Genius scientist Kikuo Himura (Yosuke Kubozuka) succeeds in developing a miracle cure for the cold virus. There are now people who are after Kikuo Himura's cold vaccine. Doctor Ichinose (Akira Emoto) is jealous of Kikuo Himura and tries to get the formula which is only in Kikuo Himura's head. Dougen (Chris Peppler) is a high-ranking member of a secret organization. Him and his subordinate try to get the vaccine source by any means necessary. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman, Sakurako (Manami Konishi) approaches Kikuo Himura.
Acting
Kubozuka's unraveling genius — twitchy, haunted, magnetic.
Direction
Hashimoto's clinical dread, every frame feels infected.
Director
Izo Hashimoto
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Chris Peppler, who plays the American villain Dougen, was actually born in Tokyo and became famous as a Japanese TV personality — his casting adds meta-layers of cultural infiltration.
The film eerily predicted 2020s vaccine paranoia by six years; in 2014 it played as conspiracy thriller, now it reads like documentary.
JP
