Schoolboy Crush

Kairo Aoi, a young teacher with striking good looks, has just learned that his new student, Sora Amakami, is the alluring teen prostitute he once hired. Here the nightmare begins. As the walls of the prestigious academy become a percolating hotbed of sexual intrigue, prostitution and blackmail, other students, including Sora's nerdy roommate and the sinister campus bully, are pulled down the same torrid path of unquenchable desire toward the inevitable moment when obsession turns deadly.

Directed by Kotaro Terauchi, Schoolboy Crush leans on a strong ensemble — Yoshikazu Kotani, Atsumi Kanno, Yuuki Kawakubo — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2007.