Yukihiko Tsutsumi

There's a strong anime/manga vibe present, shunning a more realistic approach. The performances are decent, the action scenes are pleasant and even though the film is quite long, it never drags. It's far from a masterpiece, but I had a fun time with this one, making this a nice addition to Tsutstumi's oeuvre.

The performances are strong (Abe stands out), the drama is bitter yet the presentation is amusing (with some slick editing). Tsustsumi could've made the contrast even stronger and the film feels a little too slick, but this is a fun dramedy, one where both genres don't cancel each other out.

The performances are good, the film is subtle, and the drama isn't too overbearing, even though it handles some tougher topics. The film is still one of many though and doesn't do quite enough to stand out from the crowd, but if you're looking for a hidden gem, chances are slim you've already seen this one. A fine discovery.

Hiroshi Abe is a weird fella and fits perfectly in the role of long-sworded samurai hero. His accomplices are oddballs too, but they're nothing compared to the various creatures they face in their battle to stop an alien invasion. There's more to the story, but even the voice over doesn't seem too bothered with all the details.

The comedy is pretty mad, performances are over-the-top but funny and the cinematography is surprisingly snappy. The CG is quite limited of course, but the camerawork is interesting and the colorful visuals and designs are lovely. Not for everyone, this film, but if you love Japanese weirdness, make sure you give this film a go.

The setting is some nondescript future. A woman starts seeing an egg every time she closes her eyes. It's a little unsettling, but when she goes to a doctor nothing strange is found. But then the egg cracks open and a weird monster starts approaching her, and the woman slowly starts to go mad. But how do you escape a monster on the inside of your eyes?

There's some weird lore here that doesn't make too much sense, luckily the film is weird and intriguing enough to transcend its plot. The camera work is nifty, the effects rather cheap but effective and the mystery is upheld until the very end. EGG is short, quirky and unique, it's a shame Tsutsumi abandoned this type of film.

The performances are solid, with Matsuda, Koike, and Hirosue as obvious standouts. The plot holds enough surprises, the drama and romance elements are properly realized and the pacing is fine. I just didn't care so much for the simplistic and cliché way New York is shown here. It's an outsider's view, which begs the question: why did Tsutsumi even bother? Other than that, this is a fine drama.

I liked the mix of different genres, though it lacked one or two shorts that tried to do something entirely different. Most directors remained within their comfort zone and delivered something predictable. That's not what anthology films are about, on the other hand, there weren't any weak entries either. Good fun.

The district is like a mini-community within the city. Five kids from different backgrounds hang out to kill time, their dream is to go to Harajuku, where all the cool kids gather. The first two trips they undertook failed horribly, so for their third trip they decided to prepare in advance.

Tsutsumi's style feels young, light and frivolous. The actors do a decent job, the balance between drama and comedy is on point and even though 2 hours is quite long it never really drags or becomes uninteresting. Like most of Tsutsumi's work, it isn't quite distinctive enough to be called a true masterpiece, but it sure is very solid and enjoyable filler.

The premise is extremely basic, but Tsutsumi has a lot of fun with the characters and the mystery behind the hit. The performances are solid, the styling is efficient and the film never gets boring, even when not much is effectively happening. It proved to be a perfect exercise for 2LDK, which serves a better build-up and a more satisfying ending. Chinese Dinner is a very entertaining flick in its own right though.

The performances are solid, the presentation is fun (though the colors are a bit drab) and the comedy is on point. The film doesn't take itself too seriously, so you shouldn't either. This is just a bit of silly genre fun that doesn't outstay its welcome. An enjoyable Tsutsumi, before he got stuck directing bland anime adaptations.

Helming the film is director Yukihiko Tsutsumi, who enjoyed moderate international success when he entered a directing contest with Ryuhei Kitamura and produced 2LDK as a result. Tsutsumi is a rather hard to coin director, continuously on the lookout for new challenges. He isn't really bound to a genre or medium, the only constant is that he's always busy. Keizoku/eiga is one of his earlier projects and it bears all the markings of a young director.

The film follows the adventures of a police squad trying to unravel unsolved mysteries. Perfect material for a TV series of course, with a new case ready every episode. If that sounds a little stale, not to worry, Tsutsumi turned Keizoku/eiga into a surreal and sometimes even absurd mystery. A clash of styles, blending comedy, police thriller and arthouse all into one restless package. The result may not be very subtle or sensible, it sure as hell is amusing.

The color palette is a little dire, with lots of murky greens and blues, but there's quite a lot of visual experimentation to keep things appealing. The plot is convoluted and quite effective, but ultimately the film itself seems to lose interest in the mystery to solve. The big reveal is made almost 30 minutes before the actual ending, with the crazy post-finale eclipsing the entire mystery that was set up before. I'm sure not everyone will appreciate that, but if you're still expecting this to be a basic police flick 90 minutes in, you've probably been dozing off more than a few times.

Tsutsumi never fully manages to bring all the different elements together elegantly, with the comedy and arthouse bits clashing violently from time to time. Like I said before, Keizoku/eiga isn't the most accomplished film, but it's never boring and has plenty of surprises packed to keep you engaged throughout its entire running time. Warmly recommended if you like weirdness and can bare some unevenness in the process, if you want a more solid experience it's better to look elsewhere.

The cinematography is polished, performances are decent and the pacing is on point. First Love is a decent flick, but also a film that never surprises, never colors outside the lines. Tsutsumi has made quite a few of these films in his career, and they're perfectly fine filler, but I wish he'd challenge himself a bit more.

Performances are solid, with Shin'ichi Tsutsumi in a stand-out role as Kazuto. The cinematography is polished, the soundtrack is adequate and the emotional cues are timed perfectly. It's just that it all feels a bit overdone. It's certainly not the first film to handle these themes and I think a more subtle approach would've worked better here. Not bad though.

Performances are well over the top (some fine, not all) and Yukihiko's direction remains close to the film's anime roots (even enlarging people's head from time to time), but the comedy's a bit hit-and-miss. While the premise is fun enough, the film does start to drag during the second half as there's way too much dialog explaining all the clues. Quite fun, but I've seen this type of material handled better.

The performances are fine, the presentation is nice, but neither rises above the norm. The plot isn't that interesting though and the drama is somewhat over accentuated. Not a bad Tsustsumi, but it's a film that shoots itself in the foot by highlighting things that aren't even that great.

The quality is a bit better compared to the SPEC TV movies, but its TV roots are still too obvious. The plot and lore are pretty fun though and the film gets pretty zany and outrageous during the second half. If you can stomach live-action anime adaptations and you're able to navigate a franchise without access to all the parts, this is pretty entertaining.

A group of eight rejects come together and form a team of masked rangers, trying to stand up for themselves. They'll quickly learn that there's more to it than just just putting on a colored suit though, as their first attempts to fight crime don't end too well. But of course, as time passes, they learn to back each other and fend off the enemies that threaten them.

Don't come into this film hoping to see a real sentai flick, Tsutsumi plays it for laughs, turning it into a full-blown comedy. The performances are decent, the gags are quite funny and the pacing is solid. It's not an outstanding flick, it's a bit too cheap for that, but it's good fun, especially for people familiar with the sentai shows it parodies.

The performances aren't great, the presentation is an afterthought and the drama isn't exactly subtle, but throughout the film, it's easy enough to cheer for the mission, especially since the probe is given some uniquely Japanese characteristics. It's a decent film, though it could and should've been shorter.

It's also a bit of a bummer that the best actors were given tiny, secondary roles. The story is interesting but a little unfulfilling, the middle part starts to drag a little and the difference in quality between the flashbacks and present time is jarring. It's still a decent film, but I don't think it does the potential of the source material justice.

It's not that Where the Legend Lives is bad, it's just not very notable. The plot is rather basic (don't expect anything fantastical), the presentation is predictable and though quite long, the pacing is fine. It's a pretty average Japanese drama, with a high energy lead role. Solid filler.

Ken Watanabe isn't the best actor for the part, his role could've done with a little extra subtlety. Higuchi is better, but she is stuck in a supportive role. The finale is nice though, and it saves the film from worse. Still, there was potential to do better with this topic, just not with this crew and director

The cheap TV look is a big part of the problem. The film simply looks cheap, the special effects are pretty bad and the direction is mostly functional. Luckily the cast is on point, with solid performances by Yukie Nakama and Hiroshi Abe and the comedy is pretty noteworthy too, but it's not enough to elevate it above mediocrity.

When Trick gets pleasantly weird, its potential becomes clearly visible. Sadly these moments are quite rare and stand out compared to to the rest of the film. While it never gets truly bad or boring, I'm always a bit disappointed after seeing one of these films. I can never escape the feeling that this should've been much better.

It's a shame because the cast is pretty decent under normal circumstances (Takenaka and Hashimoto are decent enough actors), and Tsutsumi can direct a proper movie. The cinematography isn't too bad either, it's just that the drama never feels genuine and for a film that lasts 120 minutes, that's just not good enough.

The film's TV origin doesn't work in its favor, though it does allow Tsutsumi to go mad with weirder details (like the Vuvuzela trio). The lore and plot are interesting enough, but the lack of polish simply highlights all the unrealized potential. Not a bad film, just a tad too cheap to be truly enjoyable.

The personal drama isn't bad (but predictable). The band drama on the other hand is a lot less interesting, but part of that is just me not caring for the music and the band dynamics. This isn't Tsutstumi's best film, but it's not all that terrible considering the genre. Just decent oeuvre filler.

The mix of fantasy and science is odd enough, sadly, the comedy often feels out of place. There are some quirky characters and some wacky/random moments scattered throughout, but they're never as fun or outlandish as they were meant to be. It's a shame this couldn't ever live up to its full potential.

Whenever the plot gets more serious, the quality takes a serious dip. Whenever things get goofier again, this film is a lot easier to stomach. It's a classic issue many comic adaptations suffer from, but the difference is quite extreme here. Luckily, there are enough goofy parts that will get you through the bulky runtime, but great cinema this is not.

The core mystery is fun enough, but it doesn't go anywhere exciting. Tsutsumi also doesn't try very hard to create something special, he's fine with making a filler genre flick and that's exactly what you're getting. It's not a film I can heartily recommend, but if you're starved for J-horror it's not a terrible watch.

The comedy is what saves this film, as the plot is too basic and the performances nor the presentation manage to make a real impression. It makes for a film that is goofy and wacky enough to be entertaining, but there are more than enough Japanese films doing a way better job at that.