We cannot ignore Battle Royale , the film that launched Kuriyama into the stratosphere. As Takako Chigusa (nicknamed "Chigusa the Grim Reaper"), Kuriyama plays a survivor of a previous class war. She is not a protagonist; she is a legend within the film’s diegesis. When the new class is sent to the island, they whisper her name. She is the myth they aspire to survive.

In Nagisa no Shindobaddo , Kuriyama plays Kaoru, a high school girl living in a depressed, rainy seaside town in the Noto Peninsula. The town is losing its young people to the cities, and the atmosphere is one of terminal stagnation. Her friend, another girl named Konomi (played by Ai Maeda), has an unhealthy obsession with Kaoru. The film is a slow-burn, eerie study of obsession, depression, and unspoken desire.

: The book contained some nudity, which was common in the loosely regulated "child idol" industry of the 90s.

The book is highly regarded for its artistic composition and naturalistic style:

Despite the legal complications surrounding the publication, the raw intensity Kuriyama displayed in front of Shinoyama's lens became her signature trademark as an actress. Filmmakers quickly took notice of her fierce eyes and commanding screen presence.