Masato Tanno

This psychedelic tour of life after death is seen entirely from the point of view of Oscar, a young American drug dealer and addict living in Tokyo with his prostitute sister, Linda. When Oscar is killed by police during a bust gone bad, his spirit journeys from the past -- where he sees his parents before their deaths -- to the present -- where he witnesses his own autopsy -- and then to the future, where he looks out for his sister from beyond the grave.

After a convenience store robbery, three unidentified men hold a group of people hostage in a hospital. Inspector Ishida and Captain Tohno handle the negotiations while one of their colleagues, Lt. Ando, tries to find out why the men decided to take the hospital hostage. Through flashbacks, relevant information is revealed to the audience. When the negotiations are finished, most things seem to be fine until they lose track of the criminals. Then, the story unveils from a different perspective, its roots in feelings of love and vengeance.

A young-at-heart widower leads an independent life in a quiet fishing town in northern Japan. He eases his loneliness by walking in the snow and studying the growth of fish at a breeding center.

In this prequel we witness the teenage roots of Ichi's manic-depressive beginnings and the origins of his monster-sized kicks and his anger, his psychological, as well as physical, beatings.

Haruka is a girl who dreams of being a mangaka, but is unable to lead a normal school life due to a brain tumor she suffered from in elementary school, transfers to a correspondence high school. On her first day, she has a fateful encounter with a handsome boy named Takumi, who shares the same name as the main character in a manga she is writing, just like in a manga. Takumi quickly enters the shy Haruka's mind and talks about his dreams. Haruka finds herself becoming more and more attracted to him. This is her first time in love. However, just as she seems to be at the peak of happiness, Haruka's brain tumor recurs. Despite her despair, Haruka does not curse her fate, but chooses to “live” even at the risk of being left disabled.

Because of the desolate landscape, Kobayashi chose snow-covered Hokkaido (the most northern island of Japan) as the setting for Amazing Story, a light-erotic drama about a lonely man, Kenji, who kidnaps the woman of his dreams. The woman is Harumi, a hairdresser in the deserted town where Kenji has just arrived. It's never really busy in her business. Harumi's husband is a gambling addict and spends all Harumi's money. Maybe that's why Harumi doesn't try very hard to escape when Kenji kidnaps her. His concern about her and his boundless worship probably help, too. Something strange and beautiful blossoms between the kidnapper and his victim, but can this be the basis of a long and happy encounter?

Kijima Isoroku, the easygoing president of the perpetually unprofitable Kijima Funeral Services, has a hidden side. Hired by the Kumanohara family to stop the powerful Shura Jindo-kai from encroaching on their territory, he senses major profit and joins the fight to settle past grudges with the organization.

The daily lives of troubled youth in Okinawa.