Where to Start with Takashi Miike

In the realm of modern Japanese cinema, Takashi Miike is undoubtedly one of the most prominent and infamous figures. The filmmaker’s tonally diverse and wide-ranging body of work tends to be popular among fans of horror and more extreme action films, but it has never been too far from controversy.

Born in 1960, Takashi Miike experienced the post-World War II effects in the Osaka Prefecture of Japan. He had a lower class upbringing, with Takashi’s mother working as a seamstress and father as a welder. Takashi’s father was a typical Japanese working class man – he spent most of his free time gambling and drinking, as well as making occasional trips to the cinema. This influence of Japanese masculinity clearly presents itself in the characters of Takashi Miike’s films.

After teenage years of bike racing and tangential gangster involvement, Miike went to study at Yokohama Vocational School of Broadcast and Film under the supervision of Japanese New Wave director, Shōhei Imamura. Miike has reflected on his time working under Imamura and stated that the director taught him that “there is a unique relationship between the director and the film.” Imamura emphasized that it is necessary for a filmmaker to have an individual connection to the film they are making, and to not simply emulate someone else. Miike postulated that he could not make Imamura’s Black Rain (1989) because, despite their connection, they are creatively very different.

Miike’s filmmaking career began in the late 1980s, starting in television and low-budget straight-to-video films. Japan’s economic expansion in the early 90s allowed for larger amounts of funding into filmmaking, specifically toward straight-to-video releases. Miike has expressed appreciation for this period of his career because he was able to express greater creative freedom – a perspective that likely comes from his continued issues with international censorship due to the violent nature of his films.

Takashi Miike’s first official directing credit is Lady Hunter: Prelude to Murder (1991). However, the action comedy Eyecatch Junction (also 1991) was released before Lady Hunter. Miike’s straight-to-video films set up the themes and tropes he would continue to explore in his more commercially successful features. His third film, A Human Murder Weapon, was the first of many Miike manga adaptations.

Diving into Takashi Miike’s vast filmography may seem like a daunting undertaking. This film guide will inform a new viewer of where to start with Miike’s work, introducing key themes and visual intricacies. This is Where to Start with Takashi Miike.

1. Audition (1999)

Though some of Takashi Miike’s early films, such as Shinjuku Triad Society (1995), reached relative domestic success in Japan, Audition was the first of his works to attain international regard.

Audition is an adaptation of the 1997 Ryu Murakami novel of the same name. The film’s narrative standout is its ability to bait and switch the audience, leading viewers to completely question characters and relationships that are built throughout the runtime.

Audition initially presents itself as a slow burn romance narrative. Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), a widowed man, is urged by his son to start dating again. To find a potential partner, Shigeharu’s film producer friend proposes they hold a mock audition for the lead role in a new television show. In reality, the women are auditioning for the role of Shigeharu’s new wife.

Throughout the mock auditions, Shigeharu seems uninterested in the potential candidates. However, when Asami (Eihi Shiina), a beautiful and seemingly innocent young woman, enters the room, he is immediately enthralled by her. Shigeharu ignores his friend’s concerns about Asami’s obscure background and missing professional references; he decides to pursue her anyway. Asami and Shigeharu go on several dates, culminating in a night at a hotel. After Asami coerces Shigeharu into confessing his love for her, she disappears. It is at this point where the pyscho-sexual and horror elements of Audition become apparent.

The third act of the film is definitely most well-known for its tortuous and uncomfortable scenes. It’s best to go in relatively blind…

Audition’s most brutal and shocking moments establish Miike’s stylistic gore. He draws out the physicality of the violence by holding on each individual movement. Eihi Shiina skillfully portrays Asami as an emotionally layered and traumatized woman, driven to the point of a psychotic break. Even her incoherent ramblings about love and pain hold some theoretical truth about the dangers of isolation.

One of the biggest criticisms of Audition is that the film is misogynistic. The blatant objectification of women in the first half of the film, and Shigeharu’s manipulative tactics to “search for a new wife”, are often used as evidence to support this claim. Dennis Lim of the Los Angeles Times argued it is too “simplistic” to categorize Audition as a feminist film or to completely write it off as misogynistic. He stated that the film centers itself around the “male fear of women and female sexuality,” using Misery (1990) and Antichrist (2009) as points of reference.

Despite controversies around gender roles and excessive gore, Audition is held in fairly positive critical regard. The film appears on several “Best Horror Movies” lists, most recently earning a spot in Variety’s compilation. Audition has also had a strong impact on many exploitation-adjacent Western directors, such as Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth. Eli Roth cited Audition as a direct inspiration for his controversial 2005 film Hostel. Miike even made a cameo appearance in that film.

2. Ichi the Killer (2001)

Following the acclaim of Audition, Miike went on to direct several yakuza (Japanese organized crime) feature films. The genre-breaking and witty Dead or Alive series was a natural thematic stepping stone from the restrained terror of Audition to the grotesque absurdism of Ichi the Killer.

Miike adapted Ichi the Killer from Hideo Yamamoto’s manga series. The horror-yakuza film follows two equally sadomasochistic men: Ichi, a sexually repressed loner, and Kakihara, an unhinged gangster enforcer.

Ichi the Killer opens with an unapologetically graphic sexual assault scene, observed from afar by an aroused Ichi. This sets the stage for the unsettling images that will continue for the film’s relatively long runtime.

Similarly to Audition, Ichi the Killer explores the relationship between violence and sexuality. Ichi is generally a weak and easily manipulated individual, yet he finds sexual relief in exerting power over women and dominating them. Or watching others do so. He is both a victim and a perpetrator, struggling with his violent urges that he often cannot control. Kakihara, in contrast, has no difficulty practicing his sadistic urges in any opportunity that presents itself.

Beyond commentary on sexuality, Ichi the Killer unfolds as an entertaining and chaotic cat-and-mouse chase between Ichi and Kakihara – a layered crime drama plays out between the scenes of pimps being sliced in half and extreme physical torture. Loyalty and honor seem to be important values to the yakuza, yet the “code of conduct” is consistently broken by members. It becomes clear that there is no true moral standard and the only thing that really matters is power – obtained by any means necessary. Miike refuses to moralize the characters in the film and their severe actions; he does not project any specific criticism onto the portrayal and consumption of violence. This ambiguity somewhat absolves Miike of hypocrisy and leaves us to reflect on our own relationship to the images without any guidance.

Ichi the Killer had its world premiere at the “Midnight Madness” section of the Toronto International Film Festival. Cleverly designed barf bags, labeled “for your viewing discomfort,” were handed out to audience members. The cartoonish, absurdly grotesque violence of the film certainly has had varying impact on its viewers. Rumors of people fainting and throwing up actually served to bolster the popularity of Ichi the Killer.

Unsurprisingly, Ichi the Killer faced many cases of censorship. The British Board of Film Classification refused to release the uncut version in the UK and about seventeen minutes were cut from the film’s runtime before it was released in Japan. Ichi the Killer has been banned completely in Norway and Malaysia, as well as banned from distribution in Germany. Even with these barriers, Ichi the Killer has remained an important entry in the extreme cinema canon for over two decades. The film’s unique charisma and wit ensured it gained a cult following and established Takashi Miike as an effective provocateur.

3. Blade of the Immortal (2017)

Blade of the Immortal is the 100th film in Takashi Miike’s extensive career.

Though Miike is perhaps best known for his horror-thriller films, he also has a significant variety of samurai films. Like Ichi the Killer, Blade of the Immortal is adapted from a popular manga series. Hiroaki Samura’s manga explores themes of revenge, brutality, and unresolved trauma – ideas that fit naturally into the trends of Miike’s filmography.

The protagonist of Blade of the Immortal is an immortal samurai, Manji (Takuya Kimura), who is forced to live with the burden of his past sins. He is approached by a young girl, Rin, who asks him to be her bodyguard and help avenge the death of her father. Manji reluctantly agrees and becomes Rin’s surrogate guardian. Though just as violent as Miike’s other films, Blade of the Immortal’s narrative is relatively wholesome. The bond between Manji and Rin evolves throughout the film and serves as a counterpoint to the darker elements of violence. This companionship illustrates the importance of genuine human connection, which Manji had lost through his immortality and years of self-imposed isolation.

Blade of the Immortal weaves between conventions of the samurai and dark fantasy tropes. The film’s hyper-violence plays out in traditional Miike style, with exaggerated blood squirting and dismemberment. Though Manji cannot die, he certainly comes comically close many times. Even in more serious battles with Manji and Rin’s enemies, the wounds and gore are executed with an element of wit and detached absurdism. This makes Blade of the Immortal one of Miike’s most palatable films. The characters face moral obstacles and make questionable decisions, yet they remain sympathetic and relatable. Instead of isolating us, Miike draws us in to the emotional intricacies of Manji and Rin’s journey.

In 2017, Warner Bros. theatrically released Blade of the Immortal to an underwhelming box office reception. The film did not receive much international attention, but it was quite popular in Japan. Hiroaki Samura stated he was satisfied with Miike’s rendition of his story.

Blade of the Immortal is not necessarily Takashii Miike’s best work, but his admiration for the characters and their complex moral dilemmas makes the film a rewarding watch.

Recommended for you: More “Where to Start with” Film Guides

As one of cinema’s most prolific directors over the past 30 years, Takashi Miike has established a reputation that very few filmmakers have been able to match. Through a number of genre classics, and a body of work that remains true to his filmmaking ideals, Miike has forged a unique path through cinema that may be tough to love, but has rightly gained notoriety and appreciation all over the world. Now only just into his 60s, there remains plenty of time for the Japanese filmmaker to make one more classic or one hundred more feature films. Only time will tell if any are as worthy of being Miike entry points as the films outlined above.

Written by Lauren Frison

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