Akiko Monou

Akiko Monō ( Monō Akiko, born 2 April 1976 in Kanagawa, Japan) is a Japanese actress and model. Monō did spots for, amongst others, Nike, before Hiroyuki Nakano caught sight of her in a video clip and cast her in Samurai Fiction, her film debut. She has since worked with Nakano in his Stereo Future and the short film Slow is Beautiful. Description above from the Wikipedia article Akiko Monō, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Lost in Translation (2003)

BeautifulEmotionalInsightfulRomantic

Two lost souls visiting Tokyo -- the young, neglected wife of a photographer and a washed-up movie star shooting a TV commercial -- find an odd solace and pensive freedom to be real in each other's company, away from their lives in America.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Sofia Coppola
CAST:  Bill Murray  •  Scarlett Johansson  •  Anna Faris  •  Giovanni Ribisi

Two lost souls visiting Tokyo -- the young, neglected wife of a photographer and a washed-up movie star shooting a TV commercial -- find an odd solace and pensive freedom to be real in each other's company, away from their lives in America.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Sofia Coppola
CAST:  Bill Murray  •  Scarlett Johansson  •  Anna Faris  •  Giovanni Ribisi

Samurai Fiction (1998)

A warrior-in-training and his bumbling friends go in pursuit of a stolen sword.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Hiroyuki Nakano
CAST:  Morio Kazama  •  Tomoyasu Hotei  •  Tamaki Ogawa  •  Mitsuru Fukikoshi

A warrior-in-training and his bumbling friends go in pursuit of a stolen sword.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Hiroyuki Nakano
CAST:  Morio Kazama  •  Tomoyasu Hotei  •  Tamaki Ogawa  •  Mitsuru Fukikoshi

After School (2008)

A middle school teacher, Jinno, is friends with a young couple that is about to have a baby. But on the eve of the birth, the father, Kimura, disappears. Then, a hired private detective appears and ask Jinno's help to find Kimura.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kenji Uchida
CAST:  Kuranosuke Sasaki  •  Masato Sakai  •  Yo Oizumi  •  Tomoko Tabata

A middle school teacher, Jinno, is friends with a young couple that is about to have a baby. But on the eve of the birth, the father, Kimura, disappears. Then, a hired private detective appears and ask Jinno's help to find Kimura.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kenji Uchida
CAST:  Kuranosuke Sasaki  •  Masato Sakai  •  Yo Oizumi  •  Tomoko Tabata

Stereo Future (2001)

Keisuke, an aspiring samurai-movie actor lands a major role in a new film, but must contend with a director who has nothing but scorn for him, but who continually fawns over the film’s obnoxious ham of a star.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Hiroyuki Nakano
CAST:  Masatoshi Nagase  •  Akiko Monou  •  Tamaki Ogawa  •  Kumiko Aso

Keisuke, an aspiring samurai-movie actor lands a major role in a new film, but must contend with a director who has nothing but scorn for him, but who continually fawns over the film’s obnoxious ham of a star.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Hiroyuki Nakano
CAST:  Masatoshi Nagase  •  Akiko Monou  •  Tamaki Ogawa  •  Kumiko Aso

Kakuto (2003)

A very energetic, fresh and skilful début in DV from young Tokyo actor and model. Hanging out, clubbing and drugging, a young band of friends get way in over their heads when they inadvertently lose a stash of drugs they're meant to deal to their friends.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Yûsuke Iseya
CAST:  Yûsuke Iseya  •  Atsushi Ito  •  Teruyuki Kagawa  •  Ryo Kase

A very energetic, fresh and skilful début in DV from young Tokyo actor and model. Hanging out, clubbing and drugging, a young band of friends get way in over their heads when they inadvertently lose a stash of drugs they're meant to deal to their friends.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Yûsuke Iseya
CAST:  Yûsuke Iseya  •  Atsushi Ito  •  Teruyuki Kagawa  •  Ryo Kase

The Ramen Girl (2008)

An American woman is stranded in Tokyo after breaking up with her boyfriend. Searching for direction in life, she trains to be a râmen chef under a tyrannical Japanese master.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Robert Allan Ackerman
CAST:  Brittany Murphy  •  Tammy Blanchard  •  Gabriel Mann  •  Toshiyuki Nishida

An American woman is stranded in Tokyo after breaking up with her boyfriend. Searching for direction in life, she trains to be a râmen chef under a tyrannical Japanese master.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Robert Allan Ackerman
CAST:  Brittany Murphy  •  Tammy Blanchard  •  Gabriel Mann  •  Toshiyuki Nishida

Tetsuo: The Bullet Man (2009)

When the son of an American man and a Japanese women is killed, the man transforms into Tetsuo.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Shinya Tsukamoto
CAST:  Eric Bossick  •  Akiko Monou  •  Yuko Nakamura  •  Stephen Sarrazin

When the son of an American man and a Japanese women is killed, the man transforms into Tetsuo.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Shinya Tsukamoto
CAST:  Eric Bossick  •  Akiko Monou  •  Yuko Nakamura  •  Stephen Sarrazin

United Red Army (2007)

The film is told in three acts, beginning with a historical background of Japan's student movement of the 1960s and early 1970s, mostly using archive footage and a narrator. The second act follows the formation of the group to their mountain training camps in the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kōji Wakamatsu
CAST:  Maki Sakai  •  Arata Iura  •  Akie Namiki  •  Go Jibiki

The film is told in three acts, beginning with a historical background of Japan's student movement of the 1960s and early 1970s, mostly using archive footage and a narrator. The second act follows the formation of the group to their mountain training camps in the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kōji Wakamatsu
CAST:  Maki Sakai  •  Arata Iura  •  Akie Namiki  •  Go Jibiki

Ugly (2011)

Kazuya is an aimless photographer in Paris who attempts suicide while visiting the city. He goes to see his half-brother Satoshi who lives there, but finds his two roommates instead and they seem to be hiding something.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Yoshihiro Hanno  •  Kensaku Kakimoto
CAST:  Yosuke Kubozuka  •  Akiko Monou  •  Emmanuel Bonami  •  Stéphane Coulon

Kazuya is an aimless photographer in Paris who attempts suicide while visiting the city. He goes to see his half-brother Satoshi who lives there, but finds his two roommates instead and they seem to be hiding something.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Yoshihiro Hanno  •  Kensaku Kakimoto
CAST:  Yosuke Kubozuka  •  Akiko Monou  •  Emmanuel Bonami  •  Stéphane Coulon

Woman Transformation (2007)

Kamei mixes humour, drama and, in this occasion, bits of horror to visualize the physical transformation in yôkai that the three main actresses undergo. Mihiro Iwasaki (Anri Ban) is a model extremely preoccupied by how others look at and think of her. Then, her ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Tōru Kamei
CAST:  Chiyoko Asami  •  Go Ayano  •  Anri Ban  •  Haruki Ichikawa

Kamei mixes humour, drama and, in this occasion, bits of horror to visualize the physical transformation in yôkai that the three main actresses undergo. Mihiro Iwasaki (Anri Ban) is a model extremely preoccupied by how others look at and think of her. Then, her ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Tōru Kamei
CAST:  Chiyoko Asami  •  Go Ayano  •  Anri Ban  •  Haruki Ichikawa

No-Pants Girls: Movie Box-ing2 (2004)

No Pants Girls is a 3 segment film directed by Sono Sion, Shô Tsukikawa and Reiko Saito. They deal with girls discovering sexuality, through their innocent eyes. The actors and actresses are the same in the three films.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Sion Sono  •  Sho Tsukikawa  •  Reiko Saito
CAST:  Hiroshi Aikawa  •  Ko Kudo  •  Akane Kurosawa  •  Arisa Matsunaga

No Pants Girls is a 3 segment film directed by Sono Sion, Shô Tsukikawa and Reiko Saito. They deal with girls discovering sexuality, through their innocent eyes. The actors and actresses are the same in the three films.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Sion Sono  •  Sho Tsukikawa  •  Reiko Saito
CAST:  Hiroshi Aikawa  •  Ko Kudo  •  Akane Kurosawa  •  Arisa Matsunaga

Colors (2006)

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DIRECTION:  Kensaku Kakinomoto
CAST:  Jun Murakami  •  Ken Mitsuishi  •  Shunsuke Matsuoka  •  Makiko Watanabe

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DIRECTION:  Kensaku Kakinomoto
CAST:  Jun Murakami  •  Ken Mitsuishi  •  Shunsuke Matsuoka  •  Makiko Watanabe

Baumkuchen (2007)

Four different worlds are connected through the "Baumkuchen Seeds of Happiness." The World of the Kawanobe's - Three brothers, Taro (Mame Yamada), Jiro (Hiroshi Yamamoto), and Hiroto (Shoichi Honda) who is a so-called NEET (short for "Not in Employment, Education, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kensaku Kakimoto
CAST:  Shoichi Honda  •  Asami Imajyuku  •  Sae Ittushiki  •  Akiko Monou

Four different worlds are connected through the "Baumkuchen Seeds of Happiness." The World of the Kawanobe's - Three brothers, Taro (Mame Yamada), Jiro (Hiroshi Yamamoto), and Hiroto (Shoichi Honda) who is a so-called NEET (short for "Not in Employment, Education, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kensaku Kakimoto
CAST:  Shoichi Honda  •  Asami Imajyuku  •  Sae Ittushiki  •  Akiko Monou

Konna otona no onnanoko (2007)

Based on the comic book by Marie Abiko.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Masanori Tominaga
CAST:  Erika Oda  •  Akiko Monou  •  Kenji Mizuhashi  •  Yoichiro Saito

Based on the comic book by Marie Abiko.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Masanori Tominaga
CAST:  Erika Oda  •  Akiko Monou  •  Kenji Mizuhashi  •  Yoichiro Saito

A Story of Anna (2008)

A young woman escapes from a city in the near future, where people's anger is medically controlled, and drifts away to a lonely island. It is the developer of the emotion-controlling medicine who finds her and marries her. Her memory is erased and she starts an ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Saki Yamada
CAST:  Akiko Monou  •  Yukijiro Hotaru  •  Mutsuo Yoshioka  •  Taijirō Tamura

A young woman escapes from a city in the near future, where people's anger is medically controlled, and drifts away to a lonely island. It is the developer of the emotion-controlling medicine who finds her and marries her. Her memory is erased and she starts an ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Saki Yamada
CAST:  Akiko Monou  •  Yukijiro Hotaru  •  Mutsuo Yoshioka  •  Taijirō Tamura

SHORT FILMS (2003)

Omnibus of six short films: Return; Ken-do star; Hana to oji-san; Adagietto Sehr, langsam; Nakayoki koto wa yoki koto ka na; Slow is Beautiful. Third installment of "SF" series produced by Hiroyuki Nakano.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Masanobu Ando  •  Hiroyuki Nakano  •  Pierre Taki  •  Yasuhisa Serizawa
CAST:  Kumiko Aso  •  Jun Murakami  •  Yoji Tanaka  •  Masanobu Ando

Omnibus of six short films: Return; Ken-do star; Hana to oji-san; Adagietto Sehr, langsam; Nakayoki koto wa yoki koto ka na; Slow is Beautiful. Third installment of "SF" series produced by Hiroyuki Nakano.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Masanobu Ando  •  Hiroyuki Nakano  •  Pierre Taki  •  Yasuhisa Serizawa
CAST:  Kumiko Aso  •  Jun Murakami  •  Yoji Tanaka  •  Masanobu Ando

Dusk Dahlia (2011)

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DIRECTION:  Chihiro Ikeda
CAST:  Rei Yoshii  •  Tasuku Emoto  •  Akiko Monou

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DIRECTION:  Chihiro Ikeda
CAST:  Rei Yoshii  •  Tasuku Emoto  •  Akiko Monou

Zero nendai zenkei (2009)

Kumiko Hoshizaki’s “Akane Sasu Heya” is the story of Maki, a 20-something temp who is sick of her boring job and life in general. The rather bizarre solution she comes up with is to conceive a child behind her boyfriend’s back. Makoto Nagahisa offers the much more ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Makoto Nagahisa  •  Junpei Hatano  •  Kumiko Hoshizaki
CAST:  Shoichi Honda  •  Yôko Hoshi  •  Jiro Kagoshima  •  Sanshirô Kobayashi

Kumiko Hoshizaki’s “Akane Sasu Heya” is the story of Maki, a 20-something temp who is sick of her boring job and life in general. The rather bizarre solution she comes up with is to conceive a child behind her boyfriend’s back. Makoto Nagahisa offers the much more ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Makoto Nagahisa  •  Junpei Hatano  •  Kumiko Hoshizaki
CAST:  Shoichi Honda  •  Yôko Hoshi  •  Jiro Kagoshima  •  Sanshirô Kobayashi