Acting
In a poor district of Edo lives a young samurai named Soza. He has been sent by his clan to avenge the death of his father. He isn't an accomplished swordsman however, and he prefers sharing the life of the residents, teaching the kids how to write etc. When he finally finds the man he is looking for, he will have to decide whether he follows the way of the samurai or chooses peace and reconciliation.
Director Jun Ichikawa spins this affectionate portrait of the people who populate Shimokitazawa, a bohemian corner of Tokyo filled with small theater companies and smoky coffeehouses.
A doll maker and his daughter Erika live in a remote mountain villa. When some thugs break in and murder Erika and disfigure the old doll maker, he sets about getting his revenge. He creates a life-size doll and has it possessed by Erika's spirit. The doll then tracks down Erika's killers one-by-one...
Seeking to exact revenge upon Yoji, Yukio travels to an area surrounded by the sea, desert and lava topped mountains. There, Yukio meets mysterious Rika and becomes enchanted by her presence. While, Yukio can't get Rika out of his mind, he faces off against Masakazu, a former subordinate of Yoji, and a detective chasing Rika.
Hisashi gets fired from his temp job due to his impulsiveness. One day he meets Chikako, a housewife who constantly shoplifts at the supermarket he regularly goes. He somehow agrees to help her to look for her run-away son, Masaru. Unfortunate to Hisashi, Masaru starts following his around instead of returning home, after he was found by Hisashi. Then they end up stealing a gun from a police officer! In their course of running away, the similar two who cannot adapt to society very well start to develop a mutual friendship…
