“Jellyfish.”　In Chinese characters, it is written “a moon on the sea.”　A moon on the sea keeps floating and drifting, seemingly with nowhere to go. Yet these creatures can sting, creating enormous pain to whatever they may　come into contact.

“Moonlight Jellyfish” is a stylish presentation using visual elements such as the moon, the sun, the ocean and jellyfish as threads throughout the story.

The younger brother suffers a disease without a cure. The older brother chooses to live in the dark side of the society, dedicated to support his younger brother. The older brother meets a woman, like a sun, who opens him up to true love. “Moonlight Jellyfish” is a tragic yet beautiful love story.

Seiji (23 years old) lost his parents in his boyhood, left alone to look　after his brother Michio (15 years old) who suffers from Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP), a rare disease without a cure. To survive, Seiji turned himself into a Yakuza, a member of a gang in Kabukicho, a dark neighborhood.
They are an older brother who refuses to walk the bright side of the world, and a younger brother who literally is unable to walk under the sun. They had been doing all right without really connecting with society, until Seiji fell in love with Keiko (21 years old), Michio’s nurse. Seiji started to reconsider his life, and he seemed to be moving into the right direction to start walking under the sun.

Yet fate had decided otherwise, pushing Seiji to the darkest side of destruction.

POINTS of INTEREST

■Tatsuya Fujiwara is a new breed of Yakuza (mob).

Tatsuya Fujiwara, now one of the best young actors in Japan, plays the hero’s role in this movie. He found himself under the spotlight after starring in Kinji Fukasaku’s mega hit movie “Battle Royal” (also starring in Battle Royal 2 to be shown in summer 2004). He is number one in both name and performance among younger actors. In Moonlight Jellyfish, he challenges to change his rather non-sexual image by playing a mob, which will be much talked about in the industry and among his fans.

■Ryo Kimura makes his movie debut.

Ryo Kimura (14 years old), the winner of the Junon Super Boy Contest 2002 and Hori Production’s new hope, made a breakthrough by playing a difficult role of a physically and mentally challenged younger brother. Kimura will attract the fan base this movie targets.

 

■Aya Okamoto, the heroine of NHK’s morning drama series, is “the sun.”

Aya Okamoto plays the role of a nurse who is symbolically “the sun” to the two brothers who live like jellyfish under moonlight. Okamoto became a household name when she starred in NHK’s morning drama series “Audrey” in 2002. She is now 21 and very active in movies, TV dramas and commercials. She adds so much to the movie with her natural skill of expression and innate attraction, working together with Tatsuya Fujiwara under the unique screenplay by Director Tsurumi. She is popular among female fans as well, which character helps to maintain a nice balance among the cast of this movie.

■A strong social message.

Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP) is an incurable skin disease. In Japan, the list of patients is now 500 people long. It was highlighted once when former German Prime Minister Kohl’s wife attempted suicide because of this illness. The problem is that XP is not designated as an intractable disease, causing problems for its patients who live in agony. This movie has a strong social message in that regard.

■Director Kohsuke Tsurumi; his first feature movie.

With extensive experience in shooting promotional videos and other TV pieces for actors/actresses and TV talents, Tsurumi planned and wrote the scripts himself. With his unique ideas in screenplay, extensive experience in doing editing by himself, and persistence in visual expression all give him great potential as a new film director.

MAIN CHARACTERS

CAST:

Seiji Terasawa (23): Tatsuya Fujiwara

A young and rising mob, acting as assistant to the boss (Yamashita of the Suminoe Family). Seiji lost his parents early in his life. To support his younger brother suffering from an incurable disease, he chooses to walk the dark side of society. He lives with a brother with no future―and is losing sight of where he is headed himself. Having grown under hardship, he remains cool and objective under any circumstance, which is why he has been quickly promoted as a mob as well. In front of his younger brother Michio, he is a caring brother, but when alone, he never opens himself up to others. But his accidental encounter with Keiko brings a seed of change in his emotions which he had been suppressing for a long time.

Michio Terasawa (15): Ryo Kimura

Seiji’s younger brother born with an incurable skin disease called XP (Xeroderma Pigmentosum). He is not allowed to be exposed to ultraviolet, and has to wear protective gear to go out in daylight. Michio is mentally challenged yet has a pure heart. Michio is a burden as well as a mental cure for Seiji.

Keiko Minamitani (21): Aya Okamoto

A newly hired nurse at Keisei University Hospital. She is very outgoing and caring, but has nothing special to offer―an everyday kind of person. She falls in love with Seiji who accidentally saved her from a drunken man, and suddenly becomes close to the two brothers. She brings changes to Seiji and Michio’s life, and perhaps to her own as well.

Captain Sugiura: Renji Ishibashi

Captain of Shinjuku Police Station; in charge of organized crime. He is deep into the world of mobs. He comes across a flexible and reasonable cop, but has his own dark agendas.

Genzo Yamashita (62): Tetsuo Ishidate

The boss of the Yamashita Group of the Suminoe Family. He has been like the guardian of Seiji who had nowhere to go. Seiji is his right hand man.

Mitsuko Takada (42): Kaori Mizushima

Head nurse of Keisei University Hospital. She is concerned about Keiko who seems to be too close to Michio, her patient, and Seiji.

Wang: Koga Mizuki

A new face in the Chinese mafia that controls part of Kabuki-cho. Wang hates the old rules of the organization he belongs to and decides to rise by himself―without any mercy whatsoever.

Tadashi Miki: Yoshihiko Hakamada

Seiji’s senior in the mob organization.

Kenichi Kakizaki: Hitoshi Ozawa

An established mob of a group (Sanno-kai, Endo Family) which is in confrontation with the Suminoe Family. He has a plot to crush Seiji and Suminoe, using with Wang.

STAFF:

Executive Produced by
Kunihiko Ishizaki, Kenji Takahara , Atsushi Sugai, Hiroharu Kawasaki

Executive Producers
Hideki Oyagi, Hiroshi Matsuyama, Yasushi Tomonaga,
Hiroshi Yumoto, Nobumasa Miyazawa

Produced by Noriko Sugihara, Shinichi Futamura, Masaaki Ito

Written and Directed by Kosuke Tsurumi

Director of Photography Naoki Kayano

Lightning Masahiro Isono

Visual Effects Takayuki Sakurai

Production Designers Teru Yamazaki, Toshiharu Tokiwa

Recording Masamitsu Nakamura

Music by Yuichi Watanabe

Theme Song by Tsukiko Amano “TSUKI” (PONYCANYON)

Presented by
PONY CANYON INC. OMIURI TELECASTING CORP.
HoriPro Inc. MEMORY-TECH CORPRATION

color HiFi Stereo / 114min / 2003/ Japan