Moero Seishun no Ichinen – “Burn, One Year of Youth” (1986)

Commissioned by Japan’s largest prep school, Kawaijuku, as an entrance ceremony short, this 1986 film follows a year in the life of a female “ronin” student. Directed by then-rookie Junichi Inoue and produced by iconoclastic filmmaker Koji Wakamatsu, it transforms what should have been a conventional promotional piece into an audacious, subversive portrait of youth, featuring Mikari, Naoto Takenaka, and manga legend Fujio Akatsuka.