Bunny Drop

Bunny Drop (original title Usagi Drop), directed by SABU (real name Hiroyuki Tanaka) and adapted from Yumi Unita's manga, is a drama about a single man who adopts a young girl; SABU shot the entire film without a finished script, relying on improvisation to draw authentic performances from the cast. Filming took place in Kawasaki in July 2010; the lead is played by Kenichi Matsuyama, known for the Death Note films, with six year old Mana Ashida playing the young girl, Rin. The film had its world premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2011, selling out all roughly 3,000 seats across six screenings; it opened in Japan on August 20, 2011, grossing 6.57 million dollars. Who it's for: anyone curious about a manga adaptation whose director deliberately shot without a finished script, relying on improvisation for a father-daughter drama. Who it's not for: viewers wanting a classic production built on a fixed script, since this relies on the cast's improvisation.