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Akihiko Shiota

Akihiko Shiota

Director and writer · Born September 11, 1961 (65) · Maizuru, Kyoto, Japan

Akihiko Shiota (塩田 明彦, Shiota Akihiko) (born 11 September 1961, Maizuru, Kyoto) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 11, 1961 (65)
From
Maizuru, Kyoto, Japan
Works as
Director and writer
Titles
5 on MovieCove · 29 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 27Up 24% in 30 days

What are Akihiko Shiota's films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
48%
Bonds
30%
Morality
9%
Survival
7%
Ideas
6%
Identity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 2

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

A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

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

A split, not a type: Casual 2 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
3
Warm
3
Bittersweet
2
Tense
1
Contemplative
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Hopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Bittersweet3
  • 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 Akihiko Shiota's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 5 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Akihiko Shiota's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted.

Filmography

29 credits, 5 with a MovieCove page.

  • Picture of Spring(2023)

    Director · Original Story · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The World of You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Director · Writer

  • Farewell Song(2019)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Wet Woman in the Wind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Director · Screenplay · Writer

  • Lifeline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Director

  • Takarazuka Revue - Rurouni Kenshin - The Romantic Story of a Meiji Swordsman- (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Conductor

  • I Just Wanna Hug You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director · Writer

  • Dororo(2007)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • A Heartful of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Canary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director · Writer

  • Kaettekita! Deka Matsuri (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director

  • Resurrection(2002)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • あした吹く風 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • Harmful Insect (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • Gips (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • Don't Look Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Moonlight Whispers(1999)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Yamato Nadeshiko (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Cinematographer

  • The Nude Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself!! The Gamble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Screenplay

  • Breakable (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Cinematographer

  • The Ladies Pachinko Graffiti (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Screenplay

  • Dirty Blue Vengeful Tropical Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Screenplay

  • Curse, Death & Spirit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Writer

  • Kandagawa Pervert Wars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Third Assistant Director

  • The New Seven Lines Between Things (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director

  • FA-LA-LA (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director · Producer · Script

  • Kind Daughter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director

  • LOSING THE WAY (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Actor

Career shape

A full career of 29 titles from 1982 to 2023.

Biggest box office

Dororo (2007)

$27M worldwide

Highest rated

Moonlight Whispers (1999)

Midcredits 70th

Most popular right now

Picture of Spring (2023)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 29: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting20 of 29: 7 only directing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score60thWriting16 of 29: 4 only writing, 12 with another role · typical Midcredits score60thProducing1 of 29: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleCinematography2 of 29: 2 only cinematography, 0 with another roleEditing1 of 29: 0 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew3 of 29: 2 only other crew, 1 with another role

29 titles, 13 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 12 of them.

By decade

1980s5 · 1 acting · 4 crew1990s9 · crew2000s8 · crew2010s5 · crew2020s2 · 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 Akihiko Shiota's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 5; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 5 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

2 of their 5 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · director, writer

Dororo (2007)

70th percentile spread · 21% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer

Moonlight Whispers (1999)

Midcredits 70th · 65% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 76/100 and the pacing 53/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

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 Akihiko Shiota work with?

People who share at least 2 of Akihiko Shiota's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kô Shibasaki shares the most, 2.

Actors

Producers