Kouichi Yanai

Movies

Colorful
Compositing Supervisor
Upon reaching the train station to death, a dejected soul is informed that he is lucky and will have another chance at life. He is placed in the body of a 14-year-old boy named Kobayashi Makoto, who has just committed suicide. Watched over by a neutral spirit named Purapura, the soul must figure out what his greatest sin and mistake in his former life was, before his time limit in Makoto's body runs out. He also has a number of other lesser duties he must complete, such as understanding what led Makoto to commit suicide in the first place and learning how to enjoy his second chance at life.
The Story of the Blue-Eyed Girl
Director of Photography
The story is set in a village in the southern Japanese prefecture of Kōchi during World War II. Even in this remote mountainous area, the perception of American and British people as "brutes" has taken root, due to the deaths and injuries among the villagers' relatives. A elementary schoolgirl named Eiko transfers from the city of Yokohama to this village. Eiko happens to have blue eyes from her American father, and her classmates make no attempt to rein in their bullying. Other than Eiko's homeroom teacher Akiko, even the teachers view Eiko the same way that the children do. However, a boy named Kenta views Eiko more with curiosity than with hostility. The children's lives change as the injured father of one of Kenta's classmates returns from the battlefield and news of more casualties arrives in the village.
Kiku and the Wolf
Director of Photography
Kiku-chan to Ookami is, like most of the Sensou Douwa specials, based on a short story by Nosaka Akiyuki. It is set in the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo (the Chinese province of Manchuria) during the closing days of Word War II. Life for the Japanese colonists is tranquil, with none of the hazards and shortages occurring in the Japanese homeland. Then, on August 9, 1945, the Soviet Union, fulfilling its obligations to the Western Allies, declares war and invades. The local Kwantung Army folds up like a house of cards, leaving the Japanese colonists exposed to the invading Russians and Chinese.
Captain Tokio
Production Manager
In the year 20XX, anarchy reigns over Tokyo after a devastating earthquake destroyed the city. Isolated from the rest of the country, the chaos-ridden city is ruled over by an autocratic governor (Izumiya Shigeru) who has forbidden all forms of entertainment including cinema. Timid movie lover Furuta (Wentz Eiji) and mischievous rocker Nitta (Nakao Akiyoshi), two peddling high school boys lost in the city's wasteland, gather forces and lead a youth rebellion against the governor.
The Cake Tree in the Ruins
Director of Photography
War drama based on a short story by Akiyuki Nosaka.
Atashin'chi the Movie
Director of Photography
When teenager Mikan and her eccentric mom switch bodies, the rest of the family tries to adjust while attempting to reverse this peculiar phenomenon.