
Daisuke Ryū
Actor · 1957 – 2021 · Tokyo, Japan
Daisuke Ryu was a Japanese actor born in Tokyo, Japan on 14 February 1957. He won the Japanese "best new actor" Blue ribbon award for his performance as the legendary warrior Oda Nobunaga in Akira Kurosawa's movie Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior). Other notable performances include Saburo Ichimonji in the famous Kurosawa epic Ran and the legendary warrior monk Benkei in Sogo Ishii's critically acclaimed Gojoe (Gojō reisenki or The Spirit war chronicle). He starred opposite Samantha Bond in the 1989 television serial The Ginger Tree, where he played Count Kentaro Kurihama. Based on the novel by Oswald Wynd, set in Japan at the turn of the century, it spans the period 1903 to the outbreak of the Second World War. Description above from the Wikipedia article Daisuke Ryu, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Movies22
Movie8.0ActionDramaShakespeare's King Lear is reimagined as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan where an aging warlord divides his kingdom between his three sons.
Movie7.8ActionDramaAkira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord.
Movie7.2AnimeAnimationIn the midst of societal conflict in the futuristic city of Metropolis, Kenichi and his uncle Shunsaku Ban set out to uncover the mystery behind the first human-like robot, Tima.
Movie6.5ComedyDramaAoshima, a police detective working in the Bayside Precinct, is continually frustrated by the hierarchy and red tape that plague the system. His friend Muroi is climbing the ladder of the police bureaucracy. Muroi has made a pact with Aoshima that while Aoshima looks after the streets, Muroi would make life easier for the cops on the beat. One day in Bayside, a series of events turns the small station upside down.
Movie6.3ActionThrillerRei, whose undercover role is so guarded that there is no written record of her identity, is well known for her accuracy in completing missions and her willingness to get naked if the situation calls for it. When she's instructed to bust Kayama, who has been buying confiscated drugs from corrupt police officers, she finds herself in a sticky situation -- not only is she attracted to him, but Kayama, like Rei, does not officially exist.
Movie6.4DramaComedyVain, middle-aged actress Biwako is placed in witness protection while authorities investigate the brutal murder she witnessed. Under the watch of two dedicated cops, Biwako struggles to maintain her career, her public image, and her personal life as she prepares for her new role on the witness stand.
Movie5.6DramaSet in the icy wilderness of Hokkaido during the early days of the Meiji era, where the brutal warden of Kabato Prison terrorizes convicts sentenced to forced labor to build the roads needed to open up the territory.
Movie6.2CrimeDramaA barkeeper saves a yakuza boss' life and thus makes his way up in the organization. However, his fear of nothing soon causes problems.
Movie4.7DramaActionA woman with no past or identity, Rei is a gorgeous undercover agent for the Zero Department, a deadly shadow division of the police force. But her skillshave made her a threat and this sleek, sexy assassin has been marked for death by a rival organization. It will take this deadly seductress every ounce of her cunning to survive!
Movie6.8ActionHistoryBenkei, a master fighter and killer, vows never to take another life after his conversion to Buddhism. His faith in pacifism, however, is shaken and ultimately broken by the attacks from a trio of fighters known only as the demons. Taking up his sword once more, he sets out to end their murderous terror.
Movie7.0
Movie6.1ActionAdventureKumokiri Nizaemon, a former samurai warrior, has abandoned his class to become the leader of a gang of thieves. He leads his outlaws in an attempt to rob the castle of his former clan.
Movie6.9AnimeFantasyA young queen requests a bouquet of snowdrop flowers for New Year's Day in exchange for a reward. One greedy woman sends her stepdaughter, whom she does not like, to look for the flowers in a cold forest, knowing the task will be impossible for her. The girl almost freezes to death in the forest, but she is rescued by the spirits of the Twelve Months, who create spring around her. The girl is able to deliver the bouquet to the queen, but others want a share of the reward.
Movie4.6ActionThrillerIn this installment of the Zero Woman series, Rei, the number-one assassin of the Tokyo Police Department's secret Zero Division, has been assigned to take out a notorious gangster responsible for dozens of murders. At the same time, she must protect the gangster's mistress from the hitmen who want to keep her from telling the police what she knows. At first, both women are upset about the arrangement, but they eventually come to appreciate each other.
Movie6.5FamilyScience FictionFirst Lieutenant Shun'ichi Maki of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force is a prestigious F-15 Eagle jet pilot (or "driver" as he is called in the film). A lifelong fan of flying since he was a child, being a pilot is his ultimate dream. Unfortunately, his duties distance himself from his wife, Yoko, who always ends up being neglected, and his son, Tsugumu, who has a congenital blood disease and has a high risk of dying at a young age.Maki decides to quit the Air Force to devote more time to his family and to spend whatever is left for his son. He takes a part-time job as a commercial tour guide run by a kindly group of people who allow him time to work and to also take care of his family.
Movie4.5DramaHorrorA psychological drama about the consequences of a 15 year old girl's gang rape.
Movie7.3DramaWarBased on the "2.26 Incident", an attempted coup d'état in Japan 1936, launched by radical ultra-nationalist parts of the military. Several leading politicians were killed and the center of Tokyo was briefly held by the insurgents before the coup was suppressed.
Movie4.0DramaA free-spirited girl living in a Japanese province spends her time working in a brothel and running with her dog. When her routine is shattered she gets on a path of hate and self discovery.
Movie6.3ActionAdventureYataro Tanigawa, a one-eyed hired assassin, impresses yakuza boss Gomyo Kiyoemon with his skill. Gomyo hires Tanigawa as his bodyguard, or yojimbo, to protect him during an inter-clan conflict. Tanigawa quickly rises in stature in the clan, but finds his boss's enemies almost overwhelming.
Movie6.9DramaOne year after the Kidojis' eldest son Otohiko was arrested for his part in a terrorist kidnapping, which resulted in multiple deaths, all the other perpetrators' parents have either resigned from their professional positions or taken their own lives, Nobuyuki Kidoji remains adamant that he is not responsible for his son's actions.
Movie6.4CrimeDramaWhen a young yakuza torments the customers in a rival crime family's nightclub, it is not long before his dead body is found. Soon, inter-family retaliation follows, resulting in the death for a prominent crime boss. Devastated by this turn of events, the temperamental Kenzaki vows to avenge his boss's death and, as bloody violence ensues, the body count reaches excessive proportions.
Movie6.0Science FictionDramaIn 1868, a battle between new government forces and shogunate forces are about to take place in Edo. Katsu Kaishu wants to avoid useless bloodshed and sends a peace envoy to Takamori Saigō, but Katsu Kaishu is unable to get a response from Takamori Saigō. One day, Katsu Kaishu meets high school teacher Mikako and her student Masaya who is captivated by the shogunate. Mikako and her student Masaya tells Katsu Kaishu that they are from the future. Katsu Kaishu takes care of Mikako and her student Masaya, while Mikako hopes to go back to the future where she came from.
Series5
TVDramaWar & Politics
TV7.0ComedySci-Fi & FantasyIn a world where giant robots are built and used for labor, a special police force of robots is created to handle crimes relating to these machines.
TV6.0CrimePolice coroner Kuraishi Yoshio and the crime lab team attempt to solve a serial murder case with a killer who seems to kill indiscriminately.
TV5.7DramaIn 1903, a young Scotswoman goes to join her diplomat fiancé in Manchuria. She marries him, and finds herself in a war zone. Disenchanted with her husband, she falls in love with a married Japanese nobleman, Count Kentaro Kurihama, and bears him a son. She carves out a life for herself in Japanese society, despite the hardships and ostracism she faces as both a Westerner and a woman.
The Ginger Tree
1989 · 3 votes
TVDramaAfter being carried in his mother’s womb for three years, Benkei is born with long hair and teeth and the body of a small child. It is said that he immediately laughed and commented on the brightness of the outside world, leading local people in his native Kii (modern Wakayama) to proclaim that he is a devil. Abandoned on a mountainside, he is adopted by Dainagon, a Kyoto resident who rears him until age seven when he leaves to become a monk. Thrown out of the monastery for his violent behavior, Benkei wanders Japan in search of enlightenment, though only trouble seems to find him. After accidentally causing a temple to burn down, he decides to begin a quest to defeat 1,000 of the hated Heike samurai in battle and donate their swords to a temple. Obtaining the first 999 swords proves relatively easy but the final weapon belongs to Yoshitsune, a young boy whose appearance belies his great skill as a warrior.