Movies by Guts Ishimatsu
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The Last True Yakuza
A made man during the height of Hiroshima's yakuza turf war must maneuver through the violence and betrayal inside the criminal underworld.
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Shinran: Path to Purity
In the 12th century, Buddhism was still a relatively new religion in Japan. At that time, one school (Shingon) offered extensive training in complex and very demanding practices which might eventually bring about spiritual purification and realization. Various Zen schools offered students a lengthy path, literally composed of a blank wall and unceasing meditation. Yet another school (Tendai) emphasized complex metaphysics and the study of philosophical systems. Basically, all of them were designed to cater to the few who were able to give up...
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Jesus is My Boss
A warring Yakuza awakens to Christianity and becomes an evangelist. The film is modelled on the real-life "Mission Barabbas," a Christian evangelistic group of ex-Yakuza.
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The Skull Soldier
Narumi, a man out for revenge with the powers he received and a bit of help from the one who saved his life, he creates the persona of Skull Soldier and attempts to discover who really killed his sister.
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Hawaiian Love: Dangerous Honeymoon
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The Great Tale of the Great Tatami Progenitor
A young man from Kyushu,Adachi Futoshi had come to Tokyo to make a life. Adachi moved into a small room in a local boarding house, but he was unprepared for what life will throw at him. The room next to him boards a local gangster whose gang is a menace to the neighborhood, a bit further down lives a boy who dresses like a woman. And the old people managing the boarding house are quite peculiar too. Based on the manga by Leiji Matsumoto.
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Battle Anthem
The story of Japan's victory in the battle of Tsushima Strait.
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Yankee Bokou ni Kaeru SP
In 1988, Hokkaido's Hokusei Yoichi High School became the first high school in Japan to accept students who had previously dropped out of high school from nationwide. This special follows Yoshiie Hiroyuki (based on a former graduate of Hokusei Yoichi) and his friends from the time they enroll in the school during it's first year accepting delinquents. This is a brilliant tale of troubled youths trying to break free from their former lives- fighting through various gut-wrenching challenges on their way- while the teachers struggle to help the...