Line #17 Creator/TakashiMiike


1	[[quoteright:339:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/239321c00e8e48dd37055591226e0d3f.jpg]]
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3	Takashi Miike (born August 24, 1960) is a highly prolific (and highly controversial) Japanese auteur. He takes his primary influences -- Creator/DavidLynch, Creator/DavidCronenberg, and Creator/PaulVerhoeven -- and turns their most transgressive elements up to eleven in many of his films.
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5	He has directed several movies a year since his first release in 1991, as well as a handful of television programs, for an average of about 3-4 a year; starting soon after graduating Yokohama Vocational School of Broadcast and Film, where he studied under legendary Japanese filmmaker Shohei Imamura. Although the bulk of his work are theatrical releases, mainly {{Yakuza}} action films, he also produces a considerable number of DirectToVideo V-cinema releases as well. The former are often used to finance the latter, which he claims he does because they allow him more creative control, and greater freedom from censorship and traditional narrative structure.
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7	Both inside and outside Japan, he's best known for BlackComedy, over-the-top violence and {{Gorn}}, but his films cover a much wider range of genres and styles. Along with his signature action and horror, he's also produced examples of period dramas, sentimental road pictures, teen dramas, more traditional crime dramas, children's movies, and some that [[GenreBusting defy any attempt at labeling]], such as the live-action/claymation horror comedy musical ''Film/TheHappinessOfTheKatakuris''.
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9	His V-cinema releases, despite frequent extreme depictions of violence and sexual perversion, are often philosophical explorations of the darker side of the human psyche.
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11	He's also [[TheCameo cameo'd]] as an actor and voice actor in various works, most notably as ''himself'' in ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'', which fits the tone of the game perfectly.
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13	Compare Creator/DavidLynch, Creator/DavidCronenberg, [[Creator/LuisBunuel Luis Buñuel]], Creator/JohnWaters and Creator/NicolasWindingRefn. Not to be confused with Creator/TakeshiKitano, although both directors worked in ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'' entries.
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15	Some notable work:
16	[[index]]
17	* ''Manga/IchiTheKiller''
18	* ''Film/{{Audition}}''
19	* ''[[Film/BladeOfTheImmortal Blade of the Immortal]]''
20	* ''[[Manga/{{MPDPsycho}} MPD Psycho]]''
21	* ''Film/{{Gozu}}''
22	* ''Film/TheGreatYokaiWar''
23	* ''Film/TheBirdPeopleInChina''
24	* ''Film/TheHappinessOfTheKatakuris''
25	* ''Film/SukiyakiWesternDjango'', with a cameo by Creator/QuentinTarantino
26	* ''Dead Or Alive''
27	* ''Full Metal Yakuza''
28	* ''Rainy Dog''
29	* ''Anime/{{Yatterman}}''
30	* ''Film/{{Zebraman}}''
31	* ''Film/OneMissedCall''
32	* ''IZO''
33	* The ''Series/MastersOfHorror'' episode "[[Recap/MastersOfHorrorS1E13Imprint Imprint]]", which was pulled from its scheduled airing by Showtime because it was too extreme.
34	* ''Film/VisitorQ''
35	* ''Series/KtaiInvestigator7''
36	* ''Box'', a short film that was part of ''Film/ThreeExtremes''
37	* ''Film/ThirteenAssassins''
38	* ''Film/{{Yakuza}}'': The LiveActionAdaptation of [[VideoGame/Yakuza1 the first game]] in the ''[[VideoGame/LikeADragon Ryu Ga Gotoku]]'' series, often called ''Like A Dragon''.
39	* ''Gyakuten Saiban'', known better overseas as ''Film/{{Ace Attorney\|2012}}''
40	* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure: [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Diamond is Unbreakable: Part 1]]''
41	* The live action ''Manga/TerraforMars'' movie.
42	* The ''Franchise/GirlsXHeroine'' series, starting with ''Series/IdolXWarriorMiracleTunes''
43	* ''Film/YakuzaApocalypse''
44	* ''Film/FirstLove2019''
45	[[/index]]
46	----
47	!!Recurring tropes in Takashi Miike's filmography include:
48	* AuthorAppeal: Lactation and breast milk are recurring images in at least his V-Cinema releases.
49	* GainaxEnding
50	* {{Gayngster}}: Many of his {{Yakuza}} and other gangster types are either StraightGay or HardGay. Possibly AuthorAppeal.
51	* GenreBusting: His films tend to combines many genres at once. His film ''Film/TheHappinessOfTheKatakuris'' in particular blends so many at once it utterly defies description. Is it a SurrealHorror? a Musical? a {{Farce}}? It's equal parts of those really
52	* {{Gorn}}: Miike's movies are notorious for their goriness.
53	* KatanasAreJustBetter
54	* MindScrew: ''Film/{{Audition}}'' and ''Film/{{Gozu}}'' epitomize this trope.
55	* RefugeInAudacity: When describing his [[Film/{{Audition}} most]] [[Manga/IchiTheKiller notable]] [[Film/{{Gozu}} fi]][[Film/VisitorQ lms]], the phrases "extreme", "transgressive" and "shocking" are thrown about liberally.
56	* SignatureStyle: His films are notable for their shocking scenes of extreme violence and sexual perversion, often portrayed in an over-the-top and cartoonish way. They have a lot of BlackComedy and push the boundaries of censorship as far as they can go.
57	* SurrealHorror
58	* ThematicSeries: Some of his works a better taken as a group:
59	** The ''Black Society Trilogy'' (Black Triad Trilogy), which includes ''Shinjuku Triad Society'', ''Rainy Dog'', and ''Ley Lines''. With Tomorowo Taguchi in leading (though different) roles in each, the films are not connected by a narrative. Instead, they focus on unlikely relationships among Yakuza crime families.
60	** There is also the ''Dead or Alive'' films, three films with wildly-different stories (with the only common point being the protagonists are played by Riki Takeuchi and Show Aikawa). Most of them tend to deal with how society divides people with similar motivations and character traits to fight for diametrically-opposed causes.
61	* {{Yandere}}: Especially in ''Film/{{Audition}}''. A wonderful deconstruction of kawaiisa.

Context Creator / TakashiMiike