The "Beauty Tax" was introduced by the Japanese government to cope with severe financial pressure, taxing beautiful women who enjoy various extra benefits due to their appearance in real life. The beautiful office lady, Aiko (played by Nozomi Sasaki), faces a tax as high as 20%. While it's a bit overwhelming, she gradually begins to take pride in it. In "Dream Machine," Kenji (played by Masataka Kubota), who is struggling in real life, unexpectedly discovers that his mother is a robot. This leads him to become aware of the various incongruities around him, ultimately realizing that the vast majority of urban dwellers have turned into robots, while their true selves are hidden somewhere. In "Commute Army," due to the natto issue, Ibaraki Prefecture declares independence and goes to war with the Japanese government. The government hires people from all walks of life to become commuting soldiers. An employee from a weapons manufacturing company (played by Hidetoshi Nishijima) inadvertently joins the army and experiences an unprecedented sense of vitality. In "Quiz Uncle," Saburo Koga (played by Masakazu Takahashi), who just won the title of 'Quiz King' on television, unexpectedly welcomes a visitor one day — Quiz Uncle (played by Yutaka Matsushige). The visitor incessantly poses various questions; could this be part of the prize for winning?
Sci-Fi
The World of the Strange Stories: Special Spring Edition 2016
actor： Hiroshi Nishikido, Masataka Kubota, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Issei Takahashi
director：Yuichi Sato, Hajime Matsuki, Junichi Ishikawa, Mizuki Nishizaka
-
type：Sci-Fi
-
status：main feature
-
updated：2025-06-04
-
region：Japan
-
year：2016
-
language：Japanese
plot：To cope with severe fiscal pressures, the Japanese government introduced the 'Be...more
