Acting
Masaaki Sakai
Born August 6, 1946 (age 80)
Born the son of Shunji Sakai, a famous comedian in Japan, Sakai initially came to fame by fronting the group sounds band The Spiders. This group, formed in 1962, was popular throughout the 1960s; they spawned several hit songs as well as thirteen situation comedy films featuring their music. He took the title role of Songoku (Monkey) in the 1970s Japanese TV program Saiyūki. This gained him fame …
Known For
A Hardest Night!! · 2005A Hardest Night!!
★ 6.12005
MovieComedyDrama
A celebration of the ancient art of Japanese rakugo, roughly translated as “comic storytelling”. The film is interspersed with numerous funerals and wakes, songs, dances, and often disgustingly crude jokes.
Spirit World · 2025Spirit World
★ 5.92025
MovieDramaFantasy
Legendary singer Claire Emery flies to Japan for a final sold-out concert. But when the show ends, so does Claire’s life on earth. However, an unexpected new life in the spirit world - where she will be guided by Yuzo, one of her biggest fans - awaits.
Final Take: The Golden Age of Movies · 1986Final Take: The Golden Age of Movies
★ 6.61986
MovieDrama
Director Ogata discovers a new female star in Koharu Tanaka, who works selling candy at a studio theater and she is given a part as a bit player. After the studio's top leading lady is embroiled in a scandal, Koharu is suddenly thrust into the limelight when she replaces her in a film and gains instant fame and fortune. But the going is not always easy, and she soon seeks help from unexpected quarters.
Tokyo In Love · 1965Tokyo In Love
1965
MovieDramaRomance
Akio Tsukaro, dreaming of working for a beauty school's flag shop one day, stayed at Bunta Tadokoro without being involved in salon art, even though he graduated from beauty school. One day, Akio saw Michiko, a beautiful girl raining in Ginza. Since then, Akio has become unforgettable with the mascot that Michiko has taken away...
Yunagi City, Sakura Country · 2007Yunagi City, Sakura Country
★ 7.02007
Movie
Thirteen years afterward, I wonder if those who bombed Hiroshima are looking at me and saying: 'We did it! We were able to kill another person!' They should be," murmurs Minami (played by Kumiko Aso), one of the two leading female characters in Yunagi no Machi, Sakura no Kuni, as she lies dying in 1958, her life brought to a premature end by sickness resulting from her exposure to atomic bomb radiation. This is a story about those who at least initially survived the first U.S. atomic bombing of 1945 and their descendants in contemporary times. The film, based on a comic by Fumiyo Kono, jumps between the two time frames and quietly depicts the sorrow and mortification experienced through the everyday lives of laid-back and soft-spoken Hiroshima people. Only a few scenes of the bombing and the ensuing devastation are featured.
The Castle of Crossed Destinies · 2012The Castle of Crossed Destinies
★ 6.32012
MovieDrama
In the inner chambers of the Shugun's castle, 3,000 men attempt to vie for the affection of the female shogun. Based on the 4th-6th volumes in the manga series "Ooku" by Fumi Yoshinaga.
The Greatest Challenge of All · 1967The Greatest Challenge of All
★ 7.01967
MovieComedyDrama
After an argument with his father a son leaves his home and comes back only, as an adult, many years later just to cause them problem after problem.
Road to Hawaii · 1954Road to Hawaii
★ 8.01954
MovieRomance
A 1954 film.


















