Shizuka Ishibashi

Two melancholic high school students struggle to find meaning in their lives.

Newcomer Shizuka Ishibashi throws herself into the role of Mika, a nurse by day, a 'girlie bar' hostess by night, subject to feelings of anxiety and isolation, and unable to reach through a hard outer shell that stops her from expressing tenderness to anyone else. Sosuke Ikematsu, one of Japan's most important young actors, stars as Shinji, who struggles as a day-hire construction worker with a sense of impending doom, but who still tries to find the source of an unnamable hope he feels inside.

Yasuko is a hikikomori and has hypersomnia which means she has trouble staying awake during the day. She lives with her boyfriend Tsunagi, who works in the editorial department at a magazine. Her frustration grows, because she can't control her emotions and her boyfriend seems indifferent to her. One day, Tsunagi's ex-girlfriend Ando appears. She schemes to break up the couple. (imdb)

Barbara is an adult-orientated fantasy tale filled with love and the occult from Osamu Tezuka's reimagining of "The Tales of Hoffmann". Its story deals with the erotic and bizarre experiences of a famous novelist called Yosuke Mikura whose life is tossed upside down by a mysterious girl named "Barbara". (imdb)

Pursued by loan sharks, Aoyama is rescued by a mysterious man in orange overalls, and spirited away to "The Town," where other dropouts hide out from debtors, abusive partners or the police. It's a perpetual holiday resort where every need is catered to but hidden in it is a sinister conspiracy.