Harmful Insect

Harmful Insect
Harmful Insect
Directed by	Akihiko Shiota
Written by	Yayoi Kiyono
Starring	Aoi Miyazaki; Seiichi Tanabe; Yu Aoi
Cinematography	Tokusho Kikumura
Edited by	Yoshio Sugano
Distributed by	Nikkatsu
Release dates	November 7, 2001 (Venice Film Festival, Italy); March 16, 2002 (Japan);
Running time	92 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Harmful Insect (害虫, Gaichū) is a 2001 Japanese drama film directed by Akihiko Shiota and starring Aoi Miyazaki. Shiota credits the original story to Yayoi Kiyono, a student of his during his time teaching at the Film School of Tokyo.^[1]

The film follows the life of junior high school student Sachiko Kita. Her father has abandoned their family and her mother attempts to commit suicide. Her former sixth grade teacher, one of the few people she can rely on, is compelled to leave due to rumors of an affair between him and Sachiko. As she becomes the subject of schoolyard gossip, Sachiko drops out and instead wanders around her town, discovering a world that has "no ideals or dreams to pursue, whatsoever."^[1]

Cast

Aoi Miyazaki as Sachiko Kita
Seiichi Tanabe as Ogata
Ryo as Toshiko Kita
Yū Aoi as Natsuko Yamaoka
Tetsu Sawaki as Takao
Ryo Amamiya as Tokugawa
Koji Ishikawa as Kyuzo
Yuria Haga as Rumi
Eihi Shiina as Mano
Yusuke Iseya
Susumu Terajima
Ken Mitsuishi
Masahiro Toda
Nao Omori

Awards

4th Cinemanila International Film Festival

Best Actress - Aoi Miyazaki
NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film - Special Mention

27th Hochi Film Award^[2]

Best Actor - Seiichi Tanabe

24th Yokohama Film Festival^[3]

9th Best Film

References

^ ^a ^b Karolak, Nikodem (2020-04-22). "Akihiko Shiota: How did I portray juvenile characters in my early films?". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
^ 報知映画賞ヒストリー (in Japanese). Cinema Hochi. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
^ 第24回ヨコハマ映画祭日本映画ベスト10 (in Japanese). Yokohama Film Festival. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2010.

External links

Official website (in Japanese)
Harmful Insect at IMDb

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[:0-1] Karolak, Nikodem (2020-04-22). "Akihiko Shiota: How did I portray juvenile characters in my early films?". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 2025-10-21.

[2] 報知映画賞ヒストリー (in Japanese). Cinema Hochi. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved December 12, 2010.

[3] 第24回ヨコハマ映画祭日本映画ベスト10 (in Japanese). Yokohama Film Festival. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2010.

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