Kazuo Umezz

Kazuo Umezz

Born: September 3, 1936
in Kōya, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Kazuo Umezu or Kazuo Umezz (楳図 かずお, Umezu Kazuo, birth name 楳図一雄; born September 3, 1936) is a Japanese manga artist, musician and actor. Starting his career in the 1950s, he is among the most famous artists of horror manga and has been vital for its development, considered the "god of horror manga". In 1960s shōjo manga like Reptilia, he broke the industry's conventions by combining the aesthetics of the commercial manga industry with gruesome visual imagery inspired by Japanese folktales, which created a boom of horror manga and influenced manga artists of following generations. He created successful manga series such as The Drifting Classroom, Makoto-chan and My Name Is Shingo, until he retired from drawing manga in the mid 1990s. He is also a public figure in Japan, known for wearing red-and-white-striped shirts and doing his signature "Gwash" hand gesture.

Movies for Kazuo Umezz...

Kaidan. Strange Stories of Japanese Ghosts
Title: Kaidan. Strange Stories of Japanese Ghosts
Character: Himself
Released: October 12, 2023
Type: Movie
An exploration of the spirit world as portrayed in the height of the J-horror era of the late ‘90s.
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Title: 吉祥寺だけが住みたい街ですか?
Character: Kazuo Umezu
Released: October 15, 2016
Type: TV
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Why Horror?
Title: Why Horror?
Character: Self
Released: October 3, 2014
Type: Movie
Horror fan Tal Zimerman examines the psychology of horror around the world to find out why people love to be scared.
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Gu Gu, the Cat
Title: Gu Gu, the Cat
Character: Umezu
Released: September 6, 2008
Type: Movie
Asako, a comic book artist in her early forties, is devastated by the death of her precious cat, Saba, which kept her company for over 15 years, as her assistant Naomi watches on with concern. Naomi is a young woman in her early twenties, who has her set of worries about love and future. Then one day, Asako meets a new cat, Gu Gu, which brings new joy and vitality to her life. What is more, she finds potential for love in a man named Seiji. Like Asako, Naomi, too, embarks on a new life plan.
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God's Left Hand, Devil's Right Hand
Title: God's Left Hand, Devil's Right Hand
Released: June 22, 2006
Type: Movie
What's scary is being a human being, and what's scary is being myself. Truly horrifying things reside inside oneself. The work asks if you can stand the inescapable terror.
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Tokyo Zombie
Title: Tokyo Zombie
Character: Akiyama / Prince
Released: December 10, 2005
Type: Movie
Two Japanese friends accidentally kill their boss and dump his remains in Black Fuji, a mountain/landfill hybrid. This leads to poor results when the chemicals of the landfill mix with the corpse (and many other corpses) to give rise to a zombie infestation in Tokyo.
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Yaji & Kita: The Midnight Pilgrims
Title: Yaji & Kita: The Midnight Pilgrims
Character: Old Man
Released: April 2, 2005
Type: Movie
Yaji and Kita are two men who live in Edo. They are deeply in love. Yaji is married to a woman, while Kita is an actor addicted to various drugs.
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Title: Gaki no Tsukai No Laughing Batsu Game
Character: Guest
Released: July 27, 2003
Type: TV
After participating to a previous show where they have to bet or be challenged to any kind of competitions, the losing members of the Gaki no Tsukai are selected to spend 24 hours in a setting which they have no knowledge of the theme nor the course of the events. They are exposed to various absurd and crazy situations nonstop for 24 hours and must refrain from laughing. If they do so, hang-men appear and hit the rule breakers with a weapon (the weapon varies every year).
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Gozamareji
Title: Gozamareji
Released: April 26, 2003
Type: Movie
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Kazuo Umezu's Terror Zone: Horror!
Title: Kazuo Umezu's Terror Zone: Horror!
Released: January 1, 1993
Type: Movie
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Monster Heaven: Ghost Hero
Title: Monster Heaven: Ghost Hero
Released: July 28, 1990
Type: Movie
A major electronics company on the verge of developing technology to create a 3D image that can be physically handled is thrown into turmoil when a murderous demon is unleashed in the headquarters office. Can the slow witted son of the company founder and a punk rock band of monsters (don’t ask) stop the evil forces before the employees are butchered?
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Monster Heaven
Title: Monster Heaven
Released: September 21, 1986
Type: Movie
An anthology of strange horror tales featuring yokai. It begins with astronauts finding a katana on the moon.
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Makoto-chan
Title: Makoto-chan
Released: July 26, 1980
Type: Movie
The series follows the odd life of kindergartener Makoto Sawada and his family. Makoto gets into all sorts of toilet and adult humor. He sometimes dresses in his mother's and sister's clothing, and often has a long strand of mucus dangling from his nose.
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The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch
Title: The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch
Character: Taxi Driver
Released: December 14, 1968
Type: Movie
Up until this point, young Sayuri Nanjo has had to live most of her life in a nun-run boarding school for orphans and away from her parents. That's all about to change when her real father mysteriously comes to get her and finally bring her home.
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Hoodlum Soldier
Title: Hoodlum Soldier
Released: March 18, 1965
Type: Movie
A young intellectual conscientious objector is forced to serve with the Japanese army in Manchuria. He joins with a dim-witted former gangster in an effort to desert by stealing a train.