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The Man Who Failed to Die

Play trailer Poster for The Man Who Failed to Die 2025 1h 49m Comedy Drama Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
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Comedy writer Ippei Sekiya decides to end his life one day on his way home, contemplating suicide by jumping in front of a train at a station platform. However, just as he is about to jump, a person is hit by a train at the next station, which makes him reconsider. In tribute to Tomohiro, the man who died instead of him, Ippei sneaks into Tomohiro's funeral. Upon returning home, he is confronted by the ghost of Tomohiro. Grateful that Ippei continues to live because of his death, Tomohiro makes an astonishing request: "Will you kill the man who is stalking my daughter Aya?" Driven by the persistent ghost, who vows to haunt him until the deed is done, Ippei begins to investigate the stalker. It turns out that the stalker is Aya's divorced ex-husband. Ippei, pretending it's a coincidence, helps Aya, who is being pursued by her ex-husband. Upon discovering that she enjoys comedy, he invites her to a live show featuring a comedian he manages. However, Ippei struggles to finalize a satisfactory script.... As Ippei pleads for the revenge to wait until after the success of the live show, Tomohiro surprisingly offers ideas for the act. Through the process of creating the script, an unexpected friendship begins to blossom between Ippei and the ghost.

Critics Reviews

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Pieter-Jan Van Haecke Psychocinematography The Man Who Failed To Die is a wonderful narrative with a lot of heart. Seiji Tanaka refuses to colour within the lines of comedy, creating an eclectic collage of different genre-elements. Oct 7, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews
The Man Who Failed to Die

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Cast & Crew

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Seiji Tanaka

Director

Mizukawa Katamari

Actor

Erika Karata

Actor

Bokuzô Masana

Actor

Yutaka Kyan

Actor

Miona Hori

Actor
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The Man Who Failed to Die

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Movie Info

Synopsis Comedy writer Ippei Sekiya decides to end his life one day on his way home, contemplating suicide by jumping in front of a train at a station platform. However, just as he is about to jump, a person is hit by a train at the next station, which makes him reconsider. In tribute to Tomohiro, the man who died instead of him, Ippei sneaks into Tomohiro's funeral. Upon returning home, he is confronted by the ghost of Tomohiro. Grateful that Ippei continues to live because of his death, Tomohiro makes an astonishing request: "Will you kill the man who is stalking my daughter Aya?" Driven by the persistent ghost, who vows to haunt him until the deed is done, Ippei begins to investigate the stalker. It turns out that the stalker is Aya's divorced ex-husband. Ippei, pretending it's a coincidence, helps Aya, who is being pursued by her ex-husband. Upon discovering that she enjoys comedy, he invites her to a live show featuring a comedian he manages. However, Ippei struggles to finalize a satisfactory script.... As Ippei pleads for the revenge to wait until after the success of the live show, Tomohiro surprisingly offers ideas for the act. Through the process of creating the script, an unexpected friendship begins to blossom between Ippei and the ghost.
Director
Seiji Tanaka
Screenwriter
Seiji Tanaka
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Original Language
Japanese
Runtime
1h 49m