Yosuke Eguchi Movies

Japanese anime guru Kazuaki Kiriya ascended to prominence with his sprawling fantasy Casshern (2004), a tale that coupled post-apocalyptic visions with early 21st century design, and shared the success of the manga and anime from which Kiriya and his colleagues adapted it. Kiriya waited five years before emerging with this follow-up, produced by J-horror godfather Takashige Ichise (The Grudge). Described by more than one source in the press as a Japanese equivalent of Robin Hood, it unfurls in the late 16th century. The year is 1582, and the most miserly warlord in Japan, Oda Nobunaga, promptly falls prey to an assassin's blade and is succeeded by his own right-hand-man, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (voiced by Eiji Okuda). Unfortunately, all is far from well on the sociological front: a huge chasm exists between rich and poor, and evening things out is super-thief Goemon (voice of Yosuke Eguchi), who spends his day redistributing wealth to the lower economic classes. Fate takes an intriguing turn when Goemon acquires a small, ornate, handcrafted box of foreign design that he swipes from a merchant and hands to a homeless kid (voice of Arashi Fukasawa). Also after the box is the bugyo (or administrator) of Hideyoshi, who sends a vicious ninja (Kirigakure Saizo) out to take care of Goemon and retrieve the item; Goemon recovers it first, however, while saving the young homeless boy from a bellicose swordsman (voice of Tetsuji Tamayama). In no time at all, Goemon finds himself being pursued by everyone under the sun including Mitsunari, re-encounters a lost love from his past, Cha Cha (voice of Ryoko Hirosue) and realizes that the box will play an integral role in the nation's future. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

The ghost of a young boy haunts a Taipei apartment block in Better Than Sex director Su Chao-pin's urban spook story. Hashimoto (Yosuke Eguchi) is a paranormal investigator who uses an anti-gravitational device called the Menger Sponge to trap wayward spirits. Upon exploring a haunted Taipei apartment complex, Hashimoto and his crew capture the specter of a young boy who apparently perished under mysterious circumstances. When Hashimoto brings local policeman Yi Chi-tung in to help identify the boy, jealous ghost hunter Su Yuen (Barbie Hsu) makes a tragic attempt to steal the ghost that leaves Yi free to release and follow the spirit. As Yi's turbulent past slowly begins to come into focus, another, more malevolent supernatural force somehow related to the boy threatens to rain doom down on all involved in the investigation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Another Heaven, a Japanese supernatural crime drama directed by Joji Iida (director of Rasen, the first Ringu sequel), begins with cops on the scene of a bizarre homicide. A young man has been killed, his neck snapped, and there is a stew cooking on the stove. When a young detective, Manabu (Yosuke Eguchi), arrives on the scene, he quickly discovers that the corpse's brain is missing, and before long, the horrified policemen realize where the brain is. Before long, more brainless victims turn up, with their brains cooking nearby, and it becomes clear to Manabu and his grizzled older colleague (Yoshio Harada) that they have a culinary-inclined serial killer on their hands. Meanwhile, Manabu is seduced by a friendly ex-con, Asako (Kunihiko Ida), but he's interested in the more refined Dr. Sasamoto (Mikako Ichikawa), who works in the police lab. The killer, a beautiful coed, goes on one last spree, and just when the police are about to track her down, she somehow switches bodies with a hapless young man. He taunts Manabu, leaving his mangled victims with dedications scrawled in blood. As Manabu struggles to unravel the mystery, he begins to suspect that one of the women he's involved with may be possessed by the killer. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide