Yoko the Cherry Blossom

In 1940, Masaaki Takaoka works as a teacher in the agricultural division at a youth training institute. Although Japan’s defeat seems imminent, all of Masaaki’s students are drafted in a futile last-ditch effort. In an attempt to give the young men some hope, he makes everyone promise that they will all meet again under the cherry blossoms upon their safe return. Consumed by sadness over the fate of his students, Masaaki devotes the next 30 years of his life to develop a new species of cherry blossoms that could thrive in any climate in reme...

Recall

A woman was killed by a truck wheel, which flew off while the vehicle was in motion. As the freight company which owns the truck becomes the target of the public and the media’s wrath, Tokuro Akamatsu, the president of the freight company, realizes that a structural defect within the truck itself may have been to blame. A conspiracy of the wheel manufacturer's attempts to cover up a defective product is uncovered.

Free and Easy 2

Hama-chan gets Su-san hooked on fishing, but Su-san has some problems to deal with; a beautiful woman saves Su-san when he collapses while fishing.

Corpo a Corpo

In the heart of Osaka's old neighborhoods lies a run-down apartment building known as "Copo." Its thin walls and lack of privacy are home to a group of residents, each struggling with their own pasts and uncertainties. Yuri, a part-time worker, has fled her family, while her neighbors—an aloof man who lives off women, a shy laborer with clumsy affections, and an older resident running a mysterious business—navigate their complex lives. The discovery of a fellow tenant’s death forces them all to confront their personal dilemmas and the fragil...

小さな橋で

Hitsudan Hostess

The story is based on the bestselling autobiography of 25-year-old Rie Saito, who became a number-one hostess in Ginza despite being deaf. "Hitsudan Hostess" was published by Kobunsha this past May, and so far it has sold roughly 115,000 copies. The book depicts the life of Saito, who was born in Aomori and became deaf at the age of 1 due to an illness. She rebelled against her strict parents, and she ran away from home several times as a youth. At a local club, she began taking an interest in "hitsudan" (communicating through writing), whi...