Frankie Sakai

A thief, a murderer, and a charming lady-killer, Iwao Enokizu is on the run from the police.

Shipwreck survivors found on the presumably uninhabited Infant Island leads to a scientific expedition that discovers a surviving native population along with the Shobijin, tiny twin fairy priestesses of the island's mythical deity called Mothra. After the fairies are kidnapped by an exploitative businessman named Clark Nelson, Mothra sets out to rescue them.

A group of friends try to find success in corporate Japan.

After their lord is tricked into committing ritual suicide, forty-seven samurai warriors await the chance to avenge their master and reclaim their honor.

Englishman John Blackthorne, serving the Netherlands as navigator of the "Erasmus," is sailing a merchant fleet bound for uncharted Japan. In Asian waters, the fleet is caught in a violent storm and capsizes. This is a compilation of footage from the miniseries, intended for international theatrical release.

The world-famous woodblock artist Hokusai (1760-1849), a widower in need of a steady income, lives with his daughter Oei in the house of his friend Bakin.

Saheji, a man-about-town, gets stuck at a high-class brothel when he can’t pay the bill. He makes the best of his situation by performing various tasks amidst the tumult of the end of the shogunate—but always by making sure to get a “commission” for his troubles.

Period comedy with fantasy elements.

A Japanese family is torn apart by the tensions of an avoidable nuclear world war between the superpowers.

Crippled Kabuki player Tonbo is taken in by a strolling company of itinerant actors. An influential publisher notices his honest, bold art, and nurtures him despite persecution and betrayal.

Shoichi Kokubun is a roughneck street musician, who has a brother that is determined to propel him into stardom. In attempt to catch the attention of a popular jazz band, his brother appeals to their manager who has the power to make him a star. In a graphic portrayal of love, betrayal and success, Shoichi brews up a storm with a 'rat-a-tat-tat' on the drums.

In Part I we see the young would-be swordsman setting out to achieve greatness in war, achieving nothing because fighting on the losing side, & then beginning his long period of wandering & training, with the goal always in mind of his duel with Kojiro. Part II builds toward that great duel on Ganryu Island, with considerable focus on Musashi's planning & forethought as to how to gain an advantage.

Shōzō, heir to a tonkatsu shop and ice hockey star, faces a series of challenges when his team’s fundraiser goes wrong. Amid rivalry, romantic tension, and an amateur rule violation, Shōzō’s determination leads him to a triumphant return to the ice with help from his girlfriend, Ayako.

A young Japanese-American comes from California looking for a bride, going on blind dates with three candidates from Osaka, Hiroshima and Nagoya.

No description available.

The 22nd film in the Ekimae series about shop-owners living near Akabane Station, Tokyo.

A journalist reporting on the 1997 Kobe earthquake recalls a boat trip he took as a boy after WWII to bury his brother's ashes, during which his family grapples with life in occupied Japan.

The 16th "Ekimae" feature.

Yakuza Gang War is at the height in North Kyūshū Area in the summer of 1950, particularly between the Okagen Group and the rising Hashiden Gang. Now with the mediation/interference of the Americans, they decide to settle it in a peaceful, *democratic* way, that is, to settle it with a baseball game. Now, with its money and power, The Hashiden group soon recruits a group of gamblers known to be good at baseball from the whole country. So, what is the Okagen Gumi gonna do?

Based on the novel "Ekimae Ryokan" by Masuji Ibuse, a longtime hotel employee struggles to bring his old-fashioned ryokan in line with postwar Japanese business practices.

No description available.

A young girl is rigorously trained in the feminine arts so that she can become a geisha. As she struggles through life, she learns to live not just as a woman but as a complete person.

A drama from director Masaharu Segawa.

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The 17th "Ekimae" feature.

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Set in the postwar turmoil, Akasaka no shimai paints a vivit portrait of the life of three sisters who struggle to live in Tokyo.

U.S. Army Captain Clark Allen gains attention by walking back and forth, the length of Japan, gambling with U.S. servicemen in order to raise funds to rebuild an orphanage. Suspicious of Allen's motives, a Japanese newsman, Hiroshi Kitabayashi, traces the American's background until he discovers the motive behind Allen's long walk.

Period piece about a samurai who marries a mysterious beautiful young woman who claims to have lost her memory.

A continuation of Hungry Soul, from the same year. Reiko, who tolerates abuse in her marriage to a man 23 years her senior, is friends with Mayumi, a beautiful widow. Reiko meets her husband’s business rival, a young, capable businessman, and falls for him. Meanwhile, Mayumi enters into a relationship with Shimotsuma, a friend of her late husband.

No description available.

A young asthmatic man learns he has magical powers.

Roppeita is big in size, clumsy and full of energy. When his grandfather orders him to move out to Tokyo to save a sinking milk delivery business a distant relative of his runs, he encounters the most strangest of clientele.

Following the unexpected death of her father, stage actress Emi Ikushima has to navigate the pitfalls of her rising fame and her increasingly complicated love life.

The 12th "Ekimae" feature.

Comedy of manners set on the "Kodama" train between Tokyo and Osaka, before the opening of the Shinkansen. In the leading role, Frankie Sakai plays a straightforward but indecisive hero. The passengers also include the bubbly Dan Reiko, and Ozawa Eitaro as a dour company president. Based on the novel "Seven and a half hours", by Shishi Bunroku.

In the 12th century, Buddhism was still a relatively new religion in Japan. At that time, one school (Shingon) offered extensive training in complex and very demanding practices which might eventually bring about spiritual purification and realization. Various Zen schools offered students a lengthy path, literally composed of a blank wall and unceasing meditation. Yet another school (Tendai) emphasized complex metaphysics and the study of philosophical systems. Basically, all of them were designed to cater to the few who were able to give up everything else in their lives and focus on liberation, such as scholars and noblemen. In this historical and biographical drama, this is the situation that the young Shinran (1173-1263) discovered when he began exploring Buddhism as an alternative to the violence and ceaseless civil wars that racked Japan at the time.

When a mob boss retires under political pressure, his successor and yakuza family are tested to their limits as new alliances and enemies are formed.

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As Marukyū Department Store plans its Hawaii expansion, company executives become sidetracked by local pleasures and personal entanglements. By the time they resume business, the target property is lost to a rival—forcing an abrupt return to Japan with both deals and relationships unresolved.

Hikaru, an ordinary man, discovers a way to unleash the supernatural powers hidden inside his soul, allowing him to cure others with his newfound “ki” healing power.

On a post-war peaceful day in Japan, Toyomatsu Shimizu, a barber as well as a good father and husband, is suddenly arrested by the Prefectural Police as a war criminal and sued for murder.

The female members of the family of the Minister of Health and Welfare, who has just proposed a program of birth control, become pregnant one after the other. - Nikkatsu

This is a paradise of dream and illusion, a country of Raccoon Dogs. The Bat Tribe lives in a neighboring country took a young prince of Raccoon Dogs as a hostage, and try to take a Buddhist saint from the temple by force.

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Shûe Matsubayashi movie

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Period comedy about an undertaker's assistant in love with the daughter of a wealthy doctor. When her father refuses to allow the young lovers to marry and they attempt double suicide, Death comes to their rescue.

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The 9th "Ekimae" feature.

In this patriotic WW II drama, the Japanese army demonstrates its courage and willingness to do anything to win as they endeavor to sneak into Communist China to bring back the flag of a defeated enemy regiment.

Follow-up to "Ekimae Ryokan." Set around the Yurigaoka and Nishi-Ikuta stations on the Odakyu-Odawara line, the film takes up the problem of real estate around the expanding Yurigaoka apartments.

Penultimate 23rd "Ekimae" comedy is about oil-field exploration.

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When Yumiko Tsuyama, a potter by profession, comes inquiring about a room for rent in an old mansion overlooking Osaka, she finds a bizarre collection of characters already living there. The unlikely leader of this menagerie is Yoda Goro, who speaks four languages fluently, is an expert in cabbage rolls, and has written how-to books encompassing every aspect of human existence.

Ruriko's father is a well known scientist who's involved in secret research that even his family doesn't know about. Ever since he moved up to the research laboratory in Hokkaido, Ruriko hasn't heard from him. The only thing that reminded her of his warmth was the green music box that he’d left behind for her. She longed to reunite with her father. The little box played music that lifted her spirits, to a place where everything was perfect.

Japanese comedy film.

The 18th "Ekimae" feature.

Comedy about three soldiers, two female reporters, six prostitutes, and the wife of an officer, all stranded on a South Seas island at the end of World War II.

1962 Japanese movie

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Late entry "Ekimae" feature, about the hunt for lost treasure.

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Nine maids serve the household of a writer and his wife. The couple treat their maids like daughters and marry them off to eligible men. So, they are forever looking for new maids. As the years go by maid servants become hired help and more bossy and independent, so Chikura and his wife find themselves adjusting their lives to keep up with changing times.

The 22nd film in the Shacho comedy series.

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Fourth entry in the Ekimae series, focusing on the restoration of a Fukushima hot spring inn.

A clothing manufacturer president tries to revitalize his company during a business downturn by securing new sales partners and chasing a deal with a world-renowned fashion designer.

Japanese animation adaptation of a 19th century French novel: A boy is given up by his foster parents to a traveling performer.

Japanese soldiers stranded in Manokwari, New Guinea, improvise a theater play to keep their spirits up and endure the extremely difficult conditions.

The 11th "Ekimae" feature.

It’s been five years since her husband had passed away. Fuyuko lives in the quiet suburbs, in a small but loving home with her three beautiful daughters. Haruko, the eldest, is the lead vocalist in a band. Natsuko is the conscientious type, who spends her days in ballet classes beautifying herself. The youngest of the three, Akiko is a bookworm who found her niche in philosophy. Although the sisters may appear to have nothing in common, there is one thing they all agree on; "Mom needs a new husband".

The 10th "Ekimae" feature.

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Television production of I Want to Be a Shellfish. On a post-war peaceful day in Japan, Toyomatsu Shimizu, a barber as well as a good father and husband, is suddenly arrested by the Prefectural Police as a war criminal and sued for murder. According to the accusation by GHQ, Toyomatsu "attemped to kill a US prisoner", which was nothing but an order by his superior and failed after all with hurting the prisoner by weak Toyomatsu. Also, Toyomatsu was driven to corner at the trial by the fact that he fed the US prisoner some burdock roots to nourish him. Toyomatsu believes nothing but being not guilty, but he is sentenced to death by hanging. Prior to the execution, Toyomatsu writes a long farewell letter to his family, the wife and the only son: "If I ever incarnate, I hate to be a human being any more.... Oh yes, I would like to be...a shellfish living on the rock-bottom of the sea."

Iwato Construction secures a major project in Hokkaido and promotes a key employee, but chaos follows—personal conflicts, missed deals, and a lost hotel contract. Redemption comes when they restore a fire-damaged department store, earning overdue payment and a morale boost.

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Zero Mostel plays an inspector on the trail of criminals who have captured a robot called Chatze(sp?) played by Felix Silas. The inspector has delusions that he is a great Samurai warrior and the movie flashes back and forth between present day and ancient times.

Apparently a baseball drama starring real-life stars Nagashima (The Babe Ruth of Japanese Baseball) and teammate Oh-known collectively as ON-from the Yomiuri Giants. Nagashima nickname was 'Mr. Giants.

1953 Japanese movie

This fairy tale depicts the heartwarming connection between a young man who has lost his memory and the gypsies.

A drummer falls for a pawnbroker's daughter.

The 24th and final entry in the Ekimae series, set at Takamatsu Station in Kagawa Prefecture, formerly known for its ferry service to the Seto Inland Sea.

Matsuki, a former war photojournalist, returns home and starts a modest life with his wife, Komiko. Driven by his passion for capturing the truth, he takes on daring assignments that impress many, though his risky work worries his wife. Through his lens, he experiences deeply moving moments that give him a new perspective on the meaning of his profession. As he struggles to balance his career and family life, new challenges force him to reconsider his priorities.

A lighthearted satire of Japan’s postwar corporate elite, The Executive Gentleman’s Register blends farce, romance, and boardroom comedy with the polished charm of 1960s salaryman cinema. When mild-mannered secretary Tsutomu Harada’s wedding is postponed yet again due to the sudden promotion of his matchmaker, Reitarō Koizumi, to company president, chaos ensues in the world of business and matrimony alike. At a raucous nightclub party, a game of musical chairs leads to injury, scandal, and rivalry with a competing paper-bag tycoon. Limping through his first day as president, Reitarō faces corporate sabotage, eccentric clients, and a disastrously comic “business trip” that tangles together love, liquor, and misplaced ambition.

Ensemble comedy.

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The fifth "Ekimae" film set in a Chinese restaurant in Yokohama's Chinatown.

While on a business trip to Kyushu, a paint company president competes with a rival firm for a key overseas client, only to face setbacks both in work and in the personal affairs of his team.

After the father of her son leaves her high and dry, Kazuko gives her child up for adoption and takes a job at a hot spring resort, watching her son being raised by the owner of a tea shop.

Japanese comedy film.

1962 Japanese movie

Remake of classic samurai film of 1932

As his fashion company rides a wave of post-recession success, President Kurihara seeks to expand into women’s apparel through a deepening partnership with a French firm.

A group of one-hit wonder scam artists led by the troubled "Kanpai," dealing with impotence, embark on a lively and poignant societal comedy. They overturn the distorted trends and authorities of modern society through peculiar methods such as taking over temples and creating fake emerging religions.

A drama by director Masaharu Segawa.

A straight-laced police officer is reassigned to the vice squad tasked with cracking down on underground pornography rings. While investigating a blue film operation, he becomes involved with a charismatic stripper who may hold the key to the case. As the investigation deepens, the officer finds his personal life and sense of masculinity unexpectedly transformed, blurring the line between duty and desire.

#13 in the Ekimae series of films. Set at Todai University, Professor Sakai (played by Frankie Sakai) mentors a group of university hopefuls. Cut to 25 years later, the students have each settled into their careers and cross paths with Professor Sakai's son, a P.E. teacher (also played by Sakai).

Third film in the "Ekimae" series, this time set in Hamamatsu. A widow named Keiko and her brother Jiro run the bento shop, "Goraku." One day, Keiko asks for advice from her childhood friends Kintaro, a textile manufacturer, and Magosaku, an entrepreneur, about a big-shot from Osaka who wants to invest in her shop. However, Kintaro and Magosaku suspect that things are not what they seem...

The 10th film in the travel series. The original work and screenplay is by Kazuo Funahashi, the director is Shoji Segawa, and the cinematography is by Keiji Maruyama.

In this continuation of Discover Japan with the 5 Gents (Shacho sen ichiya, 1967), Shoji (Morishige) and his employees plan to build a hotel for Expo 70.

Executives from a Japanese department store travel to Hawaii to acquire land for expansion but become entangled in romantic distractions and miscommunication. By the time they act, the property is lost to a rival, forcing an abrupt return to Tokyo and uncertain outcomes.

1971 Japanese movie

Keisuke Morita, a man with dark glasses standing on the Shibaura pier, a descendant of an illegitimate descendant left behind in Osaka and a brother of the Otorigumi, returned from South America for the first time in 15 years. When he stepped on the soil of his native land, his first thought was to visit Otanuki Fudo, the guardian deity of the Otorigumi, but the Otorigumi had fallen and Otanuki Fudo was on the verge of eviction for the construction of an expressway. Keisuke and Joji put on the striped suits left to them by their late boss, and set out to rebuild the clan...

The film adaptation of Kazuo Kikuta novel "Kumo no Ue Dangoro Ichiza", which enjoyed great success at the performances of the Toho Takarazuka Theater at the end of the year. The troupe "Kumo no Ue Dangoro" continues to tour from town to village. The small cast of the troupe includes its leader (Kenichi Enomoto), Norizo (Norihei Miki) and Taizo (Mutoshi Happa), who play female roles - they are all super actors, each of whom plays five roles. Dan Goro dreams of performing in a major theater and tries to put on a big show with a young man he meets in Shikoku named Sakai (Frankie Sakai), but...

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Daisuke and Shinichi are companions who frequent girlie shows and parties until they find out they are rivals bidding for control of a major resort hotel. During the bargaining sessions each accuses the other of misconduct because of their escapades, thus getting them in trouble with their families. Shinichi's ecology group and Daisuke's wife's women's lib movement become involved.

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Comedy of a phony doctor.

In this outing, Shoji (Morishige) and his employees plan to build a hotel for Expo 70.

Documentary following the travels of the Waseda University Middle-Africa Expedition Team and their encounters with the beauty of the African continent and the life and customs of its people. Locations include Mombasa, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Nairobi, Kenya, Lake Victoria, the Congo River, and Leopoldville.

No description available.

Young widow Ine is suffering under the harsh treatment of her mother in law. As a former Geisha, Ine had struggled to be accepted into the well-established Rokujo family from the beginning. With the support of Jiro, a young man Ine's late husband had saved from homelessness as a young boy, Ine tries to keep the family's heritage of silk processing alive. Their close relationship soon causes gossip among the villagers and threaten Ine's position in the family even further ...

Teppei Omori is a man of extraordinary virility, with 21 mistresses, over 30 children, and more than 1,100 women he has had relations with. Teppei's daily routine involves visiting each of the beef hot pot restaurants, "Akasatana," run by his mistresses, to collect the sales and keep an eye on the women. One day, Noe, one of his mistresses at the first branch, announces that she wants to marry Urakawa, the chef. The other mistresses, in the prime of their lives, can no longer be content with working for him only once a month, and they compete for Teppei's attention, cheating on him behind his back.

15th entry in the Ekimae series, surrounding the then-insanely popular Weekly Shounen Sunday series Osomatsu-kun and Obake no Q-Taro.

Fukuzo, Kato and Matsuko, Kato's wife, are operating the "Kurenai Sightseeing Service" in Tokyo. Fukuzo and Kato were comrades during the war. One day Fukuzo guides Harumi, an old woman, to the Yasukuni Shrine where the souls of fallen soldiers are enshrined. Finding she has no place to go, Fukuzo carries her to his shack by the sea.

In front of Sagami Detention Center. Shosuke, the owner of a strip joint called "Shunpu Music," welcomes Okoma, a stripper who has been locked up for public indecency. Shosuke immediately takes the paroled Okoma to the police station to greet her, and meets a young new detective, Matsuta Obara, who has just been transferred. But the two don't get along from the moment they meet...

It is the 16th series of the call series with the highest masterpiece among the "President" series. The president of the U. s.solar paint, heitaro Domoto (Morishige), has become completely American, and plans to rationalize the company to the American style and prohibit the company's entertainment. Members of the Taiko Kyushu Branch Company (Ryohei Miki), who were living in the banquet, were hit by a big blow, and the company and the meeting club were very annoying. After that, the president who went to the business trip to Kyushu met with a sexy Geisha (Junko Ikeuchi) on the way to the tour, and he felt like a fool.

No description available.

Dr. Kinoshita, whose rocket experiments had been a series of failures, discovers a strange flying saucer zooming through the night sky at super speed. He contacts the newspaper about it, but the editor dismisses him, saying he's gone mad and doesn't take him seriously at all. This is the imaginative sci-fi comedy "Frankie 14," featuring a groundbreaking and innovative story with flying saucers of unparalleled rarity and the appearance of artificial satellite people produced from single cells.

An ad campaign for a TV show called the “Male Training Contest” stirs chaos at a major electronics company. On opening night, PR manager Sugishita is forced to join the contest, where husbands fail miserably at household chores. Frustrated, the men later gather to complain about their domineering wives, only to be confronted by a carefree stranger who teaches them absurd tricks to “stand up to women.”

1962 Japanese movie

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A Japanese comedy based on a serialized novel by Shotaro Yasuoka.

1972 Japanese movie

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Remake of the 1957 film "The Stormy Man".

Seventh in the Ekimae series, detailing the exploits of the landladies around Ryogoku Station in Tokyo, and their sumo clientele.

1968 film

The Wolf of Davao, a death row inmate who escaped from prison to exact revenge on Yamanami Takuzo, who betrayed his former comrade, kidnaps Dr. Shoda, a leading orthopedic surgeon, and disfigures his own face. In an attempt to save Yamanami, who has now reformed and is living a peaceful life, private detective Aji Yahachi falls in love with Yamanami's daughter, Yoko of Valerina, during their great adventures with his assistant Gomi. The disfigured wolf's face looks just like Aji's, so Aji disguises himself as the wolf and rescues Dr. Shoda from their den, but the wolf disguises himself as a detective and breaks into the Yamanami residence. With Aji's help and the police's help, the wolf is cornered on the edge of a cliff with Yoko dragged along after a fierce chase, but commits suicide when he finds out that she is actually his child. Although he is heartbroken by Yoko, Aji has won the love of Shoda's daughter.

The 14th film in the Ekimae series, set in Nagano Prefecture, focusing on the love lives of a group of husbands and their wives.

No description available.

In the Okawa household, Miharu is the breadwinner, while her husband, Soma, handles the domestic chores. One day, a poor student couple moves into their home. Things get even more complicated after their cousin, Matsue, runs away from home after a fight with her husband.

Frankie Sakai plays a Chino-Japanese man who after trudging along in odd jobs discovers his true talent in making excellent, tasty and somewhat spicy ramen. As well as friendship and love, too...

A young girl travels to Ginza and fulfills her dream of singing to help the children of a poor orphanage and is mistaken for the missing granddaughter of a wealthy and heartless businessman.

No description available.

The day has come for recruits to enlist in the Japanese Marine Corps. The recruits, who have left the free world to enter this strict military life, look nervous. Monma Santaro (Frankie Sakai), who grew up in Edo and is small but smart, and Mamada Gosaku (Toshiyuki Ichimura), who was born in Tohoku and has a strong 'zuzu' dialect, have also been called up.

Film about a train conductor and his adventures with two women

1963 Japanese movie

Sixth entry in the Ekimae series, loosely based on the folktale of the tanuki and the tea kettle.

Eighth in the Ekimae series, portraying competition between two hot spring resort owners in Yamanashi.

No description available.

Part of the Young Guy [若大将] series.

A side show snake man who dreams of becoming a drummer tries to save a blind flower girl.

Eri stars as a jazz-crazy waitress pursuing a singing career.