Joe Odagiri | WatchedThis
Joe Odagiri
Acting
Biography
Jō Odagiri (小田切 譲 Odagiri Jō, born February 16, 1976), better known by his stage name Joe Odagiri (オダギリ ジョー Odagiri Jō), is a Japanese actor and musician. South China Morning Post described him as "a rebel, something made evident by his grungy, gothic style" Odagiri Joe was born in Tsuyama, Okayama prefecture, a small town in central Japan renowned for its beautiful cherry blossoms in the spring. Though he was accepted by Kochi University, he turned it down for an opportunity to study in the United States. He had originally intended to study movie directing at California State University in Fresno, but mistakes in the application process landed him in acting classes. It may have been a blessing in disguise, for two years after studying in Fresno and later starring in a few stage performances in Japan, Odagiri would find himself catapulted to fame in his role in the Kamen Rider series, playing the central character of Kamen Rider Kuuga, Yusuke Godai. He became the predecessor of the "Ikemen Hero" craze (literally, "good-looking actors playing hero roles in popular TV series"). Since then, Odagiri has appeared in many movies and dramas. He won the Best New Actor Award at the 2003 Japan Academy Awards for his role as the uniquely bisexual nemesis in the film "Azumi", and in the following year, was awarded the Best Supporting Actor Award for his electrifying performance in internationally acclaimed director Kitano Takeshi's 2004 film, "Blood and Bones". Odagiri's creative acting skills and strong presence in films have secured him a place in stardom. He is slated to appear in numerous more films in 2005, including "Maison de Himiko", where he portrays a homosexual man in a relationship with the protagonist (played by Shibasaki Kou's father).
Filmography Movies
Acting
A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad's an Alcoholic
Saki's father is an alcoholic and her mother is a follower of a new religion. She sees her father's strange behavior and her mother's loneliness. Her family is collapsing, but Saki struggles to look for her future.
Shinobi: Heart Under Blade
Even though Gennosuke and Oboro are from rival ninja villages, they are secretly in love. At an annual conference with the Lord, it is dictated that a competition--a fight to the death--will take place between the five best shinobi from each village. Gennosuke and Oboro's love is made even more impossible when they each got picked as the leader of the five to represent their respective villages.
Harbour
A short film that merges footage from Hazard [2005] with music video aesthetics to create a strange visual experiment that challenges the medium of film and music video.
Mushi-Shi: The Movie
Mushi are beings in touch with the essence of life, far more basic and pure than normal living things. Most humans are incapable of perceiving Mushi and are oblivious to their existence, but there are a few who possess the ability to see and interact with Mushi. One such person is Ginko who travels from place to place to research Mushi and aid people suffering from problems caused by them.
Blood and Bones
In 1923, teenager Kim Shun-Pei moves from Cheju Island, in South Korea, to Osaka, in Japan. Along the years, he becomes a cruel, greedy and violent man and builds a factory of kamaboko, processed seafood products, in his poor Korean-Japanese community exploiting his employees.
In the Pool
A free-spirited psychiatrist exudes a magnetic attraction for patients with out-of-the-ordinary neuroses and odd conditions brought about by stress.
Dream
In the aftermath of a car crash, a man discovers his dreams are tied to a stranger's sleepwalking.
Air Doll
A life-size, inflatable sex doll suddenly comes to life one day. Without her owner knowing, she goes for a walk around town and falls in love with Junichi. She starts to date Junichi and gets a job at the same store where he works. Everything seems to be going perfectly for her until something unexpected happens.
Bright Future
Buddies working at an oshibori factory bond over an uncontrollable rage neither can control, as well as a strange jellyfish they keep as a pet.
Plastic City
Yuda, a Chinese immigrant, and his adopted son Kirin, who he saved being eaten by a tiger in the jungle, stand at the head of a massive pirated goods operation that brings in both money and influence. But their empire is crumbling, as corrupt politicians and rival gangs seek to end their power in the city. Yuda is soon got arrested and his dedicated son tries his best to save not just the family business, but his father's reputation.
Production
Looking for Cherry Blossoms
Three strangers gather in search of an elusive cherry blossom. The tree hardly matters after a while, though, as they stumble into one funny and revealing episode after another.
They Say Nothing Stays the Same
Toichi is a boatman who ferries the villagers to a town on the other side of the river. Besides rowing a boat for the villagers all day long, he barely communicates with anyone except Genzo, a young neighbour. Upstream, a large bridge is being constructed. Everyone is excited, but Toichi has mixed feelings about it. One day, Toichi meets a mysterious girl. Having no family and no place to go, Toichi lets her stay with him, but this encounter starts to bring about changes to Toichi's life.
They Say Nothing Stays the Same
Toichi is a boatman who ferries the villagers to a town on the other side of the river. Besides rowing a boat for the villagers all day long, he barely communicates with anyone except Genzo, a young neighbour. Upstream, a large bridge is being constructed. Everyone is excited, but Toichi has mixed feelings about it. One day, Toichi meets a mysterious girl. Having no family and no place to go, Toichi lets her stay with him, but this encounter starts to bring about changes to Toichi's life.
They Say Nothing Stays the Same
Toichi is a boatman who ferries the villagers to a town on the other side of the river. Besides rowing a boat for the villagers all day long, he barely communicates with anyone except Genzo, a young neighbour. Upstream, a large bridge is being constructed. Everyone is excited, but Toichi has mixed feelings about it. One day, Toichi meets a mysterious girl. Having no family and no place to go, Toichi lets her stay with him, but this encounter starts to bring about changes to Toichi's life.
Gosh!!
Life seems pretty normal at the Forensics Division. Ippei's canine partner, Oliver, appears to him as a womanizing middle-aged drunk in a dog suit, but that's nothing new. However, when "Super Volunteer" Konishi vanishes, the investigation pulls them into a bizarre mystery. Joined by Supervisor Hagoromo, Ippei and Yukina follow Konishi's trail, Urushibara uncovers a family secret, and former handler Mizoguchi stumbles upon a takoyaki-infested town and a tiny fairy man. All while mysterious red doors keep appearing… Something is obviously deeply wrong. Can the team find Konishi and save him from unseen forces before chaos consumes them all?
Gosh!!
Life seems pretty normal at the Forensics Division. Ippei's canine partner, Oliver, appears to him as a womanizing middle-aged drunk in a dog suit, but that's nothing new. However, when "Super Volunteer" Konishi vanishes, the investigation pulls them into a bizarre mystery. Joined by Supervisor Hagoromo, Ippei and Yukina follow Konishi's trail, Urushibara uncovers a family secret, and former handler Mizoguchi stumbles upon a takoyaki-infested town and a tiny fairy man. All while mysterious red doors keep appearing… Something is obviously deeply wrong. Can the team find Konishi and save him from unseen forces before chaos consumes them all?
Gosh!!
Life seems pretty normal at the Forensics Division. Ippei's canine partner, Oliver, appears to him as a womanizing middle-aged drunk in a dog suit, but that's nothing new. However, when "Super Volunteer" Konishi vanishes, the investigation pulls them into a bizarre mystery. Joined by Supervisor Hagoromo, Ippei and Yukina follow Konishi's trail, Urushibara uncovers a family secret, and former handler Mizoguchi stumbles upon a takoyaki-infested town and a tiny fairy man. All while mysterious red doors keep appearing… Something is obviously deeply wrong. Can the team find Konishi and save him from unseen forces before chaos consumes them all?
On Summer Sand
This story begins with a protagonist whose sense of time has halted due to the grief of losing his son, now abandoned by his wife, and his sudden cohabitation with his 17-year-old niece left behind by his sister. A man who has lost love, a woman who has renounced love, and a girl who knows nothing of love... As they confront their respective pains, their journey of discovering faint sprouts of hope in hearts as parched as summer sand is depicted—a poignant yet tender masterpiece where sorrow and warmth intertwine.
Haru and Tae
In a small village devastated by a past storm, an elderly woman named Tae lives alone selling grilled dumplings. Her life follows a quiet, repetitive routine, as if time itself has come to a standstill. One night, Tae discovers a strange creature in the mountains and brings it home, naming it Haru. Haru eats only the dumplings Tae makes by hand. Awkward yet gentle, Haru’s presence gives Tae a renewed sense of purpose. However, the village cannot accept what it does not understand. Rumors of a monster called “UWAN” spread, and fear takes hold. Haru is branded a harbinger of disaster, while Tae is deemed mentally unstable and forcibly hospitalized. Caught between rigid institutions and superstition, Tae struggles to protect Haru. Finally, she stages a grand fake funeral, allowing Haru to escape the village’s fear. As another storm approaches, Tae realizes that love is not about possession, but about letting go.
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