1971
Type: Movie
A former gang leader and lone wolf who has left the organization works behind the scenes in a new city to take revenge on a giant alliance of organizations. This film is amongst the last "straight" yakuza films made at Nikkatsu before the studio's switch-over to pinku eiga.
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Women Smell of Night
Title: Women Smell of Night
Released: December 6, 1970
Type: Movie
A 1970 crime film.
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Sign of the Jack
Title: Sign of the Jack
Character: Yuji Hanamura
Released: October 14, 1970
Type: Movie
Hanamura, widely known in gangland a professional trouble shooter has the sign of the Jack tattooed on his chest. His follower is his sworn partner Kurahara. They attempt to help the Towada-Gumi gang against its rival group the Kamioka-Gumi which is seeking the chance to conquer the Towada-Gumi in collusion with Noda, a big shot in the town operating a real estate firm.
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Women's Police: Swirling Butterflies
Title: Women's Police: Swirling Butterflies
Character: Masaaki Kagari
Released: July 11, 1970
Type: Movie
Aboard a night ferry in the Inland Sea, Masaaki Kagari (Akira Kobayashi), a young tough, who supplies hostesses to night spots, encounters Yuko, his ex-sweetheart. He considers himself a private underworld sort of policeman-in the com- munity of such women. Yuko, now a bar proprietress, is under the protection of Tahei Daigo, a sinister gang boss who in his quest for chances of good investments abroad plans to offer young girls to rich foreigners. Asked to gather attractive girls by Yuko, now Tahei's puppet, Masaaki collects many only to find them mysteriously missing...
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Records of Bloodshed
Title: Records of Bloodshed
Character: Minoru Nojiri
Released: June 10, 1970
Type: Movie
Post World War II, Minoru lives by selling supplies that had been stolen from the U.S. military. One day, he is arrested due to the plotting of Kurahata, a member of the Yakuza who doesn't like him.
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Greatest Boss Of Japan
Title: Greatest Boss Of Japan
Released: April 18, 1970
Type: Movie
A man who became the third boss faces off against delinquent foreigners and villains vying to rule the underworld in order to develop the port city.
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Woman's Police: Appointment with Danger
Title: Woman's Police: Appointment with Danger
Character: Masaaki Kagari
Released: February 7, 1970
Type: Movie
Kagari (Akira Kobayashi), a scout and overseer of Ginza bar hostesses, receives an urgent phone call from Sawako, a hostess at the bar Rie, and rushes to Tokyo International Airport to meet her. When he arrives she is gone. At the bar he learns that Tabuchi, a steady customer, had been quite friendly with Sawako and may know something. Tabuchi claims he knows nothing and Kagari lets the matter drop. Over time Kagari learns from Takijima, a businessman, that Sawako is in a hospital in Yokohama. Takijima explains that he found her in Singapore working as a street girl and brought her back to Japan. Sawako had lost her memory after being subjected to narcotics. Kagari swears to find the person responsible.
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Peonies And Dragons
Title: Peonies And Dragons
Released: January 15, 1970
Type: Movie
Yakuza Ryuichi, nicknamed the Dragon-killer, went on a journey with his son Tatsuo after he lost his wife. Due to Tatsuo's sudden illness, Ryuichi had money problems, and he became dependent on the head of the local tekiya and finds himself involved in the tekiya war with the Yakuza.
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Bloody Territories
Title: Bloody Territories
Character: Yuuji Komatsu, Oonogi Clan senior member
Released: July 26, 1969
Type: Movie
A once-powerful yakuza clan disbands as a result of a police crackdown, but one small group refuses to bow to police pressure, and launches a campaign to take over Tokyo's drug, prostitution, and gambling rackets. Someone wants to stop them. Is it the police? Rival gang members? Or is it an entirely new group of hired killers who will stop at nothing to gain complete control of Tokyo's "bloody territories"?
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Rising Dragon: Soft Skin Gambler
Title: Rising Dragon: Soft Skin Gambler
Released: July 12, 1969
Type: Movie
Japanese crime film
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Family Crest: Loyalty Offering Hell
Title: Family Crest: Loyalty Offering Hell
Character: One-eyed Ipponmatsu
Released: June 24, 1969
Type: Movie
Nonaka Tetsugoro, a substitute for the Aoi group, held a flower party to celebrate the complete recovery of his boss. However, three rival bosses, trying to steal the Aoi's territory, made take-over plans in the shadows. The second in the two part Daimon series movies.
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The Rough One
Title: The Rough One
Character: Yuji
Released: June 13, 1969
Type: Movie
A tale of wannabe yakuza youths. When not cooking up scams with his buddies, Zenkichi develops a crush on Taro's disgusted sister, Miki. But soon the young hoods run afoul of their underworld idols when they rob the wrong gang, led by brutal boss Konno. When Zenkichi's pals start to bite the dust, he hooks up with a more traditional yakuza, Tetsugoro, to retaliate.
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The Elder Sister
Title: The Elder Sister
Character: Goro Fujikawa
Released: June 9, 1969
Type: Movie
Follows the struggles of a yakuza wife after his husband gets hurt in a knife fight.
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Women's Police: Part II
Title: Women's Police: Part II
Character: Masaaki Kagari
Released: May 28, 1969
Type: Movie
Masaaki Kagari (Akira Kobayashi) is the recruiter and protector of hostesses at the Club Rose. One day he visits Club Aron, to complain about attempts to lure hostesses from Club Rose. Aron's madam Hisayo reminds him of a tragic experience five years before, when a lovely girl named Kumi committed double suicide with a man in a hotel. For Aron's madam is Kumi's elder sister. Kagari's friend Hayazaki introduces him to Chie, the young sister of the man who died with Kumi, who has come to Tokyo to learn the truth about her brother's death. Kagari sends them both away. But he continues to be haunted by the warmed-over memories. When Club Aron is found selling bootleg whisky Kagari learns that Hisayo has been a tool in the hands of the Akune group who are also responsible for trying to steal his girls, and that Fujikura, the public prosecutor who presided over the case of Kumi's death and ruled it suicide, is now the personal lawyer of the Akune group...
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100 Gamblers
Title: 100 Gamblers
Released: May 14, 1969
Type: Movie
Set in Kyushu during the early Showa period, the son of a boss who is killed after a greedy boss takes over his territory, takes over and takes revenge on his nemesis.
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Rising Dragon: Red-Hot Iron Skin
Title: Rising Dragon: Red-Hot Iron Skin
Released: March 29, 1969
Type: Movie
Japanese crime film
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Women's Police
Title: Women's Police
Character: Masaaki Kagari
Released: February 8, 1969
Type: Movie
Around Ginza there is a night-city of bars and cabarets, hostesses, customers. Assisting to keep order here is Kagari (Akira Kobayashi) who specializes in the women, their problems and troubles. He has saved many a girl from blandishments of pimps, makes customers pay up and women play straight. So he is called 'the woman's police-man' and he takes his job seriously. One day, Chiyoko (Yukiyo Toake), a former hostess, comes to him. Her husband has been murdered and she wants help. The man had been a college classmate and Kagari decides to do what he can. In his investigation he overturns a whole nest of intrigue. Men he had thought irreproachable turn out to be corrupt; solid citizens are seen as the worst kind of scoundrels. Until now, Kagari has specialized in women and their problems. But, realizing the real state of affairs, he rolls up his sleeves for a good cleaning- up-at the same time discovering the murderer of his friend.
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Exiled to Hell
Title: Exiled to Hell
Character: Koiso Kikuji
Released: January 22, 1969
Type: Movie
It is the end of the Taisho era (1912-1926), and at the Hanazuki-tei theatre in Asakusa, the famous performance of storyteller Koiso Kikuji and performer Kataoka Koshin is reaching its climax when the Tawaraya family interferes... This is an entertaining action film bursting with righteousness and humanity, centred on men who try to live righteously against a corrupt boss who preys on the performers.
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Three Rogues
Title: Three Rogues
Released: October 19, 1968
Type: Movie
Two lone wolf yakuza (Hideki Takahashi and Kunie Tanaka) rob a gambling den, then split up when pursued by the angry gang. They eventually meet again at Tanaka's mother's rural farmhouse. By then, one-eyed Kobayashi has wrangled his way into the scenario, intending to get a split of the proceeds (since he had helped them get away). Although there is some dissension amongst the three, they eventually close ranks to fend off their stubborn, relentless pursuers. Unhappily, Tanaka’s mother (Chieko Naniwa) is killed in the process. There are also love interests (Yoshiko Machida and Kayo Matsuo) and some humor along the way. An admirably different approach to the formulaic ninkyo yakuza programmer, filmed largely in sweltering summer countryside locations.
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Retaliation
Title: Retaliation
Character: Kojiro Samukawa
Released: October 5, 1968
Type: Movie
Emerging from a stint in prison, yakuza lieutenant Sumukawa discovers that his gang has disintegrated. An ambitious type, he quickly hooks up with another gang who promise him a prominent position if he helps them deal with a rival family. But bonds are made to be broken, and pledges of loyalty soon give way to competition, betrayal and — naturally — retaliation.
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Duel in the Storm
Title: Duel in the Storm
Character: Seijiro Tamimura
Released: August 1, 1968
Type: Movie
It is the Taisho era in Japan. A man has quit the Yakuza after five years and returned to Shikoku in order to begin his life anew as a ferryman. His boss, however, became ill and the boat is taken due to unpaid debts to the local thugs. His new life has not begun well and he is determined to rebuild the shattered business. The Yakuza, however, have added the ferry business to the rest of their portfolio of local concerns.
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Diamonds of the Andes
Title: Diamonds of the Andes
Released: April 28, 1968
Type: Movie
Romantic action film set against the beautiful backdrop of Rio de Janeiro. Jiro Ibuki has decided to leave the world of the yakuza and live with his fiancée Reiko.
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Dice and Swords
Title: Dice and Swords
Released: January 13, 1968
Type: Movie
The year is 1926. It has been three years since the Great Kanto earthquake hit Tokyo. Everything is being rebuilt from the ground up. Odera crime syndicate saw this as an opportunity to expand its territory. The Odera boss arranges marriage between his daughter Orin (Ruriko Asaoka) and the son of notorious Gyotoku clan, but Orin’s heart belonged to Shinjiro (Yujiro Ishihara), a member of her father’s clan.
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My Sweetheart
Title: My Sweetheart
Character: Director Sudo
Released: November 3, 1967
Type: Movie
It had been a year and four months since Mitsuo was last on a movie set. Welcomed back by director Ishizaki and his film crew, Mitsuo is excited to star as the lead in "My Sweetheart". One day, half way through production, he meets his friends from a popular rock group, "The Spiders". Through their discussion regarding the climax scene, they criticize that the script is too grim. In a notion to protect their friend's career, they decide to pay the scriptwriter a little visit.
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Three Seconds to Zero Hour
Title: Three Seconds to Zero Hour
Character: Yabuki
Released: October 21, 1967
Type: Movie
“I like shady dealings,” purrs undercover superspy Yabuki en route to infiltrating a sadistic, trigger-happy gang of international jewel thieves. Gone renegade from the shadowy espionage bureau that honed his killer instincts to a razor’s edge, the implacable Yabuki teams up with fellow mercenary crime fighter Yamawaki. Together, they follow a trail of stolen gems leading from the final days of WWII to a contemporary conspiracy that reaches into the highest corridors of corporate power and nefarious international villainy.
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The Singing Gunman
Title: The Singing Gunman
Released: June 28, 1967
Type: Movie
Fourth film in the Aitsu series. The outlaw-cum-travelling guitarist discovers that his friend has been killed by the gangsters who held up the bullion transport.
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The Reckless One
Title: The Reckless One
Released: April 9, 1967
Type: Movie
Kosuke Suzuki returns to Hakata's hometown after learning that his best friend Takehara has disappeared. Kosuke is persistently hindered by Hasebe from Omura Sangyo. Kosuke's partner Kumagoro investigates and finds out that Hasebe, who killed the head of the Muraoka clan, made Takehara disappear in order to keep him silent. The third film in the series.
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Immortal Guy
Title: Immortal Guy
Released: January 14, 1967
Type: Movie
Kosuke Suzuki was presumed dead after boss Toseikai Setouchi lynched him and threw him into the sea off the coast of Kobe. However, three months later, Kosuke suddenly appears in Kagoshima and reunites with his partner, the vagrant Kumagoro. However, Kosuke's relief does not last long, he learns from Kumagoro that Toseikai are acting ruthlessly here too.
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新遊侠伝
Title: 新遊侠伝
Released: November 20, 1966
Type: Movie
In this town, Kagosuke and Ryukichi of the Okamoto family, who are deeply committed to the yakuza way, are straightforward and justice-loving hot-blooded men. However, their slight clumsiness is a flaw, but they are extremely strong in fights, and there's no one who can match them. They are head over heels for Osen-san. They are both desperately unwilling to yield even if the other is a brother.
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Fearless Comrades
Title: Fearless Comrades
Released: October 8, 1966
Type: Movie
The first film in the Fearless Guy series. Kosuke was part of a huge organized crime group, but decided to leave after his best friend died a brutal death at the hands of the gang leader. He goes on a trip with a guitar in his hand and ends up in Yokohama. The guitar he plays at the bar in the evening was given to him by his late best friend. At the bar, Kosuke meets Kumagoro. Kosuke saves Kumagoro from bandits. Kumagoro is a funny man, he came to this city to reunite with the woman he swore to marry. Kosuke decides to settle in this city and help him find his beloved, but the future of this city is not cloudless either, because the cruel Yakuza is in power in the city, and soon Kosuke will have to fight with him...
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Black Tight Killers
Title: Black Tight Killers
Character: Daisuke Hondo
Released: February 12, 1966
Type: Movie
Daisuke Honda, a war photographer in Vietnam, meets Yuriko Sawanouchi, a stewardess on his plane back to Japan. After drinking with her at a Tokyo bar, he becomes involved in saving Yuriko from assassination by stylish, female ninjas. When trying to rescue Yuriko from kidnappers, Daisuke discovers a group of foreigners are hunting for a WWII-era treasure hidden on an island by Yuriko's father.
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The Black Gambler: Left Hand of the Devil
Title: The Black Gambler: Left Hand of the Devil
Released: January 27, 1966
Type: Movie
The fictional land "Pandora" sends three (numbered) graduates of the "National Gambling University" to Japan. You should defeat the master player Kôji, control the international casino empire and use the profits to achieve world domination. But Japan's most famous left hand knows what to do.
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The Dragon of Macao
Title: The Dragon of Macao
Character: Ryu
Released: December 18, 1965
Type: Movie
Ryu (Akira Kobayashi) sets foot on the Yokohama port with a suitcase filled with 300 thousand dollars. He was sent by a jewelry company in Hong Kong to retrieve a certain diamond that was stolen from them. The "Himalayan Star" is worth couple hundred million yen and unbeknown to Ryu, it now lays in the hands of Aizu (Jo Shishido), the infamous ”Pirate of the Tokyo Bay."
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Bastards Without Borders
Title: Bastards Without Borders
Character: Shinsuke Henmi
Released: November 13, 1965
Type: Movie
Counterfeit Japanese dollars are connected to a large-scale underground drug organization. An action masterpiece with Akira Kobayashi, in the role of an international secret police officer who challenges organizations throughout the world.
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The Black Gambler: Murderous Dice
Title: The Black Gambler: Murderous Dice
Character: Koji Himuro
Released: October 8, 1965
Type: Movie
As a foreign gambling ring tries to take over the Japanese underworld, Himuro the ace gambler must face their leader - and his dangerous gadgets…
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The Black Gambler
Title: The Black Gambler
Released: August 1, 1965
Type: Movie
Place your bets! Koji Himuro (Akira Kobayashi) is a makeout artist with unparalleled gambling skills. Shortly after his return to Tokyo, he is invited to attend a reception being held at the Suvenian Embassy of Tokyo. This “reception” was an undercover gambling operation that was run by an international gambling syndicate. Up against a cardsharp by the name of Inumaru and his mistress Reiko, Koji plays a flawless game of Seven Bridge. Outraged by his loss, Inumaru orders Reiko to stalk Koji like a shadow.
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Gambling is My Destiny
Title: Gambling is My Destiny
Released: April 4, 1965
Type: Movie
Shadowed and alone. Today, a melancholy guitar sobs in a wandering seaside town.... To make amends, he hides his identity and saves his girlfriend's sister from certain death. Filmed on location on the scenic Manazuru Peninsula, the action is set amidst rugged rocky terrain and raging waves!
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Traveling Alone with a Guitar
Title: Traveling Alone with a Guitar
Released: December 19, 1964
Type: Movie
Kobayashi Akira stars as a wandering musician, who lost his brother and lover to dishonest rival Henmi. The third work in Nikkatsu's "Gambler" series.
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The Call of Blood
Title: The Call of Blood
Character: Ryôta Asari
Released: October 3, 1964
Type: Movie
Two brothers seek revenge on the yakuza responsible for the death of their father.
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A Wandering Gambler
Title: A Wandering Gambler
Released: August 5, 1964
Type: Movie
Koji Himuro, a brilliant gambler, was killed by his brother and lover for discovering cheating gambling. As a result, he vows never to roll the dice, but gets involved in the incident everywhere he goes. The first in the "Black Gambler Series". The feature of this series is that the existing gag was mainly created by accumulating lines and small actions, but in this series, gag is done by exaggerated gimmicks. Film critic Hideo Nishiwaki points out that it may be the influence of the 007 movie series.
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Punishment of a Lawless Villian
Title: Punishment of a Lawless Villian
Released: March 25, 1964
Type: Movie
In the early Meiji era, two contrasting craftsmen, who had been bound by a ten-year strong friendship, suddenly hated each other and face many obstacles. Adapted from Shugoro Yamamoto novel.
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The Flower and the Angry Waves
Title: The Flower and the Angry Waves
Released: February 8, 1964
Type: Movie
A young yakuza in love with the girl who's to marry his clan oyabun, kidnaps the girl before fleeing with her. In Tokyo, he hides under the identity of a worker while the young woman becomes a waitress in a restaurant.
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Tale on Tokai Chivalry
Title: Tale on Tokai Chivalry
Released: January 12, 1964
Type: Movie
The film is set in Fukagawa in the early Showa period and depicts a fateful confrontation between two men who rise and fall in a black stream, trying to live a real human life, violating the cruel laws of the passing generation.
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Kanto Wanderer
Title: Kanto Wanderer
Character: Katsuta
Released: November 23, 1963
Type: Movie
Handsome young Katsuta tries to follow the yakuza code, but even his boss doesn't believe in it. Diamond Fuyu is less ethical, and allows the idiotic Tetsu to trick a schoolgirl he fancies, Hanako, into a type of bonded prostitution. Because of gang conflict, the Izu family (to whom Katsuta belongs) has their last gambling den taken over, and he seeks revenge. This brings him back into contact with a former lover who is also a card trickster - she is also Diamond Fuyu's sister, and is now married to Okaru-Hachi, who has mastered a clever card cheating trick called Okaru, which involves the deft use of mirrors.
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Whirlwind Call the Storm - Ginza Hoodlum's Diary
Title: Whirlwind Call the Storm - Ginza Hoodlum's Diary
Released: August 31, 1963
Type: Movie
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Ore wa Jigoku no Butaichou
Title: Ore wa Jigoku no Butaichou
Released: April 28, 1963
Type: Movie
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Badge of the Night
Title: Badge of the Night
Released: March 31, 1963
Type: Movie
A noir action whodunit with Kobayashi his usual jaunty self as the smart aleck private eye whose missing person search soon becomes a murder case. Nightclub-managing, drug-dealing gangster Uchida is the prime suspect in the case until he commits suicide. Kobayashi then discovers evidence that points to the doctor sibling of an innocent girl. The climax in a rural snowy locale is suspenseful and well-staged.
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Utau abarenbō
Title: Utau abarenbō
Released: December 26, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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Bōkyō no umi
Title: Bōkyō no umi
Released: October 21, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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Jigoku no yoru wa shinkuda ze
Title: Jigoku no yoru wa shinkuda ze
Released: September 22, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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The Rambler Returns Home
Title: The Rambler Returns Home
Character: Hiroshi Taki
Released: August 12, 1962
Type: Movie
Final installment of THE WANDERING GUITARIST series.
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Dahil Sa Iyo – The Song of Sad Love
Title: Dahil Sa Iyo – The Song of Sad Love
Character: Jun Yamakawa
Released: July 15, 1962
Type: Movie
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帰ってきた旋風児
Title: 帰ってきた旋風児
Released: June 10, 1962
Type: Movie
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Song of a Traveller
Title: Song of a Traveller
Released: May 20, 1962
Type: Movie
A crime film released in 1962
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Yume ga ippai abarenbō
Title: Yume ga ippai abarenbō
Released: April 1, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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Love in the Air
Title: Love in the Air
Character: Shōji Satake
Released: February 3, 1962
Type: Movie
Satake Shoji had been a trapeze artist in the Ezaki Circus, but when Shingo, his team mate, slipped and fell to his death, he had felt responsible and, sick at heart, left the circus for a life at sea. On land again Shoji goes to a cabaret where he is soon involved in a brawl. Kasamatsu, the owner of the cabaret, impressed by Shoji's strength, offers him a job as his bodyguard. The next morning Shoji visits Shingo's grave and meets Miyako, Shingo's former sweetheart, who is still a trapeze performer and now the star of the Kuroko Circus which Shoji realizes Kasamatsu intends to control.
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The Rambler Goes North
Title: The Rambler Goes North
Released: January 3, 1962
Type: Movie
In the nine part Wataridori series (1959-1962), Kobayashi played a wanderer on Japan’s back roads with most of the accoutrements of a Western hero, from a horse to fringes, guitar and even a trusty bullwhip.
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The Black Scar
Title: The Black Scar
Released: December 10, 1961
Type: Movie
A yakuza frames another yakuza who goes to jail for 5 years. When he is released he goes to seek revenge only to fall in love with the daughter of the man who framed him.
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Dai shinrin ni mukatte tatsu
Title: Dai shinrin ni mukatte tatsu
Released: September 23, 1961
Type: Movie
Strife between competing lumber mills.
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The Plateau Man
Title: The Plateau Man
Released: August 13, 1961
Type: Movie
Japanese Western set at a mountain ranch in Kyushu.
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Rambling in the Sea
Title: Rambling in the Sea
Released: April 29, 1961
Type: Movie
Seventh in the nine-film series, "The Wandering Guitarist".
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Ginza Whirlwind: The Call of the Storm
Title: Ginza Whirlwind: The Call of the Storm
Character: Ginza Whirlwind
Released: February 25, 1961
Type: Movie
The Ginza Whirlwind (Akira Kobayashi) attempts to solve a murder.
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The Rambler under the Southern Cross
Title: The Rambler under the Southern Cross
Released: January 3, 1961
Type: Movie
In the nine part Wataridori series (1959-1962), Kobayashi played a wanderer on Japan’s back roads with most of the accoutrements of a Western hero, from a horse to fringes, guitar and even a trusty bullwhip.
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The Angry Rambler
Title: The Angry Rambler
Released: November 16, 1960
Type: Movie
Fourth installment of Nikkatsu's "Drifter" series, with Kobayashi Akira.
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The Rambler Rides Again
Title: The Rambler Rides Again
Character: Shinji
Released: October 12, 1960
Type: Movie
In this fifth episode of the "Wataridori" series, Taki Shinji (Kobayashi Akira) drifts north to Hokkaido, where he helps protect an Ainu village from unscrupulous land developers.
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The Rambler on a Pearl Farm
Title: The Rambler on a Pearl Farm
Released: September 3, 1960
Type: Movie
Set in Uwajima, Shikoku, an action film starring Akira Kobayashi who uncovers evils related to pearl farming.
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The Tokyo Mighty Guy
Title: The Tokyo Mighty Guy
Character: Jirô Shimizu
Released: July 29, 1960
Type: Movie
Mega star Akira Kobayashi stars as Jiro in the rambunctious tale of a chef who opens a restaurant in the busy Ginza district. His culinary skills and dashing good looks bring in the women as well as unwanted trouble, while an explosive political scandal builds around his girlfriend’s business...
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The Rambler in the Sunset
Title: The Rambler in the Sunset
Released: July 1, 1960
Type: Movie
The young rambler, Shinji Taki, with his guitar arrives a hot spa town at the foot of Mount Aizu Bandai. Of course he solves the problems in the town while encountering the sinister rival, Masa "the pistol guy".
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Wind of Volcano
Title: Wind of Volcano
Released: May 28, 1960
Type: Movie
An airplane loaded with 50 million yen for the reconstruction of Amami Oshima crashes en route from Kagoshima, Kyushu, but neither the money nor the remains of the pilot can be found.
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Return of the Vagabond
Title: Return of the Vagabond
Released: April 23, 1960
Type: Movie
The 3rd film of the famous "Wataridori" (The Rambler) series from Nikkatsu. The young rambler, Shinji Taki (Akira Kobayashi), with his guitar arrives in Sadogashima Island, Niigata, Japan. Of course, Shinji meets yet another beautiful girl named Noriko, who closely resembles the famous actress Ruriko Asaoka again. Of course, Noriko is in trouble. Of course, Shinji's yet another skilled rival named "Tetsu, the Gunman" comes to Sado shortly. Of course, the villain tries to kill Shinji and Tetsu. Of course, Shinji solves the problem and leaves Sado suddenly.
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He's the Witness
Title: He's the Witness
Released: March 26, 1960
Type: Movie
Takuya witnesses the homicide of the detective leading an investigation into the murder of the chairman of the People’s Economic Association, and he disguises himself.
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The Guitarist from the Sea
Title: The Guitarist from the Sea
Released: February 28, 1960
Type: Movie
Plans to build a touristic hot spring on the island of Izu Oshima run afoul of the Kobe yakuza group, which intends to use the island as a relay base for drug smuggling.
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The Guitarist and the Rancher
Title: The Guitarist and the Rancher
Released: January 3, 1960
Type: Movie
Rambler Shinji arrives in town armed with nothing but a guitar. With assistance from an old gun-for-hire friend, he sets about to stop the mob from turning an honest ranch into a gambling resort.
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Who is in the Background?
Title: Who is in the Background?
Released: December 6, 1959
Type: Movie
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The Rambling Guitarist
Title: The Rambling Guitarist
Character: Taki
Released: October 11, 1959
Type: Movie
Arriving in the town of Hakodate, a wandering musician, Shinji Taki, is soon recruited by the local gang as a hired hand. However, with the arrival of a sinister gunman, Taki's mysterious past catches up with him.
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The Human Cyclone
Title: The Human Cyclone
Character: Takuya Nikaidō (The "Ginza Whirlwind")
Released: September 20, 1959
Type: Movie
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Farewell to Southern Tosa
Title: Farewell to Southern Tosa
Released: August 2, 1959
Type: Movie
Story of an ex-con trying to go straight, but of course the old ways die hard.
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若い豹のむれ
Title: 若い豹のむれ
Released: June 16, 1959
Type: Movie
A blockbuster youth action film that explodes with the charm of Maiko Guy and Akira, based on the serialized novel in Nikkan Sports by Yoshirō Akinaga, now adapted for the screen. Due to the passage of time since the film's release, some scenes may be marred by visual and audio distortions. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.
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I Will Challenge
Title: I Will Challenge
Released: April 8, 1959
Type: Movie
Akira, a student who is professionally engaged in boxing, aspires to follow in the footsteps of his late father and become a champion when, during training, he becomes embroiled in a murder case. His school friend is involved in the case, and Akira also becomes the target of villains...
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Friendship of Jazz
Title: Friendship of Jazz
Character: Minoru Hata
Released: January 3, 1959
Type: Movie
Kenichi, who lives like a stray dog among fellow gangsters, finds his love for the first time while the police are trying to catch him on suspicion of murder.
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The Perfect Game
Title: The Perfect Game
Character: Sôji Ôki
Released: November 11, 1958
Type: Movie
College students come up with a scam to rob a gambling house. When it comes time to collect, the money isn't there, leading the young men into even more serious crime.
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Zesshou
Title: Zesshou
Character: Junkichi Sonoda
Released: October 15, 1958
Type: Movie
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Young Breasts
Title: Young Breasts
Released: September 8, 1958
Type: Movie
A delinquent young man (Kobayashi Akira) from a wealthy family decides to get in on a blackmailing scheme targeting his young stepmother (Watanabe Misako). However, he doesn't realize that his fellow blackmailers have their eyes on his girlfriend next.
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The Boy Who Came Back
Title: The Boy Who Came Back
Character: Нобуо Касахара
Released: June 29, 1958
Type: Movie
Nobuo is a hot-headed hoodlum fresh out of reform school who struggles to make a clean break with his tearaway past.
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The Nun
Title: The Nun
Character: Akio Agata
Released: May 6, 1958
Type: Movie
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Rusty Knife
Title: Rusty Knife
Character: Makoto Terada
Released: March 11, 1958
Type: Movie
Udaka is a new, post-war city where corruption has already taken hold. A persistent district attorney wants to arrest and convict Katsumata, a laughing, self-confident thug. The D.A. gets an anonymous letter about the suicide five years' before of a city council member. Evidence about the case leads the D.A. to Tachibana, struggling to go straight after involvement with the mob and a prison sentence for killing the man responsible for the rape and suicide of his fiancée. One of Tachibana's friends is Keiko, the daughter of the dead councilman and the ward of another powerful official. How do these stories connect?
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A Sun-Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era
Title: A Sun-Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era
Character: Genzui Kusaka
Released: July 14, 1957
Type: Movie
Saheji, a man-about-town, gets stuck at a high-class brothel when he can’t pay the bill. He makes the best of his situation by performing various tasks amidst the tumult of the end of the shogunate—but always by making sure to get a “commission” for his troubles.
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Who's The Real Killer
Title: Who's The Real Killer
Character: Jiro
Released: July 3, 1957
Type: Movie
Harsh film about a car dealer who gets into financial trouble.
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This Day's Life
Title: This Day's Life
Released: June 26, 1957
Type: Movie
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The Champion
Title: The Champion
Character: Cameo
Released: May 1, 1957
Type: Movie
Eikichi Yamashiro, who is a former contender for the boxing title, works as a manager at a Club Champion owned by his fiancé Natsuko’s father. He lost a title match five years ago as he was besotted by Natsuko, but Eikichi actually cannot give up the dream of the championship. One day, he meets Shuntaro Fuma, who is a punk kid but a promising boxer, and realizes the dream that he himself could never fulfill. Then, they together start to train with the aim of the title. Mari Shiraki is an up-and-coming ballerina under the patronage of Eikichi as well. Eikichi forbids Shuntaro and Mari to be romantically involved with someone during their training, however, they start to go on a date. (source: Nikkatsu International)
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Hungry Soul, Part II
Title: Hungry Soul, Part II
Character: Akira Ogouchi
Released: November 28, 1956
Type: Movie
A continuation of Hungry Soul, from the same year. Reiko, who tolerates abuse in her marriage to a man 23 years her senior, is friends with Mayumi, a beautiful widow. Reiko meets her husband’s business rival, a young, capable businessman, and falls for him. Meanwhile, Mayumi enters into a relationship with Shimotsuma, a friend of her late husband.
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Hungry Soul
Title: Hungry Soul
Character: Akira Ogouchi
Released: October 31, 1956
Type: Movie
Reiko, who tolerates abuse in her marriage to a man 23 years her senior, is friends with Mayumi, a beautiful widow. Reiko meets her husband’s business rival, a young, capable businessman, and falls for him. Meanwhile, Mayumi enters into a relationship with Shimotsuma, a friend of her late husband.