Manabu Adachi

Akira Mochizuki survived a kidnapping as a child. Now, she's a detective, and there are signs that the kidnapper may be back again after 20 years.

"Over 8" is a joint project from a Shimokitazawa theater and young directors to create new wave films. Their latest is an omnibus film on the theme of "nakedness," directed by five up-and-coming directors. The producer is Shu Kageyama, who has worked with directors Shozin Fukui and Hideaki Anno on their films as one of the main crew members. Truth, emotional problems, trauma, desire, minority....some things can only be fully revealed through "nakedness." Come and witness the freshly-told stories of five vividly different colors and styles, all about "nakedness."

The film is brilliantly directed with a high level of tension, as if it were a gag comic straight out of a live-action comic book. The ideas are seemingly cheap, but with a speedy sharpness and sense of style, they are even gorgeous. What makes the most of it is the orthodox story section, which carefully holds down the portrayal of the characters, and the "Is this really live-action?" It is probably the workmanship that spares no time or effort after thinking about it.