Film and DVD Review
Must-read analyses of Chiaki films. Also learn where to buy them and when applicable, which version of the DVD to purchase.
Battle Royale
| Toire no Hanako-San (Phantom of the Toilet) | |
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Release Date: 1995 Country: |
| Notes: Chiaki has only a small part in this low budget horror film based on a well-known Japanese urban legend. This is technically the first film she is involved with. Here's a review from an European fan. Please don't confuse this 1995 film with a 1998 film of very similiar name that also had Ai Maeda as the main character. That film is called Shinsei Toire no Hanako-San (School Mystery). Read the review of this later film so you know the difference between the two. | |
| Availability: Out of all the Chiaki films, this film is probably the most difficult to find for someone living in the States. Although it was released in Japan on VHS back in the late 90s, the only version with English subtitles is the Hong Kong VCD. | |
| Gonin (The Five) | |
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Release Date: August 12, 1995 Country: |
| Notes: This is an action film starring the very famous Takeshi "Beat" Kitano. Chiaki plays a minor character who is killed, starting a reputation that her characters never survive their films alive. | |
| Availability: Although officially released in the US on region 1 DVD, it's very difficult to find in stores. Your best bet is to get it online from Amazon or Netflix. | |
| Shikoku (Dead Country) | |
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Release Date: 1999 Country: |
| Notes: Although Chiaki is on the cover of Shikoku, her presence in the film is not extensive. As the "villain" of this horror film, her appearance obviously had to be limited. Shikoku is usually stated as her first film by the Japanese media even though she had small roles in two other films before this. This film is somewhat well-known in Japan because it was released as a double-bill with Ring 2, the Japanese sequel of blockbuster Ringu. | |
| Availability: The DVD has been released in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. | |
| Kamen Gakuen (Persona) | |
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Release Date: 2000 Country: |
| Notes: Again, a small role for Chiaki. She's only in the film for about five minutes, all towards the end. As no English subtitles were ever made, I watched this unsubbed. Kamen Gakuen is more a horror film than anything else so the lack of subtitles didn't really bother me that much. Read this review to understand what the film is about. | |
| Availability: The DVD has been released in Japan and Germany. No official English subtitles were ever made for this film. If there are fansubs available, please let me know. | |
| Ju On (The Curse) | |
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Release Date: February 11, 2000 Country: |
| Notes: Ju-On and Ju-On 2 were low-budget horror V-cinemas released directly to VHS in early 2000. Surprisingly, they did extremely well and prompted two Japanese "remakes" named Ju-On: The Grudge and Ju-On: The Grudge 2 released in 2003. A year later, an American remake simply called the Grudge was released starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. In conjunction with the American release, the 2003 Ju-On: The Grudge was subtitled and released on DVD. This is NOT the 2000 version with Chiaki. With respect to the first Ju-On, Chiaki is only in one scene for about five minutes. | |
| Availability: The Ju-On film with Chiaki has not been released in the States. Lion's Gate owns the rights to the Japanese Ju-On films and has only released the 2003 version. It's unclear whether they will ever go forward with the 2000 version that has Chiaki. Naturally, that version is available in Japan but without English subtitles. Although there's no official version in the States, Chiaki fans are not out of luck as a fan-subtitled version can easily be found online. Just remember, the one with Chiaki should have the cover seen above. The one with Toshio, the blue boy, is the 2003 version. IMDB has the wrong cover for the Ju-On released in 2000! | |
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Battle Royale - December 2000 Kill Bill: Volume 1 - October 2003 Take the "A" Train Someday - December 2003 Kill Bill: Volume 2 (Credits Only) - April 2004 Last Quarter - October 2004 Into the Sun - February 2005 Azumi 2: Death or Love - March 2005 Yôkai daisensô - August 2005 Scrap Heaven - Late 2005
Kouri no Sekai (English: World of Ice; Fuji TV, 1999)
Tenshi - Angels (Pioneer, 1997)
Namaiki! (Brat!; Shinchosha, 1996)
Takara’s "Lucille" Laptop (Denshi Notebook) - 1995
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