Sachiko Tanaka
Writer · Tokyo, Japan
Screenwriter, born in Tokyo in 1972. Graduate of the Department of Aesthetics and Art History at Tokyo University of the Arts, where she studied under Yozo Tanaka and Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Her first feature film was Tokyo Sonata (2008).
Biography from TMDB.
- Tokyo, Japan
- Writer
- 5 on Motif · 13 credits in all
What are Sachiko Tanaka's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
A split, not a type: Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 2
Grounded 3 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 1
Steady 2 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 0 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1
Resolved 0 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
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 Sachiko Tanaka's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 5 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Sachiko Tanaka's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif 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
13 credits, 5 with a Motif page.
White Flowers and Fruits (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2025)
Asako I & II(2018)
Motif score: 79th percentile of all films
Before We Vanish(2017)
Motif score: 63rd percentile of all films
Beyond the Memories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2013)
Real (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2013)
Sue, Mai & Sawa: Righting the Girl Ship (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2013)
Another(2012)
Motif score: 29th percentile of all films
Life Back Then (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2011)
A Liar and a Broken Girl (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)
The Lightning Tree (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)
Tokyo Sonata(2008)
Motif score: 96th percentile of all films
The Middleman(2008)
Motif score: 87th percentile of all shows
Daisy's Life (not in the Motif catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 13 titles, 12 of them dated from 2008 to 2025.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.
How do Sachiko Tanaka's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 5 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the dialogue 62/100 and the plot and story 54/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif 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 Sachiko Tanaka work with?
People who share at least 2 of Sachiko Tanaka's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kiyoshi Kurosawa shares the most, 2.
Directors
- Kiyoshi KurosawaShared titles: Before We Vanish (2017), Tokyo Sonata (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Actors
- Masahiro HigashideShared titles: Asako I & II (2018), Before We Vanish (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Masahiro Higashide
- Kazuya KojimaShared titles: Before We Vanish (2017), Tokyo Sonata (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Kazuya Kojima
Cinematographers and editors
- Akiko AshizawaShared titles: Before We Vanish (2017), Tokyo Sonata (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Akiko Ashizawa
- Kôichi TakahashiShared titles: Before We Vanish (2017), Tokyo Sonata (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Kôichi Takahashi