The best Anne Watanabe’s movies

The time: 1814. The place: Edo, now known as Tokyo. A much accomplished artist of his time and now in his mid-fifties, Tetsuzo can boast clients from all over Japan, and tirelessly works in the garbage-loaded chaos of his house-atelier. He spends his days creating astounding pieces of art, from a giant-size Bodhidharma portrayed on a 180 square meter-wide sheet of paper, to a pair of sparrows painted on a tiny rice grain. Third of Tetsuzo's four daughters and born out of his second marriage, outspoken 23-year-old O-Ei has inherited her father's talent and stubbornness, and very often she would paint instead of him, though uncredited. Her art is so powerful that sometimes leads to trouble. "We're father and daughter; with two brushes and four chopsticks, I guess we can always manage, in a way or another."

About six people who find themselves trapped in a maze-like cube and have to figure a way out, while evading fatal traps. 6 people are locked in a mysterious cube shaped room. These 6 people are: 29-year-old engineer Yuichi Goto, 37-year-old association employee Asako Kai, 31-year-old Freeter Shinji Ochi, 13-year-old middle school student Chiharu Uno , 39-year-old mechanic Hiroshi Ide and 61-year-old company executive Kazumasa Ando. These 6 people are complete strangers to each other. They don't know why they are locked in the room, but they try to escape out of the mysterious cube. If they can't decipher the code, they won't get out of the cube.

The Lone Antlers, a band of death warriors, gave their lives to save their homeland from the empire of Zol. Van, their leader and the sole survivor, is enslaved in a salt mine. One night, savage dogs attack the mine, and soon after, a mysterious disease wipes out both the slaves and their keepers. Van, however, escapes with a little girl called Yuna. Meanwhile, Hohsalle, a gifted physician, searches for a cure for the disease that is spreading among the Zolian settlers. What path will these men choose to save their loved ones and the people of this land?

The story follows Akane, a girl with no self-confidence. On the day before her birthday, she meets a mysterious alchemist, Hippocrates, and his student, Pipo, who both tell her they're on a mission to save the world. Together, they set out from the basement for "Wonderland," and Akane finds herself labelled Wonderland's savior.

Masaharu Fukuyama reprises his role from 2008's "Suspect X," playing the physicist-cum-detective Manabu Yukawa. The scientist-sleuth arrives in an oceanside town to speak on a panel. But when a man turns up dead outside the inn where he's staying, Yukawa begins to unravel the connections that tie the victim to the activist daughter of the innkeepers, and a precocious boy who first appears on a train—and keeps popping up. It's a Sherlock Holmes mystery with an environmental twist, and one that should please fans of a classic whodunnit.

Bem, Bela and Belo arrive at a new town plagued by a series of mysterious, unsolved cases which, as they discover, are caused by another youkai, one more powerful than they have ever encountered. The story will also focus on Belo's first love, and his increasing desire to become human. In the meantime, Bem and Bela have found a way to become human, but are conflicted about whether to let just Belo turn human, or along with Belo, become humans themselves.

Set in Japan in the early 1990s, there's one rising band called LANDS, that is starting to find success amidst a flood of other bands. Asako and Miharu are two Tokyo high school students. When Miharu gives Asako her favorite indie rock band; a LANDS CD, she becomes an overnight fan and sets her heart on the talented guitarist Yukiya. LANDS was formed among friends, but as the band begins to climb the ladder towards major stardom, they get in touch with the dark side of the music industry, discord surfaces, inevitable frictions emerge, and unrequited love strains their friendship, threatening to pull their bonds apart.

Chizuru (Anne Watanabe) is the new teacher at Umega High School. Since her school days, she has played violin in an orchestra. One day, she listens to an amateur orchestra play at the local cultural hall. She is touched by their performance and decides to enroll in the orchestra, but there are 2 orchestras in town. Chizuru mistakenly enrolls in the orchestra which consists of elderly people. The members there are thrilled to have a young person join their group. Chizuru is unable to tell them she made a mistake and becomes the conductor for their orchestra.

Remake of a hit film from 1990, "The Cherry Orchard" which Nakahara himself directed, based on a popular comic book from Akimi Yoshida. The story takes place at a prestigious girls high school where everyone is oppressed with rules. One girl who just transferred to this school finds a long lost script of Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" which was banned from school 11 years ago. Breaking strict school rules and boundaries, she and her friends decide to perform the play. With sentiment, love and passion, the girls cherish the moment of their life before taking the next step towards adulthood.

Set in the year 2017, the Japanese government attempts to secretly control the DNA of its people. Ryuhei Kagura is a top scientist in the field of DNA analysis. He works at the DNA analysis institution run by the National Police Agency. When the inventor of the DNA analysis system is murdered, Ryuhei Kagura's own DNA is found at the murder scene. Ryuhei Kagura becomes the prime suspect and then he becomes a fugitive. Veteran detective Reiji Asama goes in pursuit.

The Japanese adaption of Agatha Christie's famous whodunit "Murder on the Orient Express".

Atsuto was abandoned by his mother when he was young. He now works in the lost and found department at the Hoshigaoka Station. He spends his days imagining about the owner of the lost item, how the item became lost and found. One day, Atsuto learns that his mother committed suicide. His life begins to move ...

A reporter is sent through time and space to document the lives of Japanese people at various times in history. This time, he is sent to unwrap the mystery of Azuchi castle which was built by Oda Nobunaga, one of the most famous shogun of all times, and lost within merely three years after its completion.

Kento Ohashi (Tatsuya Fujiwara) is a novice ion engine developer working on a team that is launching the unmanned Hayabusa spacecraft into outerspace. His father Isao (Tomokazu Miura) was the leader of a previously failed space probe named Nozomi. Now, Kento pursues his dreams and his father's while experiencing the unexpected surprises that comes with the Hayabusa's 7 year odyssey.