is a 2006

Japanese film The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world; as of 2021, it was the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. In 2011 Japan produced 411 feature films that ea ...

by director

Hitoshi Yazaki Hitoshi (written: , , , , , , , , , or in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese politician *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese photographer *, Japanese baseba ...

. The film, based on the Japanese manga of the same name by

Kiriko Nananan is a Japanese manga artist from Tsubame, Niigata. Nananan is famous for her realistic ''josei'' work featuring understated artwork with a sense of detachment. In addition, she has affiliated herself with the "La nouvelle manga" movement. Her fir ...

, concerns the life of four girls, as they deal with their own insecurities while living in the metropolis of Tokyo. This movie ranked 7th Best Film at the 2006

Yokohama Film Festival The is an annual awards ceremony held in Yokohama, Japan. Ten films are chosen as the best of the year and various awards are given to personnel. The first festival, held on February 3, 1980, was a small affair by fans and film critics. In 1994, ...

, and got Best Supporting Actress and Best Cinematography prizes from the same festival.

Plot

The plot revolves around four ladies struggling to find happiness in the capital city of Tokyo: Satoko, who works as a receptionist at an escort service called “Heaven’s Gate" and often prays to God to help her find a boy that will love her; Akiyo, who works at “Heaven’s Gate” as a call girl and is infatuated with Kikuchi, an old school friend, who she gladly changes her appearance for; Chihiro, who works in a low-level office position and often involves herself with men who only use her for sex; and Toko, Chihiro's roommate who works obsessively as an illustrator and suffers from bulimia, which she hides from everyone.

Cast

* Satoko –

Chizuru Ikewaki is a Japanese actress. Career Ikewaki was given a Best New Talent award at the 2000 Yokohama Film Festival for her performance in ''Osaka Story''. She appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2012 television drama ''Penance''. She has also appeared in f ...

* Chihiro –

Noriko Nakagoshi is a Japanese actress. Biography Nakagoshi debuted as a model for '' ViVi'' magazine in 1999. She began acting the same year, making her acting debut as Midori Sato in the show ''Tengoku no Kiss''. Her acting attracted her great attention and fro ...

* Akiyo –

Yuko Nakamura Yuko may refer to: * Yuko (judo) (''yūkō''), a score in judo competition * Yuko (Ukrainian band), a Ukrainian band * Yūko, a Japanese female given name (including a list of persons with the name) * Yuko, a Belgian band * Yuko people Yukpa is ...

* Toko Iwase –

(the original comic writer) * Nagai –

Ryō Kase is a Japanese actor. Early life Kase was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture. He moved to Bellevue, Washington in the United States soon after his birth, due to his father's job being transferred. He's father Yutaka Kase was former chairman a ...

* Kikuchi –

Masanobu Andō is a Japanese actor. Ando has appeared in films such as Takeshi Kitano's ''Kids Return'' (1996), Kinji Fukasaku's '' Battle Royale'' (2000), Takashi Miike's ''Sukiyaki Western Django'' (2007), and Chen Kaige's ''Forever Enthralled'' (2008). He a ...

Awards

* Best Supporting Actress: Yûko Nakamura, 2006 –

* Best Cinematography: Isao Ishii, 2006 – Yokohama Film Festival

References

External links

* * 2006 drama films 2006 films Live-action films based on manga Films set in Japan Japanese drama films 2000s Japanese-language films Films about prostitution in Japan 2000s Japanese films {{2000s-Japan-film-stub ja:Strawberry shortcakes#映画