Moero Seishun no Ichinen – “Burn, One Year of Youth”

Commissioned by Japan’s largest prep school, Kawaijuku, as an entrance ceremony short, this 1986 film follows a year in the life of a female “ronin” student. Directed by then-rookie Junichi Inoue and produced by iconoclastic filmmaker Koji Wakamatsu, it transforms what should have been a conventional promotional piece into an audacious, subversive portrait of youth, featuring Mikari, Naoto Takenaka, and manga legend Fujio Akatsuka.Commissioned by Japan’s largest prep school, Kawaijuku, as an entrance ceremony short, this 1986 film follows a year in the life of a female “ronin” student. Directed by then-rookie Junichi Inoue and produced by iconoclastic filmmaker Koji...