Samurai Ballerina -L'étoile de Paris en fleur-

"Together they reached out toward their own dreams"

2026 1h 59m JA

🤯

8.5

MASTERPIECE

★8.5TMDB · 2

AnimationDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Paris in the early 20th century. Fujiko dreams of becoming a painter despite expectations of marriage, while Chizuru, born into a samurai family, longs to study ballet. Reunited in Paris after meeting as children, they support each other and move toward their dreams.

“Together they reached out toward their own dreams”

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Cast

Ami Touma
Fujiko Tsuguta (voice)
Lina Arashi
Chizuru Sonoi (voice)
Taichi Saotome
Rouslan (voice)
Matsuya Onoe
Chuu Wakabayashi (voice)
Mugi Kadowaki
Olga (voice)
Kenjiro Tsuda
Shoichi Yajima (voice)
Akihiro Kakuta
Enzo (voice)
Kaori Nazuka
Joan (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Goro Taniguchi
Writers: Reiko Yoshida, Goro Taniguchi, Goro Taniguchi
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CAST

Did you know

337+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Goro Taniguchi, shot by Tsunetaka Ema. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Takayuki Hattori. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kiyoshi Hirose shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ami Touma and Lina Arashi and Taichi Saotome carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Together they reached out toward their own dreams".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt37874634 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Goro Taniguchi directs. Tsunetaka Ema behind the camera. Takayuki Hattori scores. Kiyoshi Hirose cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
2337+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
3Directed by Goro Taniguchi, shot by Tsunetaka Ema. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Takayuki Hattori. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Kiyoshi Hirose shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Ami Touma and Lina Arashi and Taichi Saotome carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Together they reached out toward their own dreams".
8IMDB entry: tt37874634 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 14 themes, including "paris, france", "optimism", "artist", "painter".