Masterpieces by Popular Japanese Actors & Directors

In a quiet city alley, a song drifts through the air, coming from the upstairs of an old wooden bookstore. The Yamao brothers, all in their mid-30s, share a love of music but approach it very differently. Occasionally, they gather in eldest brother Morio’s room to sing—a family ritual begun nearly 30 years ago in memory of their late father. One day, Morio receives a letter from Hazuki, a half-sibling they haven’t heard from in decades, while youngest brother Mitsuki faces a life-changing decision. These unexpected messages stir the family just before their father’s 33rd memorial service, weaving a story of brotherhood, music, and small steps forward.

Actors Bob Suzuki and Masatoshi Kihara are senior and junior at the same agency. Bob, a seasoned actor with countless credits, watches former peers find success and begins to question where he stands now that he’s past fifty. Wanting to change, he realizes he doesn’t even know how. Kihara, though praised for his acting, is only cast in low-budget productions. When his wife asks, “When will you make it?” he has no answer, and time quietly slips by. Despite the age gap, the two share the same frustration and struggle side by side, yet nothing changes. Life goes on, indifferent to their efforts.

Under the blazing summer sun of Oshima, Izu, novelist Kazuki unexpectedly takes charge of a guesthouse. When he welcomes Tokyo tourists Reiko and Yuka at the harbor, he’s instantly drawn to Reiko, who uncannily resembles his ex. At the same time, Yuka makes her interest clear, openly flirting with him.

Ami leaves for Tokyo, vowing not to return home until a film she stars in is shown in Fukui. But the city wears her down, her acting dream remains out of reach, and she eventually drifts back to her hometown.

Hitomi ends up preparing for a girls’ night with Ai and Rui. When Rui doesn’t show up, Hitomi complains, only for Ai to tell her Rui is right there. Hitomi, who’s been ignoring Rui, can no longer see her. Left behind when Ai goes shopping, Hitomi is forced to prepare alone with the invisible Rui, growing increasingly uneasy that she might be getting set up for revenge.

The company, once thriving with around 200 young employees, fell apart when doubts arose. Driven by fear and despair, the staff carried out a mass suicide. Hoichi, one of the few survivors, was placed under police protection and forced to take part in the city’s exorcisms. With no memory of life before the incident, he is guarded by a colleague who is also his attached spirit, protecting him from a mysterious female ghost obsessed with him — all while questioning their own relationship. Will this “undercover investigation” ever end…?

A story about the black-and-white world created by a man.

Masa, a single, socially awkward manga writer, learns his estranged father is critically ill. To cheer him up, he hires a rental-family actress, Kanako, to play his “fake wife.” Kanako spends her days performing various false roles while struggling between her dream of becoming a dancer and the reality she faces. As a “fake couple,” they visit Masa’s father, even adding a lie about pregnancy. But when his father unexpectedly recovers, cracks appear in their fabricated relationship…

Three years into her marriage, Aya Ouchi (30) is absorbed in work. When her husband Kentaro wants children, she feels unable to face pregnancy. At work, Aya manages a “Family Immersion” event, where childless couples experience life with kids. Visiting Saori Mishima (30), who juggles two children and a job, Aya inadvertently hurts her by not understanding her sacrifice of giving up her dream career. Meanwhile, Saori struggles with a husband who offers no help at home…

Article 1 of the SP Law: All men in the country must have sex with an adult male called a “Sex Instructor” before their first sexual experience. In an alternate Japan where this law is taken for granted, Yuki, who doesn’t want to undergo the SP, discovers that his girlfriend Ayaka has caught the attention of the playboy Yamada. Now he’s forced to make a difficult decision…

Painter Michio Enomoto has never found success and makes a living working part-time as a garbage collector, yet he’s content with his life. After a chance meeting, Sachi Tomita tells him she loves his paintings, and the two begin a relationship. Their happiness awakens in Michio a desire for artistic success he’s never felt before, but his work still won’t sell. One day, overwhelmed by frustration, he goes out on his garbage route and discovers a discarded abstract painting—wild and aggressive, nothing like his own style.

On the last day of the Heisei era, Teru goes to Reika’s room to make an important choice. While friends and others make their own decisions, Teru, who has been avoiding his, finally faces his — the final choice of the Heisei era begins.