Satoshi Murayama, the shogi (Japanese chess) master known as the arch-rival of Yoshiharu Habu, the shogi genius of the century, died of an intractable disease at age 29. Satoshi devoted his life to fighting not only the disease but also his rivals, feverishly pursuing the highest title, at risk to his life. Director Yoshitaka Mori (Hyakuhachi (2008), Space Brothers (2012)) depicts Murayama's true struggling life, full of love from his parents and teacher, based on the non-fiction novel written by Yoshio Osaki. Kenichi Matsuyama intensely portrays Satoshi and physically embodies the character.
A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.
A passionate telling of the story of Sada Abe, a woman whose affair with her master led to an obsessive and ultimately destructive sexual relationship.
A member of an elite paramilitary counter-terrorism unit becomes traumatized after witnessing the suicide bombing of a young girl and is forced to undergo retraining.
After a self-destructive lifestyle nearly kills her, tormented young Anne learns to open up and let go of her traumatic past through a new found passion for boxing.
"Panic Attack!" is a hand-drawn animation from the point of view of a woman having a panic attack. I wanted the transitions between reality and her imagined fears to be seamless, so there are no edits -- it is one continually transforming drawing.
Atlantis is known across the world as a myth. But is this really the truth? No matter what cultural history we explore, we discover a story very similar to the one we know about Atlantis.
