BIFFF: Yûdai Yamaguchi & Jun'ichi Yamamoto's MEATBALL MACHINE (a.k.a. "Mîtobôru mashin"), starring Issei Takahashi, Aoba Kawai, Tôru Tezuka, Shôichirô Masumoto, and Ayano Yamamoto

The screenplay for Meatball Machine (2005) was written by Jun'ya Katô. The movie stars Issei Takahashi, Aoba Kawai, Tôru Tezuka (Teduka Tôru), Shôichirô Masumoto, and Ayano Yamamoto. Keita Amemiya designed the characters for it. (Amemiya himself directed "The Promise" ("Yakusoku") in the omnibus horror movie Tales of Terror (Kaidan Shin Mimibukuro: gekijô-ban) - a.k.a. "Tales of Terror from Tokyo: The Movie".) Yoshihiro Nishimura was responsible for its special effects, special make-up effects, and molds. (Nishimura previously worked on Noboru Iguchi's Saishû seiki! Natsume Nana - kyûkyoku no erosu (viewer discretion is advised), Impolite Education (18-kin - abunai kankei: the kinshinsôkan), "Evil Guy" ("Yôchû no harawata") - a.k.a. "Entrails of a Larva" - and A Larva to Love (Koi suru yôchû).)

Here's a description of Meatball Machine (2005) from the English-language page (see below for link) for the movie on the BIFFF website: "Yoji, a lonely guy with no friends, works at a small factory. He falls in love with a girl named Sachiko who's employed at another factory across the river. Both have secrets of their own and gradually, they develop an attraction to one another. In the meantime, mysterious objects secretly invade the Earth. These parasites nestle themselves into human beings, taking control over their feelings and changing them into hideous monsters. In order to thrive, these 'Necro-Borgs' must fight each other till the death. With their next target being Sachiko, a fierce battle for survival begins. ¶ Meatball Machine, a dark action movie with a remarkable anti-hero, is the second feature of Yudai Yamaguchi (Battlefield Baseball, Cromartie High School) at the Bifff 2006. This energetic and dynamic splatter fest might remind you of the earlier works of Shinya Tsukamoto, especially his Tetsuo films. Starring Issei Takahashi (Kill Bill, All About Lily Chou-Chou), Aoba Kawai (Someone Please Stop The World, Tomoshibi) and Toru Tezuka (Ichi The Killer, Cutie Honey)."

For more information on Meatball Machine (2005), see Twitch's fourth, third, second, and first articles on it.

Yamaguchi's previous directing credits include Sakigake!! Cromartie High School: The Movie (Sakigake!! Kuromati Kôkô: The Movie) - which is also being screened at BIFFF - Present (Purezento) - one of the movies in the Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater (Umezu Kazuo: kyôfu gekijô) hexalogy - and Battlefield Baseball (Jigoku Kôshien).

GOMORRAHY.com: Meatball Machine (2005) production stills gallery
BIFFF: Meatball Machine (2005) (English)
YIFFF: Meatball Machine (2005) (English)
Flyer for Meatball Machine (1999) (24 KB JPEG)
VHS box cover for Meatball Machine (1999) (8 KB JPEG)
A Larva to Love trailer (downloadable 3.4 MB Shockwave Flash file)