The best Tomohiro Kaku’s movies

Somewhere in Tokyo, there is a room. In that room is a black sphere. Periodically, people who should otherwise have died are transferred to the room. There, the sphere gives them special suits and weapons, and sends them out on a mission to kill aliens here on Earth. While these missions take place, the rest of the world is largely oblivious to them. These missions are lethal - few participants survive them. The sphere calls the shots, and it's not the slightest bit nice. Its name... Gantz.

Charts the troubled teenage years of students Yūichi Hasumi and Shūsuke Hoshino, exploring the shifting and complex power dynamics of their relationship against the backdrop of Yūichi's love for the dreamy and abstract music of fictional pop star Lily Chou-Chou.

A story of three escort girls living in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. They work at the same escort service while feeling lonely in their urban lives.

Two teenage best pals attracted to the same boy end up scrambling his life after he walks into a door and is knocked unconscious.

Tetsuko "Alice" Arisugawa has just moved to a new house with her recently divorced mother and enrolled at a school where a strange rumor lingers among the students about "Judas," who is said to have been murdered over a year before. She is told that if anybody knows his fate it would be Hana Arai, the recluse in the house next door who has been unable to bring herself to attend class since "Judas" disappeared.

On his request, the sensitive sister of a real estate agent visits a house he intends to put on sell, only to cross paths with its resident curse.

Nojima Satoshi is a photographer whose job depends on his friend Shingo, a model, who in turn is in a middle of a career crisis. Nojima wants to photograph scenery, but is held back because he feels obligated to stay back with his friend. His neighbor, Nanao, works at a flower shop, has dedicated her life to her job and isn't involved in any romance. They have never met, however, they're aware of each other's presence through the sound each makes in their daily lives through the thin wall. Each character is the story is going through some sort of struggle - either with their identity, their career, or their love life. In a fast-paced society, it feels like there is never enough time to stop and recognize things that are most important in one's life. Through twists and turns, they gradually realize their true desires, and on the road to reach their goals, their paths somehow intersects, in this believable modern-day fairy-tale.

The film follows a group of high school students on a strenuous day-long hike during which they discover new sides of themselves. The story is adapted from author Onda Rika's popular same-titled novel, which earned Onda the Yoshikawa New Literary Writer's Award and the second Honya Award. Yoru no Picnic features a talented young cast including Tabe Mikako and Nishihara Aki who previously appeared in Way of Blue Sky, Ishida Takuya (Rough), Ikematsu Sosuke (Yamato), model Kato Rosa, and Kaku Tomohiro (Hana and Alice). Takako's (Tabe Mikako) high school has a unique tradition. Every year, the school's 1000 students walk 80 kilometers in 24 hours. As this is her final year of high school, Takako decides to work up the courage to talk to her stepbrother You (Ishida Takuya), whom she has never spoken to before. Classmates who are unaware of their relationship read something more into their awkward overtures.

It is the job of the press to cover corporate crime, government plots and society. It is in this context that young female reporter on the beat Erika rolls up her sleeves and goes to work regarding what seems to be a government cover up. She is dealing with a government bureaucrat called Sugihara. It seems as if a clash is inevitable.

Thirty-year-old, unemployed Kenji (Kaku Tomohiro) spends his days listlessly at his parent's home, which is set to be torn down any day now. He relives his childhood when a third grader out for summer vacation nails Kenji with a water balloon, and Kenji fights back.

At 26, editor Kazama Aiko has reached dead ends in both her lovelife and career. She visits Taiwan to cover a cycling event, and meets a young Taiwanese woman named Tonton, who dreams of becoming a model. They eventually set off together on a cycling trip through Taiwan.

Among the most stressful and thankless work done on a film set undertaken by the production intern. It is no different for the plucky Reiko, who is reminded that “Moviemaking is a war zone!” -JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film