Toho and Takashi Miike Teach a LESSON OF THE EVIL

: 07 January 2013

Latest Psycho Thriller from the Director of AUDITION, 13 ASSASSINS and ICHI THE KILLER Source: Toho Co., Ltd. Official Movie Site: akunokyouten.com (Japan)

The movie is based on the novel, Lesson of the Evil. © Yusuke Kishi/ Bungeishunju

Internationally renowned director Takashi Miike -- the filmmaker behind ICHI THE KILLER, AUDITION, 13 ASSASSINS, HARA-KIRI: DEATH OF A SAMURAI 3D, ACE ATTORNEY and FOR LOVE`S SAKE -- returns to the classroom with the bloody thriller LESSON OF THE EVIL (????, Aku no Kyoten, 2012). Adapted from Yusuke Kishi`s 2010 novel of the same name, the movie stars leading man Hideaki Ito (252: SIGNAL OF LIFE, SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO, THE LAST MESSAGE- UMIZARU, KAMUI), playing against type as a psychotic high school teacher. Prior to the movie`s release, the four episode television mini-series LESSON OF THE EVIL OPENING CHAPTER (???????, Aku no Kyoten Josho) aired on the mobile TV broadcasting service, BeeTV. The program introduced many of the characters and set up the story for the film. LESSON OF THE EVIL had its World Premiere at the Rome Film Festival on November 9, 2012. Toho is now offering the film for international sales. STORY 32 year old Seiji Hasumi (Hideaki Ito) is an English instructor at Shinko Academy, a private high school. He is a model teacher, extremely popular with the students and well respected by the faculty and the PTA. However, one of the students -- 17 year old Reika Katagiri (Fumi Nikaido) -- feels something menacing lurking beneath his shining reputation.

Hasumi brilliantly solves one problem after another, from teacher-student sexual harassment to group cheating to bullying. Specifically, the boss of the bullies gets expelled because of his violent behavior. A “monster parent” dies at home in a fire started by an arsonist. The problems go away, but Reika is uneasy about the way they are solved. 55 year old Masanobu Tsurii (Mitsuru Fukikoshi), an unpopular teacher in the school, despises the popular Hasumi. He starts investigating Hasumi’s past and discovers that many people he was involved with have died. Hasumi, who had hidden listening devices around the school, finds out that Tsurii is looking into his past, so he kills him one day on the train and makes it look like suicide. Hasumi also murders a male student who was trying to get back at Hasumi for catching him cheating on a test. In his true nature, Hasumi is a psychopath, a man who cannot feel empathy toward other people. Since he was a child, he has killed people who got in his way. He even killed his own parents when they realized what he was doing. Soon, Hasumi becomes physically involved with Miya Yasuhara (Erina Mizuno), a female student who he helped in a sexual harassment incident, and Miya starts to sense his evil nature. Hasumi finds out about Miya’s suspicion and decides that she must be eliminated... LESSON OF THE EVIL OPENING CHAPTER

Broadcast Dates: October 15 - November 5, 2012 Network: BeeTV Starring Seiji Hasumi: Hideaki Ito Keiko Tsurui / Satoko Mizuochi: Noriko Nakagoshi Masao Nadamori: Ryo Iwamatsu Isao Sonoda: Ko Takasugi Junko Taura: Saki Takaoka Masanobu Tsurui: Mitsuru Fukikoshi Staff Director: Fumio Nomoto Screenplay: Chiho Watanabe Original Story: Lesson of the Evil by Yusuke Kishi (Bungeishunju) Supervising Producers: Takashi Miike, Toshiyuki Fukuo Executive Producer: Yoshio Yanagisaki Producers: Koji Azuma, Toru Mori, Misako Saka, Hisashi Usui Music: Koji Endo Theme Song: "Think About It!" by THE SECOND from EXILE Production: Oriental Light and Magic, Toho Company, BeeTV Distribution: Toho Co., Ltd., BeeTV LESSON OF THE EVIL Japanese Theatrical Release: November 10, 2012 World Premiere: November 9, 2012 (Rome Film Festival) Running Time: 129 minutes

Starring Seiji Hasumi: Hideaki Ito Tetsuro Shibahara: Takayuki Yamada Takeki Kume: Takehiro Hira Masanobu Tsurii: Mitsuru Fukikoshi Keisuke Hayami: Shota Sometani Tsubasa Matsui: Uji Kiyotaka Tooru Arima: Yosuke Isomura Ryota Sasaki: Ryunosuke Suzuki Masahiro Tadenuma: KENTA Masahiko Maejima: Kento Hayashi Misaki Abe: Fujiko Kojima Reika Katagiri: Fumi Nikaido Risako Serizawa: Honami Tsukada Ai Hoshida: Yukino Kishii Naoki Isada: Shun Miyazato Daisuke Shiomi: Ryo Yokoyama Takumi Tsubochi: Mitsutaka Horikoshi Hiroshi Matsumoto: Asuka Kudo Mai Isagawa: Sakura Hayashi Rina Kiyota: Takemi Fujii Yuichiro Nagoshi: Kodai Asaka Satoko Mizuochi: Noriko Nakagoshi Masao Nadamori: Ryo Iwamatsu Isao Sonoda: Ko Takasugi Miya Yasuhara: Erina Mizuno Staff Director: Takashi Miike Screenplay: Takashi Miike Original Story: Lesson of the Evil by Yusuke Kishi (Bungeishunju) Executive Producers: Minami Ichikawa, Akihiro Yamauchi Producers: Koji Azuma, Toru Mori, Misako Saka Producers (Toho Co., Ltd.): Hisashi Usui, Koji Higashi Cinematographer: Nobuyasu Kita Editor: Kenji Yamashita Production Designers: Yuji Hayashida, Eri Sakushima Costume Designer: Yuya Maeda Art Directors: Yuji Hayashida, Eri Sakushima Visual Effects Supervisor: Kaori Ohtagaki Music: Koji Endo Theme Song: "Think About It!" by THE SECOND from EXILE Production: Oriental Light and Magic, Toho Company, in cooperation with Bungeishunju Distribution: Toho Co., Ltd. International Sales: Toho Co., Ltd.