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Kunihiko Murai

Composer and producer · Born March 4, 1945 (81) · Tokyo, Japan

Born
March 4, 1945 (81)
From
Tokyo, Japan
Works as
Composer and producer
Titles
7 on MovieCove · 19 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 38 days to Oct 27Down 23% in 30 days

What are Kunihiko Murai's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
30%
Survival
24%
Bonds
16%
Power
13%
Ideas
8%
Self
5%
Society
5%
Family bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 2 · Dark 3

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 1 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 4

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 5

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

Steady 2 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1

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 3 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
5
Thrilling
5
Absurd
4
Melancholic
2
Warm
1
Other
4

How their films linger

Bittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet4
  • Ambiguous1
  • Cyclical1

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 Kunihiko Murai's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (5).

Subscription and free streaming for Kunihiko Murai'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

19 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.

  • Lost in the Wilderness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Music Director

  • April Fish (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Producer

  • Tampopo(1985)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Black Hood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Composer

  • Shogun Assassin(1980)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Hi no tori(1978)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Older brother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 13 episodes · Composer

  • Lullaby to Kill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Composer

  • The Beast Shall Die (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Composer

  • Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell(1974)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Beautiful Planet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Composer · Producer

  • The Black Battlefront Kidnappers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Composer

  • Internal Sleuth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Composer

  • Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice(1972)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Zatoichi in Desperation(1972)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • New Hoodlum Soldier Story: Firing Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Composer

  • Zatoichi at Large(1972)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Kaoyaku (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Composer

  • The Tigers - Hi! London (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Composer

Career shape

A full career of 18 titles from 1969 to 1986.

Biggest box office

Tampopo (1985)

$487K worldwide

Highest rated

Tampopo (1985)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Producing2 of 18: 1 only producing, 1 with another roleMusic16 of 18: 15 only music, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score82ndOther crew1 of 18: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1960s1 · crew1970s12 · crew1980s5 · 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 Kunihiko Murai's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 75th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 7 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 7 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · producer

Hi no tori (1978)

59th percentile spread · 23% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Tampopo (1985)

Midcredits 99th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 67/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

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 Kunihiko Murai work with?

People who share at least 2 of Kunihiko Murai's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Shintarō Katsu shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers