Japan Synopsis
Crying フリーマン
Emu Hino, a 29-year-old virgin, witnesses a mob hit and fears that the killer will now find her and kill her. Indeed, he sets out to do so; he's Yo Hinomura, a talented potter and artist who's been conscripted against his will to be the prime hitman for the 108 Dragons, a gang within the Chinese Mafia, who are determined to push aside Tokyo's local crime lords. He breaks into her house, and she asks that he make love to her before he kills her; she connects to his inner self, and he becomes her protector. Now he must defend her against the local crime gang, who have connections with corrupt Tokyo police. Will Yo and Emu make it out alive, and will the 108 Dragons triumph?
Titles With Overlapping Themes
Films and series that share thematic tags with Crying Freeman 1: Portrait of a Killer. Number on each card indicates how many keywords overlap.
2 sharedThe Seven Deadly Sins: Grudge of Edinburgh Part 2
★ 7.3 · Japan
2 sharedJujutsu Kaisen 0
★ 8.2 · Japan
2 sharedDemon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train
★ 8.3 · Japan
2 sharedDragon Ball Super: Super Hero
★ 7.9 · Japan
2 sharedStand by Me Doraemon
★ 7.3 · Japan
2 sharedThe First Slam Dunk
★ 7.7 · Japan
Other Titles From Toei Animation
The 1987–1989 Japan Window
In the crowded 1987-1989 Japan release window, Crying Freeman 1: Portrait of a Killer sits at #98 of 104. The leaderboard below contextualises its neighbours.
The 1980s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 1980s in Japan, 280 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Crying Freeman 1: Portrait of a Killer premiered alongside 32 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 32 other Japan films in 1988.
The 751st Japan title from Japan we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1899).
Our Japan catalog contains 4,579 titles in total (2,908 films).
Audience Engagement
10 audience reviews — more than 6% of Japan films in our index.
Popularity sits at the 6th percentile among Japan films.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #4,262 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (7th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is -1.4 points below the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Animation productions specifically: #2,445 of 2,532 (top 97%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Toei Animation, Aies |
| Runtime | 1h 0m |
| Release Date | September 1, 1988 |
| IMDb | tt0159386 |