Yukihiko Tsutsumi Movies

A successor to the Japanese sci-fi blockbuster Twentieth Century Boys (2008) this adaptation of Naoki Urasawa's manga begins where its predecessor left off. The initial installment concerned a group of friends who shared tight bonds as children, but grew into adults with a more tenuous connection to one another, all vaguely dissatisfied and bored with life - particularly convenience store worker Kenji (Toshiaki Karasawa). As kids, they penned a book of dire prophecies, an imaginative work describing the need to save the world from an elusive cadre of villains; when the individuals grew up, the global disasters started actually happening, and it seemed incredibly bizarre, borderline inexplicable. A mysterious fellow named Friend turned up, claiming that a terrorist named Kenji was responsible for the cataclysms, but the friends all pondered Friend's real identity and his motivation for unveiling Kenji as the culprit. This time around, the year is 2015. Kenji has apparently died in a bomb explosion set by Friend in the first installment, and as a result, everyone around the world regards Friend as their savior. Unfortunately, Kenji's evil legacy lives on in the form of his niece, Kanna (Airi Taira), who continues the struggle against Friend, almost completely unaccompanied by Kenji's old allies. At about the same time, Otcho, who had been thrown into prison as one of Kenji's collaborators, breaks out of prison and treks off to find Kanna when he learns that she is about to fall prey to an assassination. Then a new Book of Prophecy turns up as a sequel to the original, with the direst of predictions in it. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

A successor to the Japanese sci-fi blockbuster Twentieth Century Boys (2008) this adaptation of Naoki Urasawa's manga begins where its predecessor left off. The initial installment concerned a group of friends who shared tight bonds as children, but grew into adults with a more tenuous connection to one another, all vaguely dissatisfied and bored with life -- particularly convenience store worker Kenji (Toshiaki Karasawa). As kids, they penned a book of dire prophecies, an imaginative work describing the need to save the world from an elusive cadre of villains; when the individuals grew up, the global disasters actually started to happen, and it seemed incredibly bizarre, bordering on inexplicable. A mysterious fellow named Friend turned up, claiming that a terrorist named Kenji was responsible for the cataclysms, but the friends all pondered Friend's real identity and his motivation for unveiling Kenji as the culprit. This time around, the year is 2015. Kenji has apparently died in a bomb explosion set by Friend in the first installment, and as a result, everyone around the world regards Friend as their savior. Unfortunately, Kenji's evil legacy lives on in the form of his niece, Kanna (Airi Taira), who continues the struggle against Friend, almost completely unaccompanied by Kenji's old allies. At about the same time, Otcho, who had been thrown into prison as one of Kenji's collaborators, breaks out of prison and treks off to find Kanna when he learns that she is about to fall prey to assassination. Then a new Book of Prophecy turns up as a sequel to the original, with the direst of predictions in it. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

A burned-out rocker discovers his doom-struck adolescent fantasies are coming true in this futuristic thriller from Japan. Ever since his career as a musician crashed and burned, Kenji (Toshiaki Karasawa) has been making a living working at a quick-stop store and living with his family. One day, police officers stop by and ask Kenji about a family of regular customers who've gone missing, though Kenji has hardly noticed their absence. When Kenji visits the home of the missing family, he notices a strange piece of graffiti on the wall, and is startled when he remembers it was the symbol of a club of teenage misfits he belonged to years ago. Kenji and his friends in the club created an amateur comic book that imagined an apocalyptic future in which strange illnesses and bands of armed insurgents threatened to destroy the world. As a wave of unexplained murders sweeps through the city, overseas the events of Kenji's old comic are beginning to come true; a fanatical cult known as Friend found the book and under the leadership of Sadakiyo they've made it their business to turn it into a reality, and now Kenji and his old friends have to infiltrate the cult and stop them before it's too late. 20-seiki shonen (aka 20th Century Boys) was adapted from a best selling manga by Naoki Urasawa and became a major box office hit in Japan. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This live-action adaptation of a Japanese manga concerns a store manager who once wrote a prediction about the end of the world during his teens - and now witnesses it all coming true. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

After being stricken with Alzheimer's disease in the prime of his life, a successful young businessman slips slowly away from his loving family in director Yukihiko Tstusumi's poignant family drama. Saeki (Ken Watanabe) is about to launch what promises to be the most successful advertising campaign in his burgeoning career. In addition to his astonishingly fast ascent up the corporate ladder, Saeki's beautiful young daughter is about to be married, and he will soon become a youthful grandfather. Though his long hours on the job always prevented Saeki from truly connecting with his family, Saeki's wife Emiko (Kenji Sakaguchi) remains staunchly committed to both their family and their relationship as husband and wife. With time fast running out for Saeki and the past gradually converging with the present in his rapidly-deteriorating mind, the unconditional love offered by his supportive family offers an intimate look into a disease that, despite it's prominence in virtually every culture, still goes largely misunderstood. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Veteran television director Yukihiko Tsutsumi made this drama about one of the most tension-fraught dinners at a Chinese restaurant in recent memory. Hoshino (Toshiro Yanagiba) is a shady businessman with strong mob connection who owns said restaurant. Because a long-planned money laundering operation is about to yield some serious dividends, Hoshino is understandably in the mood for a little celebrating. Just as the first course is being served, however, he gets an uninvited visitor -- a rangey, dreadlocked hit man (Izam) -- who, instead of whacking him outright, sits down and starts to eat. Hoshino has no idea who or for what reason someone put a hit out on him, but he aims to find out. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi