Masanobu Ando

Masanobu Ando

Born: May 19, 1975
in Kanagawa, Japan
Masanobu Ando  (安藤 政信, Andō Masanobu, born May 19, 1975 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese actor and director.

For his second film, in 1996, he won the Film Academy of Japan's Best New Actor Award, starring in Takeshi Kitano's Kids Return.

Ando has extensive experience in both Japanese television drama and film and has played a large variety of different roles: mentally challenged (Innocent World), bank robber (Space Travelers, Drive), doctor (Transparent), ninja and samurai (Red Shadow), even a corpse (Monday). Out of all of Ando's characters, he is best known for his role as Kazuo Kiriyama, the heartless, psychopathic killer in the controversial film, Battle Royale (2000). He also played an art forger in the low-budget Battle Royale parody Tokyo 10+01 (2003).

As well as acting, Ando has been in Japanese ad campaigns for the popular Japanese snack food, Pocky, Toyota, and for DoCoMo mobile phones.

In 2003, he directed his first film, Adagietto. Sehr langsam, starring Japanese actress, Kumiko Aso. The short is included in Hiroyuki Nakano's Peacedelic compilation called Short Films. In it, he also stars in the short, 県道スター (loosely translated to "Prefectural road star").

In his spare time, he enjoys photography and shopping

Description above from the Wikipedia article Masanobu Ando, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Movies for Masanobu Ando...

Hidden Things
Title: Hidden Things
Released: June 7, 2024
Type: Movie
Chisako Satoya, a writer, and her father, Kozo, had a long-standing feud and had been living apart for a long time. However now that Kozo, who lives alone, has dementia, she returns to her hometown to begin taking care of him.
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City Hunter
Title: City Hunter
Character: Hideyuki Makimura
Released: April 24, 2024
Type: Movie
An exceptional marksman and hopeless playboy, private eye Ryo Saeba reluctantly forms an alliance with his late partner's sister to investigate his death.
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Title: House of the Owl
Character: Ichiro Ogami
Released: April 24, 2024
Type: TV
At the height of his career and powers, Japan's master fixer, who has guided politicians and business heads through some of Japan's biggest scandals, discovers that fixing his family is harder than fixing a country.
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The Yin-Yang Master Zero
Title: The Yin-Yang Master Zero
Character: Sadafumi Heguri
Released: April 19, 2024
Type: Movie
An original story telling how Abe no Seimei became the most powerful sorcerer in the age before he became an Onmyoji.
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Title: Destiny
Character: Okuda Takashi
Released: April 9, 2024
Type: TV
When an estranged friend resurfaces after 12 years, a prosecutor starts connecting disjointed events to unveil the truth behind her father's tragic death.
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Title: My Second Aoharu
Character: Hinata Shogo
Released: October 17, 2023
Type: TV
Shiratama Sayako has never experienced much good luck. Since she was a child, she dreamed of becoming an architect. She studied hard, but she repeatedly failed her university entrance exams. Now, she is 30 years old and works in a field far away from her ideal job. One day, she happens to meet mysterious university student Ogasawara Taku. She tells him about her past dream of becoming an architect. Ogasawara Taku tells her that it is never too late and that she can still get accepted into a university. Inspired by their talk, Shiratama Sayako decides to study once again for her university entrance exams. After she studies so hard, she finally gets accepted into a university. There, Shiratama Sayako meets Ogasawara Taku again, who is a senior in the architecture department.
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Rohan at the Louvre
Title: Rohan at the Louvre
Character: Ryunosuke Tatsumi
Released: May 26, 2023
Type: Movie
The blackest and most evil painting in the world. In pursuit of its mystery, Rohan Kishibe, a manga artist with a special power, visits the Louvre in France. There, a number of horrifying events await him.
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The Setting Sun
Title: The Setting Sun
Character: Jiro Uehara
Released: November 4, 2022
Type: Movie
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Thousand and One Nights
Title: Thousand and One Nights
Character: Yoji Tamura
Released: October 6, 2022
Type: Movie
Tomiko, a middle-aged woman, waits patiently for her husband, who disappeared thirty years ago, to return. She lives alone in a declining fishing village, and continues to search tirelessly for her husband. One day she meets Nami, whose husband has also disappeared.
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Title: Pandora's Fruit
Character: Caen Karl
Released: April 23, 2022
Type: TV
Kohiruimaki Yuichi is a police officer who established the "Science Crime Countermeasures Office", a department that specializes in issues related to cutting-edge science and technology. He welcomes the genius scientist Mogami Yukiko as an advisor and she is in charge of investigating cases related to cutting-edge science. The crimes entrusted to the Science Crime Countermeasures Office are crimes that the legal system and police organization cannot keep up with. The two will unravel the science itself hidden behind the cases and not just the so-called forensic investigation. Hasebe Tsutomu is a detective who is not familiar with science but has a long experience in the field in the former Investigation Division.
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Title: Fishbowl Wives
Character: Takuya Hiraga
Released: February 14, 2022
Type: TV
Due to an accident, Sakura Hiraga gave up on her dream. She is now married and her husband runs a hair salon. They live in a luxurious penthouse apartment. Her life seems glamorous and she is envied by everyone. What everyone does not know is that Sakura Hiraga is abused physically and verbally by her husband. She is unable to leave her situation. Sakura Hiraga considers herself a goldfish in a fishbowl. One day, due to a goldfish, she meets a man.
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My Brother, The Android And Me
Title: My Brother, The Android And Me
Released: January 7, 2022
Type: Movie
A lonely researcher doubting his own existence builds an android which looks exactly like himself.
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Title: Gossip
Character: Masaki Niwa
Released: January 6, 2022
Type: TV
Ririko Seko (Kuroki Haru), who works in the accounting department of a major publishing company, Kusunoki Publishing, is not very good at understanding other people's feelings or reading the atmosphere, but she has a strong desire to learn about the world and other people. In the accounting department, she is also known as Cerberus, the watchdog of hell, because of her strict checking skills.
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Title: Tokyo Houchi Shokudou
Character: Kotaro Higashi
Released: September 16, 2021
Type: TV
Mano Hideko is a former judge who left Tokyo after getting tired of judging people. She traveled 120km south to an island called Oshima. There, she met Komiyama Nagisa, a young girl who was born and raised on the island. For some reason, Hideko decided to help Nagisa at her izakaya "Kazemachiya", which was passed down from her grandfather. Hideko then begins her "second life" as she meets many customers who have various troubles in their lives.
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Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning
Title: Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning
Character: Shinsaku Takasugi
Released: June 4, 2021
Type: Movie
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.
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Title: The Ideal Man
Character: Mitsuyasu
Released: April 8, 2021
Type: TV
A man ten years younger, and a man of the same age appeared in front of our heroines, who had taken a break from love. A coworker, a husband, a colleague, a one night stand... etc. Because of the differences in position and age, they can't say what they want to say, but instead say what they can, can't be honest, and depend on them... But all of them are worrisome because it's hard to understand their feelings? You don't have to be with your soulmate... Is one of them the ideal man who will fill in the feeling that something's missing?
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ZOKKI
Title: ZOKKI
Released: April 2, 2021
Type: Movie
Five loosely connected storylines concerning the secrets and lies, the fears and tears, and the puerile potty jokes that punctuate the characters' daily (and in one eerie case, nightly) encounters.
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THE FABLE: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill
Title: THE FABLE: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill
Character: Suzuki
Released: February 5, 2021
Type: Movie
Akira is the legendary killer known as the Fable. Following the order of his boss and due to being overworked, he lives peacefully with his partner, Yoko, as ordinary siblings. Akira still works part-time at design company Octopus with CEO Takoda and employee Misaki. CEO Takoda and Misaki are unaware of Akira's background as an assassin. Meanwhile, Utsubo is a representative for an NPO. But, Utsubo works with contract killer Suzuki to set people up for extortion purposes. They target someone at design company Octopus.
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Title: DIVER -Special Investigation Unit-
Character: Naoya Date(伊達 直哉)
Released: September 22, 2020
Type: TV
The spread of criminal organisations around the city is out of control - Kyoto police are forced to take action. A special task force has been set up and elite undercover operatives known as DIVER are sent to infiltrate the underworld and conduct dangerous undercover investigations. Inspector Kurosawa, a man with 100 faces and a talent for martial arts, is the most respected and feared agent on the team. But with his own hidden, brutal code of justice, Kurosawa may be just as bad as the criminals he hunts. When a new gang of scammers starts to make waves, exploiting large sums from city residents, team DIVER springs into action. Setting out to expose the deep criminal connections at play: the threads they follow lead deeper into the darkness than anyone expected in this fast moving and intense action drama.
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Title: The Sun Does Not Move
Character: Osamu Sakurai
Released: May 24, 2020
Type: TV
Kazuhiko Takano is an agent for spy organizatoin "AN Tsuushin." His rookie partner is Ryoichi Taoka and they sneak into the International City Fair, which will be held in three years in Tokyo. Various schemes exists surrounding the selection of the construction site for the International City Fair. An explosion suddenly takes place in front of Kazuhiko Takano.
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Title: The Ship of Theseus
Character: Mikio Kimura
Released: January 19, 2020
Type: TV
At the age of 10, Shin Tamura’s happy family life was torn apart when his policeman father was sentenced to death and imprisoned for murder. Now, some 30 years later, Shin is determined to prove his father’s innocence by solving the mystery at the heart of the case. Finding himself transported back in time, Shin must uncover the shocking truth, change the past, and restore his family’s happiness.
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Title: Voice
Character: Kyosuke Kuon
Released: July 13, 2019
Type: TV
Shogo Higuchi (Toshiaki Karasawa) is a detective whose wife was murdered by a serial killer. Hikari Tachibana (Yoko Maki) is a voice profiler whose father was murdered. She has a special hearing ability which allows her to hear minutiae sounds that other people do not.
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Title: Your Turn To Kill
Character: Go Sano
Released: April 14, 2019
Type: TV
Nana and Shota are a newlywed couple and Nana is 15 years older than Shota. Nana works as a designer and Shota works as a gym trainer. They both enjoy mystery. The newlywed couple then move to an apartment and they attend a resident’s meeting there. Nana and Shota become involved in murder cases that take place at the apartment. Residents get murdered one by one. Some residents have a motive, but those suspects have an alibi. Because of this, an arrest has yet to be made.
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Title: それを愛とまちがえるから
Released: February 9, 2019
Type: TV
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Day and Night
Title: Day and Night
Character: Kenichi Kitamura
Released: January 26, 2019
Type: Movie
A man suicides causing ruin for his family, reasons are unknown, but his son will decide to take revenge after a succesion of events.
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Title: Cheers to Miki Clinic
Character: Miki Shouichirou
Released: January 12, 2019
Type: TV
Tsukumo Katsumi is a surgeon who lost his job after causing the death of a patient in a medical mishap. He comes to work for Miki Clinic on the recommendation of Professor Mimori whom he studied under. The clinic’s director Miki Shoichiro opened the practice for VIPs who want to receive medical treatment in secret. Tsukumo tries to get accustomed to his new workplace but discovers another side to Miki Clinic. It will do everything possible to fulfil any request, based on the belief that if the anxieties and major concerns of patients are solved, their emotions will stablise and they can to focus on their treatment. Together with the other doctors of the clinic, Tsukumo takes on patients’ off-the-wall requests.
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Title: Black Scandal
Released: October 4, 2018
Type: TV
Sara Fujisaki is a top actress who is getting married soon. The media suddenly falsely claims that she is having an affair. Although she doesn't want to, Sara holds a press conference to discuss the 'scandal'. She receives a sharp backlash from the public and her acting career is ruined. To makes things worse, her mother also passes away. 5 years later, Sara learns that the false affair was a conspiracy to ruin her. Thanks to plastic surgery, she has now changed her appearance. To get revenge, Sara uses the alias of Arisa Yagami and begins working as a manager at the same management company where she was once a client. Sara soon faces the shocking truth behind her scandal.
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Lenses on Her Heart
Title: Lenses on Her Heart
Character: Yuji Kiba
Released: September 15, 2018
Type: Movie
Akemi is unable to get over the death of his girlfriend, but a book leads to his encounter with Akane, a woman with a wonderful smile. He gradually falls for Akane, who soothes him with her positive outlook and cheerful disposition, but Akane has a boyfriend who has a limited amount of time left to live.
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Title: Love and Fortune
Character: Tsuchiya Jo
Released: September 14, 2018
Type: TV
Wako Taira is 31 years old. She works part-time at a cinema close to her home. Her boyfriend is Fu-kun and they have lived together for three years. She has never thought of breaking up with her boyfriend, considering her age. One day, she meets high school student Yumeaki Iko. She can't resist him. Wako Taira has an affair with Yumeaki Iko.
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Code Blue: The Movie
Title: Code Blue: The Movie
Character: Hiroki Shinkai
Released: July 27, 2018
Type: Movie
A medical team is dispatched to the patients on a helicopter to provide medical care in the field as soon as possible. One day, four young physicians are assigned to this latest medical system. The doctors experience traumatic medical situations, deal with personal ambitions, witness the fragility of life, and they grow personally and professionally.
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Still Life of Memories
Title: Still Life of Memories
Character: Haruma
Released: July 21, 2018
Type: Movie
Haruma is an up-and-coming photographer who is getting full exposure at a photo exhibition in a Tokyo photo gallery. Rei, a beautiful curator at the Yamanashi Prefectural Art Museum, is fascinated by the photos she sees and calls Haruma to request a photo-shoot with an intimate part of herself as the subject. The only rules to this shoot are that no questions must be asked and Rei will be given the negatives. Haruma is initially surprised but goes along with the job, however, Haruma’s pregnant girlfriend Natsumi grows frustrated over being kept in the dark about their work and jealousy develops in their relationship as passions blow up.
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An Emblem Dedicated To You
Title: An Emblem Dedicated To You
Character: Kamimura Ren
Released: January 3, 2017
Type: Movie
Kazuya Takajo was a promising soccer player. At the age of 23, he was selected for the national A football team and he bought a house to live with his fiancé Miki Nakagawa. One day, Kazuya Takajo gets into a car accident and becomes paralyzed and falls into deep despair. Kazuya goes through rehab on the strength of his wife's love. Yet, he becomes frustrated by those opposed to his marriage with Miki and others who give him pity looks. He also can't find anything to replace soccer in his life. Kazuya then witnesses a wheelchair basketball game at a gym.
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Title: シリーズ・横溝正史短編集
Character: Haruki Kagawa
Released: November 24, 2016
Type: TV
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Ushijima the Loan Shark The Final
Title: Ushijima the Loan Shark The Final
Character: Hajime Gakuto
Released: October 22, 2016
Type: Movie
A classmate from Ushijima's middle school days, Takemoto, shows up. He was a kind man, but now is jobless and without a home. Adrift and unable to borrow money from Ushijima, Takemoto heads for Seiai Home where he can stay while doing work.
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A Flower Aflame
Title: A Flower Aflame
Character: Yasunori Ochi
Released: August 6, 2016
Type: Movie
When Sonoko enters a traditional Japanese arranged marriage with Amamiya facilitated by her parents the resulting union is loveless including the functional and goal-oriented sex. When the husband and wife move for his work she falls for her husband's boss and takes on the role of a betrayer.
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Sadako vs. Kayako
Title: Sadako vs. Kayako
Character: Keizō Tokiwa
Released: June 18, 2016
Type: Movie
A girl, Yūri Kurahashi, after watching a cursed videotape together with her friend in a haunted house, becomes trapped in a conflict between the two murderous ghosts: Sadako Yamamura and Kayako Saeki
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Kokoro
Title: Kokoro
Character: Jiro
Released: March 30, 2016
Type: Movie
After her brother's death, Alice leave France for Japan and takes refuge in a small village just above the cliffs. Her brother Nathan said to her before he died that he finally founded peace there thanks to a certain Daïsuké. Following his footsteps, Alice will in fact find herself, in a strange and hostile but warm place.
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Sailor Suit and Machine Gun: Graduation
Title: Sailor Suit and Machine Gun: Graduation
Character: Yasui
Released: March 5, 2016
Type: Movie
Izumi Hoshi is senior in high school, but she led a small yakuza group in her past. After killing her uncle's murderer with a machine gun, her yakuza group disbanded. Izumi now lives an ordinary life as a high school student and works as a manager at a cafe. A dangerous situation soon awaits for Izumi.
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Title: Koi no sanriku ressha kon de iko!
Character: 大迫达也
Released: February 27, 2016
Type: TV
A heartwarming romantic drama set in Ofunato City in Iwate Prefecture. The story revolves around Yukari, a city hall employee who hosts a matchmaking-party held on a train running along the beautiful Sanriku Coastal Area. One day, she happens to live with her brother-in-law who resolves to cook an original ramen noodle.
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Gonin Saga
Title: Gonin Saga
Character: Seiji Shikine
Released: September 26, 2015
Type: Movie
Seiji is a third generation "Gosei kai" gang member. He works to build up the group's strength. Meanwhile, a journalist investigates a case that occurred 19 years ago. He meets Hayato, Daisuke and Asami.
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No No Sleep
Title: No No Sleep
Character: Japanese man
Released: April 21, 2015
Type: Movie
In 2015, Tsai Ming-Liang was once again invited by the Hong Kong International Film Festival to make the opening short film. This time, he selected Shibuya station in Tokyo as his main filming location and invited the famous Japanese actor Masanobu Ando to appear alongside Lee Kang-Sheng. They sleep separately at a capsule hotel and cleanse themselves at a public bath. Their fatigued bodies yearn for sleep but restless minds keep them for falling asleep. "No No Sleep" won the Best Director Award at the Taipei Film Festival.
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Petal Dance
Title: Petal Dance
Character: Naoto
Released: April 19, 2013
Type: Movie
Long-time friends Jinko and Motoko hear that their college friend Miki has jumped into the ocean. They are joined by Haraki, who Jinko happens to meet, and head by car on a journey to see Miki.
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Self-Bondage: All Tied Up with My Own Rope
Title: Self-Bondage: All Tied Up with My Own Rope
Character: Shuji Yamura
Released: February 2, 2013
Type: Movie
Yuria discovered the pleasure of tying herself up in her university days, and resumes the pursuit in order to relieve work stress. She starts a blog to describe the sensation of rope on her skin, and becomes acquainted with a cross-dressing bondage aficionado. Eventually, she grows bolder in practicing her hobby, and begins to wear bindings under her suit while at work.
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Title: Keigo Higashino Mysteries
Released: July 5, 2012
Type: TV
11 mysteries, 11 actors. Japan's favorite mystery author, the world of Higashino Keigo comes to life on screen through an assortment of short stories.
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Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Title: Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Character: Genji Kojima, Constable at Tonbara clan
Released: May 10, 2012
Type: Movie
An indigenous clan-based people living in harmony with nature find their way of life threatened when violent interlopers from another culture arrive, intent on seizing their natural resources and enslaving them. Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag is Part one of the two-part, four-hour Taiwanese edition of the film Warriors of the Rainbow.
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Smuggler
Title: Smuggler
Character: Spine
Released: October 22, 2011
Type: Movie
To pay off his loan shark, failed actor Ryōsuke Kinuta is forced to smuggle dead bodies – and one live elite assassin – in the middle of the night.
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Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 2: The Rainbow Bridge
Title: Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 2: The Rainbow Bridge
Character: Genji Kojima, Constable at Tonbara clan
Released: September 30, 2011
Type: Movie
After the uprising at Wushe, Mona Rudao faces a guerrilla war against the militarily superior Japanese and Seediq clans. He and his followers must fight for their dignity and honor so that they can truly be "Seediq Bale" or "real men." Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 2: The Rainbow Bridge is Part two of the two-part, four-hour Taiwanese edition of the film Warriors of the Rainbow.
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Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag
Title: Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag
Character: Genji Kojima, Constable at Tonbara clan
Released: September 9, 2011
Type: Movie
An indigenous clan-based people living in harmony with nature find their way of life threatened when violent interlopers from another culture arrive, intent on seizing their natural resources and enslaving them. Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag is Part one of the two-part, four-hour Taiwanese edition of the film Warriors of the Rainbow.
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The Butcher, the Chef, and the Swordsman
Title: The Butcher, the Chef, and the Swordsman
Character: The Mute
Released: March 17, 2011
Type: Movie
A tale of revenge, honor and greed follows a group of misfits that gets involved with a kitchen cleaver made from the top five swords of the martial arts world in this wild and brash action comedy.
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Forever Enthralled
Title: Forever Enthralled
Character: Ryuichi Tanaka
Released: December 5, 2008
Type: Movie
The epic story Mei Lanfang, who overcame the prejudice against artists in 1930s China to become the country's greatest opera star.
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Title: Code Blue
Character: Hiroki Shinkai
Released: July 3, 2008
Type: TV
Four young physicians are assigned to the “Doctor Helicopter” system, the latest medical system where a medical team is dispatched to the patients via helicopter to provide medical care in the field as soon as possible. The doctors experience traumatic medical situations, deal with personal ambitions, and witness the fragility of life, all while growing personally and professionally.
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Sukiyaki Western Django
Title: Sukiyaki Western Django
Character: Yoichi
Released: September 15, 2007
Type: Movie
A nameless gunfighter arrives in a town ripped apart by rival gangs and, though courted by both to join, chooses his own path.
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Nightmare Detective
Title: Nightmare Detective
Character: Detective Wakamiya
Released: January 13, 2007
Type: Movie
Three people in Tokyo take a surreal voyage of self-discovery through memory and nightmares. "O" intends suicide while talking on a cell-phone with a stranger he meets on line who plans a simultaneous suicide. Events take a horrifying turn. Keiko Kirishima is a cool, seemingly emotionless police detective, brilliant but off-putting. She's faced with two mutilated corpses who appear to have killed themselves, but she's not sure. A cell-phone number links the deaths. She calls on Akumu Tantei, a poor and suicidal young man who has the ability to enter people's dreams. He's reluctant to help. His past haunts him. A subconscious duel of terror and blood awaits the three.
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Sakuran
Title: Sakuran
Character: Seiji
Released: December 7, 2006
Type: Movie
Anna Tsuchiya blasts back in time playing an oiran, a top-notched geisha of the Edo period’s Yoshiwara District, navigating brothel politics while trying to cling to the man she loves.
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Crickets
Title: Crickets
Character: Taichi
Released: November 23, 2006
Type: Movie
Kaoru, a wealthy woman whose youth is fading, abandons the hustle and bustle of the city to live a peaceful life in a house on the coast. There she takes care of an old deaf, dumb and blind man as if he were an insect, a child or a pet. He can’t do anything for himself, so she feeds him and accompanies him on his walks. This strong mutual dependency offers Kaoru an escape from society and allows her to free herself from restrictions imposed by common sense.
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Strawberry Shortcakes
Title: Strawberry Shortcakes
Character: Kikuchi
Released: September 23, 2006
Type: Movie
Follows the ups and downs of four female friends in Tokyo looking for love and trying to cope with the responsibilities in their lives.
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Green Mind, Metal Bats
Title: Green Mind, Metal Bats
Character: Ishioka
Released: August 26, 2006
Type: Movie
The film follows Nanba, a shunned outcast who doesn’t have a girlfriend, any money or prospects, a turnaround from his glory days in high school when he played on the baseball team; his former teammate Ishioka, who is now a policeman because of an elbow injury; and baseball fanatic Eiko, a hopeless alcoholic who spends more of her time drunk than sober. The three share an intense love of baseball — and their destinies are forever intertwined.
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Big Bang Love, Juvenile A
Title: Big Bang Love, Juvenile A
Character: Shiro Kazuki
Released: February 11, 2006
Type: Movie
An unknown future. A boy confesses to the murder of another in an all-boy juvenile detention facility. More an exercise in style than storytelling, the story follows two detectives trying to uncover the case. Homosexual tension and explosive violence drives the story which delivers some weird and fascinating visuals.
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Aegis
Title: Aegis
Character: Don-chol
Released: July 30, 2005
Type: Movie
The Isokaze, an Aegis-class escort vessel, sets sail on a routine training exercise, playing host to a platoon from the Fleet Training Group. No sooner is the Isokaze on open water, however, then the FTG reveal themselves to be terrorist stowaways who kill the ship's captain, send the rest of the crew overboard and take control of the vessel. The ship is carrying a secret biological weapon which the terrorists are now threatening to use to level Tokyo! Only a stowaway NCO, Sengoko (played by Sanada Hiroyuki from Ring and Twilight Samurai) is in a position to stop them - but does he really have what it takes to save the day? Playing like a cross between a sea-faring version of Top Gun and Die Hard, director Sakamoto Junji shows that it's not just Hollywood that can produce thrill-a-minute action spectaculars.
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Synesthesia
Title: Synesthesia
Character: Takashi Nohara
Released: March 1, 2005
Type: Movie
Shin is a professional voyeur who provides live camera feeds of everything from the street corner to the public toilet. He is also afflicted freakish phenomenon known as synesthesia - a glitch in his wiring puts his five senses in a blender and spits out something close to insanity. A high-profile murder propels him into a psychological odyssey in pursuit of Picasso - a serial killer, snuff peddler and fellow synesthete - who leaves deadly hidden messages in his victims' blood that only Shin can decipher. Lulling his victims into a trance with a spellbinding video game, Picasso leads Shin down a mysterious, hypnotic trail of death.
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Black Kiss
Title: Black Kiss
Character: Tatsuo Sorayama
Released: October 1, 2004
Type: Movie
Asuka is an aspiring model who moves to Tokyo to pursue her career. She moves into a small apartment with a friend of a friend, Kasumi. A bizarre murder occurs in the hotel across the street. The body was mutilated and repositioned into a lurid work of art. After this, a string of murders start happening all around the two girls, as if some crazed serial killer was following them. At the scene of each crime, the perpetrator leaves a black lip print, and is subsequently dubbed "The Black Kiss.
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69
Title: 69
Character: Adama
Released: July 10, 2004
Type: Movie
Hoping to catch a girl's attention, high school students Ken and Adama cook up an ambitious plan. They plan a festival that combines film, theater, and rock music, and develop their project into a school road block. This plan however catches the attention of television stations and newspapers, and soon even the cops became involved in this teenage adventure.
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Karaoke Terror
Title: Karaoke Terror
Character: Sugioka
Released: November 8, 2003
Type: Movie
One of a gang of karaoke loving middle aged women is murdered by a young man. Her friends track him down and kill him. His friends track them down and kill the killer and it escalates!
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SHORT FILMS
Title: SHORT FILMS
Released: March 8, 2003
Type: Movie
Omnibus of six short films: Return; Ken-do star; Hana to oji-san; Adagietto Sehr, langsam; Nakayoki koto wa yoki koto ka na; Slow is Beautiful. Third installment of "SF" series produced by Hiroyuki Nakano.
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Drive
Title: Drive
Character: Kodama Makato
Released: August 24, 2002
Type: Movie
Kenichi Asakura is an uptight, hyper-square salesman. One day, three bank robbers commandeer his van. They are in hot pursuit of their fellow robber who has snatched the money. Unfortunately for the bank robbers, Asakura never drives over 40 km/h speed limit even under the extreme situation.
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Tokyo 10+01
Title: Tokyo 10+01
Character: Fake
Released: August 3, 2002
Type: Movie
A group of 11 criminals are trapped in a warehouse with bracelets. The 11 learn that they are part of a game where the prize is 3 million yen and a clean record. The object is to reach the Baron's house. However, the obstacles they face involve hunters with laser guns who will go after the contestants. It seems as if this game is fun...however, the game proves to be a battle of life and death.
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Red Shadow
Title: Red Shadow
Character: Akakage
Released: August 11, 2001
Type: Movie
The secret warriors of feudal Japan were the ninja. Sent on impossible missions, the ninja were trained to work in shadows, gather information and defeat the enemy to build a world of peace. Akakage, Aokage, and Asuka are rookie ninjas under the tutelage of Shirokage. Their life is a series of perilous missions that entail intrigue, deception and intimidation.
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Transparent: Tribute to a Sad Genius
Title: Transparent: Tribute to a Sad Genius
Character: Kenichi Satomi
Released: March 17, 2001
Type: Movie
A young, good-hearted doctor Kenichi suffers from a rare syndrome whereby his feelings cannot be hidden. Such people are known as "satorare" and their well-being come under special government protection.
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Shooting Film is Battleground: Making of BATTLE ROYALE
Title: Shooting Film is Battleground: Making of BATTLE ROYALE
Character: Self
Released: January 13, 2001
Type: Movie
The late Kinji Fukasaku directed "Battle Royale" - his 60th movie - at the age of 70. This film follows the shooting of the film.
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Battle Royale
Title: Battle Royale
Character: Kazuo Kiriyama (Boy #6)
Released: December 16, 2000
Type: Movie
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
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Making of 'Battle Royale'
Title: Making of 'Battle Royale'
Character: Self
Released: December 1, 2000
Type: Movie
An abundance of footage from the shooting of Battle Royale and cast and crew discussions.
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Monday
Title: Monday
Character: Mitsuo Kondo
Released: April 29, 2000
Type: Movie
A simple funeral turns a man's world Topsy turvy. He wakes up in a posh hotel room, totally clueless about how he got there. Slowly, he recalls what happened a day before.
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Space Travelers
Title: Space Travelers
Character: Makoto Fujimoto
Released: April 8, 2000
Type: Movie
Three bank robbers, who declare themselves to be Space Travelers, take six persons as hostages when they are surrounded by the police. Among the hostages, there is a terrorist with a hidden bomb. In order to escape, the robbers ask the hostages to pretend to be part of the gang. Surprisingly, the hostages soon enjoy doing so. On that strange day, the bank becomes a tropical paradise...
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School Ghost Story: Curse Special
Title: School Ghost Story: Curse Special
Character: Satô
Released: March 28, 2000
Type: Movie
Japanese horror film with four segments.
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Railroad Man
Title: Railroad Man
Character: Toshiyuki Yoshioka
Released: June 5, 1999
Type: Movie
A railway stationmaster at a dying end-of-the-line village in Hokkaido is haunted by memories of his dead wife and daughter. When the railroad line is scheduled to be closed, he is offered a job at a hotel, but he is emotionally unable to part with his career as a railroader. His life takes a turn when he meets a young woman with an interest in trains who resembles his daughter.
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Adrenaline Drive
Title: Adrenaline Drive
Character: Satoru Suzuki
Released: February 18, 1999
Type: Movie
A gas leak explosion at a yakuza hideout provides a shy nurse and a rental car clerk with the opportunity to take a briefcase full of money. A cross-country chase ensues.
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Innocent World
Title: Innocent World
Released: October 3, 1998
Type: Movie
Japanese film directed by Ten Shimoyama.
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Title: Blue Days
Character: Shuri Sawaki
Released: July 3, 1998
Type: TV
Abandoned by his mother and having had to fend for himself, Ryuu is one of many Japanese youths that have turned to a life of petty crime in order to survive in Japanese society. Life on the streets has given him a tough exterior, but it is his kind heart and his dislike for what he has become that wins over a local beauty and helps him take his first steps towards a better life. When an overzealous and less than ethical police inspector fingers Ryuu for a crime he didn't commit, he is resigned to accept his fate. However, help emerges from an unexpected source to give him the strength to fight for his freedom: a victim of one of his past crimes.
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Title: When the Saints Go Marching In
Character: Takahara Ren
Released: January 9, 1998
Type: TV
Exploring the perception and treatment of mentally-challenged youth and their similarities to juvenile delinquents in Japanese society, this drama series follows the trials and tribulations of a group of adolescents in a work/study program for mentally-challenged teenagers. Although the program's intention is to gently "normalize" them for introduction in society, the group is subject to constant physical and mental abuse unbeknownst to their parents and teacher, Ms Hagawa. However, the friendship between Towa, a naive but unusually articulate member of the program, and Arisu, a rebellious schoolgirl, helps both of them learn to overcome their troubles.
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Title: Tomodachi no Koibito
Released: April 10, 1997
Type: TV
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Making-of Kids Return
Title: Making-of Kids Return
Character: Himself
Released: December 31, 1996
Type: Movie
Making of Takeshi Kitano's movie Kids Return.
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Kids Return
Title: Kids Return
Character: Shinji
Released: July 27, 1996
Type: Movie
Shinji and Masaru spend most of their school days harassing fellow classmates and playing pranks. They drop out and Shinji becomes a small-time boxer, while Masaru joins up with a local yakuza gang. However, the world is a tough place.
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Rex: A Dinosaur's Story
Title: Rex: A Dinosaur's Story
Released: July 3, 1993
Type: Movie
A young girl befriends an infant T-rex after her palentologist father nurtures a lair of lost dinosaur eggs.