Sabu (director)
Encyclopedia
is the pseudonym
of Japanese actor and director .
, Sabu studied at an Osaka
fashion school before deciding to go to Tokyo
to become a professional musician. It was suggested he try acting and in 1986 he made his film debut in Sorobanzuku
. He earned his first starring role in the 1991 World Apartment Horror, a live-action film directed by Katsuhiro Ōtomo
of Akira
fame. Working from a script he wrote himself, he made his directorial debut with the 1996 Dangan Runner, a film that set his early style of "quirky action-comedies propelled by characters who hurtle headlong though squirming narratives steered more by the forces of incidence and coincidence than the actions of the protagonists themselves." Shin'ichi Tsutsumi
played the lead in Sabu's first five films. Blessing Bell, starring Susumu Terajima
(who has played minor roles in nearly all of Sabu's films), was a turn away from his kinetic, parodic, and black comedy narratives, and earned the NETPAC Award at the 2003 Berlin Film Festival. Later films featured the J-pop
band V6
. In 2009, he directed The Crab Cannery Ship, a modern adaptation of a classic of Japanese proletarian literature
written by Takiji Kobayashi.
He has continued to work as an actor, such as in Takashi Miike
's Ichi the Killer
(2001).
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Japanese actor and director .
Career
Born in Wakayama PrefectureWakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Wakayama.- History :Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.- 1953 Wakayama Prefecture flood disaster :...
, Sabu studied at an Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
fashion school before deciding to go to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
to become a professional musician. It was suggested he try acting and in 1986 he made his film debut in Sorobanzuku
Sorobanzuku
is a 1986 Japanese film directed by Yoshimitsu Morita.-Awards:8th Yokohama Film Festival*Won: Best Screenplay - Yoshimitsu Morita*Won: Best Actress - Narumi Yasuda*Won: Best Supporting Actor - Kaoru Kobayashi*10th Best Film...
. He earned his first starring role in the 1991 World Apartment Horror, a live-action film directed by Katsuhiro Ōtomo
Katsuhiro Otomo
is a Japanese comic book creator, screenwriter and film director. He is best known as the creator of the manga Akira and its animated film adaptation. Otomo has also directed several live-action films, such as the 2006 feature film adaptation of the manga Mushishi.-Biography:Katsuhiro Otomo was...
of Akira
Akira (film)
is a 1988 Japanese animated cyberpunk science fiction film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, written by Otomo and Izo Hashimoto, and starring the voices of Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama and Taro Ishida. The screenplay is based on Otomo's manga Akira....
fame. Working from a script he wrote himself, he made his directorial debut with the 1996 Dangan Runner, a film that set his early style of "quirky action-comedies propelled by characters who hurtle headlong though squirming narratives steered more by the forces of incidence and coincidence than the actions of the protagonists themselves." Shin'ichi Tsutsumi
Shinichi Tsutsumi
is a Japanese stage and screen actor. He won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2005 for Always Sanchōme no Yūhi.-Profile:*Place of Birth: Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan*Talent Agency: Siscompany-Movies:* Suspect X...
played the lead in Sabu's first five films. Blessing Bell, starring Susumu Terajima
Susumu Terajima
is a Japanese actor who has appeared in over 100 films, 15 television commercials, three PVs, and numerous television dramas in a career spanning over 20 years. He rarely is the star of the films he is in but he is widely respected for taking every job seriously and diving into his work,...
(who has played minor roles in nearly all of Sabu's films), was a turn away from his kinetic, parodic, and black comedy narratives, and earned the NETPAC Award at the 2003 Berlin Film Festival. Later films featured the J-pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
band V6
V6 (band)
V6 is a six-member Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. The group debuted on November 1, 1995 with the single "Music for the People", which was used as the image song for the World Cup of Volleyball in 1995...
. In 2009, he directed The Crab Cannery Ship, a modern adaptation of a classic of Japanese proletarian literature
Proletarian literature
Proletarian literature refers to the literature created by working-class writers for the class-conscious proletariat, published by the communist parties. It was a literature without literary pretensions....
written by Takiji Kobayashi.
He has continued to work as an actor, such as in Takashi Miike
Takashi Miike
is a highly prolific and controversial Japanese filmmaker. He has directed over seventy theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. In the years 2001 and 2002 alone, Miike is credited with directing fifteen productions...
's Ichi the Killer
Ichi the Killer
is a 2001 Japanese film directed by Takashi Miike, based on Hideo Yamamoto's manga series of the same name.- Plot : While alone with a prostitute, crime lord Anjo is brutally murdered...
(2001).
Director
- Dangan Runner (1996)
- Postman Blues (1997)
- Unlucky Monkey (1998)
- Monday (2000)
- Drive (2002)
- Blessing Bell (2002)
- A1012K (2003 - short film)
- Hard Luck HeroHard Luck HeroHard Luck Hero is a 2003 Japanese film written and directed by Japanese film director Sabu to showcase the Japanese boy band V6. The film involves usual Sabu elements such as high-speed car chases and yakuza.-Plot:...
(2003) - Hold-Up Down (2005)
- Shisso (2005)
- The Crab Cannery Ship (KanikōsenKanikosenis a novel by Takiji Kobayashi, written in 1929. Written from a left-wing point of view, it concerns the crew of a crab fishing ship's hardships as they struggle under capitalist exploitation. The book has been made into a film and as manga...
, 2009) - Troubleman (2010)
- Usagi DropUsagi Drop (film)is a 2011 Japanese drama film based on the manga of the same name by Yumi Unita. The film is directed by Sabu, and the screenplay was done by both SABU and scriptwriter Tamio Hayashi. Usagi Drop stars actor Kenichi Matsuyama, who will play the role of Daikichi, who is a office worker and a single man...
(2011)
Actor
- SorobanzukuSorobanzukuis a 1986 Japanese film directed by Yoshimitsu Morita.-Awards:8th Yokohama Film Festival*Won: Best Screenplay - Yoshimitsu Morita*Won: Best Actress - Narumi Yasuda*Won: Best Supporting Actor - Kaoru Kobayashi*10th Best Film...
(1986) - World Apartment Horror (1991)
- Zeiram 2 (1994)
- 800 Two Lap Runners (1994)
- Dangan Runner (1996)
- Katte ni Shiyagare!! Gyakuten Keikaku (1996)
- Ghost Actress (1996)
- Postman Blues (1997)
- Ichi the KillerIchi the Killeris a 2001 Japanese film directed by Takashi Miike, based on Hideo Yamamoto's manga series of the same name.- Plot : While alone with a prostitute, crime lord Anjo is brutally murdered...
(2001) - Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2003)