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Hayato Kawai

Hayato Kawai

Director · Born February 15, 1969 (57)

Born
February 15, 1969 (57)
Works as
Director
Titles
11 on MovieCove · 49 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 156 days to Oct 27Down 7% in 30 days

What are Hayato Kawai's films like?

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

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
45%
Self
30%
Survival
11%
Society
8%
Ideas
6%
Romantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 1 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 0

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 3 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
2
Tense
2
Hopeful
2
Warm
2
Dread
1
Other
4

How their films linger

Feel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet1
  • Ambiguous1

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 Hayato Kawai's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Hayato Kawai'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

49 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page.

  • Goodbye My Car (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Director

  • Ensemble(2025)

    Show 10 episodes · Director · Creator

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Tokyo Salad Bowl(2025)

    Show 9 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Secret: A Hidden Score (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Director

  • Alibi Breaker Special (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Director · as [TV Drama director]

  • Don't Lose Your Head! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Director

  • Zeicho: There's a Reason for "I Can't Pay" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Show 10 episodes · Director

  • Tengu's Kitchen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Show 10 episodes · Director

  • Gannibal(2022)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Ten Count to the Future (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 9 episodes · Director

  • Last One Standing(2022)

    Show Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • First Gentleman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Director

  • Kaguya-sama Final: Love Is War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Director

  • Tom and Sawyer in the City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Director

  • Kaguya-sama: Love Is War - Mini (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • FAKE MOTION - King of Ping Pong - (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

  • Kizoku Kourin: Prince of Legend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director

  • Alibi Breaker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 7 episodes · Director

  • Dasada (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 10 episodes · Director

  • Aristocratic Birth -PRINCE OF LEGEND- (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

  • Love Stoppage Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Director

  • Kaguya-sama: Love Is War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Director

  • The Naked Director(2019)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Prince of Legend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Director

  • Nisekoi: False Love(2018)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Prince of Legend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 10 episodes · Director

  • Spring Has Come (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • My Lover's Secret (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 10 episodes · Director

  • My Brother Loves Me Too Much (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director

  • My Brother Loves Me Too Much (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • Let's Go Jets(2017)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Thrill! The Black Chapter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

  • Thrill! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

  • Thrill! The Red Chapter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

  • PLEASE LOVE ME! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 10 episodes · Director

  • The Black Devil and the White Prince (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • My Love Story!!(2015)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • 化石の微笑み (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Director

  • お兄ちゃん、ガチャ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Show 12 episodes · Director · Creator

  • Close Range Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 12 episodes · Director

  • Tokusou (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • Hard Nut! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • Pin to Kona (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 10 episodes · Director

  • Suzuki Sensei (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director

  • Suzuki Sensei (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • Blood and Bones(2004)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Hana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Assistant Director

  • Satorare(2001)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Door III(1996)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 48 titles from 1996 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Let's Go Jets (2017)

$9.2M worldwide

Highest rated

Gannibal (2022)

Midcredits 78th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 48: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting44 of 48: 41 only directing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stOther crew6 of 48: 4 only other crew, 2 with another role

48 titles, 3 with more than one role — directing and other crew overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1990s1 · crew2000s3 · crew2010s26 · crew2020s18 · 1 acting · 18 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 Hayato Kawai's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 6; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 74th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 11 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · director

Nisekoi: False Love (2018)

76th percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

The Naked Director (2019)

Midcredits 78th · 84% liked

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 Hayato Kawai work with?

People who share at least 2 of Hayato Kawai's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ayami Nakajô shares the most, 2.

Actors

Producers