Tsuneo Maeda

The Life of Budori Gusuko

The fairy tale follows a young man named Gusukō in the Tōhoku forests of northeastern Japan in the 1920s. After an onslaught of droughts and natural disasters, Gusukō is forced to leave his home and search for a better life elsewhere. Gusukō joins a group of scientists at the Ihatov Volcano Department, which deals with the same natural disasters that drove Gusukō from his home.

Spring and Chaos

Set in the beginning of the 20th century Japan, the film follows the bright and eccentric Kenji from his late student years through his adulthood. Kenji suffers the tragedy of being an artist whose art isn't recognized during his lifetime. Based on the life of the author Kenji Miyazawa, the film depicts his brief but intense existence.

White Wolf

A gray wolf raised on a farm kills the family dog, and to save him from being destroyed, a boy named Lasset makes a trek through the wilderness with the wolf to a wilderness sanctuary 300 miles to the north. The BGM in the film consists entirely of Dvorak's Serenade for Strings, making it perhaps the only anime since Gauche the Cellist to make use of a single piece of classical music as the soundtrack. The plot of the film is simple and the outcome obvious, but the atmosphere of the film is genuine, and it is very moving in parts thanks to Dvorak's music (which is scored entirely for the most emotional of the instrument groups, the strings). This is a straightforward drama about the friendship between a boy and his wolf, and it pushes all the buttons you'd expect, but it's very enjoyable despite all that.

The Tale of Genji

Genji, the son of the emperor, is the talk of the Kyoto nobility for his charm and good looks, yet he cannot stop himself from pursuing an unobtainable object of desire: his father's young and beautiful bride. Following the tragic consequences of his obsession, Genji wanders from one affair to another, always seeking some sort of completion to his life.

Touch 3: Don't Pass Me By

Due to sickness, the coach position of the Meisei High School baseball team is handed to Eijiro Kashiwaba. He is a ruthless man who forces the team to enter a Spartan training procedure. Tatsuya and Minami slowly discover stories about his past and wonder what his true intentions are.

Touch: The Ace Without a Number

Tatsuya Uesugi is the twin brother of Kazuya, pitcher of the Meisei High School baseball team. Irresolute about his feelings towards baseball, his next door neighbor, and his brother; Tatsuya ends up joining his school's boxing club. From the sidelines, he quietly watches the ascension of Kazuya.

Nine: Final

The Nine saga comes to a close with the third installment

Noel's Fantastic Trip

The film is centered around Noel, a young girl and her dog, Pup, who both live on the Planet Noel. While relaxing, Noel comes up with the idea to deliver ice cream to the sun. The two fly off and make their way toward the sun.

A Zoo Without an Elephant

In 1949, after the war, Hidé and his sister Myoko are poor and live in a makeshift hut under the bridge and do their best to survive. When Myoko recovers from an illness, he offers to take her to the Zoo to show her the impressive elephant that marked him during a visit when he was younger. He will be angry to find that there is no more elephant, replaced by a cardboard reproduction. Sankichi, a Zoo employee will tell him the sad truth about what happened.

Jeremy's Tree

Based on a children's picture book of the same name. A Christmas tale about a bird who was raised by tree after it was abandoned. The tree was then cut down for people in the city to use for Christmas celebrations. The bird desperately is trying to find its adoptive tree mother with the help of Jeremy, a penniless orphan, who heard her story so they go and search every tree being used in town. The search in the cold takes a toll on Jeremy until Santa Claus appears, but is it really him?

Eleven Cats

Based on the children's book, a gang of eleven cats, exiled for stealing and sharing a fish, believe to be on a quest for a grand fish of legend, unaware that the tale is made up. Will a lie turned dream become reality for our feisty felines?

Jack and the Beanstalk

An adventurous young boy named Jack climbs a giant beanstalk to a magical kingdom governed by a greedy, tyrannical giant.

Belladonna of Sadness

An evil feudal lord rapes a village girl on her wedding night and proceeds to ruin her and her husband's lives. After she's eventually banished from her village, the girl makes a pact with the devil to gain magical ability and take revenge.