Movies by Aki Maeda

The Cat Returns

The Cat Returns

Young Haru rescues a cat from being run over, but soon learns it's no ordinary feline; it happens to be the Prince of the Cats.

Battle Royale

Battle Royale

In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.

Linda Linda Linda

Linda Linda Linda

Only three days before their high school festival, guitarist Kei, drummer Kyoko, and bassist Nozomi are forced to recruit a new lead vocalist for their band. They choose Korean exchange student Son, though her comprehension of Japanese is a bit rough! It's a race against time as the group struggles to learn three tunes for the festival's rock concert—including a classic '80s punk-pop song by the Japanese group The Blue Hearts called "Linda Linda".

Battle Royale II: Requiem

Battle Royale II: Requiem

It's three years after the events of the original Battle Royale, and Shuya Nanahara is now an internationally-known terrorist determined to bring down the government. His terrorist group, Wild Seven, stages an attack that levels several buildings in Tokyo on Christmas Day, killing 8000 people. In order for the government to study the benefits of "teamwork", the new students work in pairs, with their collars electronically linked so that if one of them is killed, the other dies as well. They must kill Nanahara in three days - or die.

The Return

The Return

Tatsuya Nakadai, the world’s greatest living actor, returns to the screen in a brilliant adaptation of a story by novelist Shuhei Fujisawa. A traveling gambler known as “Funeral Uno” he is now 86 years old and returning to his hometown for the first time in 30 years. Partly told in flashbacks, he is forced to face his lifelong nemesis, Boss Kyuzo, a vile yakuza portrayed by another superstar of samurai cinema, Atsuo Nakamura! Before the two old gamblers can settle a 30-year-old score they must put their lives on the line in a game of dice th...

Haunted School 3

Haunted School 3

Third installment of the "Gakko No Kaidan" series follows the trek of several elementary school students as they wander into an alternate world that exists on the opposite side of a school mirror. Nishida Naomi (the hapless teacher in "Gakko No Kaidan 2") returns as the teacher who accompanies the children on their journey into the surreal universe.

Haunted School 2

Haunted School 2

Sequel to the 1995 film Haunted School aka Gakkou no Kaidan. Similar to the first, in that it's about a group of youngsters that get stuck in a haunted school and have to deal with an assortment of ghosts.

Silver Rain

Silver Rain

Onihei side story: The Final Chapter - The Fourth Wife

Onihei side story: The Final Chapter - The Fourth Wife

Inomatsu, a carpenter with a reputation as a skilled craftsman, has a wife named Oritsu. Oritsu is deeply in love with Inomatsu and believes that the purpose of her life is to devote herself to her husband day and night. However, Oritsu is Inomatsu's fourth wife. In fact, he is a robber and thief. As a carpenter, Inomatsu usually sneaked into merchants' houses and carried out robberies. For him, wives are just a tool to deceive the public...

High School Girl's Friend

High School Girl's Friend

Genichiro, a lonely retired man living with his son’s family who mostly ignores him, feels closest to his granddaughter who is in highschool. Through her, Genichiro meets another high school girl, Mina, who also feels ignored by her family. She is also troubled by her friend’s pregnancy and the bankruptcy of her father’s company. Unlike her friends, Mina has an ungilded view of life and finds herself comforted by Genichiro’s wisdom. Genichiro likewise is happy to be making a difference in someone’s life.

School Ghost Story G

School Ghost Story G

A made-for-TV anthology horror film composed of four stories, two of which serving as prequels to the Ju-on series.