Ryuichi Hiroki

Hiroki delivers one of the most natural, confident, and empathic dramas I've ever laid eyes on. On the outside it appears to be a simple film, but underneath lies a wealth of emotions.

Hiroki's adaptation of the Gunjō manga is a tricky project. It's quite long, it doesn't feature the most accessible leads, it's rather blunt and it's set up in such a way that the intensity of the film decreases. But the performances are superb, Hiroki's lens is perfect and the core relationship intrigues from start to finish. The reception has been rough, then again that's no surprise when you release a film like this on a global platform like Netflix.

Hiroki made a pretty brave move here, incorporating new elements from other genres into his movies without changing anything of his trademark style.

It's not a wildly original film but it introduces enough elements to differentiate itself from other Japanese dramas while keeping the usual traits firmly in place.

In many ways, Strobe Edge is a typical manga adaptation as much as it is a typical romance. But Hiroki builds upon that to make a sweet, cute and genuine little love story.

A vintage Hiroki drama. It may not look like much from the outside, with only a sliver of narrative and limited genre influences (it's a road movie, though without the usual traits of the genre), but the characters are intriguing, and the performances are stellar (with Terajima as the absolute standout). Hiroki generally does very well with female characters and Vibrator is one of the films that earned him that reputation. I wasn't quite sure if the film would up after a rewatch, but the film hasn't lost any of its appeal. It had me smitten from beginning to end.

Keibetsu turns out to be another strong addition to Hiroki's oeuvre. It's not his best film to date, but it's nice to see him try out new stuff, even when it's not all that radical.

It's probably a good thing Hiroki was able to make this film 20 years ago, it's difficult to imagine he'd get away with it nowadays. And that's a real shame, as his unabashed take on a tricky/taboo subject is what makes this film stand out. Great performances, an intriguing premise and a splendid blend of hard and soft turn this into a unique and accomplished drama. If you're easily triggered it's probably best to approach this film with caution, more mature audiences will find a drama where there's a lot to unpack.

If you want another character drama, M might prove to be a too big a challenge and there are plenty of other Hiroki films you could and should be watching instead.

Girlfriend: Someone Please Stop The World is a solid, smart drama that serves as a good entry point to his oeuvre. The film showcases his talent and houses many of his trademark elements.

For Western audiences the themes of Last Words may be quite sad and depressing, but Nagisa's acceptance of her nearing death paints a very different picture.

Like most of Hiroki's films, this is small and delicate, but still manages to pack a punch. It's a very sweet, laid-back tale about moving away to a bigger city, saying goodbye to your childhood and your best friends. Things get a little trickier when secret crushes need to be confessed, but that drama is light and the mood is breezy. Very nice.

Thanks to its slightly magical touches and its strong shifts between feel-good and drama, Yellow Elephant rises above the majority of other Japanese dramas out there.

Her Granddaughter is a beautiful, serene and heart-warming little drama with no false notes, no overt sentimentality and no obvious tear-jerking.

I became transfixed by the soothing island atmosphere, the laid-back pacing and the nice surroundings.

Hiroki's TV movie is a film that rises above its limitations but still finds itself stuck in TV land (meaning the topics and themes are quite pedestrian). The drama isn't too bad, and there are moments of genuine warmth and empathy, but it lacks Hiroki's edgy approach and raw delivery.

A fascinating film by Hiroki. It's a rather meticulous and subdued rendition of a polyamorous relationship. It's not that the film is without drama, but the relationship isn't the main focus, rather the main characters are. It's maybe a bit too obvious this is a book adaptation, but other than that, an easy recommendation for fans of Hiroki.

A story about three generations of women. They are daughters and mothers, but not always in equal measure. It's an interesting premise delivered with a level of openness and honesty that is quite surprising, Hiroki is also the perfect man for the job, but the plot tends to get in the way of the drama.

With all the talent involved, I expected a slightly better film. Not that Hiroki's Noise is bad, there's plenty of quality on display here. It's just that it never quite felt like true cinema, just a manga/story brought to the big screen. That's one of the downsides when you're working with too much talent and popular IP I guess.

Hiroki's latest drama harks back to his early days, back when the subjects for his films were riskier and more taboo. It's good to see that he hasn't forgotten about his past, at the same time I'm not sure if the blend of old and new is really the best way to handle films like these. While a fine drama, I did miss the edge that made his early work stand out.

Celebration of youth. A typical Hiroki drama, that languishes in the mundane, but manages to hit several deeper themes along the way. The actors are great, Hiroki's style is fitting and the light-hearted tone makes this a very easy watch. Not one of his best films, but a very fine drama that will effortlessly appeal to Hiroki fans.

Solid drama from Ryuichi Hiroki, where he returns to the Fukushima disaster area to see how many people are still struggling with the aftermath. It's a little too disjoined for its own good, but there some poignants moments and surprising insights that make this worth the while.

Sweet and endearing drama with a slightly fantastical touch. The film is beautifully shot and feels like a warm blanket, an ideal watch for a warm and summery day. It gets a little too dramatic at times and personally I prefer Hiroki's more serious work, but this is two hours well spent.

A very solid but slightly unremarkable Hiroki. I liked the first half best, as the drama is very light and the narrative is almost fleeting. The second half is a little too heavy-handed in comparison, but Hiroki's base quality is definitely there. A few beautiful scenes, good acting and a complete lack of forced sentiment make this an easy recommend for fans of Japanese drama.

One of Hiroki's manga adaptations. You could probably already gather from the somewhat outrageous premise, which dictates the events during the first hour of the film. After that things get a bit more serious (and the overall quality of the film goes up), though it's still very predictable. Fans of Hiroki will find quite a bit to like here, but it's not one of his best works.

A pleasant Hiroki film, which takes on a different kind of drama here. Kabukicho Love Hotel is a film without a central character, instead, the hotel itself claims the spotlight. While properly executed, it's not really where Hiroki's primary strengths lie, which is something that becomes apparent in this 2-hour plus film.

Japanese drama where the romance of a budding couple is rudely interrupted by a terrible disease. It's a pretty big niche within the drama genre, but one I grew tired of rather quickly. Hiroki does a solid job, but this is clearly a film targeting the local market. Things get far too cheesy and sentimental to count it as one of his best films.

A film that reminded me a bit about Hiroki's Locomotive Teacher, though that one benefitted from a more appealing setting (and some less overt drama). It's another fine Hiroki project though, a film that is littered with small, gentile moments, that make sure the film never becomes too schmaltzy and sentimental (even though it's a bit borderline).

Somewhat of a turning point in Hiroki's career. After a slew of dramas that ping-ponged back and forth between edgy and arthouse, River is a film that explores a more traditional drama setup. It's a good film, but knowing Hiroki's strengths, it's not entirely satisfactory, and it left me a little wanting.

Hiroki and Ando combining forces means instant quality. Sadly neither of the two goes beyond to make this film truly special, but what remains is a very warm and touching drama with a few stand-out scenes. Ando's acting chops and Hiroki's aptitude for drama are unmistakable, an easy recommend if you're in the mood for a Japanese drama.

This is where things started to change for Hiroki. After a long run-in directing pinku films and a few first tepid attempts at doing drama, Tokyo Garbage Girl is one of his first films where his grittier side and his knack for depicting strong female characters started to surface. It would mark the start of a great career.

An interesting drama that gets a bit too sentimental. The premise is fun and this might've been a perfect match for Hiroki if it hadn't been one of his more commercial outings. Phases of the Moon is one of his crowdpleasers, and because of that, it lacks the edge that makes his work stand out.

Not of one Hiroki's best. There are moments where his talent shines through, but the story is a bit too convoluted and the theme is handled in a way that seems to reference the manga a bit too literally. Overall it's not a bad film with a couple of worthwhile scenes, but Hiroki has shown he can do better.

Hiroki tackles a weird romance manga with a plot that never really made sense to me. It might be a cultural thing (but one I never came across before), or maybe the manga made things clearer, but the romantic complications were truly nonsensical, so much that it affected the rest of the film.

Hiroki goes for a more generic genre effort here. I understand he was trying to branch out, something he once explicitly stated in an interview, but where he was usually able to add something unique to each genre he tackled, The Lightning Tree truly is a film that sticks firmly to genre conventions. And that's simply not where his strengths lie.

Hiroki takes on the romance meets terminal disease niche. It's not Japan's finest genre, but I'm guessing it does quite well locally because for the past 10-15 years there's been a rather constant stream of these films. It could've been interesting in the hands of Hiroki if he'd done his usual thing. Sadly, he stuck quite rigidly to genre conventions.

A somewhat disappointing anthology, especially when looking at all the impressive names involved. Five famed directors (apart from Nishikawa all male) each take on a female story. Few of them grabbed this opportunity to come up with something unique, which means you only get some decent but relatively standard drama. With these directors, I needed more.

A pretty special Hiroki, if only because he isn't known for directing romantic comedies. Mind you, this isn't a typical romcom. Hiroki's taste for kinky and somewhat taboo subjects is woven into the story, with strong BDSM elements turning this into a very different, although still prim and proper, romantic comedy.

One of those films that perfectly illustrates Hiroki's shift from pinku cinema to (arthouse) drama. The themes and focus on kinks are still very much present, the rhythm is reminiscent of the typical pinku films, but it should be clear that Hiroki isn't out to titillate. The film balances lighter and more serious drama with a fun and kinky topic, a niche he would continue to explore in the later stage of his career.

An essential Hiroki, but one that's been unavailable to us mere Westerns until very recently. It's one of the first films where he shifts his focus from pinku to purer drama. There are still some pinku influences left, but 800 Two Lap Runners is very much a typical and capable early 90s sports romance.

A rather poor Ryuichi Hiroki film. It lacks his knack for properly fleshing out characters and it looks a little too slick. Not too surprising since this is the film-sequel of a popular J-Drama, but still I expected more from him. It's not a terrible film, just that Hiroki could've done a lot better with this material.

The renewed interest in the 90s comes with a few upsides. One of them is that some forgotten films are finding their way into the spotlight again. Case in point: Hiroki's Forever with You. For a completist like myself, it's nice to finally plug some important gaps in Hiroki's oeuvre.

I'm a big Ryuichi Hiroki fan and am well aware of his pinku past. I went in with low expectation based on previous experiences (Sono and Kurosawa came to mind), but got something worse than I was expecting. This is not your typical pinku film, instead it felt more like early Wakamatsu meets Guinea Pig.