Movie: Hana yori mo naho Romaji: Hana yori mo naho Japanese: 花よりもなほ Director: Hirokazu Koreeda Writer: Hirokazu Koreeda Producer: Nozomu Enoki, Julie K. Fujishima, Satoshi Kono, Shiho Sato Cinematographer Yutaka Yamazaki Release Date: May 3, 2007 Production Company: Shochiku, Hana Film Partners Distributor: Shochiku Runtime: 127 min. Language: Japanese Country: Japan **Plot** A samurai named Soza (Junichi Okada) has lived in the modest Edo shanty town for the past 3 years in search of his father’s killer. His father was killed in a petty dispute over the game “Go” and his last words to Soza were to revenge his death. Soza while honoring his father’s wishes has also been partaking in activities that are of interest to him, but unusual for a Samurai. This would include running a private school for the neighborhood kids and keeping birds as pets. He’s also become quietly attached to a widow named Osae (Rie Miyazawa) and her 8 year old son Shinbo. It’s also revealed through humorous scenes in the film that Soza is a terrible swordsman and actually scared of battle. When he finally locates his father’s killer Soza he now has to weight the teachings of his Samurai background against his own moral convictions. Running parallel with Soza’s story are the various stories of the shanty town residents. The most notable story involves the fabled 47 Ronins. The 47 Ronins were a group of samurai that were leaderless after their master was forced to commit suicide because of an assault on a court official. The ronins then blended back into society, while secretly conspiring to exact revenge for their dishonored master. They patiently wait for over a year to launch their attack – all the while knowing they would be sentenced to death for their actions. **Cast** Junichi Okada - Aoki Souzaemon aka 'Soza' Rie Miyazawa - Osae, Widow Arata Furuta - Sadashiro Jun Kunimura - Isekan Katsuo Nakamura - Shigehachi Tadanobu Asano - Jubei Kanazawa Yoshio Harada - Junai Onodera Teruyuki Kagawa - Jirozaemon Hirano Tomoko Tabata - Onobu Yui Natsukawa - Oryo Renji Ishibashi - Shozaburo Aoki Ryuhei Ueshima - Otokichi Yuichi Kimura - Magosaburo Seiji Chihara - Tomekichi Ryo Kase - Sodekichi Moeko Ezawa - Okatsu Tetsushi Tanaka Ryo Katsuji Shohei Tanaka Yuji Nakamura Manami Azechi Nanami Nabemoto Ouga Tanaka - Kichibo Hihei Kimura - Kenbo Natsuo Ishido **Film Festivals** 2012 (18th) Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema - February 14-21, 2012 - Hommage à Kore Eda Hirokazu **Awards** "Yujiro Ishihara New Artist Award" (Junichi Okada) - 2006 (19th) Nikkan Sports Film Awards - December 28, 2006