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Takashi Miike

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In this Japanese name, the surname is Miike.
Takashi Miike
三池 崇史
Miike at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
Born (1960-08-24) August 24, 1960 (age 64)
Yao, Osaka, Japan
Occupation(s)Actor, director, producer, writer
Years active1991–present
Notable workFilmography

Takashi Miike (三池 崇史, Miike Takashi, born August 24, 1960) is a Japanese filmmaker. He has directed over one hundred theatrical, video and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films run through a variety of different genres, and range from violent and bizarre to dramatic and family-friendly.

Early life

Miike was born in Yao, Osaka Prefecture, to a Nikkei family originally from the Kumamoto Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu. During World War II, his grandfather was stationed in China and Korea, and his father was born in Seoul in today's South Korea. His father worked as a welder and his mother as seamstress.[1] Although he claimed to have attended classes only rarely, he graduated from Yokohama Vocational School of Broadcast and Film (Yokohama Hōsō Eiga Senmon Gakkō) under the guidance of renowned filmmaker Shohei Imamura, the founder and Dean of that institution.[2]

Career

Miike's first films were television productions, but he also began directing several direct-to-video V-Cinema releases. Miike still directs V-Cinema productions intermittently due to the creative freedom afforded by the less stringent censorship of the medium and the riskier content that the producers will allow.

Miike's theatrical debut was the film The Third Gangster (Daisan no gokudō).[3][4] However, it was Shinjuku Triad Society (1995) that was the first of his theatrical releases to gain public attention. The film showcased his extreme style and his recurring themes, and its success gave him the freedom to work on higher-budgeted pictures. Shinjuku Triad Society is also the first film in what is labeled his "Black Society Trilogy", which also includes Rainy Dog (1997) and Ley Lines (1999). He gained international fame in 2000 when his romantic horror film Audition (1999), his violent yakuza epic Dead or Alive (1999), and his controversial adaptation of the manga Ichi the Killer played at international film festivals. He has since gained a strong cult following in the West that is growing with the increase in DVD releases of his works. His film Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai premiered In Competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.[5] His 2013 film Straw Shield was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.[6]

Themes of his work

Miike achieved notoriety for depicting shocking scenes of extreme violence and sexual perversions. Many of his films contain graphic and lurid bloodshed, often portrayed in an over-the-top, cartoonish manner. Much of his work depicts the activities of criminals (especially yakuza) or concern themselves with gaijin, non-Japanese or foreigners living in Japan. He is known for his dark sense of humor and for pushing the boundaries of censorship as far as they will go.

Despite his notorious reputation, Miike has directed film in a range of genres. He has created lighthearted children's films (Ninja Kids!!!, The Great Yokai War), period pieces (Sabu), a road movie (The Bird People in China), a teen drama (Andromedia), a farcical musical-comedy-horror (The Happiness of the Katakuris), and video game adaptations (Like a Dragon, Ace Attorney). Other less controversial works include Ley Lines and Agitator, which are character-driven crime dramas.

While Miike often creates films that are less accessible and target arthouse audiences and fans of extreme cinema, such as Izo and the "Box" segment in Three... Extremes, he has created several mainstream and commercial titles such as the horror film One Missed Call and the fantasy drama The Great Yokai War.

Miike has cited Starship Troopers as his favorite film.[7] He expressed admiration for directors Akira Kurosawa,[8] Hideo Gosha,[8][9] David Lynch,[10] David Cronenberg,[10] and Paul Verhoeven.[10]

Controversies

Several of Miike's films have been subject to scrutiny due to heavy violence. His 2001 horror film Ichi the Killer, adapted from a manga of the same name and starring Tadanobu Asano as a sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer, was highly controversial; during its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2001, the audience received "barf bags" emblazoned with the film's logo as a promotional gimmick.[11] The British Board of Film Classification refused to allow the release of the film uncut in the United Kingdom, citing its extreme levels of sexual violence towards women; the film required 3 minutes and 15 seconds of mandated cuts to be allowed release.[12] In Hong Kong, 16 minutes and 59 seconds of footage were cut.[13] Ichi the Killer was also banned outright in Finland, Germany and Malaysia.[14]

In 2005, Miike was invited to direct an episode of the Masters of Horror anthology series. The series, featuring episodes by a range of established horror directors such as John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper and Dario Argento, was supposed to provide directors with relative creative freedom and relaxed restrictions on violent and sexual content (some sexual content was edited from the Argento-directed episode "Jenifer"). However, when the Showtime cable network acquired the rights to the series, Miike’s episode, Imprint, was deemed too disturbing for the network. Showtime cancelled it from the broadcast lineup even after extended negotiations, though it was retained as part of the series' DVD release. Mick Garris, creator and executive producer of the series, described the episode as "amazing, but hard even for me to watch... definitely the most disturbing film I've ever seen".[15]

While "Imprint" has yet to air in the United States, it has aired on Bravo in the United Kingdom,[16] on FX in Mexico, South and Central America, the Dominican Republic, France, Israel, Turkey, on Nelonen in Finland and on Rai Tre in Italy. Anchor Bay Entertainment, which has handled the DVD releases for the Masters of Horror series in the US, released "Imprint" uncut on Region 1 DVD on September 26, 2006.[17]

Filmography

As director

Year English title Japanese Romanization Type
1991
Eyecatch Junction 突風！ ミニパト隊 アイキャッチ・ジャンクション Toppū! Minipato tai - Aikyatchi Jankushon Video
Lady Hunter: Prelude to Murder レディハンター 殺しのプレュード Redi hantā: Koroshi no pureryūdo Video
1992 (Shissō Feraari 250 GTO / Rasuto ran: Ai to uragiri no hyaku-oku en) 疾走フェラーリ250GTO/ラスト・ラン～愛と裏切りの百億円 Shissō Feraari 250 GTO / Rasuto ran: Ai to uragiri no hyaku-oku en
Shissō Feraari 250 GTO / Rasuto ran: Ai to uragiri no ¥10 000 000 000 		TV movie
A Human Murder Weapon 人間兇器 愛と怒りのリング Ningen kyōki: Ai to ikari no ringu Video
1993 Bodyguard Kiba ボディガード牙 Bodigādo Kiba Video
(Oretachi wa tenshi ja nai) 俺達は天使じゃない Oretachi wa tenshi ja nai Video
(Oretachi wa tenshi ja nai 2) 俺達は天使じゃない２ Oretachi wa tenshi ja nai 2 Video
1994 Shinjuku Outlaw 新宿アウトロー Shinjuku autorou Video
Bodyguard Kiba: Apocalypse of Carnage 修羅の黙示録 ボディーガード牙 Shura no mokushiroku: Bodigādo Kiba Video
1995 (Daisan no gokudō) 第三の極道 Daisan no gokudō Theatrical debut
Bodyguard Kiba: Apocalypse of Carnage 2 修羅の黙示録2 ボディーガード牙 Shura no mokushiroku 2: Bodigādo Kiba Video
Osaka Tough Guys なにわ遊侠伝 Naniwa yūkyōden Video
Shinjuku Triad Society 新宿黒社会 チャイナ マフィア戦争 Shinjuku kuroshakai: Chaina mafia sensō Film
1996 (Shin daisan no gokudō: boppatsu Kansai gokudō sensō) 新・第三の極道 勃発 関西極道ウォーズ！！ Shin daisan no gokudō: boppatsu Kansai gokudō sensō Video
(Shin daisan no gokudō II) 新・第三の極道II Shin daisan no gokudō II Video
Ambition Without Honor 仁義なき野望 Jingi naki yabō Video
Peanuts 落華星 ピイナッツ Rakkasei: Piinattsu Video
The Way to Fight 喧嘩の花道 大阪最強伝説 Kenka no hanamichi: Ōsaka saikyō densetsu Video
Fudoh: The New Generation 極道戦国志 不動 Gokudō sengokushi: Fudō Film
1997 Ambition Without Honor 2 仁義なき野望2 Jingi naki yabō 2 Video
Young Thugs: Innocent Blood 岸和田少年愚連隊 血煙り純情篇 Kishiwada shōnen gurentai: Chikemuri junjō-hen Film
Rainy Dog 極道黒社会 RAINY DOG Gokudō kuroshakai Film
Full Metal Yakuza FULL METAL 極道 Full Metal gokudō Video
1998 The Bird People in China 中国の鳥人 Chûgoku no chôjin Film
Andromedia アンドロメディア andromedia Andoromedia Film
Blues Harp BLUES HARP n/a Film
Young Thugs: Nostalgia 岸和田少年愚連隊 望郷 Kishiwada shōnen gurentai: Bōkyō Film
1999 Man, A Natural Girl 天然少女萬 Tennen shōjo Man TV
Ley Lines 日本黒社会 Nihon kuroshakai Film
Silver シルバー SILVER Silver: shirubā Video
Audition オーディション Ōdishon Film
Dead or Alive DEAD OR ALIVE 犯罪者 Dead or Alive: Hanzaisha Film
Salaryman Kintaro
White Collar Worker Kintaro 		サラリーマン金太郎 Sarariiman Kintarō Film
Man, Next Natural Girl: 100 Nights in Yokohama
N-Girls vs Vampire 		天然少女萬NEXT 横浜百夜篇 Tennen shōjo Man next: Yokohama hyaku-ya hen TV
2000 The Making of 'Gemini' (unknown) Tsukamoto Shin'ya ga Ranpo suru TV documentary
MPD Psycho 多重人格探偵サイコ Tajū jinkaku tantei saiko: Amamiya Kazuhiko no kikan TV miniseries
The City of Lost Souls
The City of Strangers
The Hazard City 		漂流街 THE HAZARD CITY Hyōryū-gai Film
The Guys from Paradise 天国から来た男たち Tengoku kara kita otoko-tachi Film
Dead or Alive 2: Birds
Dead or Alive 2: Runaway 		DEAD OR ALIVE 2 逃亡者 Dead or Alive 2: Tōbōsha Film
2001 Family FAMILY n/a Film
Family 2 FAMILY 2 n/a Video
Visitor Q ビジターQ Bijitā Q Video
Ichi the Killer 殺し屋1 Koroshiya 1 Film
Agitator 荒ぶる魂たち Araburu tamashii-tachi Film
The Happiness of the Katakuris カタクリ家の幸福 Katakuri-ke no kōfuku Film
2002 Dead or Alive: Final DEAD OR ALIVE FINAL n/a Film
Kumamoto Stories 熊本物語 Kumamoto Monogatari Anthology film
Sabu SABU さぶ Sabu TV
Graveyard of Honor 新・仁義の墓場 Shin jingi no hakaba Film
Shangri-La 金融破滅ニッポン 桃源郷の人々 Kin'yū hametsu Nippon: Tōgenkyō no hito-bito Film
Pandōra パンドーラ Pandōra Music video
Deadly Outlaw: Rekka
Violent Fire 		実録・安藤昇侠道（アウトロー）伝 烈火 Jitsuroku Andō Noboru kyōdō-den: Rekka Film
(Pāto-taimu tantei) パートタイム探偵 Pāto-taimu tantei TV movie
2003 The Man in White 許されざる者 Yurusarezaru mono Film
Gozu 極道恐怖大劇場 牛頭 GOZU Gokudō kyōfu dai-gekijō: Gozu Film
Yakuza Demon 鬼哭 kikoku Kikoku Video
Kōshōnin 交渉人 Kōshōnin TV
One Missed Call
You've Got a Call 		着信アリ Chakushin Ari Film
2004 Zebraman ゼブラーマン Zeburāman Film
(Pāto-taimu tantei 2) パートタイム探偵2 Pāto-taimu tantei 2 TV movie
Box segment in Three... Extremes BOX（『美しい夜、残酷な朝』） Saam gaang yi Segment in feature film
Izo IZO IZO Film
2005 Ultraman Max ウルトラマンマックス Urutoraman Makkusu Episodes 15 and 16 of the tokusatsu TV series[18]
The Great Yokai War 妖怪大戦争 Yokai Daisenso Film
2006 Big Bang Love, Juvenile A
4.6 Billion Years of Love 		46億年の恋 46-okunen no koi Film
Waru WARU Waru Film
"Imprint" インプリント ～ぼっけえ、きょうてえ～ Inpurinto ~bokke kyote~ TV episode
Part of the Masters of Horror anthology series
Waru: kanketsu-hen Waru: kanketsu-hen Video
Sun Scarred 太陽の傷 Taiyo no kizu Film
2007 Sukiyaki Western Django スキヤキ・ウエスタン ジャンゴ Sukiyaki wesutān jango Film
Crows Zero クローズZERO Kurōzu Zero Film
Like a Dragon 龍が如く 劇場版 Ryu ga Gotoku Gekijōban Film
Zatoichi 座頭市 Zatōichi Stageplay
Detective Story 探偵物語 Tantei monogatari Film
2008 God's Puzzle 神様のパズル Kamisama no pazuru Film
K-tai Investigator 7 ケータイ捜査官7 Keitai Sōsakan 7 TV (1 episode)
2009 Yatterman ヤッターマン Yattaaman Film
Crows Zero 2 クローズZERO 2 Kurōzu Zero 2 Film
2010 Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City ゼブラーマン -ゼブラシティの逆襲 Zeburāman -Zebura Shiti no Gyakushū- Film
Thirteen Assassins 十三人の刺客 Jûsan-nin no shikaku Film
2011 Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai 一命 Ichimei Film
Ninja Kids!!! 忍たま乱太郎 Nintama Rantarō Film
2012 Ace Attorney 逆転裁判 Gyakuten Saiban Film
For Love's Sake 愛と誠 Ai to makoto Film
Lesson of the Evil 悪の教典 Aku no Kyōten Film
2013 Shield of Straw 藁の楯 Wara no Tate Film
The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji 土竜の唄　潜入捜査官 REIJI Mogura no uta – sennyu sosakan: Reiji Film
2014 Over Your Dead Body 喰女-クイメ- Kuime Film
As the Gods Will 神さまの言うとおり Kamisama no iu tōri Film
2015 The Lion Standing in the Wind 風に立つライオン Kaze ni Tatsu Lion Film
Yakuza Apocalypse 極道大戦争 Gokudō Daisensō Film
2016 Terra Formars テラフォーマーズ Tera Fōmāzu Film
The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio 土竜の唄 香港狂騒曲 Mogura no uta: Hong Kong kyōsō-kyoku Film
2017 Idol × Warrior Miracle Tunes! アイドル×戦士 ミラクルちゅーんず！ Aidoru × Senshi Mirakuru Chūnzu! TV series (general director)
Blade of the Immortal 無限の住人 Mugen no Jūnin Film
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter I ジョジョの奇妙の冒険 ダイヤモンドは砕けない 第一章 JoJo no Kimyō na Bōken: Daiyamondo wa Kudakenai: Daiisshō Film
2018 Magical × Heroine Magimajo Pures! 魔法×戦士 マジマジョピュアーズ！ Mahō × Senshi Majimajo Pyuazu! TV series (general director)
Laplace's Witch ラプラスの魔女 Rapurasu no Majo Film
2019 Secret × Heroine Phantomirage! ひみつ×戦士 ファントミラージュ! Himitsu × Senshi Fantomiraaju! TV series (general director)
First Love 初恋 Hatsukoi Film
2020 Police × Heroine Lovepatrina! ポリス×戦士 ラブパトリーナ! Porisu × Senshi Rabupatorina! TV series (general director)

As actor

As producer

Other work

In 2005 Takashi Miike directed a Kabuki-style play titled Demon Pond. The DVD recording of the performance was released by Cinema Epoch.[19][20]

References

  1. ^ Mes, Tom. Agitator: The Cinema of Takashi Miike. Godalming: FAB Press, 2003. ISBN 1-903254-21-3. p. 15.
  2. ^ Mes, pp. 16-18.
  3. ^ Mes, Tom. Agitator: The Cinema of Takashi Miike. Godalming: FAB Press, 2003. ISBN 1-903254-21-3. p. 57.
  4. ^ Wong, Aliza S. (December 15, 2018). Spaghetti Westerns: A Viewer's Guide. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442269040 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Official Selection". Cannes. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
  6. ^ "2013 Official Selection". Cannes. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  7. ^ Interview Footage included in special features on American Region 1 DVD of Gozu
  8. ^ a b Hoad, Phil (May 5, 2011). "Takashi Miike: Why I am bringing Japanese classics back to life". The Guardian. London.
  9. ^ "『私と東映』 ｘ 三池 崇史監督 （第１回 ／ 全２回）". Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  10. ^ a b c "Takashi Miike director of Gozu by Anderswolleck - SuicideGirls". Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2011-09-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ "Ichi the Killer (18)". British Board of Film Classification. November 12, 2002. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  13. ^ "Ichi the Killer (Comparison)". www.movie-censorship.com. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  14. ^ "Filmart Flashback: In 2001, Takashi Miike Brought Ultra Violence to the Mainstream with 'Ichi the Killer' | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  15. ^ Kehr, Dave (January 19, 2006). "Horror Film Made for Showtime Will Not Be Shown". The New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  16. ^ "Masters of Horror". bravo.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2008-05-17.
  17. ^ "Masters of Horror: Imprint". Amazon. September 26, 2006.
  18. ^ "ULTRAMAN MAX Official Episode Guide". 3 June 2007. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  19. ^ "Demon Pond (2005)". Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  20. ^ Brown, Todd (27 December 2007). "Miike Stage Production DEMON POND Coming To DVD!". Retrieved 31 October 2016.

Further reading

  • Mes, Tom. Agitator: The Cinema of Takashi Miike. Godalming: FAB Press, 2003. ISBN 1-903254-21-3
  • Williams, Tony. "Takashi Miike's Cinema of Outrage." cineACTION 64 (2004): 54-62
  • "Izo: Takashi Miike's History Lesson." Asian Cinema 16.2 (2005): 85-109.
  • Gerow, Aaron. "The Homelessness of Style and the Problems of Studying Miike Takashi." Canadian Journal of Film Studies 18.1 (2009): 24-43
  • Black, Art (2003). "Takashi Miike Revisited". Asian Cult Cinema. 38 (1st Quarter): 12–17.
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