The Long Excuse
A recently widowed writer whose wife died in a bus crash comes to terms with his grief—or lack of it—in caring for the children of a working man who also…
The Emperor in August
In July 1945, during the end of World War II, Japan is forced to accept the Potsdam Declaration. A cabinet meeting has continued through days and nights, but a decision…
Departures
Daigo, a cellist, is laid off from his orchestra and moves with his wife back to his small hometown where the living is cheaper. Thinking he’s applying for a job…
Heat Wave
Rin Jyoshima lost her father to death-by-gambling; years later, she’s grown up in the Kosugi household and has fallen victim to gambling herself.
Gemini
When his mother’s untimely death quickly follows his father’s, a doctor begins to believe a killer may be targeting him and his amnesiac wife.
The Bird People in China
Wada, a salary man, is enlisted to venture off to China to investigate a potential Jade mine. After his arrival, Wada encounters a violent, yet sentimental, yakuza, who takes the…
Tokiwa: The Manga Apartment
There still stands a famous apartment building where such prominent manga artists as Tezuka Osamu, Shotaro Ishinomori and Fujio Akatsuka once lived, worked, and shared experiences.
Gonin
Five men plot to steal a large sum of money from the local yakuza, but everything does not go as planned and the men find themselves hunted down by contract…
Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t
A college senior, Shuhei, is blackmailed by a professor into joining the school’s sumo team. He is aided by a group of misfits who must team together to defeat their…
Fancy Dance
Yohei, a punk rocker, becomes a Buddhist monk in order to inherit a mountain temple. Though initially rebelling against the tough monastic discipline, he learns to adjust. Then his girlfriend…
Touch
Soon after the break of the pandemic and realizing that his clock is ticking, Kristofer gets the urge to embark on a journey to try to find out what really…