Masahide Ichii

Masahide Ichii (born 1976) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Hailing from Toyama Prefecture, Japan, he pursued various occupations before establishing a career in the Japanese film industry.

Early Life and Background

Born in Toyama Prefecture in 1976, Ichii worked in a variety of fields prior to his filmmaking career. His early professional background included working as a comedian, actor, corporate office worker, and screenwriter.

Filmmaking Career

Ichii transitioned into feature filmmaking, making his debut with Dog Days Dream in 2005. The film achieved recognition at the Pia Film Festival in 2006, where it secured both the Runner-up Prize and the Technical Achievement Award. His subsequent feature, Naked of Defenses (2007), achieved further success at the Pia Film Festival in 2008 by winning the Grand Prize, the Technical Achievement Award, and the GyaO Award.

Over the course of his career, Ichii has directed multiple feature films, including Blindly in Love (2013), Our Meal For Tomorrow (2017), Bring on the Melody! (2017), The Stormy Family (2019), and Inu mo Kuwane do Charlie wa Warau (2022). In addition to directing, he has frequently served as a screenwriter for his own projects as well as writing for other productions such as Aimitagai (2024). He also expanded into television drama direction, helming projects such as the TV Tokyo series Legal Beat: Gyakuten no Hotei (2026).

Selected Filmography

As Director

• Dog Days Dream (2005)
• Naked of Defenses (2008)
• Blindly in Love (2013)
• Our Meal For Tomorrow (2017)
• Bring on the Melody! (2017)
• The Stormy Family (2019)
• Inu mo Kuwane do Charlie wa Warau (2022)
• Legal Beat: Gyakuten no Hotei (TV Tokyo, 2026)

As Screenwriter

• Dog Days Dream (2005)
• Naked of Defenses (2008)
• Our Meal For Tomorrow (2017)
• Bring on the Melody! (2017)
• The Stormy Family (2019)
• Inu mo Kuwane do Charlie wa Warau (2022)
• Aimitagai (2024)