Kōki Mitani

Mitani liked watching TV dramas and puppetries of NHK in his childhood. He was especially interested in works of puppetry such as Shin Hakkenden (新八犬伝) and Sangokushi (三国志), jidaigeki dramas such as Tenka Gomen [ja] and Tenka Dōdō [ja], and taiga dramas such as Kaze to Kumo to Niji to.^[2]

Throughout his life, he has expressed interest in works starring famous detectives, such as the Sherlock Holmes series.^[3][4] He has collected numerous novel volumes, pastiches, and DVDs related to Sherlock Holmes, and in 2014 adapted the story into a puppetry set in a boarding school. In his high school days, he planned to produce a film featuring a detective, loosely based on And Then There Were None, and went on location to Enoshima, Kanagawa with his friends, although this film was never finished.^[3]

Mitani has also stated that he enjoys foreign cinema, and is a fan of the films 12 Angry Men, The Wages of Fear, Columbo, and the director Billy Wilder. He has mentioned how he believes modern-day Hollywood comedy films are not as funny as those from the Golden Age.^[1]

Mitani was previously married to Japanese actress Satomi Kobayashi.

Mitani's work has primarily comprised witty comedies which are often parodies. In production, he usually writes scripts visualizing actors and actresses as close to the characters. Mitani is the author of a weekly column in the Asahi Shimbun daily newspaper in which he often discusses his favorite films, his writing process, and the actors and actresses with whom he has worked.^[1]

In 2018, Mitani appeared in a "Silent Library" segment of Gaki no Tsukai.

In 2023, Mitani was the recipient of the 15th annual Juzo Itami Award.^[5]

Films

Note: Many of Mitani's films began as successful plays.

Feature films

• The Gentle 12 a.k.a. 12-nin no Yasashii Nihonjin (1991; screenplay)
• Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997; director, screenplay)
• Minna no Ie a.k.a. All About Our House (2001; director, screenplay)
• University of Laughs a.k.a. Warai no Daigaku (2004; screenplay)
• The Uchōten Hotel a.k.a. Suite Dreams (2006; director, screenplay)
• The Magic Hour (2008; director and screenplay)
• A Ghost of a Chance a.k.a. Suteki na Kanashibari, also known as Once in a Blue Moon (2011; director, screenplay)
• The Kiyosu Conference (2013; director, screenplay)
• Galaxy Turnpike (2015; director, screenplay)
• Hit Me Anyone One More Time (2019; director, screenplay)
• All About Suomi (2024; director, screenplay)^[6]

Television films

• short cut [ja] (2011 one-shot film; director, screenplay)
• Daikūkō 2013 [ja] aka Airport 2013 (2013 one-shot film; director, screenplay)
• Oi, Dazai (2025 one-shot film; director, screenplay)

TV dramas

• Furikaereba Yatsu ga Iru (1993 series; screenplay)
• Furuhata Ninzaburō (1994–2004 series; screenplay)
• Shinsengumi! (2004 TV taiga drama; screenplay)
• Sōri to Yobanaide (1997 series; screenplay)
• Wagaya no Rekishi (2010 series; screenplay)
• Sanada Maru (2016 taiga drama; screenplay)
• Fūnji-tachi (2018 series; screenplay)
• Kuroido Goroshi (2018 series; screenplay)
• The 13 Lords of the Shogun (2022 taiga drama)^[7]
• Pray Speak What Has Happened [ja] AKA Moshimo Kono Yo ga Butai nara, Gakuya wa Doko ni Aru no Darou (2025 series; screenplay)

Theatre

• The Gentle Twelve a.k.a. 12-nin no Yasashii Nihonjin (1990)
• The Show Must Go On (1991)
• University of Laughs a.k.a. Warai no Daigaku (1996)
• Vamp Show (2006)
• Talk Like Singing (2009)^[8]
• Odessa (2024)

Puppetries

• The Three Musketeers (2009; screenplay)
• Sherlock Holmes (2014; screenplay)

• Medal with Purple Ribbon (2017)
• Juzo Itami Award (2023)