Pandora's Box

The late Fujio Akatsuka is revered by many Japanese artists and scholars for his developments to early comedy manga, but his contributions aren't just limited to the world of print media. Featuring commentary from family, friends, colleagues, and celebrity fans, Fujio Akatsuka's story is told with archival footage and animation, showcasing the life of the man who went beyond manga.

Kento enjoys cooking with canned foods and eating them at a camp-ground. Nanako likes cooking with natural ingredients she obtains herself from nature. The only thing in common between them are that they eat and sleep alone at camp.

In an audacious reworking of the biopic, this ensemble drama sees jazz pianist Minami Hiroshi’s memoir cleverly reinterpreted into a surreal and playful story about chasing dreams, disillusionment and the inner lives of professional artists. Closer to playing two sides of the same coin than tackling a dual role, Ikematsu Sosuke embodies two versions of Minami – the naïve upstart and the jaded pro – who magically cross paths as they become entangled with a cast of colourful characters in the seedy alleyways and jazz clubs of Ginza over a single night.

Ookuwa Kitaro is a jack-of-all-trades who travels nationwide across the country working part-time jobs in order to repay his debts, while dealing with all kinds of troublesome situations.

Omnibus film "Bungo Sasayakana Yokubo" features 6 different short stories set under 2 different themes ("Mitsumerareru Shukujotachi" & "Kokuhaku Suru Shinshitachi").

A struggling, unemployed musician living with his girlfriend looks to improve his life after he discovers how she's been paying the rent.

When Suei was little, his mother had an affair with a young man who lived next door. Suei's mother and the young man killed themselves by using dynamite. After Suei graduated from high school, he worked at a factory before quitting his job. He then went to Tokyo and began working in the erotic magazine industry. Suei eventually became the chief editor of a famous erotic magazine in the 1980's.

Madoka meets her husband's parents, who run a 450-year-old hand fan shop in the center of Kyoto. Together with her artist friend Anzai, they start an essay manga about the traditional shops in the area. On Madoka's first day minding the store alone, she ends up giving an interview to a TV crew and angering quite a lot of people by being a bit too candid. While Madoka is enamored by Kyoto, she has quite a lot to learn about the unsaid rules and the passive-aggressiveness of the local proprietresses.

Nishimura Toshiro works at a production company as a drama director. He has been having a hectic time, discussing the script for an ongoing drama with the female producer who is not satisfied with it. The proud and elitist Toshiro intends to make interesting works. But he does not realise that his mindset is elitist and old-fashioned, and that he tends to be chauvinistic. His life has gone smoothly so far and he believes he has everything. Toshiro proposes to his 29-year-old girlfriend, Kondo Akiko, whom he has been dating for three years. Well, from his perspective, he proposed because he feels responsible for her. Akiko is a modest-looking woman who has been supporting the busy Toshiro, doing the housework and cooking perfectly. But the day after his proposal, Akiko leaves the engagement ring behind and vanishes all of a sudden.

Hidenori and Nanase have lived together for ten years in a tense, platonic relationship. The wheels of change are set in motion when married couple Takao and Azusa move in next door. After Hidenori catches Nanase and Takao having an affair, he becomes obsessed with watching Nanase through a peephole, and planning his cruel revenge.

Having failed to get into graduate school, with no girlfriend, no money, and no prospects of success with his band, Tsurugi's life has reached rock bottom. One day, after watching the video of Aya Matsuura's song “Momoiro Kataomoi”, he becomes obsessed with the idol singers of “Hello! Project”, and plunges into the idol geek lifestyle. However, as time passes, he and his buddies all find other things just as important as the idols and begin to move on.

Kanichi works at wet tissue company in Mito, Japan. He runs into Gondo. 10 years ago, Gondo was fired from his job as a teacher for secretly filming others. He is now with Mihari who works as a hostess. He took away her away from Tokyo. Kanichi falls in love with Mihari at first sight and takes her away from Gondo. Meanwhile, due to a female student on the video Gondo secretly shot, an unexpected disturbance is created.

Four beautiful sisters are entrusted with taking care of Kinjiro, a giant salamander and national treasure. Rumors spread that Kinjiro is an impostor, so a genius x-ray technician is sent to run some tests.

About 150,000 illegal entrants live in Tokyo. They are not recognised as refugees and live in poor conditions. To protect themselves, the illegals create a secret organisation. The organisation has a bank which Japanese Financial Services Agency is not involved with, a hospital that is not authorized by Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare and an illegals police force called "Dias Police." The only police officer in the organisation is Saki Kubozuka. His age and nationality is unknown. Saki Kubozuka does not speak much, but he has a warm heart and strong sense of justice. He takes care of the weak and tries to maintain public order.

The film consists of five films about Yamato in the post-COVID period. Tominaga's "The Fourth Eye" depicts a bewildered father who is introduced to his stepfather by his estranged daughter; Kiyohara's "The Light of March" tells the story of a woman who becomes pregnant at a young age and tries to flee the town. Takeuchi's "Makie no Bouken" (Makie's Adventure), Yamamoto's "Ano Hi, Kono Hi, Sono Hi" (Ano Hi, Kono Hi, Sono Hi), about a city employee who goes around taking video letters for people who are retiring, and Miyazaki's "Eri-chan to Kumi-chan no Long, Mundane Day" (Eri-chan to Kumi-chan no Long, Mundane Day), about two people who have too much time on their hands to bury a time capsule in a forest on the outskirts of town.

An fantastic anthology made by Katsuya Tomita, Masanori Tominaga and Tetsuya Mariko for the 4th Okinawa International Movie Festival in 2012.