{ "id": "ep9m56saa3", "slug": "swallowtail-butterfly-1996-film", "title": "Swallowtail Butterfly (スワロウテイル) (1996 film)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery", "label": "Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.1990s-films", "label": "1990s films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.1990s-films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.1990s-films.crime-dramas-and-gangster-films", "label": "Crime dramas and gangster films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.1990s-films.crime-dramas-and-gangster-films" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery", "label": "Asia (other) · 1946 to 2000: Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946", "label": "Asia (other) · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery", "label": "Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Swallowtail Butterfly (スワロウテイル, Suwarōteiru), also SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY/燕尾蝶, is Shunji Iwai's 1996 Japanese drama about immigrants in the fictional near-future city Yen Town, starring Chara, Hiroshi Mikami, and Ayumi Ito, with a hit YEN TOWN BAND soundtrack and a 2026 4K re-release.", "snippet": "Swallowtail Butterfly (スワロウテイル, Suwarōteiru), also SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY/燕尾蝶, is Shunji Iwai's 1996 Japanese drama about immigrants in the fictional near-future city Yen Town, starring Chara, Hiroshi Mikami, and Ayumi Ito, with a hit YEN TOWN BAND soundtrack and a 2026 4K re-release.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.1990s-films.crime-dramas-and-gangster-films", "markdown": "# Swallowtail Butterfly (スワロウテイル) (1996 film)\n\n**Swallowtail Butterfly** (スワロウテイル, *Suwarōteiru*; Chinese title 燕尾蝶) is a 1996 Japanese drama film written, directed, and edited by Shunji Iwai, set in a near-future fictional Japanese city called Yen Town where immigrants gather to earn the world's strongest currency, the yen[1](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=28101) • [2](https://ir.library.osaka-u.ac.jp/repo/ouka/all/52095/27255_Dissertation.pdf). It opened in Japan on September 14, 1996, runs 149 minutes, and carries an R15+ rating[1](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=28101) • [3](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/87762). The film stars Hiroshi Mikami, the pop singer Chara, Ayumi Ito, and Yosuke Eguchi, and its music, composed by Takeshi Kobayashi, produced a real-life hit band, YEN TOWN BAND[3](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/87762) • [4](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/17126/).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director and writer | Shunji Iwai (also editor); produced by Shinya Kawai[1](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=28101) |\n| Release | September 14, 1996 (Japan); 149 minutes; R15+; color, American Vista (1:1.85), Dolby SR[1](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=28101) • [3](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/87762) |\n| Setting | Yen Town (円都, イェンタウン), a near-future immigrant city in Japan, at a time when the yen was the strongest currency in the world[5](https://intl.ponycanyon.co.jp/219) |\n| Principal cast | Hiroshi Mikami (Hio Feihong), Chara (Glico), Ayumi Ito (Ageha), Yosuke Eguchi (Ryo Ryanki), Andy Hui (Maofuu), Atsuro Watabe (Ran)[3](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/87762) |\n| Music | Takeshi Kobayashi; theme song \"Swallowtail Butterfly ~あいのうた~\" performed by YEN TOWN BAND[1](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=28101) |\n| Languages | Japanese, English, and Mandarin mixed in dialogue[6](https://www.austinfilm.org/films/swallowtail-butterfly/) |\n| Awards | Multiple prizes at the 20th Japan Academy Prize (1997), including Outstanding Picture, Outstanding Lead Actress (Chara), and Newcomer of the Year (Ayumi Ito)[4](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/17126/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Setting and premise\n\nThe film posits an alternate near-future in which Japan's economic power has drawn millions of immigrants who live in shanty communities around the urban centers, nicknamed Yen Town by the xenophobic Japanese residents[7](https://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/swallowtail-butterfly/). The name is a play on words: the immigrants' \"Yen Town\" (円都) is a homonym of a phrase whose alternative kanji spelling translates to \"Yen Thieves\" (円盗), which is how the Japanese population derisively labels the newcomers[7](https://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/swallowtail-butterfly/) • [5](https://intl.ponycanyon.co.jp/219). Dialogue shifts among Japanese, English, and Mandarin, reflecting the hybrid, stateless world of the immigrant community[6](https://www.austinfilm.org/films/swallowtail-butterfly/) • [2](https://ir.library.osaka-u.ac.jp/repo/ouka/all/52095/27255_Dissertation.pdf).\n\n### Plot\n\nThe story is told through the eyes of Ageha (Ayumi Ito), a young girl named after the Japanese word for the [swallowtail butterfly](https://www.edgepedia.org/swallowtail-butterfly)[7](https://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/swallowtail-butterfly/). After her mother, a Chinese immigrant, is found dead, Ageha is taken in by Glico (Chara), a prostitute with a swallowtail tattoo who dreams of becoming a singer, and joins a close-knit band of illegal immigrants who commit petty crimes and scavenge through landfills to survive[7](https://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/swallowtail-butterfly/) • [8](https://eiga-chirashi.jp/100106_1/100106000018.pdf).\n\n**The cassette and the scam.** After Ageha is attacked by a client, the group kills him in her defense and finds a cassette tape sutured into the lining of his stomach[7](https://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/swallowtail-butterfly/) • [4](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/17126/). The tape, a recording of [Frank Sinatra](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-sinatra)'s \"My Way\" that becomes a musical motif, carries a hidden electronic signal that fools automatic teller machines into treating disguised 1,000-yen notes as 10,000-yen notes, so each deposit returns ten notes and a 9,000-yen profit[7](https://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/swallowtail-butterfly/). Using the proceeds, the group opens a nightclub and launches the Yen Town Band, with Glico as lead singer; the band becomes a national sensation, and Glico's fame strains her relationship with Feihong (Hiroshi Mikami)[7](https://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/swallowtail-butterfly/). Meanwhile factions of the underworld hunt for the tape, led by Rio Ryanki (Yosuke Eguchi), the ferocious head of the Shanghai crime syndicate operating in Yen Town[7](https://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/swallowtail-butterfly/).\n\n## Production and music\n\nIwai, already known for *[Love Letter](https://www.edgepedia.org/love-letter-1995-film)* (1995), made the film with a production budget of about 5 million dollars[9](https://repository.dl.itc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/record/52583/files/A34401.pdf). It was produced by the Swallowtail Production Committee, a consortium of Uruonsha, Pony Canyon, Japan Herald Films, Ace Pictures, and [Fuji Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/fuji-television), with Rockwell Eyes as the production company and distribution by Japan Herald Films and Ace Pictures[1](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=28101). Noboru Shinoda was the cinematographer and Yohei Taneda the art director[1](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=28101).\n\nThe film's music proved as influential as the film itself. Takeshi Kobayashi composed the score, and the fictional band YEN TOWN BAND, fronted on screen by Chara's Glico, released its songs for real, and they became major hits[4](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/17126/). The theme song is \"Swallowtail Butterfly ~あいのうた~\"[1](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=28101).\n\n## Style and reception\n\nIwai shot the film with abundant handheld photography and edited it with freeze frames and jump cuts, giving it a restless, music-video-inflected energy; Film at [Lincoln Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/lincoln-center) describes it as occupying \"pretty much the same cultural territory in Japan that Pulp Fiction occupies in America\"[7](https://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/swallowtail-butterfly/) • [10](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/swallowtail-butterfly/). The film was a hit among young adults in Japan and across [East Asia](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-asia)[7](https://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/swallowtail-butterfly/). At the 20th Japan Academy Prize in 1997 it won Outstanding Picture, Outstanding Lead Actress for Chara, Outstanding Supporting Actress and Newcomer of the Year for Ayumi Ito, and technical prizes for cinematography, lighting, art direction, and sound recording[4](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/17126/). On IMDb it holds a 7.5/10 rating from about 5,000 votes[11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117797/ratings/), and Rotten Tomatoes lists an 89% Tomatometer from two critic reviews[12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/swallowtail_butterfly).\n\n**Scholarly criticism.** Academic responses have been more divided. Eric Cazdyn, a scholar of Japanese film, argued that the film's \"gratuitous aesthetic gestures\" preclude engagement with its own questions about attitudes toward foreigners in Japan's labor economy, and Mika Ko, author of *Japanese Cinema and Otherness*, called it an example of \"cosmetic multiculturalism\" that fetishizes attractive immigrant stories without examining their lived experiences in depth[7](https://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/swallowtail-butterfly/) • [13](https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-store-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203866719/79909fab-df76-4008-9d48-1f46f3b5c3d6/preview.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=ASIAQFVOSJ57YJAJCZAA&Expires=1763598724&Signature=4%2Ffg%2FTFHOOlpDos%2BsTlLj8Ty9Vs%3D&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B+filename%3D%2210.4324_9780203866719_previewpdf.pdf%22&x-amz-security-token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEB0aCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJGMEQCIBJWCR6nfYjGHC7zIj24%2BgybgvYufDdDx%2BD%2BwmDHfdUcAiAwegPWwwEWDedqxlYmG0HTFbBhzupvW0wdXu6wVB2MECqWBAjl%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F8BEAQaDDAxMjE3NzI2NDUxMSIMNfDboGdHba5ZzmoPKuoDSMZ8BM8c9iUEBB7yQzLY9PosbxLsPXpsomgNrf9oQ3%2Fwxo6S4dkm52eDbnLdIviux7jupTtMSUCKH9gFs7UjXnmZolhqtBKEYJ8JqCxfx1bJJ3LblgAkVQPfoj4%2FRCMtS3M6YuyKoKRmqAizjVs0th8RQo3ogg8W9bqg0wepPCvecxmJPeIh%2BIQm4Wt%2BDmDYxujevDDC3sgk6%2FRiFKsUjKE2Ql7zpxMMNMkulaQ2wD%2FDiKS2c7Wmy%2BhVjFGqcH9%2BOnFYNi%2BzJZOAtSYzNT6xrz5VVXTAyiBVK%2BxuhikUpqJuhCu9izlWPxWvM5QRmTBKR%2F%2BX4emJ7e3gkO%2Fw1yKH6X31ZOGZhK0jD%2FVfw%2BLpzkZmwjjNV3tjE7roCYzaxaNZyBxkldll44eUz6y2HyPHwh6nfgIPpxh8tfw%2BE0XvrHG01yiJJKxLowfcNa8yAQ9EYh495%2B5TCRuXB3D4LDNBxFkJHP4SNeoDaIjtsrqFUYZBl0OJfbL%2ByNWbI%2FvW7RObAWObPCCm2pPGU5RJANAN%2B04jPPt0jCOAF88Q9UqL%2F%2B0NX5T%2B4Ec8jL7V800OgkCtp%2FoddZs3BT8zjTiK%2FFRBhUxeFLv%2FPwsU2D50B9zVeqrqRJl0qVMaxCR3amANZmOsGv0wqFzjXUTzhDDtzPjIBjqmAc19hETm50uB4mO7Dx9ufHRRUfiRzEGfWDAf%2BCqJu45Xp89VuJeHss1DZCYgv%2FqfMC50Yt6elLBTvQs8ezX9oi9AUUYXvmhGMvAzCBSxAoAjCoySbzgkQdiR0nWkKnjHDGybo76%2FD%2BcFUR03b6ogXAxxtt6cfDLMPuGWS0w7BvrOMzjz9HcKt7%2FIX%2BkyV4wXOVeXBPaYoI6Tu4pFU2ZEi7l6zT%2BovZ0%3D). Koichi Iwabuchi, writing with Yomota, Cazdyn, and Gerow, argued that despite its attempt to represent multicultural chaos in Japan, the film is strikingly absent of any \"real\" encounter between Japanese citizens and the Asians it depicts[14](https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bitstreams/ddd65181-3eee-4a8a-bba2-61b83bf54247/download).\n\n## Legacy and 30th anniversary\n\nMore than fifteen years after its release, reviewers familiar with late-1990s Japanese cinema still recognized the film's palpable influence, and it is regarded as a precursor to Japan's later global pop-cultural boom[7](https://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/swallowtail-butterfly/). For the 30th anniversary of the 1996 release, a 4K remastered version with [Dolby Atmos](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolby-atmos) sound, supervised by Iwai, received a theatrical re-release in Japan on September 4, 2026, distributed by [Pony Canyon](https://www.edgepedia.org/pony-canyon)[4](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/17126/) • [3](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/87762).\n\n## References\n\n1. [スワロウテイル (1996), KINENOTE](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=28101)\n2. [Chapter 5: Community, Representation, and Language in Swallowtail (1996), Osaka University dissertation](https://ir.library.osaka-u.ac.jp/repo/ouka/all/52095/27255_Dissertation.pdf)\n3. [スワロウテイル (1996), allcinema](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/87762)\n4. [スワロウテイル, 映画.com](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/17126/)\n5. [Swallowtail Butterfly, Pony Canyon International Licensing](https://intl.ponycanyon.co.jp/219)\n6. [Swallowtail Butterfly, Austin Film Society](https://www.austinfilm.org/films/swallowtail-butterfly/)\n7. [Midnight Eye review: Swallowtail Butterfly (1996)](https://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/swallowtail-butterfly/)\n8. [早稲田松竹 7月のラインアップ (Swallowtail Butterfly program notes)](https://eiga-chirashi.jp/100106_1/100106000018.pdf)\n9. [岩井俊二論 (University of Tokyo repository)](https://repository.dl.itc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/record/52583/files/A34401.pdf)\n10. [Swallowtail Butterfly, Film at Lincoln Center](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/swallowtail-butterfly/)\n11. [Swallowtail Butterfly (1996) Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117797/ratings/)\n12. [Swallowtail Butterfly, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/swallowtail_butterfly)\n13. [Japanese Cinema and Otherness: Nationalism, Multiculturalism and the Problem of Japaneseness (Mika Ko), Routledge preview](https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-store-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203866719/79909fab-df76-4008-9d48-1f46f3b5c3d6/preview.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=ASIAQFVOSJ57YJAJCZAA&Expires=1763598724&Signature=4%2Ffg%2FTFHOOlpDos%2BsTlLj8Ty9Vs%3D&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B+filename%3D%2210.4324_9780203866719_previewpdf.pdf%22&x-amz-security-token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEB0aCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJGMEQCIBJWCR6nfYjGHC7zIj24%2BgybgvYufDdDx%2BD%2BwmDHfdUcAiAwegPWwwEWDedqxlYmG0HTFbBhzupvW0wdXu6wVB2MECqWBAjl%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F8BEAQaDDAxMjE3NzI2NDUxMSIMNfDboGdHba5ZzmoPKuoDSMZ8BM8c9iUEBB7yQzLY9PosbxLsPXpsomgNrf9oQ3%2Fwxo6S4dkm52eDbnLdIviux7jupTtMSUCKH9gFs7UjXnmZolhqtBKEYJ8JqCxfx1bJJ3LblgAkVQPfoj4%2FRCMtS3M6YuyKoKRmqAizjVs0th8RQo3ogg8W9bqg0wepPCvecxmJPeIh%2BIQm4Wt%2BDmDYxujevDDC3sgk6%2FRiFKsUjKE2Ql7zpxMMNMkulaQ2wD%2FDiKS2c7Wmy%2BhVjFGqcH9%2BOnFYNi%2BzJZOAtSYzNT6xrz5VVXTAyiBVK%2BxuhikUpqJuhCu9izlWPxWvM5QRmTBKR%2F%2BX4emJ7e3gkO%2Fw1yKH6X31ZOGZhK0jD%2FVfw%2BLpzkZmwjjNV3tjE7roCYzaxaNZyBxkldll44eUz6y2HyPHwh6nfgIPpxh8tfw%2BE0XvrHG01yiJJKxLowfcNa8yAQ9EYh495%2B5TCRuXB3D4LDNBxFkJHP4SNeoDaIjtsrqFUYZBl0OJfbL%2ByNWbI%2FvW7RObAWObPCCm2pPGU5RJANAN%2B04jPPt0jCOAF88Q9UqL%2F%2B0NX5T%2B4Ec8jL7V800OgkCtp%2FoddZs3BT8zjTiK%2FFRBhUxeFLv%2FPwsU2D50B9zVeqrqRJl0qVMaxCR3amANZmOsGv0wqFzjXUTzhDDtzPjIBjqmAc19hETm50uB4mO7Dx9ufHRRUfiRzEGfWDAf%2BCqJu45Xp89VuJeHss1DZCYgv%2FqfMC50Yt6elLBTvQs8ezX9oi9AUUYXvmhGMvAzCBSxAoAjCoySbzgkQdiR0nWkKnjHDGybo76%2FD%2BcFUR03b6ogXAxxtt6cfDLMPuGWS0w7BvrOMzjz9HcKt7%2FIX%2BkyV4wXOVeXBPaYoI6Tu4pFU2ZEi7l6zT%2BovZ0%3D)\n14. [Dissertation on Japanese cinema and fandom, Indiana University ScholarWorks](https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bitstreams/ddd65181-3eee-4a8a-bba2-61b83bf54247/download)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 1990s films › Crime dramas and gangster films*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/swallowtail-butterfly-1996-film", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/swallowtail-butterfly-1996-film.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Swallowtail Butterfly (スワロウテイル) (1996 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/swallowtail-butterfly-1996-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Swallowtail Butterfly (スワロウテイル) (1996 film)](https://www.edgepedia.org/swallowtail-butterfly-1996-film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/swallowtail-butterfly-1996-film](https://www.edgepedia.org/swallowtail-butterfly-1996-film). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Swallowtail Butterfly (スワロウテイル) (1996 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/swallowtail-butterfly-1996-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Swallowtail Butterfly, also SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY/燕尾蝶, is Shunji Iwai's 1996 Japanese drama about immigrants in the fictional near-future city Yen Town, starring Chara, Hiroshi Mikami, and Ayumi Ito, with a hit YEN TOWN BAND soundtrack and a 2026 4K re-release." }