Chizuru Ikewaki Movies

Four very different women search for love and meaning in their lives in the hustle and bustle of downtown Tokyo in this comedy-drama. Satoko (Chizuru Ikewaki) is a bright woman who has somehow ended up working as the front desk clerk at an upscale bordello. While she's bubby and optimistic, Satoko doesn't meet many eligible men at work and she longs for a husband. One of the prostitutes working at the bordello is Akiyo (Yuko Nakamura); while she's still pretty, she's not as young as she once was and has grown jaded, and in her spare time she cultivates her friendship with Kikuchi (Masanobu Ando), who she's secretly loved for years. Toko (Toko Iwase) is an artist living on the other side of Tokyo; she's obsessed with her work and suffers from an eating disorder aggravated by her growing isolation. And Chihiro (Noriko Nakagoshi), who shares a flat with Toko, is an office girl who wants nothing more than to settle down with her boyfriend Nagai (Ryo Kase) and become the ideal housewife, though it becomes increasingly obvious that he's never going to marry her. Strawberry Shortcakes was adapted from a popular manga by Kiriko Nananan; Toko Iwase, who plays the artist Toko in the film, is also a noted manga artist, publishing under the name Kiriko Nananan. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Directed by Isshin Inudo, Josee, the Tiger and the Fish centers on the Tsuneo, a curious, but otherwise typical, college student. When a baby carriage careens down a hill and crashes in his path, Tsuneo comes face to face with Josee, a charming young woman who, despite being disabled, is capable of most anything, least of all a mean breakfast. Though Tsuneo's initial visits to her were made out of sympathy, it doesn't take too long until he falls for her. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Isshin Inudo spins this romantic fantasy about an ailing octogenarian and young, socially inept caregiver. Living in a spooky old house, Ayumi Nippori has lived with a crippling heart disease that should have killed him years ago. One day, he wakes up thinking that he is in his twenties, though his heart remains just as rickety as ever (Ayumi is played by 24-year-old actor Yusuke Iseya). Enter Narisu (Chizuru Ikewaki), a teenaged caregiver sporting clunky shoes and a frumpy skirt who nevertheless reawakens long-forgotten passions. Though she initially remains aloof and professional, Narisu quickly recognizes Ayumi as a kindred spirit and maybe something more. Soon their relationship takes on a dimension that her agency would frown upon. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi