Kouichi Yamadera Movies

This 17th full length feature film in the Shin Chan anime franchise finds the naughty titular hero embarking on yet another outrageous adventure, this time exposing himself to many unsuspecting citizens as he pursues his ominous "Mankind Animalization Project." ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

In a future where the War on Terror is being fought in cyberspace, and elite counter-terrorism task force charged with keeping the internet safe must catch a hacker whose remarkable skills are unlike anything they have ever encountered. In the year 2034, terrorists have taken on a decidedly hi-tech persona. The job of Public Security Section 9 is to ensure that the integrity of the internet is not compromised by terrorists who would effectively bring the information superhighway to a crippling standstill. Previously, it was Major Motoko Kusanagi who was charged with overseeing the investigations of Public Security Section 9. But Major Kusanagi retired from her post two years ago, and now a skilled hacker known only as The Puppeteer is determined to bring the entire technological infrastructure crumbling to the ground. Now, as the members of Section 9 track The Puppeteer, they uncover a vast conspiracy that leads to the highest levels of government. When Major Kusanagi mysteriously reappears, some even begin to suspect that she is in league with the computer savvy terrorist. As the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex continues in this techno-thriller from director Kenji Kamiyama, absolutely no one is above suspicion ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Anime legend Mamoru Oshii wrote and directed this eagerly awaited sequel to his groundbreaking sci-fi drama Ghost in the Shell, which follows the continued adventures of futuristic crime fighters Batou (voice of Akio Otsuka) and Togusa (voice of Kouichi Yamadera). It's the year 2032, and Batou and Togusa have been assigned by the anti-terrorist force Sector 9 to track down several "gynoids" -- androids designed to resemble human females and programmed for pleasure -- who have gone on a murder spree. With the help of an android-technology expert named Kim (voice of Naoto Takenaka), Batou and Togusa find themselves following the trail of Locus Solus, an outlaw organization that may be responsible for turning the gynoids into murderers. As he digs deeper into the investigation, Batou finds himself thinking back to his times with former colleague Major (voice of Atsuko Tanaka) and pondering the notion of love and attachment in an increasingly unnatural world. Ghost in the Shell: Innocence was screened in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The popular animé series Cowboy Bebop gets its own feature-length film with the aptly named Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. Set in the late 21st century, it jumps into the series' story line just prior to its conclusion, with the bounty hunting crew of the interstellar craft Bebop chasing a hacker aboard a tanker into a major city on Mars. As crew member Faye Valentine closes in on the tanker, she witnesses its catastrophic explosion, which soon appears to be a viral terrorist attack as the death toll continues to mount in the days following. Furthermore, Faye caught a glimpse of the person responsible for the blast and is thus the only surviving witness of the crime. After the government puts out a large bounty for the perpetrator's capture, the Bebop gang -- slacker Spike Spiegel, former policeman Jet Black, and hacker girl genius Edward -- begin their own hunt for the mass murderer, who is eventually revealed to be one Vincent Volaju. Vincent, it turns out, was the lone survivor of a governmental medical test and now seeks revenge by unleashing the same microscopic robotic virus used in the tanker explosion on the unsuspecting city. The Bebop crew must scramble to prevent Vincent from carrying out his plan, as well as try to locate an anti-virus to counterattack the effects of Vincent's virus. Released in both dubbed and subtitled cuts in the United States in 2003, Cowboy Bebop - The Movie premiered in Japan in 2001. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide

Jet gets a mysterious email from his old friend, Pao, a feng-shui master. This leads him to Pao's gravestone, where he meets Meifa, Pao's daughter, who has developed her father's skill with feng-shui. Meifa and Jet team up against the Blue Snake Mobsters and search for the sun stone, which may give them some answers. Like other Jet-centered episodes, "Boogie Woogie Feng-Shui" is influenced by the detective genre and features voice-over narration. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

The title being a take on the tune by the Stray Cats, the episode "Stray Dog Strut" marks the first appearance of the data dog Ein and his joining of the Bebop crew. Jet and Spike are after the bounty of thief Abdul Hakim. Hakim is chasing after the valuable data dog while illegal research scientists try to get it back. One of the more lighthearted and funny episodes, it makes some references to Bruce Lee's Game of Death. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

One of the funnier episodes, "Mushroom Samba" features the antics of Ed, followed by her companion, the data dog Ein. Out of food as usual, the crew is stranded in a desert which bears a landscape straight out of an old Western movie. Searching for food, Ed and Ein encounter the bounty villain Domino and manage to get Spike, Jet, and Faye to hallucinate on magic mushrooms. This episode features characters influenced by blaxploitation films like Shaft and Coffy, as well as the spaghetti Western Django. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Titled after the Jean-Luc Godard film, "Pierrot Le Fou" is one of the more visually striking episodes. Spike is badly injured from a killing machine named Pierrot Le Fou. Jet's ISSP friend Bob lets the Bebop crew in on some of Pierrot's past, and Spike gets an invitation to a "party." In a fantastical theme park called Spaceland, Spike battles the bizarre villain. This episode features an homage to Pink Floyd's "On the Run" from Dark Side of the Moon, as well as various influences from Batman. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

In part two of the two-part episode "Jupiter Jazz," Gren tells Faye about what happened to him during and after the war, and she unsuccessfully tries to apprehend him. Spike is still searching for Julia, leading him straight into the conflict between Vicious and Gren. Jet finally finds Faye and takes her back to the Bebop. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

With no bounty to hunt this time, Spike, Jet, Ed, and Faye are stuck on the ship with nothing to do. Gambling and trying to cook with a blow torch occupy them until a mysterious creature seems to wreck havoc on the ship. The monster bites each member of the crew leaving a purple mark and making them get sick. Ed is missing and even Ein gets bitten, leaving Spike to deal with the ominous presence alone. A particularly funny episode, this one makes references to Alien and 2001: A Space Odyssey. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

In this episode, "Wild Horses," Spike takes his ship, the Swordfish II, to Earth to get fixed by Doohan, the ship's original owner. Jet and Faye are after some Starship Pirates, who release a computer virus with harpoons. Jet shuts down the computer systems on the Bebop and resorts to an archaic radio communication system. Spike battles the Starship Pirates, while Doohan and his assistant overhear the communications on the radio. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide