The World of Kanako (2014)

Name: The World of Kanako
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Thriller
Released: 2014-07-04
Duration: 118 min
Rating: 6.5
Cast: Koji Yakusho, Nana Komatsu, Hiroya Shimizu, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Joe Odagiri

Say goodbye to reason.

MysteryCrimeThriller

When Kanako, a model daughter and a brilliant student, disappears, her mother asks her ex-husband, a violent former policeman, to find her. As his investigation progresses, his idealized image of Kanako cracks: the girl hides a dark life that her father can not even imagine.

Release Date: July 4, 2014
Runtime: 1h 58m
Rating: 6.5/10 (214 votes)

Director: Tetsuya Nakashima

Cast: Koji Yakusho, Nana Komatsu, Hiroya Shimizu, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Joe Odagiri, Asuka Kurosawa, Jun Kunimura, Munetaka Aoki

Production: GYAO, Licri, GAGA Corporation

japan drug abuse obsession yakuza bullying dysfunctional family alcoholism ex-cop police corruption psychological thriller

IMDb Official Site

Revenue: $6M

Full Cast (46 people)

Koji Yakusho as Akikazu Fujishima
Nana Komatsu as Kanako Fujishima
Hiroya Shimizu as I / Narrator
Satoshi Tsumabuki as Detective Asai
Joe Odagiri as Detective Aikawa
Asuka Kurosawa as Kiriko Fujishima
Jun Kunimura as Dr. Tsujimura
Munetaka Aoki as Sakiyama
Megumi Hatachiya as Detective Aikawa's Wife
Ai Hashimoto as Morishita
Fumi Nikaido as Nami Endo
Miki Nakatani as Rie Azuma
Aoi Morikawa as Tomoko Nagano
Mahiro Takasugi as Yasuhiro Matsunaga
Shono Hayama as Seiji Ogata
Jin Hoshino as Ogata
Hiroki Nakajima as Shimazu
Daichi Watanabe as Hiroshi Kawamoto
Ryo Matsuura as Katsumi
Yumeno Kato as Yoko
Yoshio Kou as Yoshinori Chou
Kaisei Kamimura as Kanaki
Kazunori Mimura as Shimazu's Friend (uncredited)
Haruka Saito as Shimazu's Friend (uncredited)
Megumi Hataraya as Aikawa's Wife (uncredited)
Shunya Ohira as Matsunaga's Friend (uncredited)
Ayaka Nakata as Hospital Receptionist (uncredited)
Kanji Furutachi as Police Officer (uncredited)
Airi Kido as Middle School Classmate (uncredited)
Monica Sahara as Party Girl (uncredited)

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Reviews

ColinJ - 8/10

A visual and emotional sledghammer of a movie.

February 16, 2017

Alunauwie - 9/10

The World of Kanako, adapted from Akio Fukamachi’s novel Endless Thirst, delivers a disturbing yet powerful portrayal of teenage darkness and broken families. With its non-linear narrative and intense visuals, the film demands full attention, as its fragmented structure gradually reveals the emotional depth behind Kanako’s seemingly perfect facade. Though some editing choices and plot logic feel i...

September 23, 2025