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Hirô Matsuda

Hirô Matsuda

Writer · Died March 24, 2022, aged 88 · Kyoto, Japan

Born
September 3, 1933
Died
March 24, 2022 (aged 88)
From
Kyoto, Japan
Works as
Writer
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 40 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 29% in 30 days

What are Hirô Matsuda's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Crime6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 77th percentile
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
36%
Survival
26%
Power
21%
Bonds
10%
Society
4%
Self
2%
Survival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge3 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal3 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 12 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 0 · Dark 10

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 7

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 9

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 4

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 2

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 1 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 9

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Dread
6
Thrilling
5
Melancholic
5
Manic
2
Other
3

How their films linger

Unsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet1
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous7

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Hirô Matsuda's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Hirô Matsuda's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

40 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Yagyu Conspiracy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Original Film Writer

  • Pride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Screenplay

  • In Blazing Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Screenplay

  • Heavenly Sin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Writer

  • Succession (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Screenplay

  • Ryakudatsu ai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Writer

  • Estate Inheritance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Screenplay

  • Company Executives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Screenplay

  • Shogun's Shadow(1989)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Labyrinth Romanesque(1988)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Night Train(1987)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Michi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Writer

  • Gray Sunset (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Screenplay

  • Appassionata (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Screenplay

  • To Trap a Kidnapper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Screenplay

  • Tokugawa Ichizoku no Houkai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Screenplay

  • The Way to The Gold Medals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Screenplay

  • Aftermath of Battles Without Honor and Humanity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Screenplay

  • Message from Space(1978)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Yagyu Clan Conspiracy(1978)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Gambling Code and Feuds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Screenplay

  • Japanese Humanity and Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Screenplay

  • Shinjuku's Number One Drunk-Killer Tetsu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Screenplay

  • The Machine Gun Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Screenplay

  • Dragon Princess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Screenplay

  • Graveyard of Honor(1975)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Violent Fraternity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Screenplay

  • Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs(1974)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701's Grudge Song(1973)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Criminal Woman: Killing Melody (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Screenplay

  • Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable(1973)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • A True Story of the Private Ginza Police (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Screenplay

  • Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41(1972)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Outlaw Killers: Three Mad Dog Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Screenplay

  • Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion(1972)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Sympathy for the Underdog(1971)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Black Rose Mansion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Writer

  • Trapped, the Crimson Bat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Screenplay

  • Blackmail Is My Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Screenplay

  • Abashiri Prison: Duel in the Snow Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Editor · Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 40 titles from 1966 to 2008.

Highest rated

Sympathy for the Underdog (1971)

Midcredits 89th

Most popular right now

Labyrinth Romanesque (1988)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing40 of 40: 39 only writing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score79thEditing1 of 40: 0 only editing, 1 with another role

By decade

1960s4 · crew1970s19 · crew1980s10 · crew1990s6 · crew2000s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Hirô Matsuda's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 79th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 78th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Approval · how many liked their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Reach · how many have seen their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · writer

Message from Space (1978)

58th percentile spread · 39% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Sympathy for the Underdog (1971)

Midcredits 89th · 78% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 40/100 and the plot and story 47/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Hirô Matsuda work with?

People who share at least 2 of Hirô Matsuda's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Fumio Kônami shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers