I remember the morning of the Great East Japan Earthquake quite vividly. I finished work early and watched the unfolding disaster online. It was terrifying and it was bewildering and it seemed so overwhelming. I also remember the (ani)blogging community coming together quick sharp to relay news and to set up charity appeals. The charity appeals are still needed as rebuilding is moving slowly and people are still displaced which is why I posted about a Japan Foundation film event on the anniversary earlier this week. It is strange to think that the disaster was two years ago because it seems closer and I suspect that the reason it still seems so close is because of the many films that have use it as subject matter.

One of the things I do on my blog is write up trailer posts for most of the Japanese films released in cinemas and for the films touring the festival circuit. Through doing this I have seen that Japanese filmmakers are intensely interested. Not a month goes by without two or three titles and with the recent anniversary the number of films has intensified. The range of filmmakers covers documentarians, directors who are better known for horror films and bleak dramas (bleakies as Alua calls them), veterans and directors making their debuts. It stands in complete contrast to other disasters and countries. How many films are there directly or indirectly about Hurricane Katrina? There are probably more because The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans isn’t present in that list but still it just does not compare to the efforts that the Japanese filmmaking community has made to highlight document disaster and the continuing problems.

Here are some of the films:

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Clik here to view.A Gentle Rain Falls for Fukushima

Director: Atsushi Kokatsu, Writer: Atsushi Kokatsu, Uichiro Kitazato

Starring: Kosuke Toyohara, Chieko Matsubara, Jurina, Shono Hayama, Gitan Otsuru, Hitomi Sato

This was the directorial debut of Kokatsu. When preproduction of the film was finished in early 2011 and funding was secured from the Fukushima government the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami struck. After initially suspending the film the filmmakers continued with production and donated some of the profits to charity. The film is a mix of heartfelt drama and light comedy that comes with the role-swapping like finding out a girl younger than you used to be your mother in a past life. It centres around a diverse group of people who are all lonely and struggling in life. They meet in Fukushima where they discover that they were a family in a previous life. At first uneasy with each other, the more they talk the better they feel about their problems and their bond grows but their time together remains short as they must soon leave.

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Clik here to view.Himizu

Director: Sion Sono, Writer: Sion Sono (script adaptation), Minoru Furuya (manga)

Starring: Shota Sometani, Fumi Nikaidō, Tetsu Watanabe, Denden, Jun Murakami, Makiko Watanabe, Ken Mitsuishi, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Megumi Kagurazaka, Asuka Kurosawa, Taro Suwa,

Himizu is Sion Sono’s adaptation of Minoru Furuya’s manga of the same name and the only film on this list I have seen. I was in tears at the end. Sono takes a manga already full of anger and tough subject matter like child abuse and murder, and weaves in the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami to create a film which is ultimately a moving exploration of life, identity, redemption and the will to live. I’m quoting my review now. Here are more quotes “Sono hammers the references home with scenes of actors wandering around the disaster hit areas complete with the skeletal remains of buildings and mounds of rubble surrounding them. The sight of the destruction is a terrifying testament to the power of the disaster. The scenes are accompanied by the sound of Geiger counters and a menacing rumbling reminding us the events even more. It feels like a natural part of the film and added to the theme of enduring whatever life throws at you.” I would consider Himizu to be one of the best films I saw last year.

Junior high school kid Yuichi Sumida (Sometani) wants a quiet life but his mother (Watanabe) comes home with different men every night, and his drunken, hate-filled father (Mitsuishi) only pays him visits when he needs money. Yuichi carries on running the family boat rental business and lives surrounded by homeless people who are victims of the tsunami. Meanwhile at school he is ignoring class-mate Keiko Chazawa (Nikaidō) who has a massive crush on him. Things get tough when his mother abandons him and Kaneko (Denden), a Yakuza loan-shark, shows up looking for Yuichi’s father and ¥6 million. Pushed to breaking point by his situation Yuichi finds himself unable to control his anger and a series of events leads him to the brink of madness.

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Clik here to view.Women on the Edge                                         

Director: Masahiro Kobayashi, Writer: Masahiro Kobayashi

Starring: Miho Fujima, Yuko Nakamura, Makiko Watanabe

Masahiro Kobayashi, writer and director of grim films like Bashing is back with Women on the Edge which stars Miho Fujima (Ju-On: The Grudge, Tajomaru), Yuko Nakamura (Blood and Bones), and Makiko Watanabe (Himizu, Love Exposure).

The three Onodera sisters return to the home of their deceased parents’ in Kesennuma, Miyagi, a place affected by the Tohoku Earthquake. The house has survived the earthquake and tsunami and the three are looking to claim an inheritance. Nobuko (Nakamura) moved to Tokyo and is a divorcee, Takako (Watanabe) moved to New York and works as a butoh dancer. Third sister Satomi (Fujima) stayed behind. There are deep resentments and over the course of the film they will come out.

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Clik here to view.Odayaka                                                                      

Director: Nobuteru Uchida, Writer: Nobuteru Uchida (Script),

Starring: Kiki Sugino, Yukiko Shinohara, Takeshi Yamamoto, Ami Watanabe, Ami Watanabe, Yu Koyanagi, Makiko Watanabe, Maho Yamada, Susumu Terajima, Maki Nishiyama, Kotaro Shiga, Kanji Furutachi, Yuko Kibiki, Yuya Matsumura,

This is a film which covers the March 11^th earthquakes. This is another fiction film addressing the March 11th Earthquake and Tsunami following Women on the Edge, The Ear Cleaner and The Land of Hope. It is written and directed by Nobuteru Uchida (Love Addiction).

Saeko (Sugino) and Yukako (Shinohara) are neighbours in a Tokyo apartment complex. Following the March 11^th Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami both find their lives affected by newfound fears. Saeko is undergoing a divorce and fears her daughter may get radiation exposure. Yukako also fears the radiation and asks her husband to move. When Saeko saves Yukako from suicide, the two become close.

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Clik here to view.The Intermission                 

Director: Naofumi Higuchi, Writer: Naofumi Higuchi, Minato Takehiko (Screenplay),

Starring: Kumiko Akiyoshi, Shota Sometani, Kyoko Kagawa, Akiko Koyama, Kumi Mizuno, Naoto Takenaka, Shiro Sano,

An indie film which deals indirectly with the effects of March 11^th as we get the real life story of an old movie theatre in Ginza, Tokyo called the Ginza Shinepatosu which will be closed in March. It stars Shota Sometani (Himizu), Kumiko Akiyoshi (Deep River), Kyoko Kagawa (Shall We Dance?) and Kumi Mizuno (Godzilla Final Wars).

Kumiko (Akiyoshi) is the manager of the Ginza Shinepatosu and she has a younger husband named Shota (Sometani). The movie theatre faces closure following the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011 due to safety fears. As the final day approaches, Kumiko’s anxieties over earthquakes and radiation grow.

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Clik here to view.Japan’s Tragedy                                 

Director: Masahiro Kobayashi, Writer: Masahiro Kobayashi

Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Shinobu Terajima, Kazuki Kitamura, Akemi Ohmori

Masahiro Kobayashi has another film which deals with March 11^th earthquake and tsunami as well as disease, mourning and death in general. I guess you can say Japan’s Tragedy looks like the ultimate bleakie.

Fujio Murai (Nakadai) is unemployed and a widower. Although living with his son Yoshio (Ohmori) life seems bleak as he has been diagnosed with lung cancer and Yoshio’s wife and daughter have not been seen since the 2011 earthquake. Fujio decides to lock himself in his room and mummify himself. Trapped in the room, he thinks back over the course of his life.

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Clik here to view.Reunion                                                  

Director: Ryoichi Kimizuka, Writer: Ryoichi Kimizuka (Screenplay), Kota Ishii (Original Book)

Starring: Toshiyuki Nishida, Naoto Ogata, Ryo Katsuji, Jun Kunimura, Wakana Sakai, Koichi Sato, Shiro Sano, Ikki Sawamura, Mirai Shida,

This is based on Kota Ishii’s non-fiction book “Itai Shinai, Tsunami no Hate ni” which covers a story of morgue workers over the course of 10 days after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and Tsunami.

After the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, the morgue in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture is overwhelmed with the bodies of the dead. Retired funeral worker Tsuneo Aiba (Nishida) volunteers to help reunite the dead with their families.

It’s Shaking

Director: Yasuomi Kawahara, Writer: Oka Daichi

Starring: Sachi Jinno, Tsutomu Honda

This is one of two short films that deal with the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami from 2011.

Akemi (Jinno) is living in Tokyo following her escape from Osaka but an ex-boyfriend named Masao (Honda) tracks her down and asks her to get marry him regardless of radiation.

Come Give

Director: Oka Daichi, Writer: Yasuomi Kawahara (Screenplay),

Starring: Masao Nakamura, Tadashi Kaizu,

This is the second short film dealing with the Great Eastern Earthquake of Japan. It follows a couple who have moved from Tokushima in Shikoku to Tokyo and the anxiety the move inspires in Izumi (Nakamura), the wife.

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Clik here to view.The Land of Hope                               

Director: Sion Sono, Writer: Sion Sono

Starring: Isao Natsuyagi, Naoko Otani, Jun Murakami, Megumi Kagurazaka, Yutaka Shimizu, Hikari Kajiwara, Denden, Mariko Tsutsui, Yusuke Iseya, Mitsuru Fukikoshi,

Sion Sono makes another appearance on this list with a film which is apparently inspired by a true story and deals with a family of farmers struggling to survive after radiation forces the break-up of their community.

An old couple named Yasuhiko and Chieko (Natsuyagi and Otani) live on a farm near a peaceful village in Nagashima prefecture with their son Yoichi (Murakami) and his wife Izumi (Kagurazaka). When an earthquake strikes the nearby nuclear power plant explodes and the village’s residents are forced to evacuate since the village is in the twenty-kilometre evacuation radius. The family are soon faced with a tough decision: evacuate with the rest of the village or stay on the land that generations of their family have lived on. Yoichi and his wife decide to head to a nearby urban community while Yasuhiko and Chieko remain on the farm. Both couples are beset by doubts and problems.

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Clik here to view.Since Then                               

Director: Makoto Shinozaki, Writer: Makoto Shinozaki (Screenplay)

Starring: Aya Takekō, Yasuhiro Isobe, Mie Ohta

Makoto Shinozaki has  is back with Since Then which is described as a human drama. The subject matter is the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011 but the focus is on Tokyo. It stars Aya Takekō (Lonely Planet), Yasuhiro Isobe (11:25: The Day Mishima Decided His Own Fate), and Mie Ohta (Kamikaze Girls).

Sachiko (Takekō) lives in Tokyo. When the quake strikes and she sees the devastation in eastern Japan she is concerned about her lover Masashi (Isobe) who lived in an affected area. She tracks him down in a hospital but his family refuse her permission to see him.

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Clik here to view.Cold Bloom 

Director: Atsushi Funahari, Starring: Asami Usuda, Takahiro Miura, Yurei Yanagi, Taro Suwa, You Takahashi

Atsushi Funahari was at last year’s Berlin Film Festival with his documentary Nuclear Nation which looked at nuclear power after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tusnami. This drama is another one that deals with the disaster and it screened at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. It looks at the economic and emotional impact as felt by a group of workers at a factory. It stars a collection of new and old actors like Asami Usuda (The Woodsman & the Rain), Takahiro Miura (Ninja Kids!!!), Yurei Yanagi (Boiling Point, Ring) and Taro Suwa (Cold Fish, Himizu). The film will get a release in April 2013.

Ever since the tsunami struck the workers of a metal factory in the industrial town of Hitachi have been in something of a malaise, the only thing keeping them afloat being a skilled worker named Kenji (Takahashi) who has secured them a contract. Then he dies on the first day at the client’s site. His colleague Takumi (Miura) is responsible and the factory worker turn on him, taking sides with Kenji’s widow Shiori (Usuda) but her hatred turns to love.

Documentaries

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Clik here to view.Sketch of Mujo

Director: Omiya Koichi

Mujo means impermanence and it seems like a fitting title. This documentary was apparently the first to be filmed in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck the Tohoku region of Japan in March 2011 and was released in Japan three months after the disaster. The focus is on the devastation wrought on the people as well as the region with people relaying accounts and going through the horror of loss as they return to the region. It also looks at the endurance and resilience of these people and to the future with the promise of reconstruction.

Roots

Director: Kaoru Ikeya,

This documentary follows a woodcutter and carpenter named Naoshi whose house managed to withstand a lot of damage wrought by the tsunami. Unfortunately he lost his son. Naoshi is determined to rebuild his house and live the remaining days of his life there. Things are not so simple as his wife has misgivings, local authorities impose construction restrictions and his prostate cancer has only recently gone into remission. The festival page describes it as a “ tender portrait of a quietly stubborn man opens out into a complex study of the many ambivalences the reconstruction process brings with it: a tangled web of family duty, traditional customs, community spirit and municipal legislation.” It goes on theatrical release next week in Tokyo.

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Clik here to view.Become Ancestors

Director: Kaoru Ikeya

77-year-old Naoshi Sato lives in Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture. The film follows his struggle to recover from the March 11, 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. He lost his son and house but has since fought to build a new one. Things are not so simple as his wife has misgivings, local authorities impose construction restrictions and his prostate cancer has only recently gone into remission. It was another film that played at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. 

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Clik here to view.A Record of Ishinomaki’s Kadowaki Elementary School a Year After the Tsunami                                                                                    

Director: Kenji Aoike

This film focusses on Kadowaki Elementary school in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture which was hit by the disaster and hit hard as the school was devastated and lives lost. Over the course of a year we see how the school and its pupils and staff recover from the disaster with stories of renting a new school, reconstructing lives and the city as a whole.　No trailer but here is the site for the film.

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Clik here to view.Life After 3.11                                           

Director: Hideo Nakata

We all know Hideo Nakata as the genius director that turned Koji Suzuki’s creepy supernatural chillers Ringu and Dark Water into bloody scary films. He has made a documentary that visits the areas affected by the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11^th and it explores the reality of the victims of towns washed away. Hideo Nakata studied journalism at university which means he should have some grounding to get some insights into what is happening.

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Clik here to view.Fukushima Hula Girls

Director: Masaki Kobayashi,

Fukushima Hula Girls is a documentary following the real-life hula girls from the Spa Resort Hawaiians in the Fukushima Prefecture. The resort suffered damage from the Tohoku earthquake of March 2011 and the film shows the Hula Girls’ efforts to revive their business through the resort’s national hula dance tour. It is narrated by ‘Hula Girls’ star Yu Aoi, and shows the girls’ determination and resilience in building a brighter future for Fukushima.

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Clik here to view.Japan Lies: The Photojournalism of Kikujiro Fukushima, Age 90

Director: Saburo Hasegawa,

This documentary follows the work of photographer Kikujiro Fukushima, a man who served in the Japanese army and narrowly avoided the atomic bomb and with the end of the war became disillusioned with Japanese state and began documenting its darker aspects such as discrimination against people of Korean ancestry, violent protests against the Japan’s involvement with the Vietnam war and the Japan-U.S. security alliance, and his most recent work photographing the farming communities in Fukushima prefecture after the meltdown at the local plant following the March 11^thEarthquake and Tsunami. Ren Osugi reads Extracts from Fukushima’s writings.

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Clik here to view.Friends After 3.11

Director: Shunji Iwai

Shunji Iwai (April Story) comes from Sendai, one of the areas affected by the March 11^th disaster. His documentary (which played at last year’s Berlin International Film Festival) gathers together his friends who comment on the disaster and the meltdown at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. We meet young school-girl activists, former architects of nuclear power plants and actors/actresses who talk about the issues surrounding the disaster, nuclear safety and political failings in Japan. In the second half of the film Iwai travels to the harbour town of Sendai and sees the disaster for himself.

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Clik here to view.Nuclear Nation

Director: Atsushi Funahashi

Atsushi Funahashi was at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. He attended last year’s event with this documentary dedicated to the town of Futaba, in Fukushima Prefecture which was devastated by the tsunami and then what remained of the town was coated with nuclear fallout from Fukushima Daiichi. 1,400 of Futaba’s population were housed in a suburb of Tokyo and we follow one of them, the mayor of Futaba, as he tries to keep the community together. Once supporter of nuclear energy he finds himself being a victim of it and having to negotiate ineffectual and uncaring officials and policies. We also see how the residents cope with returning to town for only a short period of time to check on their homes.

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Clik here to view.Fukushima Not Forgotten                     

Director: Hiroshi Shinomiya

Documentarian Hiroshi Shinomiya has previously shot films about the slums and garbage dumps of the Philippines (Sons of God/Basura) but now he turns his camera lens on Japan and documents the lives of people displaced from Fukushima Prefecture after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011. It was filmed over one and a half years from April 2011 just after the accident and we see a variety of people including children trying to recover from loss, dairy farmers who lost their livestock and others resisting being forced to cull their livestock because of radiation fears and a Filipino woman who lost her husband in the disaster.

And that’s about it for the trailers and films. There are probably more (like this one which will be added later) but this is a strong list to start with. While looking for a trailer for the film Eclair for my last post I found a YouTube channel which charts the recovery efforts in one of the areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami. It acts as a good news story and reminds us that the disaster might not be on our television/computer screens but it is far from over.

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The week started off with March 11^th, a date which will be forever associated with the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami which hit eastern Japan back in 2011. I posted about Third Window Films release of Vulgaria and then posted about Tohoku on Film, two films screening this weekend at the Japan Foundation. The films show Fukushima before and after the disaster. Roll on Wednesday and I started a list of films which deal directly with the aftermath of the disaster in a post called Great East Japan Earthquake Aftermath on Film and it contains details of some of the films that cover the aftermath of the disaster. I will update it as more films become available.

Film has been a key medium in keeping alive the memory of the disaster and those who suffered in it. Through film we can see the horror of the day, the effects on the people and the strength of the human spirit as survivors fight their way back from disaster. Whatever the genre, it will serve to remind the audience of that day.

Himizu is one such example. Sion Sono, former wild-man of the Japanese film industry channelled his creative talents to create a film so powerful thanks to its anger and life that it scorches itself on the memory. It was a powerful story about an individual but it also applied to Japan as a whole.

住田、がんばれ！

日本、がんばれ！

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What does the Japanese film chart look like this week ( March 09^th-10^th).

1.   Doraemon Nobita’s Dinosaur
2.   Oz the Great and Powerful
3.   Flight
4.   A Good Day to Die Hard
5.   Ted
6.   Les Miserables
7.   Toaru Majutsu no Index
8.   Django Unchained
9.   The Brain Man
10.   Reunion
11.   Argo
12.   Strawberry Night

Did I predict Doraemon would dominate the charts last week or did I predict it would dominate the charts? It was never a question of how well it would do because Doraemon is one of the biggest characters in Japan, Asia… The world even. His fans will keep this at number one for a while now. The other new entry is Oz the Great and Powerful. March 11^th drama Reunion sits at ten and Strawberry Night is at twelve.

What’s released in Japan this weekend?

Platina Data                                            Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: プラチナデータ

Romaji:  Puratina De-ta

Release Date: March 16^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 133 mins.

Director: Keishi Ohtomo

Writer: Keigo Higashino (Original Book), Hideya Hamada (Screenplay),Image may be NSFW.
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Starring: Kazunari Ninomiya, Etsushi Toyokawa, Anne Watanabe, Kiko Mizuhara, Honami Suzuki, Katsuhisa Namase

Ha, when I was last in London I picked up the book as a present for my teacher. When I read that it was written by Keigo Higashino I figured it would be an excellent thriller because that’s how Higashino’s books roll! Turns out the movie is genuinely good according to the Japan Times Film Review and it’s the biggest movie released this week. It is directed by Keishi Ohtomo who had a hit last year with Rurouni Kenshin. The cast is full of big names like the Arashi singer Kazunari Ninomiya (Gantz, Letters from Iwo Jima, Tekkonkinkurito) and Anne Watanabe (Ninja Kids!!!, XXXHOLiC) as well as rising star Kiko Mizuhara (Norwegian Wood). My film of the week!

It is the year 2017 and the Japanese government attempts to secretly control the DNA of everybody in the country. When a scientist named Ryuhei Kagura (Ninomiya) who works at the National Police Agency is accused of murdering the DNA analysis system he helps run he goes on the run with veteran detective Reiji Asama on his trail! 

Flower of Absolution              Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 赦免花

Romaji:  Shamen Bana

Release Date: March 16^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 107 mins.

Director: Shinichi Karube

Writer: Yu Orihara (Screenplay/Original Book)

Starring: Yaeko Mizutani (Narrator), Misaki Saijo, Hidekazu Ichinose, Naoto Takenaka, Taro Kawano, Natsuo Ishido, Monica Takano, Mariko Yasui,

Shinichi Karube, producer of Fly with the Gold, brings together quite the cast for a period drama set at the end of the Edo period in which a samurai named Kengo (Ichinose) is exiled to Sado island on the charge of disobeying the Shogunate. On the island he meets a former prostitute named Yuki (Misaki) and the two fall in love with each other. The two conceive a child but with Kengo being offered a pardon Yuki is faced with raising the child alone or attempting an abortion… Hidekazu Ichinose has a few films to his name (Snakes and Earrings) but Misaki Saijo appears to be an AV actress… a pretty hot one. If I were Kengo I’d tell the Shogun to stuff his pardon but then I’d make a rubbish samurai Image may be NSFW.
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Bozo                                                      Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: ぼつちゃん

Romaji:  Botsu-Chan

Release Date: March 16^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 130 mins.

Director: Tatsushi Ōmori

Writer: Hidemori Tsuchiya, Tatsushi Ōmori (Screenplay)

Starring: Shingo Mizusawa, Shohei Uno, Ai Tamura, Shinsuke Suzuki, Fuchigami Yasushi, Mayumi Takahashi, Asako Ogawa, Yasushi Fuchikami, Masashi Endo, Emiko Imaizumi

Tatsushi Omori is an actor/director/screenwriter who has worked on Our Homeland (actor), Tada’s Do-It-All House (director/screenwriter) and this is his latest film. It looks miserable and funny, the main character physically divorced from reality and mentally drifting off the map to boot. It also looks like a pretty strong psychological drama full of everyday horror that pushes people to the edge. It draws inspiration from a real life criminal case where Tomohiro Kato indiscriminately killed people in Akihabara in 2008. Shingo Mizusawa (Roadside Fugitive) takes the lead role alongside Shohei Uno (The Drudgery Train, Toilet and Women) and Ai Tamura (Asakusa Daydreams) and Masashi Endo (Sawako Decides). I would want to see this one as well.

Tomoyuki Kaji (Mizusawa) is a temporary worker at a factory in Nagano Prefecture and spends his free time writing about his loneliness on an internet forum. He meets Tanaka (Uno), another lonely guy and they both become friends but Tomoyuki suffers a series of misfortunes like being fired, betrayed by his friend and having unfulfilled love. At the edge of an abyss, he goes to Akihabara…

Case of High Treason (Echo) is a 100 Year Echo                    Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 100年の谺（こだま）　大逆事件は生きている

Romaji: 100-Nen no kodama (Kodama) dai gyaku jiken wa ikite iru

Release Date: March 16^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 90 mins.

Director: Kei Tanaka

Writer: Tomoko Fujiwara

A documentary that raises the historical case 12 people who were hanged and another 12 who were given a sentence of life imprisonment in 1911 for what the government deemed “high treason”. It brings together studies and research that aims to prove that the people condemned were done under false accusations and the sentences were passed to silence socialists and anarchists in Japan. It looks fascinating.

Precure All Stars New Stage 2: Kokoro no TomodachiImage may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: プリキュアオールスターズ　New Stage こころのともだち

Romaji:  Puri Kyua O-ru Suta-zu New Stage 2 Kokoro no Tomodachi

Release Date: March 16^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 90 mins.

Director: Kōji Ogawa

Writer: Yoshimi Narita (Screenplay)

Starring: Ai Nagano, Aya Hisakawa, Eri Kitamura, Hisako Kanemoto, Fumie Mizusawa, Akiko Nakagawa, Asami Tano, Rie Tanaka, Kanako Miyamoto,

Another year another Pretty Cure film. The director is Kōji Ogawa and it is his first big directorial job although he has worked on a number of awesome titles like Moldiver, Noein and Azumanga Daioh. The screenplay is from a Pretty Cure veteran, Yoshimi Narita, who has written for a number of the other films and television series. Feel the magic!

In this adventure the PreCure girls get a party invitation from the school fairy at a time when items are being stolen and suspicious shadows are emerging. Can the PreCure girls stop the shadows, solve the mysterious thefts and get to the party?

The Adventures of Shimajirou, Sukue – The Flower of Seven ColoursImage may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: しまじろうと フフの だいぼうけん ～すくえ！七色の花～

Romaji: Shimajirō to Fufu no Daibōken – Sukue! Nanairo no Hana

Release Date: March 15^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: N/A

Director: Isamu Hirabayashi

Writer: Osumiyuka (Screenplay)

Voice Actors: Omi Minami (Shimajirou), Bin Shimada (Dotto), Miki Takahashi (Mimirin),

This is an educational anime aimed squarely at infants which was constructed by Benesse Corporation. The story follows Shimajirou who must save flower island by carefully nurturing the flowers and trees. Go Shimajirou!

7 Days of Himawari & Her PuppiesImage may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: ひまわりと子犬の７日間

Romaji: Himawari to Koinu no Nanokakan

Release Date: March 16^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 117 mins.

Director: Emiko Hiramatsu

Writer: Emiko Hiramatsu (Screenplay), Yumi Yamashita (Original Novel)

Starring: Masato Sakai, Miki Nakatani, Denden, Isao Natsuyagi, Masayasu Wakabayashi, Reiko Kusamura, Tokie Hidari, Risa Kondou, Kanata Fujimoto, Rei Dan

A new director on the scene! Eriko Hiramatsu, a frequent collaborator of Yoji Yamada (The Twilight Samurai) in the capacity of assistant director and writer. For example she was the writer of Yamada’s latest film Tokyo Family. Anyway she makes her directorial debut with a drama based on a true story about a miracle dog… Okay. It stars Masato Sakai (Key of Life), Miki Nakatani (Zero Focus, Loft) who is apparently good at playing villains, Rei Dan (Ninja Kids!!!) and Denden (Cold Fish, Himizu). I’m a cat person so there’s no way in hell I’d let a dog have a chew on my arm like Sakai does in the trailer! Still, I hope Himawari’s puppies are saved…

A dog named Sunflower lives in a animal shelter and has had a litter of puppies. She is fiercely protective over her puppies but if an owner cannot be found in 7 days the dogs will be put to sleep. Kanzaki (Masato) tries his best to get the dogs into homes but the deadline is approaching fast!

I Can See From HeavenImage may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 天から見れば

Romaji: Ten Kara Mireba

Release Date: March 16^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 95 mins.

Director: Fumiko Irie

Writer: Fumiko Irie

Starring: Masafumi Minami

This is one of two documentaries released by the distributor Miracle of the Heart which hopes to release inspirational tales of human courage. This one is about Masafumi Minami who lost his arms in an accident at a young age and learned to paint using a brush in his mouth.

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Clik here to view.Toward the Day when the when the Miracle Behind Me is no Longer a Miracle

Japanese Title: 僕のうしろに道はできる　奇跡が奇跡でなくなる日に向かって

Romaji: Boku nō Shiro ni Machi wa Dekiru Kiseki ga Kiseki de Nakunaru Hi ni Mukatte

Release Date: March 16^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: N/A

Director: Yasuko Iwasaki

Writer: Yasuko Iwasaki

Starring: Toshiya Miyata, Katsuko Yamamoto, Katsuko Kamiya, Yasuyuki Shibata

This is the second inspirational documentary which tells the story of Toshiya Miyata, a language teacher who suffered a brain haemorrhage at the age of 42 and fell into a temporary vegetative state but is back on the road to what can be considered a miraculous recovery thanks to support from his best friend Katsuko Yamamoto who helps children with disabilities.

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xxxHOLiC

Japanese Title: ホリック xxxHOLiC

Romaji: Horikku xxxHOLiC

Duration: 8 Episodes

Director: Keisuke Toyoshima

Writer: Jun Tsugita (Screenplay), CLAMP (Original Manga)

Starring: Anne Watanabe, Shota Sometani, Karen Miyazaki, Masahiro Higashide, Naoto Takenaka, Yumi Adachi,

xxxHOLiC is the TV adaptation of a popular manga by CLAMP, a quartet of artists who have a huge back-catalogue of supernatural tales all with their distinctive designs which features impossibly long-limbed and waifish characters.

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They are so influential they are called in by various production studios to provide character designs and stories – witness Blood-C, the latest entry in the Blood franchise.

Despite their fame and prowess the only CLAMP franchise I have watched is Cardcaptor Sakura back when I was back in high school. Even that I dropped after the first series because, let’s face it, it’s aimed at girls. xxxHOLiC is a title I know of but have missed. I have not read the manga or watched the anime so I am going into this eight part TV adaptation as a complete novice which is pretty exciting because it is virgin territory and I can form an unbiased opinion. After three episodes I can safely say that I like it. Part of the reason I like it is because it feels familiar thanks to the staff and the atmosphere and the other part I like it is the great acting.

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Clik here to view.The story begins with Kimihiro Watanuki (Sometani) who is a high school boy who can see Ayakashi (spirits). These spirits take on all manner of forms like shades and disembodied body parts and they pop up at the most unexpected points which, when you think about it, is pretty irritating since ghosts seem to haunt everywhere. Even school, is haunted by these supernatural presences. Furthermore, some seem to be aggressive.

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His ability to see the supernatural also opens up possibilities. On his way to school he finds himself witnessing a woman pass by with a dark mist emanating from her ‘pinkie finger’. It turns out he will meet said woman later but let us continue with the setup for now… he continues walking down an alley into what looks like a gorgeous magical grove. Seriously, Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.this is ‘take-a-picture and admire the light emanating from the sun’ gorgeous. Watanuki’s about to see more gorgeous things when he steps in a puddle. The scene cuts to a mysterious woman who seems to summon him by taking control of his body and dragging him to her house. Watanuki is stunned at the sudden change of location which is gorgeous but not as gorgeous as what comes next…

Watanuki is seized by a supernatural force and taken to a house where he is met by two cute girls named Maru and Moro who drag him into what can only be described as a mystical chamber where he finds himself in the presence of a (seriously) gorgeous woman named Yūko Ichihara (Watanabe).

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Who is she to have these mystical powers? What is her plan in hooking Watanuki? Will the camera lovingly hug her body at every moment?

Watanuki is probably wondering most of the same things but first of all introductions are made. He apologises for being in her house and introduces himself. He is pretty bewildered, a state not helped by the fact that Yūko manages to discern parts of his character by some magic silver disc and a cauldron including the fact that he can see Ayakashi and his blood attracts them. Watanuki, being driven insane by this ability (and being shunted around by an invisible power) loses his temper and shouts, “Who the hell are you?”

Well she is a dimensional witch who owns a shop crammed full of mystical objects. The only people who visit the shop (like Watanuki) are those drawn their by fate, those who have a wish that can alter their lives drastically. She will grant their wish but those people must give her something of an equivalent value. “What’s your wish?” Yūko asks.

Watanuki has a wish. But before that we go to his school where we are introduced to Himawari Kunogi (Miyazaki) and her childhood friend Doumeki Shizuka (Higashide). Watanuki likes (as in really likes) Himawari but she is pretty much blind to the depth of his affection or she’s engineering a love-triangle since she tells Doumeki everything on her mind does not miss an opportunity to tell Watanuki that she’s close to Doumeki despite the fact it openly irritates him… Anyway, back to the interesting part…

We discover that Watanuki’s wish is for Yūko to remove his ability to see ghosts. To do this he must work for her as a part-timer at her shop, moving ancient artefacts and cleaning things, cooking and acting as a maid… butler. Despite his complaints he signs up. Through his connection with Yūko he will come into contact with people destined to meet her and he will encounter the supernatural. And so begins the adventures of Watanuki and the Dimensional Witch!!

Well first of all I’m glad I held off on doing a first impression of this until after episode 3 where it really gets going. The first two episodes offer a great set-up and do a lot to establish the characters and the world they inhabit. The episodes have a standalone feel Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.with an overarching narrative connected to Watanuki’s sick mother and his ability to see the dead. This is given to us during piecemeal flashbacks which have a hazy, jittery feel. After the first two episodes I was concerned that the length of the series would be too short to explore Watanuki’s back story adequately but episode three ties everything up neatly. I really like the standalone nature of the stories as it introduces variety, a monster of the week formula… or should that be a jerk of the week.

The tales themselves are rather simple affairs where customers show up to Yūko’s shop with a problem or desire and we witness their story. The engine for this series is Watanuki’s development as an individual. The jerk of the week formula shows Watanuki’s development clearly as we see he shares some elements of the shadows that the customers hide underneath their personas. Watanuki’s cock-sure, impatient and guarded attitude at the beginning is pretty much mirrored by the other customers and seeing them dismantled by Yūko means he gains some growth from those he comes into contact with. Yūko is like a guide and a catalyst for both Watanuki’s development. As she makes clear “I can only change the outside. The inside is changed by you.” That is a pretty clear message.

The episodes develop at a decent pace and there is a jet-black sense of the supernatural. Episode one is very simple and follows a woman with a penchant for lying. Despite Watanuki’s best efforts she has a head-on collision with her supernatural fate… The kills and supernatural encounters have been graphic and while not spectacular they are pretty well done, classy even. Certainly better than some V-cinema J-horror titles like Dead Waves.

The assured development is partly down to director Keisuke Toyoshima who directed a portion of Tales of Terror (2004), a collection of ghost tales that, while low-budget and rather derivative, are well done for the most part due to the atmospherics built up. His particular part of the omnibus, Line of Sight, is really well-done and his experience shines here. CGI is used sparingly and things like lighting and physical props take precedence. The CGI smoke emanating from the woman’s pinkie, the shades and weird creatures that spring up as Watanuki walks down street are well done but the physical props, the gorgeous costumes and fantastic sets are. Lighting is great, nothing on the level of Retribution but very well utilised and always giving a scene a certain flavour whether it is haunted or magical.

There are great performances from Shota Sometani, Anne Watanabe and Masahiro Higashide.

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After the first two episodes I was rather lukewarm in my reception of Anne Watanabe. Although the constant shots of Watanabe’s body – her limbs, thighs, chest, oh-la-la – are all very sexy (and welcome!) and she manages an air of mystery and the slatternly smile I detected in the manga, it was not until episode three that she felt really sexy and, most importantly, really magisterial. Wasted in Ninja Kids!!!, here she is given a lot more to do here as she alternates between a playful supernatural seductress and a domineering guide.  Her pairing with Shota Sometani is good because she is way taller than he is and her authority mould Sometani’s Watanuki well.

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I know Shota Sometani is capable of big performances as seen in Himizu but it’s always Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.great to see him do more subtle and nuanced things to remind me just how great he really is and he gets to really act here. He cries, he whimpers, he yells, he conveys a character coming to terms with being the plaything of supernatural beings but he really shines as a teenager. His dumb smile whenever Himawari is about and the pained smile that pops up whenever she mentions Doumeki, his condescending smirk when he rejects Yūko’s advice to get along with Doumeki and his impatience are all very, very amusing. He can also make you empathise with his emotional confusion.

Masahiro Higashide was really unknown to me apart from having a key role in The Kirishima Thing but I was impressed by his sure-footedness as Doumeki. Okay, I’ll admit it. Him thumping the chap in episode two won me over. He plays what could be a dull strong-but-silent type role with little nuances as uncertainty and haughtiness slip in from time to time.

Hmm, I’ve gone on longer than I expected (longer than recent film reviews) with this post so I’ll end it. Suffice it to say that after three episodes I think this is a great dorama and like the anime Another, I’ll post about it towards the end of the series. Considering it is the first dorama I am blogging about I am really pleased that I picked a great one!

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Clik here to view.Sometimes Film4 does magical things. It is a major part of UK film production and it helped bring about the magic of great films like Shame, Submarine, Berberian Sound Studio and Attack the Block… Well that last one has lost a lot of its appeal for me. Other times it screens great films at a time when I will actually watch them. It also has the rights to screen nearly every Studio Ghibli and pre-Studio Ghibli film ever made and screens those on special occasions. This Easter, starting with the channel premiere of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, Film4 is going to screen 19 Ghibli films from the earliest titles like The Little Norse Prince all the way to Arrietty!

I may have only two Ghibli film reviews (Ponyo and Arrietty) but I have seen all of these with the exception of Ocean Waves. I cannot recommend these films highly enough. My personal favourites are Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Porco Rosso, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns. Each of them is brilliant and Spirited Away ranks as one of the most magical experiences I have ever had in a cinema. The only one I will refuse to watch is Grave of the Fireflies because I was left an emotional wreck the last time I viewed it and it’s on at 1 in the morning and I have work the next day Image may be NSFW.
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Enough from me. GHIBLI dates and times and titles and images:

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Tuesday 26th March – Saturday 13th April 2013

Tuesday March 26, 6.3o p.m.: Spirited Away (2001), Director: Hayao MiyazakiImage may be NSFW.
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Wednesday March 27, 6.05 p.m.: Princess Mononoke (1997), Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Thursday March 28, 11 a.m.: The Cat Returns (2002), Director: Hiroyuki Morita

Thursday March 28, 4.35 p.m.: Porco Rosso (1992), Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Friday March 29, 4.45 p.m.: Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Director: Hayao MiyazakiImage may be NSFW.
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Saturday March 30, 4.55 p.m.: My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Sunday March 31, 5.15 p.m.: Arrietty (2010), Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Monday April 1^st, 4.35 p.m.: Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Tuesday April 2nd, 3.15 p.m.: Castle of Cagliostro (1979), Director: Hayao Image may be NSFW.
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Wednesday April 03rd, 2.50 p.m.: Ponyo (2008), Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Thursday April 4^th, 11 a.m: Ocean Waves (1993), Director: Tomomi Mochizuki

Thursday April 4th, 2.35 p.m.: Pom Poko (1994), Director: Isao Takahata

Friday April 5^th, 2.40 p.m: Whisper of the Heart (1995), Director: Yoshifumi Kondo

Friday April 5th, 12.15 a.m.: Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Director: Isao Takahata

Saturday April 6^th, 4.35 p.m: Spirited Away (2001),

Sunday April 7^th, 3.00 p.m.: The Cat Returns (2002),Image may be NSFW.
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Monday April 8^th, 2.25 p.m: Tales from Earthsea (2006), Director: Goro Miyazaki

Tuesday April 9^th 12.55 p.m.: Only Yesterday (1991) Director: Isao Takahata

Wednesday April 10^th, 1.10 p.m.: Princess Mononoke (1997),

Thursday April 11^th, 11 a.m.: The Little Norse Prince (1968), Director: Isao Image may be NSFW.
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Thursday April 11^th, 2.30 p.m.: Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986), Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Friday April 12^th, Time N/A: Howl’s Moving Castle (2004),

Saturday April 13^th, Time N/A.: Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind (1984), Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Check the Film4 website for more info!

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Clik here to view.Ah, I started the week with a first-impression post on xxxHOLiC. I followed it up by watching the anime Level E and engaging on a new simulwatch over at Anime UK News with Serial Experiment’s Lain. I am hooked on these two anime already, the former because it is very funny and the latter because it’s a rigorous and intelligent and mysterious series which reminds me of the control and intelligence to be found in Kiyoshi Kurosawa films.

I am so psyched for next week because Film4 are going to start screening lots of Ghibli films which made up my second post. There will be 19 films shown in total and they run from The Little Norse Prince all the way through to Arrietty. I love Ghibli films and I’ll do my best to watch some of them with Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Ocean Waves and The Cat Returns being priority.

I am also psyched about next week because I get paid which means a shipment of films will be ordered! Tonight I watch Vulgaria.

What does the Japanese movie chart look like this week (March 16^th-17^th)?

1.  Doraemon Nobita’s Dinosaur
2.  Platina Data
3.  Precure All Stars New Stage 2
4.  Oz the Great and Powerful
5.  Himawari and Her Puppies
6.  Flight
7.  Ted
8.  A Good Day to Die Hard
9.  Cloud Atlas
10.  Les Miserables
11.  Toaru Majutsu no Index
12.  Django Unchained
13.  The Brain Man
14.  Reunion

Doraemon continues his reign over the chart for a third week but there are a few of last week’s releases piping in with detective thriller Platina Data hitting second, the Precure anime movie grabbing third and Himawari and Her Puppies taking fifth.

What Japanese films are released this week?

Child Police                                        Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: コドモ警察

Romaji: Kodomo Keisatsu

Release Date: March 20^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 100 mins.

Director: Yuichi Fukuda

Writer: Yuichi Fukuda (Screenplay),

Starring: Mikako Komatsu, Fuku Suzuki, Miyu Honda, Michiko Kichise, Keito Aoki, Kaichi Kaburagi, Yuga Aizawa

This film was released on Wednesday and is based on a ten episode TBS show directed by Yuichi Fukuda who has another film released this year called HK Hentai Kamen (adapted for the screen by Shun Oguri) which looks funny. Unlike this.

Hmm. Part of me dislikes it based on the poster and concept alone – elementary school kids as police… I’m not engaged with the concept and the kid holding the shotgun looks to be in bad taste to my western eyes (too many shootings in the US – I know it’s a weak excuse but my first reaction was to shudder). BUT! The trailer made me chuckle because of lead actor Fuku Suzuki’s outrage behind his desk.　なに！！？ and the 70′s vibe which reminded me of older Yakuza films I have seen.

Detective Dekachou (Suzuki) is the leader of the special investigation team in Kanagawa who are locked in an investigation of a criminal organisation called Red Venius. While pursuing the gang they are turned into children due to exposure to a special gas but they remain on the case because Red Venius threaten to assassinate the President of Tadhikistan in Japan.

Miffy the MovieImage may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 劇場版ミッフィー　どうぶつえん　で　たからさがし

Romaji: Gekijouban Miffi- Doubutsuende Sagashi

Release Date: March 23^rd, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: N/A

Director: Hans Perk

Voice Actors: Ikumi Nakagami, Noriko Hidaka, Hidemistu Shimizu, Masayo Hosono

Miffy… Hello Kitty… I thought they were connected but they are not. To be honest the only Hello Kitty thing I ever read was a parody called Hello Cthulhu. Miffy isn’t even Japanese. She’s Dutch! She’s the creation of a chap named Dick Bruna who has appeared in 30 books which have sold over 35 million copies around the world since her debut in 1955. So she’s not to be sniffed at. Furthermore she’s popular in Japan where she’s known as Usako-chan. Anyway in this children’s animation, Miffy and her friends go treasure hunting!

Yasuko Nagamine Barefoot Flamenco        Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 長嶺ヤス子　裸足のフラメンコ

Romaji: Nagamine Yasuko Hidashi no Furamenko

Release Date: March 23^rd, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 85 mins.

Director: Koichi Omiya

Starring: Yasuko Nagamine

Yasuko Nagamine is an internationally famous dancer who studied flamenco in Spain, pioneering the dance in Japan and combining it with other dance forms and music. This is a documentary from her birth in Fukushima in 1936 to her recent years beating cancer.  The director is Koichi Omiya, the documentarian behind Sketch of Mujo, the first film that captured the affected areas after the Great East Japan Earthquake and one of many I put in a list last week.

BOOWY 1224 The Movie           Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: BOOWY 1224 The Movie

Release Date: March 23^rd, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: N/A

Director: N/A

Starring: Kyosuke Himuro, Tomoyasu Hotei, Tsunematsu Matsui, Makoto Takahashi

This is a documentary about the rock band BOOWY which records performances at Shibuya Public Hall in Tokyo where they announced their break up.

Shonan Story                      Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 湘南ものがたり

Romaji: Shounan Monogatari

Release Date: March 23^rd, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 114 mins.

Director: Yoichiro Hayama

Writer: Yoichiro Hayama, Satoshi Zenshō (Screenplay),

Starring: Hiroshi Isobe, Tomoka Shibayama, Koji Ito, Aoki Sanae, Harumi Maeda, Fumi Sakurai, Namiko Morooka

I really dislike the film Dead Waves. It was dull J-horror which had a great cast but was marred by poor execution and a lack of budget. The director was Yoichiro Hayama, a man who has had a number of J-horror films in his back catalogue. He also has a number of indie dramas like this one which was made in Kamakura and told the story of a fledgling novelist (Isobe) who heads to Enoshima, an island with an observatory, who meets an old flame (Shibayama). No trailer.

Aibou Series X DAY                                     Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 相棒シリーズX DAY

Romaji: Ａｉｂｏｕ　Ｓｈｉｒｉｚｕ　ＸＤＡＹ

Release Date: March 23^rd, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 100 mins.

Director: Hajime Hashimoto

Writer: Takeharu Sakurai (Screenplay),

Starring: Kazuhisa Kawahara, Kei Tanaka, Yoshino Kimura, Ken Utsui, Anju Suzuki, Ryoko Kuninaka, Tomorowo Taguchi, Tetsuya Bessho

Oh wow, this is based on a very popular franchise with 11 TV series stretching back to 2002 and 3 other movies. It pairs up a nerd and a hard-bitten detective as they investigate a series of crimes. I have never watched it but I know some of the stars like Kei Tanaka (Rent-a-Cat, Tajomaru, Suicide Circle), Yoshino Kimura (Fine, Totally Fine, Dream Cruise) and the awesome Tomorowo Taguchi (who has another film out today!) the star of Tetsuo and part of Strange Circus and Gantz and Who’s Camus Anyway.  Lots of slow-zooms, walking down corridors and reaction shots in the trailer make this look epic and serious.

Detective Kenichi Itami (Kawahara) from the National Police Agency is paired up with Akira Iwatsuki (Tanaka) from the cyber investigation team to solve complex murder cases like the one in this film which is linke to a national financial doomsday scenario codenamed X Day.

Nobody’s Perfect                                                 Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: だいじょぶ　３　組

Romaji: Daijobu 3 Kumi

Release Date: March 23^rd, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 118 mins.

Director: Ryuichi Hiroki

Writer: Masato Kato (Screenplay), Hirotada Ototake (Original Novel)

Starring: Taichi Kokubun, Hirotada Ototake, Tomorowo Taguchi, Kimiko Yo, Anna Ishii, Toshie Negishi, Makko Watanabe, Hiroki Miyake, Nana Eikura, Miki Kawanishi, Hinako Yoshikawa

Writer Hirotada Ototake was born without limbs due to the congenital disorder Tetra-amelia. This has not stopped him from living life as he has become a best-selling novelist. This is based on Daijobu 3 Kumi, one of his works which was published in 2010 and it tells the story of a 5^th grade teacher named Shinnosuke Akao (Ototake), a man born without arms and legs, who is now in charge of 28 pupils. Akao’s time with the class is told from the view of a school board member named Yusaku Shiraishi (Kokubun)

I have seen few fiction films that deal with disability in Japan (Strange Circus… perhaps) but there are quite a few documentaries (two last week). Before watching the trailer I figured on this being a positive film full of life-lessons about struggling to overcome problems and it would be relatively harmless with an up-lifting J-Pop soundtrack and I was not far wrong but there could be some bitterness relating to his disability – those two girls looking and laughing, tears shed.

Anyway the film has an interesting cast with Hirotada Ototake and Taichi Kokubun (Tokio) leading the likes of Tomorowo Taguchi (Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Tetsuo II, Strange Circus), Makiko Watanabe (Himizu, Love Exposure), Kimiko Yo (For Love’s Sake, Suicide Circle) and the foxy Nana Eikura (Tokyo Kouen, The Floating Castle).

Extend Hands From Darkness                                       Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 暗闇　から　手　を　のばせ

Romaji: Kurayami Kara Te wo Nobase

Release Date: March 23^rd, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 68 mins.

Director: Yukihiro Toda

Writer: Yukihiro Toda (Screenplay),

Starring: Maya Koizumi, Kanji Tsuda, Sachiko Matsuura, Morooka Moro, Yuki Kan

The second film about disabilities stars gravure idol Maya Koizumi. The film seems tastefully done much like Hollywood movie The Sessions starring Helen Hunt with a lot of drama, people with real disabilities a little violence and a plaintive piano soundtrack. One of the characters mentions car sex, might I recommend to him that he view Takeshi Kitano’s Getting Any? – I just saw a contestant on Mastermind answer questions on his films. I got 7 out of 10 right… Starring alongside Maya Koizumi is Kanji Tsuda (Guilty of Romance, Tokyo Sonata, Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl), Yuki Kan (Rebirth) and Morooka Moro (Kids Return, Infection). Despite the good looking girl the film doesn’t really grab me.

Saori (Koizumi) wants money and decides to works for an escort service named Honey Lips, a company which provides sex disabled people. Tsuda (Tsuda), her manager, drives her to her first customer, 34-year-old Mizutani (Kan), a man with progressive muscular dystrophy and a full body tattoo. He is the first client from a list which will break down her cynicism and get her to help her clients in more ways than just physically.

My Diary of Our Exchange                             Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: ボクたちの交換日記

Romaji: Bokutachi no Kokan Nikki

Release Date: March 23^rd, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 115 mins.

Director: Teruyoshi Uchimura

Writer: Teruyoshi Uchimura (Screenplay), Osamu Suzuki (Original Novel)

Starring: Atsushi Ito, Keisuke Koide, Masami Nagasawa, Fumino Kimura, Haruna Kawaguchi, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Jiro Sato, Tsuyoshi Muro, Becky, Takanori Takeyama, Koji Okura

The final film on the list released today looks to be the biggest and it is directed by Teruyoshi Uchimura who starred in the awesome sounding My Lover is a Sniper. The trailer looked entertaining enough and it turned out to be my trailer of the week because of some of the physical comedy. That aside it stars Kuranosuke Sasaki (20^th Century Boys), Koji Okura (Crime or Punishment?!?, Detroit Metal City), Fumino Kimura (Love for Beginners), Masami Nagasawa (Sunshine Ahead, I Wish), Keisuke Koide (Linda Linda Linda, The Lightning Tree) and the half-Japanese half-English singer Becky who co-starred with Koide in the Nodame Cantabile films. I’ve heard of her but this is the first time I’ve looked at her filmography which is respectable.

Yohei Tanaka (Ito) and Koji Komoto (Koide) are an unpopular comedy duo who split after working together for 12 years. They begin to question whether they should be in the entertainment industry altogether and begin to write their thoughts in a diary.

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Detroit Metal City                                               Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: デトロイト　メタル　シテイ

Romaji: Detoroito Metaru Shiti

Release Date: August 23^rd, 2008 (Japan)

Running Time: 104 mins.

Director: Toshio Lee

Writer: Mika Omori (Screenplay), Kiminori Wakasugi (Manga)

Starring: Kenichi Matsuyama, Rosa Kato, Yasuko Matsuyuki, Yoshihiko Hosoda, Ryuji Akiyama, Kazuma Suzuki, Ryo Kato, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Minami, Kaera Kimura, Rumi Hiragi, Yoshinori Okada, Gene Simmons

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Clik here to view.Meet Soichiro Negishi. He hails from a farm in rural Inukai, Oita prefecture and he is leaving home for the first time to go to Tokyo University. His dream as he states it is to “live in a fashionable apartment in Tokyo, live a fashionable life. Above all I want to be a fashionable musician.”

He really loves fluffy J-Pop and he has songs like Raspberry Kiss (unfashionable and incredibly cheesy). While at university he meets and falls in love with the angelically beautiful and nice Yuri Aikawa, a girl who also loves his twee pop music and she forms a small circle of friends who encourage Negishi to display his musical talents.Image may be NSFW.
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“No music no dream!” is his rallying cry and with a CD of his work he walks into the office of Death Records…

Fast forward some time and Negishi is now known as Johannes Krauser II, lead singer of Detroit Metal City (DMC), a death metal band who look like KISS and perform songs about rape and murder at a seedy club called Hell’s Gate. His band-mates are Masayuki Wada aka Alexander Jagi (Hosoda) on bass, and Terumichi Nishida aka Camus (Akiyama) the drummer.

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Clik here to view.The three are an up-and-coming band with a dedicated following and a demonic manager (Matsuyuki) who has a plan to make them the biggest death metal group in Japan. Sounds great but Negishi is absolutely miserable. Making death metal goes against his J-Pop desires which he cultivates in secret to little love from the public. As a result he leads a double-life as Krauser and the J-Pop loving Negishi, a double-life that gets a lot more complicated when he reunites with Aikawa who actually writes his favourite articles in a music magazine and hates DMC and the music they play. Negishi finds that Aikawa might still be interested in him which means he has to hide his day-job from her.

When infamous death metal artist Jack Il Dark (Simmons) announces a retirement tour DMC’s manager scents a great chance to boost the band’s fame to global levels so she sets up DMC for a battle with Jack. Can Negishi balance his double-life and dreams of pursuing Aikawa and J-Pop?

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Detroit Metal City is based on the best-selling manga created by Kiminori Wakasugi. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Despite the DMC boys performing death metal with lyrics exhorting people to murder and rape I found the film cheerful and heart-warming with a message about pursuing your dream even if it goes in odd directions. It is hardly an original story but the way it is dressed and the way the actors throw themselves into the action is what makes it entertaining.

The simple script, performances, costumes and film sets all combine well to allow the actors to inhabit their roles. When we first meet Soichiro, or Sou as his mother calls him, he heads to a train station holding his mother’s hand, carrying guitar case and sporting a mushroom haircut. What shines from the get go is that he has nothing but vague ambitions and a good nature. He is hardly a force to be reckoned and as the film progresses we see him struggling. It is only when he meets his manager, a woman with a hard-core passion for death metal who is simply a wardrobe change from being a dominatrix, that he finds his path. Not that Soichiro can see it but he has to face up to the idea that he has to integrate his desires into a wider environment to succeed.

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Clik here to view.complete with black leather costume, blonde wig and fierce face-paint. It is then that he gets the guts to challenge the world and everybody takes notice. With the details all laid out perfectly the film then milks the hell out of this very funny split between Soichiro’s desires (fluffy J-Pop) and what he’s good at (satanic death metal) and gives us the music and performances to match it. This split also serves as the face of a smart commentary on the highly orchestrated and manufactured nature of Japanese pop music where artists are made to fit an image to maintain their audience by management.

Soichiro changing his persona to become Krauser holds a universal message. While we may want to be ourselves it is hard to do and we may have to change to find a way to do it and achieve success in the public realm. As his mother makes clear sometimes this change is for the good of others. It is displayed when we see the DMC boys perform and their legion of head-banging fans in wide-angle shots and sweeping pans that show Soichiro’s dream may not be the exact one he wanted but it is still good and has inspired others.

Whatever the case, the film is funny and it is down to the performances. Matsuyama inhabits the dual roles of Krauser and Negishi. The two are totally different (way different from his turn in Norwegian Wood). As Negishi he wears tight fitting, pastel coloured clothes and has an awkward posture and goofy grin. Matsuyama’s physical performance approximates that of a hyper 12 year old girl from an anime as he jumps on beds and springs from despair to hope flailing about ineffectually. It is genuinely charming and innocent and I could not help but laugh.

There is great situation comedy involving the Krauser/Soichiro act and costumes and how people react to them such as a theme park audience full of kids who see Soichiro in full Krauser mode as he rips apart a Power Rangers display and is ready to split apart a rival in love! The direction has excellent timing, cutting to horrified reactions at just the right moments and displaying actors at their best. I loved the intense close-up where Soichiro as Krauser growls “The strongest energy to produce music isn’t love. Revenge. Hate.”

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Clik here to view.Matsuyuki is magnificent as a demon manager who puts out cigarettes on her tongue and has an evil cackle. She is sexy as hell as she trashes everything in her path and judges music by how wet she gets but what seems like impulsive and destructive behaviour is actually calculated to get people fired up and moving in the right direction. Tough love. I found it kind of sexy which is worrying…

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Clik here to view.DMC never takes itself seriously and as a result it is enjoyable. The fact that it finds time to have a heart-warming family get together which allows the theme of following dreams to be explicitly stated does nothing to hamper events. Indeed it made me like the film all the more. That written, the film gets it right when it finds and sustains the comedy in contrasting the world of Krauser and Soichiro. With its direction and a charming lead performance from Kenichi Matsuyama and the rest of the cast I can recommend viewing this as a fun and thoughtful way to spend a night.

4/5

I did this as part of a double review with Novroz over at Boku no Sekai. Her great review agrees with mine in its praise of the message carried in the film and Kenichi Matsuyama’s acting. I loved his performance in this and I am becoming more of a fan of his by the film. She also highlights two extremely funny scenes I didn’t mention the memory of which had me chuckling. This is not the first time we have done a double review, our first was The Twilight Samurai. I had fun again (watching Japanese films is always fun) and I can’t wait for the next review.

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Clik here to view.Sion Sono is a favoured director on this blog. Two seasons and a whole load of reviews testify to that. I’ll admit that it’s primarily his horror films like Suicide Circle and Strange Circus that I love but recently he has branched out into serious topical drama and critical respectability with Himizu and Land of Hope, two titles that tackle the Great East Japan Earthquake.

News of his latest project has been revealed thanks to Anime News Network and it is an adaptation of Santa Inoue’s Tokyo Tribes manga. The manga is a seinen title which ran from 1997 to 2005 in the urban fashion magazine boon. It mixes US street culture with a future dystopian reading of Tokyo where different gangs control different territory.

I’m not really a fan of the manga but Sono is on the director’s chair. Furthermore he has Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.created a YouTube channel for the film where open auditions will be held for the film’s cast. Both he and Santa Inoue have recorded messages about the project and instructions on how one can audition

To audition you must introduce yourself, “describe and demonstrate a special skill, act out a scene that includes their favourite character from the series, and give a message to the director.” Successful auditions at this point will get to audition in person.

It will be worth keeping an eye on this channel just to see what comes up from time to time. Shooting for the film starts in the summer!

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Clik here to view.We are in the middle of Studio Ghibli Season here in the UK and I have managed to watch Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and The Cat Returns and a little of Kiki’s Delivery Service. My Neighbour Totoro is just starting! I am still doing the Serial Experiments Lain simulwatch over at AUKN where many participants are scratching their heads in puzzlement over what is going on. I love the twisting and obfuscating narrative! This week began with a joint-review of Detroit Metal City with Novroz. The film is a simple and enjoyable comedy starring Kenichi Matsuyama with great music and even better comedy. I then followed it with news about Sion Sono’s latest film project which has a great open audition process on YouTube. A short working week thanks to Good Friday meant that I had a some time free at the end. Next week begins with Easter Monday so another short week. I’ll try and get some reviews completed in that time.

What does the Japanese movie box office look like this week (March 23^rd – 24^th)?

1. Wreck-It Ralph
2. Doraemon Nobita’s Dinosaur
3. Platina Data
4. Aibou Series X Day
5. Precure All Stars New Stage 2
6. Oz the Great and Powerful
7. Jack the Giant Slayer
8. Himawari and Her Puppies
9. My Diary of Our Exchange
10. Nobody’s Perfect

Colour me surprised. Doraemon has been deposed from the top and Disney is on top with Wreck-It Ralph. I always underestimate how popular Disney is with Japanese people and lazily assume that all they watch is anime, anime, anime. No they don’t. The other entries into the top ten from last week are Aibou Series X Day, a movie sequel to a popular TV franchise, Nobody’s Perfect and My Diary of Our Exchange which are both based on books.

What is released this week?

Hanasaku Iroha: Home Sweet Home      Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 花咲くいろは Home Sweet Home

Romaji: Hanasaku Iroha: Home Sweet Home

Release Date: March 30^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 66 mins.

Director: Masahiro Ando

Writer: Mari Okada (Screenplay),

Voice Actors: Kanae Itō (Ohana), Aki Toyosaki (Nako), Ayumi Tsunematsu (Takako), Chiaki Omigawa (Minko), Cho (Denroku), Haruka Tomatsu (Yuina), Junichi Sawabe (Tarō), Junji Majima (Tōru)

Hanasaku Iroha – Blossoms is the sequel to the popular slice of life anime Haasaku Iroha Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.which follows a girl named Ohana who has to live with her grandmother in a hot springs after her single mother runs off with a boyfriend to skip out on a debt. Said grandmother is strict and requires Ohana to work hard and despite her initial dislike over her circumstances and all of the hard work Ohana begins to find life isn’t as bad as she thought. Ohana has grown accustomed to living in the hot springs inn her grandmother manages, Kissuisou. One day, the daughter of a manager for Kissuisou’s rival inn, Yuina, comes to Kissuisou for training to become a landlady herself. As Ohana is observing her training, she finds “a certain item” in the storeroom while cleaning.

The anime movie sees the return of staff and cast from the TV series with Kanae Itō taking the lead role of Ohana and Aki Toyosaki voicing Nako. It is directed by Masahiro Ando, a chap who has worked on Production I.G. titles Jin-Roh, Patlabor The Movie, and Ghost in the Shell in the key animation department. He also directed Sword of the Stranger and CANAAN. He is working from a screenplay from Mari Okada who is one of the hardest working writers/head writers in anime. She has written scripts for things like Toradora!, Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, Red Garden and Aria the Natural. More importantly the two worked on the TV series for Hanasaku Iroha. It’s a slow week for releases so I would settle for seeing this and two or three of the short films below.

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods                                Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: ドラゴンボールZ　神と神

Romaji: Doragon Bo-ru Z Kami to Kami

Release Date: March 30^th 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 85 mins.

Director: Masahiro Hosoda

Writer: Akira Toriyama (Original Creator/Screenplay), Yusuke Watanabe (Screenplay)

Voice Actors: Masako Nozawa, Kōichi Yamadera, Masakazu Morita, Hiromi Tsuru, Mayumi Tanaka, Masaharu Satō

The massively popular Dragon Ball franchise gets a moie edition in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (Dragon Ball Z: Kami to Kami) which is theatrically released today and I would be interested in seeing if it dominates the chart like Doraemon and One Piece have. It is set between the 517^th and 518^th volumes of Akira Toriyama’s original long-running manga after the end of the epic battle with the pink terror Majin Buu. It introduces new characters named Birusu – the God of Destruction – and his attendant Wisu who just love fighting. They should fit in perfectly, then.

The film is directed by Masahiro Hosoda, who was assistant director on the blood-thirsty movie version Fist of the North Star and other anime titles like Hell Girl, Kobato, Naruto Shippūden and Street Fighter Alpha. Most importantly he was episode director on Dragon Ball Z during the Cell Games Saga which I have watched and can confirm were rather action-packed with Gohan beating the stuffing out of the green freak Cell. Anyway… The screenplay was written by Yusuke Watanabe with involvement from Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball Z. Watanabe has a lot of experience transferring manga and anime to the big screen considering he is the screen writer for the live action film versions of GANTZ, Twentieth Century Boys, as well as the TV drama Future Diary. Tadayoshi Yamamuro is the lead animator and he has worked on three Dragon Ball movies and One Piece film Strong World…. Just watched the trailer and I’m rocking out to the updated them tune Chala Head Chala! Nothing will quite beat the Lucky Star Version. Yes the trailer makes the film look awesome but I am not really a fan of DBZ.

Birusu, the god of destruction who has maintained the balance of the universe, has awakened from a 39-year slumber to destroy everything. Hearing rumours of a Saiyan named Goku who defeated the evil Freeza, Birusu seeks Goku out and challenges him to a fight. Goku is excited at getting the chance to fight a strong opponent and ignores King Kai’s advice to avoid the battle which leads to Goku being beaten. Birusu leaves after uttering an ominous message, “Is there anyone on Earth more worthy to destroy?” Can Goku and the others stop the God of Destruction before he destroys everything?

Living in a Foreign Country: Burmese in Japan                   Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 異国　に　生きる　日本の中のビルマ人

Romaji: Ikoku ni Ikiru Nihon no Naka no Biruma Jin

Release Date: March 30^th 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 100 mins.

Director: Doi Toshikuni 

Documentarian Doi Toshikuni freedom of speech in Japanese schools to the Israeli/Palestinian situation and later this year he has one that tackles the Great East Japan Earthquake. Here He has made a documentary which recrods the lives of people who fled from the military junta in Burma/Myanmar and ended up as political refugees in Japan. Expect moving tales as ties severed and taken up again are examined. One man opened a restaurant who reunites with his wife in Thailand.

Let’s Dig for Dinosaurs                   Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 恐竜を掘ろう

Romaji: Kyouryuu wo Horou

Release Date: March 30^th 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 117 mins.

Director: Shinya Owada

Writer: Shinya Owada, Kensuke Owada (Screenplay)

Starring: Hiroki Matsukata, Rina Uchiyama, Jingi Irie, Karin Ono, Sawa Suzuki, Hikaru Yamamoto, Ai Takahashi, Emi Hashino, Taro Yabe, Sumiko Yamada,

Actor Shinya Owada and his… son? Kensuke Owada (The Millenial Rapture, Brain Man, Tokyo Nameless Girl’s Story) unite behind the taking up the directing and writing credits camera to make a human drama. This is a film starring Hiroki Matsukata (Ninja Kids!!!, Thirteen Assassins, Tajomaru) and Sawa Suzuki (Space Travellers, Loft, Dreams for Sale). The trailer does not set my world alight as it seems to be a solid drama mixing a coming of age tale and one examining memories.

Sosuke (Matsukata) owns an art shop and is lonely but when he meets a girl looking for meaning in life he comes into contact with the girl’s mother and through his involvement with these people Sosuke finds himself facing his past.

Kotatsu, Orange and Meow           Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: こたつと、みかんと、ニャー

Romaji: Kotatsu to Mikan to Nya

Release Date: March 30^th 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 65 mins.

Director: Ryutaro Kajino

Writer: Ryutaro Kajino (Screenplay)

Starring:  Hiroko Kamata, Noriko Kijima, Maki Fukumi

Lesbian drama? Ryutari Kajino has made one other major film called Sea Food Girl Maiko which was a playful lesbian drama. This is a lesbian drama depicting platonic love and romance which stars a set of idols… Okay, it’s fluff. The trailer is totally uninspiring. A relatively unknown cast is led by the more experienced Noriko Kijima who has appeared in Yuriko’s Aroma, The Machine Girl and Shyness Machine Girl. The things female idols have to go through…

Kotatsu (Fukumi) has made a close connection with a person on an internet forum using the username Nya (Kijima). When she discovers that she is a co-worker Kotatsu asks Nya to travel to a onten with her, but Nya’s friend Mikan (Kamata) joins the two…

Kansai Johnny Jr. Kyoto Uzumasa March           Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 関西ジャニーズ Jr. の　京都　太秦行進曲！

Romaji: Kansai Jani-zu Jr. no Kyouto Uzumasa Koushinkyoku

Release Date: March 30^th 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 87 mins.

Director: Katsuhide Motoki

Writer: Akira Toriyama (Original Creator/Screenplay), Yusuke Watanabe (Screenplay)

Starring:  Shigeoka Daiki, Terfumi Kiriyama, Junta Nakama, Bun’ichi Hamanaka, Nozomu Kotaki

Ha, Katsuhide Motoki director of Drugstore Girl, two Gegege no Kitaro films and Welcome Home, Hayabusa is here with a work that will pay the bills. Or am I being harsh. I just see little in this film for the pre-idol unit boys on the Johnny & Associates label. For anybody who has only experienced idol phenomenon through girls, here’s a taste of what the guys have to go through. This is the type of small-scale film that would never ever travel outside of Japan unless a hardcore fan goes the import route. Anyway the film is described as a youth drama in the city of Uzumasa, Kyoto and the trailer is dull but then I’m not the target audience. No trailer but an example of what the boys go through.

Masato Mimura is 19-years-old and dreams of being a star! An actor to be precise. He works hard and finds himself gien the opportunity of being in a television drama but he is surrounded by people with similar ambitions plus his scene might get cut!

Love and Eros Cinema Collection                       Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 連結部分　は　電車　が　揺れる　妻の顔にもどれない

Romaji: Renketsu Bubun wa Densha ga Yureru Tsuma no Kao ni Modorenai

Release Date: March 30^th 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 82 mins.

Director: Shungiku Uchida

Writer: Shungiku Uchida (Original Creator/Screenplay

Starring: Miyuki Komatsu, Shungiku Uchida, Kawai Gamon, Etsushi Furukawa,

Shungiku Uchida is a talented actress as her work in Thermae Romae and Visitor Q reveal. She also has a way with the pen as her script for Green City (directed by Ryuichi Hiroki) and Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl shows… Okay, that one is a bit of a stretch but it is better than anything that I have done. Now she takes up the reigns of director and actress in this project, Love & Eros Cinema Collection, which gives us comic tales of love and sex. Shungiku co-stars with Miyuki Komatsu who was in Death Note: The Last Name and Etsushi Furukawa (I Carry the Ticket of Eternity).

This is a follow-up to a collection released in 2010 and it tells the tale of a housewife named Ryoko who is disappointed with her husband’s efforts at home taking care of the children. She also becomes suspicious about his activities and comes to believe he may be cheating on her. She takes up a part time job in a café as a distraction but she meets a man named Yawata who makes her heart race…

Short Films: Cinema Impact Project:

The first part of the Cinema Impact project came to fruition earlier this year with five short films getting screened in Japanese cinemas. The project allows young filmmakers, producers and actors the chance of working with a more experienced filmmaker and some of the titles screened at Rotterdam International Film Festival. This is the third volume of films from the project.

People Gathered

Japanese Title: 集まった人たち

Romaji: Atsumatta Hito Tachi

Release Date: March 30^th 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 62 mins.

Director: Shinji Imaoka

Writer: Shinji Imaoka (Screenplay)

Starring: Shiho Niiyama, Yuki Matsunaga, Shōichiro Suzuki, Shinya Abe, Asako Ogawa, Kenji Kitani, Satomi Kageyama, Yuichi Takeda, Kaoru Ikeda, Kota Kano

This is the first title from the third round of Cinema Impact and the experienced filmmaker is Shinji Imaoka, screenwriter of the respectable The Drudgery Train and strange pink films. I thought I would forget the trailer for Shinji Imaoka’s last film Long Day of Stars, which was released in February. Alas no… I was scarred by it.  This is a cast of up and comers who have been in a lot of short films littering the Japanese release schedule since the beginning of the year. Shiho Niiyama (a voice actress on Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue), Yuki Matsunaga (an actress who starred in the short film Taco Night which was released in January), Shōichiro Suzuki who has been in three films released this year alone (2.11, Bozo and Sunshine Does Not Stop). This film revolves around the idea of panic seizing those who want to have sex… The trailer is sort of amusing.

The Sunshine Does Not StopImage may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 止まない晴れ

Romaji: Yamanai Hare

Release Date: March 30^th 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 32 mins.

Director: Kazuyoshi Kumakiri

Writer: Masashi Yamamoto (Screenplay)

Starring: Naomi Ito, Hiroyuki Seto, Asako Ogawa, Takashi Ogawa, Koichi Ito, Yuri Kitamura, Misaki Yoshida, Takuma Nagao

Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, director of Antenna and Blazing Famiglia and the writer of Sion Sono’s film Hazard, is the experienced chap leading the charge in a story about an ordinary couple who gradually go mad… Synopsis is a bit thin I know. Take a look at the cool trailer.

Prologue to Hearing the Voice in the Water

Japanese Title: 水の声を聞く　プロローグ

Romaji: Mizu no Koe o Kiku Puroro-gu

Release Date: March 30^th 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 31 mins.

Director: Masash Yamamoto

Writer: Masashi Yamamoto (Screenplay)

Starring: Gen-ri, Takashi Oda, Miho Takahashi, Takafumi Saito

Masashi Yamamoto, one of the men behind the Cinema Impact project as a producer takes the directorial reigns in a film set in a Korean part of Shinjuku with a human drama tat focusses on people “who suffer a variety of anguish”.

In the Seaside Town                        Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 海辺の町で

Romaji: Umi Be no Machi De

Release Date: March 30^th 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 64 mins

Director: Ryuichi Hiroki

Writer: Ryuichi Hiroki (Screenplay)

Starring: Yasuko Kōma, Shōta Sanabe, Tatsuya Kitaguchi, Yoshio Kojima, Kanako Yamaguchi

This project is developed by Ryuichi Hiroki who will be known to Japanese film fans from his titles like April Bride, Vibrator and, more recently, River. This story takes place in Fukushima Prefecture and that’s about as much of the synopsis as I could glean.

Love Whirlpool                             Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 恋の渦

Romaji: Koi no Uzu

Release Date: March 30^th 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 140

Director: Hitoshi Ōne

Writer: Daisuke Miura (Original work/Screenplay),

Starring: Kenta Niikura, Naoko Wakai, Chihiro Shibata, Yumi Goto, Takumi Matsuzawa, Mariko Sugio, Hiroaki Kamadaki, Daisuke Sawamura

The final film in the third round of the Cinema Impact movie project is the longest. The film takes place in one room where a group of men and women give various displays of the idea of love. It It is based on a theatre play written by Daisuke Miura which was first staged in 2006. Some info on the staff: the writer Daisuke Miura directed Boys on the Run, the adaptation of Kengo Hanazawa’s manga which starred Mei Kurokawa, You, Ryuhei Matsuda and Denden. The director, Hitoshi Ōne previously worked on Moteki which stared Kumiko Aso, Mirai Moriyama and Riisa Naka. The stage play has been on tour around the world, writer Daisuke Miura declares it an insight into a generation that has everything but is still unsatisfied in spiritual terms.

Four couples, three beds, one masionette living room in a luxury apartment. The action takes place over the course of a night where a kindergarten teacher, students and office works make meaningless small talk about superficial things until their self-consciousness vanishes and they get closer. Closer to what? A sex party. This is one where emotions are absent – names are not known, they onl know each other by number man/woman 1-4 – andthey shed their emotions and passions hoping to break up without getting hurt.

And that is it for March! April is around the corner and that means.

Happy Easter!

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Vulgaria                                                                Image may be NSFW.
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Release Date: August 09^th, 2012 (Hong Kong)

UK DVD Release Date: April 15^th, 2013

UK Distributor: Third Window Films

Running Time: 92 mins.

Director: Pang Ho-Cheung

Writer: Pang Ho-Cheung (Screenplay),

Starring: Chapman To, Dada Chan, Fiona Sit, Lam Suet, Hiro Hayama, Ronald Cheng, Kristal Tin, Simon Loui

The film starts with on-screen text and a narrator offering a disclaimer: 

Your attention please. This film has been classed as vulgar comedy. It contains high amounts of coarse language, adult themes, political incorrectness, discrimination and sexual situations. 

They should also add it is bloody funny. 

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Clik here to view.The film is told in a non-linear fashion as a series of flashbacks initiated by To Wai-Cheung (Chapman To Man-chak), a movie producer who is giving a Q&A at a university. The first question from the student body is,

“What is involved in being a movie producer?”

This is met with a neat bit of comedy and bawdiness that sets the tone of the film as he compares the role of the producer to pubic hair in as much as both reduce friction between different bodies in a creative process.

His self-effacement and cynicism probably comes from the fact that he is on a pretty low rung of the Hong Kong film ladder as he has yet to produce anything resembling a hit and he has been reduced to making Category III films. He is also financially in trouble and is so broke he is forced to witness his production company’s offices become the sight of raunchy photo-shoots and he is unable to pay alimony to his rather bitter ex-wife (Kristal Tin) and support their daughter. Things aren’t all bad since he has a new title which he reveals during the Q&A, a sequel of the 1976 title Confession of a Concubine.

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We witness the process of making a film thanks to the Q&A format and the script’s disjointed nature. A series of asides detail To starting at his lowest point as an out of work producer, trying to rustle together funding from an investor from mainland China named Tyrannosaurus (Ronald Cheng), who just happens to be the head of a Guangxi triad gang and a man who has very Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.particular tastes in food and sex. Indeed the whole sequel to the classic concubine film is his idea and just to make things more awkward he demands that To cast his childhood idol, the original star of Confessions of a Concubine¹, Yum Yum Shaw (Susan Shaw) even though she is in her 60’s. Ever the professional producer To agrees and drops any reservations, adopting the motto, “You invest we shoot!” 

As the Q&A continues it becomes clear that the film generates its comedy from To battling a series of disasters and resolving them as best he can. He relates increasingly lurid tales about the process of making his latest film from hiring pretentious directors and casting actors to the use of CGI, and all the while the film becomes more explicit and cynical as he reveals the things he has sacrificed in the name of making a movie, dignity being chief amongst them.

For all of its cynicism the film is both an affectionate tweak of the collective nose of HK filmImage may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. and a film about making films much like The Woodsman & the Rain. Unlike the latter good-natured title, Vulgaria is genuinely vulgar, a film awash with some very, very inventive swearing² but it never strays into explicitness or bad taste. Yes, there are sexy shenanigans with a range of scenes containing bestiality and blow-jobs but there are no full-blown sex scenes and we never witness the actual shoot of the concubine movie. When things do get raunchy most of the action happens just off screen or the scene will cut back to the Q&A as an audience member interrupts or To Wai-Cheung’s memory disappears in a stylish manner akin to film stock burning up. 

The film runs at a fast pace with few scenes missing out on the comedy and it flows because it has a well-rounded cast of characters delivering jokes ranging from small jibes like mainland Chinese gangsters getting safe milk powder from Hong Kong to full-blown hilariously offensive gags poking fun at perceived backwardness of mainland Chinese and their culinary practices (fancy eating rabbit head and bull’s eyes?) to choices in sexual partners. There are even more smart gags like the sexual politics of Hong Kong and the indignities heaped upon directors and producers who have overblown egos.

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Clik here to view.The script, for all its sharp swearing and cynicism does get wayward at point and a dramatic sub-plot involving To’s ex-wife and daughter flounders in the wake of the raunchy comedy but thankfully any down time spent on this drama is short-lived and we quickly get back to the comedy and funny characters and it is here where the more affecting relationship is found as struggling actress Popping Candy (Dada Chen), portrays someone who is less an ingénue and more cynical about the film industry and a great match for To as she shows her resilience in the face of snobbishness from To’s ex-wife.

The film’s script works well because of the actors. Chapman To is charismatic and sympathetic as hell. A plot synopsis about a producer desperately trying to make a film gives the impression that he doesn’t have any principles but he is a decent chap with some. Well, not many actually since he will take advantage of people. Chapman To plays him as a smooth talker who is able to plaster a smile on his face whenever disaster strikes. He is quite ingenious and charming enough despite having to eat crap which makes every humiliation and his solution to every problem enjoyable to watch which is important since the film is focussed on his travails.

The other stand-out characters is Tyrannosaurus played by Ronald Cheng who is gloriously and hilariously over the top. He makes his entrance as a gaudily dressed psychopath grinning like an idiot and brazenly crying “Just back from a public execution!” He is emotionally erratic and hard to predict as a character and Ronald Cheng’s energy and enthusiasm capture this as well as making great fun of the perversion in the character. He is a great compliment to To’s performance.

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Anybody looking for sex will be left disappointed because Vulgaria does not lower itself to explicitness but relies upon a whip-smart script and sassy characters who bubble and fizz with life. It is an intelligently delivered, bawdy and amusing comedy which also playfully tweaks the nose of the Hong Kong film industry.

4/5

DVD and Blu-ray Special Features
Anamorphic Widescreen transfer with 5.1 Surround Sound
Making Of, Theatrical Trailer

The subtitle, picture and sound quality are up to the usual high standards of Third Window Films and while the theatrical trailer is … the presence of the making of provides some insight into the making of the film from the intentions of the director to the nature of the shoot.

4/5

¹ Confessions of a Concubine image

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² The extras on the DVD reveal that the swearing is even more creative than the subtitles let on…

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I joined the LAMB (Large Association of Movie Bloggers) nearly two years ago (around the time I was playing The Last Window: Secret of Cape West!) with the intention of bringing a greater focus to Japanese films and anime and informing people about film releases and festivals. I feel like I am doing that but since I joined the LAMB I have participated in few of the many events they organise (to be honest, if it isn’t related to Japanese or Korean cinema I tend to overlook it). I did participate in one which collected any and all J-horror themed reviews where I submitted five reviews. So I was surprised when I found out that I was submitted for consideration in the category of Best Movie Genre Blog for my efforts thanks to my friend Bonjour Tristesse!

The submission stage is over and today is the final day of the voting stage to select the nominees.

The year I really get going with Ani-blogging is the year I get a shot at an international movie related award! My lack of interaction with other members of the LAMB (I don’t use Twitter properly either) means I probably won’t get further than the nomination stage and polls close today but I created these two campaign posters Sunday night after watching XXXHOLiC and Arrietty in 40 minutes while listening to some fun punk-pop just to have some fun and contribute to the LAMMYs.

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The event has inspired me to get more involved. If I can convert members of the LAMB to appreciate Japanese films then I would have done a decent job at this blogging thing. I have already cast my votes and I look forward to the results.

Look out for my anime movie reviews in Foreign Chops #10: Japanese Animation where Ponyo, Arrietty, Berserk, Mai Mai Miracle and The Wolf Children all get a go.

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Clik here to view.Ha! Potential anime overload? I have watched more anime this week than ever before. Even when anime was on the Sci-Fi channel and Toonami. The Studio Ghibli season continues unabated in the UK. I watched Arrietty, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo (all of which I have seen in the cinema like today’s film Spirited Away - the scene on the left occurred just a few moments ago). I also watched Castle of Cagliostro and Pom Poko. Work meant I missed Ocean Waves and Whisper of the Heart but I managed to watch an episode of Serial Experiments Lain, Level E and Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan. When I watch anime I tend to practice my Japanese as well so fun and learning is combined! I also continued with xxxHOLiC and I even rewatched Heat After Dark. This massive list convinces me that Japanese entertainment is the best! That written, I really enjoyed the latest episode of Doctor Who.

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Clik here to view.As far as my adventures in movie blogging continue I posted a review of Vulgaria, a very amusing comedy from Hong Kong filled with bawdy humour. I also posted my campaign pictures for the LAMMY awards and the head of the LAMB even took the time to reply! Writing about the LAMB, their latest Foreign Chops is up and it focusses on Anime. Five of my reviews are there and I am at the top with Berserk. The week then ended with the tragic news of the passing of Roger Ebert. I have read his writing for a while now and it saddens me to see a true cinephile go.

Here’s an obituary from the BFI.

Now excuse me, I’m going to watch Spirited Away and practice Japanese (plain forms!)

What do the Japanese film charts look like this week (March 30^th-31^st)?

1. Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods
2. Wreck-It Ralph
3. Doraemon Nobita’s Dinosaur
4. Platina Data
5. Aibou Series X Day
6. Precure All Stars New Stage 2
7. Oz the Great and Powerful
8. Jack the Giant Slayer
9. Himawari and Her Puppies
10. My Diary of Our Exchange

Well Dragon Ball Z has torn up the Japanese film chart with an energy blast that could level an entire planet. It accrued over $7 million on its opening weekend and looks set to be one of the biggest releases of the year. Knowing how big the DBZ franchise is it comes as no surprise. Phew.

What’s released today?

Portrait of a Table                                Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 食卓の肖像

Romaji: Shokutaku no Shouzou

Release Date: April 06^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 103 mins.

Director: Satoshi Kaneko 

Satoshi Kaneko makes his debut in this documentary which takes an episode of food pollution named the “Yusho Incident” which happened in 1968. In Nagasaki and Fukuoka, people who used Kanemi rice oil suffered eye damage, hair loss and other problems with their health. People still suffer from these problems.

Orpheus’ Lyre (English Title) / Cherry Blossoms, Kanako’s Once More (Literal Title)            

Japanese Title: 桜、　ふたたび　の　加奈子         Image may be NSFW.
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Romaji: Sakura, Futatabi no Kanako

Release Date: April 06^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 105 mins.

Director: Minoru Kurimura

Writer: Kiyomi Niitsu (Original Novel), Minoru Kurimura (Screenplay),

Starring: Ryoko Hirosue, Goro Inagaki, Sho Takada, Kyoko Enami, Mayuko Fukuda, Mayuko Yoshioka, Rie Tanaka, Hideki Nagai,

This is the second film from Minoru Kurimura and it is an adaptation of  Kiyomi Niitsu’s novel of the same name, published way back in 2000. Kurimura’s first film, Food and Maiden, was awarded the prize for Best Asian International Film Festival in Moscow. The film is packed with stars like the incredibly beautiful and talented Ryoko Hirosue who has impressed me in comedies (Key of Life), crime mysteries (Zero Focus) and dramas (Departures). She gets to exercise her acting ability in a film which focusses on her but she is given able support by Goro Inagaki (Thirteen Assassins), Mayuko Fukuda (Mai Mai Miracle, Kamikaze Girls) and someone I am familiar with as an anime voice actress, Rie Tanaka who was Sammy in Time of Eve.

When Yoko (Hirosue) loses her daughter Kanako in an accident she is consumed by a wave of grief and guilt so powerful she commits suicide in her daughter’s bedroom. She is saved but has been acting strangely since the incident. Her husband Nobuki (Inagaki)wants to support her but finds life a strain. Things take a dark turn when Yoko meets a pregnant high school student named Masami (Fukuda) and comes to believe that Masami’s baby us Kanako reincarnated.

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Japanese Title: 君が愛した　ラストシーン

Romaji: Kimi ga Aishita Rasutoshiin

Release Date: April 06^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 75 mins.

Director: Tsukasa Satou

Writer: Shuji Kataoka (Screenplay),

Starring: Rei Yoshii, Shunsuke Kubozuka, Midori Ezawa, Mao Miyaji, Yoshioka Mutsuo, Erika Asakura, Mayumi Oka

Last week saw the first part of the 2^nd season of the Love & Eros Cinema Collection released and this week sees the second part which is directed by Tsukasa Satou which follows a widower named Kosuke who, three years after the death of his wife, is still depressed, When he watches their favourite film, “My Angel”, the main character, a nurse named Minami emerges from out of the screen! It stars Rei Yoshii (The Parasite Doctor Suzune), Mao Miyaji (With the Dog Tag and the Coquette), and Shunshuke Kubozuka (King Game).

If only a woman who looked like that would emerge from my television… Uh, better not go there.

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Japanese Title: Sweet Sickness

Release Date: April 06^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 90 mins.

Director: Shinya Nishimura

Writer: Shinya Nishimura (Screenplay),

Starring: Yukichi Kobayashi, Yuko Hosoe, Yoichiro Saito, Ayaka Katamiya

Yuko Hosoe, star of No One’s Ark and the live-action adaptation of Cream Lemon is back with only her second film after a lengthy eight-year hiatus from the big screen. Cream Lemon was an incest drama between a step-brother and sister and this film has a similar story in which a doting younger brother named Tetsuya Chigira (Kobayashi) finds he and his sister Rin (Hosoe) are growing closer than is acceptable after their parents die. Yukichi Kobayashi is an up and coming star who has been directed by veteran directors in solid dramas that have graced international festivals like River, The Egoists, The Millennial Rapture and Playback.

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Japanese Title: まほろ　駅前　番外地

Romaji: Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi

Release Date: April 06^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: N/A

Director: Hitoshi One

Writer: Hitoshi One, Hikaru Kurozumi, Yashikikenji (Screenplay),

Starring: Eita, Ryuhei Matsudam Yuki Makoto Miura, Makiko Watanabe, Sakai Maki, Yukie Kawamura, Hirofumi Arai, Masaki Miura

Eita and Ryuhei Matsuda are two of the most talented actors in Japanese movies and between the two of them they have worked with some of the biggest names in Japanese film like Nagisa Oshima (Gohatto), Takashi Miike, Takeshi Kitano (Izo), Toshiyaki Toyoda (9 Souls), Ryuichi Hiroki (April Bride) and Shinya Tsukamoto (Nightmare Detective). They have appeared together in The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck & God in a Coin Locker and Tada’s Do It All House which is the precursor to the television show which is the basis of this film! The film version will screen all 12 episodes of the television series in batches of 3 over the next 4 weeks at the Eurospace theatre in Shibuya (thanks for the link, Paul!).

The film is set in the fictional city of Mahoro and follows Keisuke Tada (Eita) and Haruhiko Gyoten (Matsuda), two thirty-something divorcees who run a “benriya” (odd jobs for hire) business. We witness their interactions with their customers. All over again if you saw the original television series! Joy for the fans, then. The number of big actors that crop up is impressive with Kengo Kora (A Story of Yonosuke, Norwegian Wood), Masaki Miura (Cold Fish), Makiko Watanabe (Love Exposure, Himizu, GFP Bunny), Haru Kuroki (Wolf Children), Asami Usuda (Cold Boom, The Woodsman & the Rain) and Yoko Maki (Infection, The Grudge). The poster comes from the dorama.

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Japanese Title: らくご　えいが

Romaji: Rakugo Eiga

Release Date: April 06^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: N/A

Director: Mikihiro Endou, Issei Matsui, Yuuichirou Sakashita

Writer: Rei Tsuruga, Shuuji Saga, Takero Uragami (Screenplay),

Starring: Yuko Yamamoto, Shinya Sugiyama, Shigeru Saiki, Tajima Yumika, Haruna Kondo, Yoji Tanaka, Takako Kato, Haruka Minowa, Shigeyuki Totsugi

This is an omnibus movie which adapts three short stories for the big screen. The central protagonists are employees for a movie production company that is looking for the location in the film adaptation of a hit cartoon. Their lives spiral into weirdness as they encounter a man with the ability to see death (about as much as I could make out from the plot). I like the trailer a lot. It looks genuinely funny (unlike the one for Intermission a few weeks back!) and the cast list is very impressive. TRAILER OF THE WEEK!

The film has a cast of new and veteran stars like Yumika Tajima who was in the live-action The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Isn’t Anyone Alive?. Shigeru Saiki (Suzuki Sensei), Takayuki Yamada (13 Assassins, Seaside Motel), Yoshiyuki Morishita (The Woodsman & the Rain, Thermae Romae), Takako Kato (Atlanta Boogie) and Shigeyuki Totsugi (Crow’s Thumb).

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Real                                                                                 Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: リアル　完全なる首長　竜の日

Romaji: Riaru Kanzen’naru Shuchou Ryuu no Hi

Release Date: June 01^st, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 127 mins.

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Writer: Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Screenplay), Rokuro Inui (Original Novel)

Starring: Takeru Sato, Haruka Ayase, Jo Odagiri, Miki Nakatani, Shota Sometani, Keisuke Horibe, Kyoko Koizumi, Keisuke Horibe, Yuki Kan

Ramble alert (I ramble because I love the subject!)

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Clik here to view.I am a big Kiyoshi Kurosawa fan. Massive. I have pretty much bought and reviewed most of his major titles available in the west and not one of them disappointed me. His critically acclaimed drama Tokyo Sonata I consider one of the most important films I have ever seen while I think highly of his divisive experimental film Bright Future. I really love his J-horror like Cure and Retribution which run along more fiendishly intelligent and psychologically disturbing lines than your average horror movie. Even films he rejects I find a lot to like about! Each title contains his unique aesthetics and deliberate approach to his subject matter. I am really excited about 2013 because he has two new films getting a release in Japan and the UK gets two of his 90’s crime thrillers thanks to Third Window Films.

Colour me happy when I caught a new trailer and teaser for his latest film Real. It is a title Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.with a sci-fi edge that reminds me a little of Inception what with its concept of entering a person’s subconscious, tilting camera angles, fantasy creatures, gravity defying stationary and ruined coastal town (Atsumi’s mind is the scene of the crime!). This also looks like a really big-budget title which is something Kurosawa tends not to handle but his critical cachet has never been higher. Check out the trailer!

Here is a shorter teaser released a bit earlier. It’s more action packed:

Koichi (Sato) and Atsumi (Ayase) are childhood friends who have become lovers. Despite this closeness when Atsumi attempts suicide Koichi is at a loss as to what the reason that drove her to do such a thing could be. Now she is in a coma and Koichi needs to find out the reason. Since Koichi is a neurosurgeon he has access to the latest studies and so he takes part in a medical procedure that will allow him to enter Atsumi’s subconscious through her central nervous system.

When he arrives she asks him to find a picture of a plesiosaur she drew as a child. It is the key to a suppressed memory connected to a childhood trauma. Finding this picture will allow Koichi to truly get close to knowing his love.

The first thing to note is that the film is based on the 2011 novel Riaru Kanzen’naru Shuchou Ryuu no Hi, written by Rokuro Inui, which won the grand prize at the 9^th Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! as the trailer points out.

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The literal title is something like Real: The Day of the Perfect Plesiosaur although my translation may leave a lot to be desired…

リアル　完全なる首長　竜の日

リアル = Katakana for Real

完全なる = Kanji for Revealed/Complete/Perfect

首長竜の日　Ｄａｙ　ｏｆ　ｐｌｅｓｉｏｓａｕｒ

首長竜　＝plesiosaur

の日　‘s day  の acts like ‘s 日 = day

Real: The Day of the Perfect Plesiosaur. Upon first seeing the title and the dinosaur in the movie I was a little thrown since I’m used to Kurosawa’s books but some have pointed to Kurosawa adapting a book as some sort low for the director…

Well he has directed a videogame tie in movie and pink films so what’s the big deal? He has made an interesting journey from being blackballed from the industry following a very messy release for Sweet Home in the late 80′s. He then spent the 90’s steadily making everything from TV dramas to v-cinema crime films but his most successful patch was when he started on his run of critically acclaimed low-budget horror films (with Séance, a TV dramas thrown in) which were made on his terms starting with Cure and finishing with Retribution. He then went on to win the Un Certain Regard award at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival for his drama Tokyo Sonata before diving into television with the five-part series Penance, an adaptation of Kanae Minato’s novel.

Adaptation or not I do detect some locations that look familiar from his horror film Retribution. More specifically the cavernous and decrepit police station.

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Maybe I’m reading too much but Kurosawa re-uses locations – Pulse has a scene set in a waiting room that can be seen in Séance while certain distinctive streets and urban spaces from Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself and Cure crop up in Tokyo Sonata and Retribution. What about the high rise from Pulse?

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It seems that the film has two settings – reality which takes place in an urban landscape (probably Tokyo) and an island rich of foliage which reminds me of Okinawa in the film Vital, the subconscious landscape…

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Although it seems that Atsumi’s subconscious is alert to Koichi entry and the two connect, we witness childhood memories of Koichi and Atsumi

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Kurosawa likes to work with familiar actors. The cast is genuinely impressive. I write that a lot but I really mean it here. It features some of the best of new talent and veterans. There are solid actors like Keisuke Horibe (Tokyo Gore Police, Love Exposure) and Yuki Kan (Rebirth) and new (at least to me) stars such as the leads Takeru Sato, star of Rurouni Kenshin, and Haruka Ayase, Oppai Volleyball… which I have watched and I enjoyed. Sorry.

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There is also the incredible Shota Sometani who I discovered in Himizu and Isn’t Anyone Alive? and I am currently watching in xxxHOLiC.

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Some of the stars might be new to the world of Kiyoshi Kurosawa but there are many who have worked with him across a number of films and these are the ones that I am rather more interested in as it assures me that the acting will be quality!

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Clik here to view.Miki Nakatani, famous for her performances in Ring 2: Spiral (my first J-horror crush), was the heroine in the underrated J-horror Loft where she was terrorised by yurei in a countryside (more swamp but whatever) retreat. Nakatani is as cold as ice in Zero Focus, an attribute which will be useful for portraying a scientist!

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Clik here to view.Joe Odagiri, the cool star of Adrift in Tokyo and Mushishi, has worked with Kurosawa in Retribution and Bright Future. In the former he had a small role as a psychologist but his performance was fantastic in a delicious scene where he realises that his patients and he are in a lot of trouble while in the latter he was the engine of the entire thing leading the audience through a tough and experimental film.

Yutaka Atsushige I first saw in One Missed Call but I would wager that his best performance is as Fujimaru in THE GUARD FROM THE UNDERGROUND (the film which got Kurosawa back into mainstream filmmaking following Sweet Home) where he was truly scary. He was also in Charisma, the second film in Kurosawa’s unofficially dubbed Apocalypse Trilogy which includes Cure and Pulse.

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Clik here to view.Last but certainly not least (because she can never be disregarded) is Kyoko Koizumi, (Survive Style 5+) who had key roles in Tokyo Sonata and Kurosawa’s dorama Penance. Tokyo Sonata is, in my opinion, one of the best Japanese films I have ever seen and she gave a fantastic performance as a housewife struggling to make sense of her family’s messy transition from repression into messy freedom and the chance to start again while in Penance (some of which I have watched), she was unnerving in her role as grieving and vengeful mother.

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From the trailer itself it seems Nakatani plays the scientist running the operation which should be a good fit as she can do cold and intelligent very well. Kyoko Koizumi seems to beImage may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. in the subconscious’ island landscape.  Now comes the tricky part. Joe Odagiri and Shota Sometani both appear to be in the real world and seem to be helping run the operation but as the trailer plays on the two both get shot by Harua Ayase!  The way the trailer intercuts between a shot of Ayase and Sato shooting makes me think that a plot twist involving her entering his mind and controlling him might be on the cards. I mean, just look at the tag line on the poster…

I will do anything you say. Just open your eyes.

Now that’s a dangerous thing for anybody to say to anyone!

The theme tune comes from Mr Children. When I first heard it in the trailer I was disappointed but it has grown on me since! Mr Children are a pretty big band going since the 80′s and have contributed the theme song to soundtracks for Dororo amongst other films. If you can accept the cheery J-Pop at the end of Pulse, then this is no problem!

Here is a TV special where the actors are interviewed.

Uh… I just re-read what I have written and I have rambled on long enough. Thanks for getting this far. Bonus video!

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Mushishi                                                                   Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 蟲師

Romaji: Mushishi

Release Date: March 24^th, 2007 (Japan)

Running Time: 131 mins.

Director: Katsuhiro Otomo

Writer: Yuki Urushibara (Original Manga/Screenplay), Sadayuki Murai (Screenplay),

Starring: Joe Odagiri, Yu Aoi, Makiko Esumi, Nao Omori, Reia Moriyama, Reisen Ri, Lily, Hideyuki Inada,

Mushishi is based on Yuki Urushibara’s award-winning manga. It is a title which has captured imaginations because it was quickly adapted into a highly regarded award-winning anime in 2005-06. To cap it all off we get a live-action version.

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This story of an itinerant spiritualist wandering through a Japan just entering the meiji era is beautiful and poignant with bits of human drama and nostalgia. This combined with the visuals formed a wonderful film which is a visual and aural feast that submerges the viewer in a narrative that evokes wonder.

Mushishi begins with long-held wide-angle shots of rain-soaked tree-covered mountains wreathed with mist. It feels like a scene from a primordial time before man has trod on the earth and a time where spirits could be lingering in this natural world.

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The film then cuts to a shot of two people trudging along a muddy road that clings to the Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.side of the mountain. The smallest figure, Yoki, is a boy moving from town to town with his mother who carries a heavy pack with all of their belongings. All talk about spirits lingering proves right as Yoki can see wisps of spirits emanating from the landscape. These are mushi (bugs), the phantom soul of nature which breathes through the living and the dead. Think of them like magical presences which can affect people in various, mostly negative, ways such as causing the growth of horns and sucking souls. Few people can see them but it seems that Yoki (Inada) is one of them. They fascinate Yoki who lags behind his mother on the road. Perhaps this is what saves him as a landslip causes trees and earth to careen down the side of the mountain and engulf the road he and his mother are on. His mother yells at him to run before she is swept away. When the smoke clears all we see is Yoki clawing through rocks trying to find his mother while an enigmatic figure with white hair steps into high angle shot and watches his futile effort. Her name is Nui (Esumi) and she will play a pivotal role in his future.

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Clik here to view.Cut to a snowy landscape and Yoki has grown up into Ginko (Odagiri), a humble mushi-shi (bug master) who travels around Japan with his huge chest of medicines and tools helping people beset with mushi problems by trying to solve, or at the very least, lessen the problems mushi cause. The film tracks a selection of his adventures such as his first where he wanders into a snow-bound village and discovers that the inhabitants have been infected by mushi who make the villagers deaf in one ear. By following Ginko we see that mushi are everywhere and affect people in various ways but he is not alone in tracking the mushi of the world as he reunites with a woman named Tanyu (Aoi) who chornicles the different mushi in Japan to tackle a fierce mushi which may be linked to his past.

The film is directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, the director of the landmark sci-fi anime title Akira, a film which, alongside Blade Runner, influenced the aesthetics of science-fiction films. The contrast between Akira and Mushishi could not be more different as the former is an apocalyptic adrenalized dystopian film laced with criticism of authorities and body horror while this is much more laid-back and contemplative, finding its inspiration in Japanese history and nature.

The film’s script follows Ginko who is a wanderer. His very journey sets up a series of Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.vignettes that take place over a number of seasons with flashbacks to scenes of his past interspersed throughout. The story unfolds at a contemplative pace which is reinforced by the low-key nature of the action and the unadorned visuals.

The mise-en-scene is deliberately and perfectly orchestrated to evoke the atmosphere of a pre-modern Japan and I felt myself absorbed into this foreign world thanks to it. There are many beautiful landscape shots of forests, hills and plains where humanity is absent or near non-existent.

Where humanity is present people and houses are overwhelmed by nature, tucked away amidst groves and smothered in snow. Towards the end of the film technology encroaches with electric cables glimpsed in the distance but their presence is minimal, forgettable. The way scenes are lit with natural light from lanterns and fires creates fascinating portraits because of the multitude of shadow cast and the way the light falls on sets.

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It created a distinctive look much like in the Yoji Yamada’s The Twilight Samurai and the low lighting actually adds to the beautiful scenery and the sense of being back in time. The use of the lighting gives deeper feeling to the blacks and whites on screen and colours on costumes stand out all the more.

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The snow looked absolutely cold and the clothes the characters wore stood out.

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Glint of an eye.

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The mysterious mushi lurk in the darkness and are waiting to be discovered by Ginko with his lantern.

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The people who exist in this landscape also put me in mind of Japanese from the past… well, what I conceive them to be like. The levels of formality people use to address each other and the way their clothes appear soiled and frayed in some way or other (apart from Tanyu who is portrayed by Yu Aoi who always looks gorgeous).

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They have the perfect poise and behaviour for a story of supernatural beings infecting people. Humble and timid but earthy and curious about the mysteries of the world as well as the mushi.

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The camera will opt for close-ups of the actors allowing the audience to carefully study faces and bodies. As the actors convey what their problems are to Ginko we notice details emerging from the way they carry themselves which indicates the extent of the mushi’s influence. When you watch the film, take a look at the fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, stubble and horns on the various actors.

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The stories could be horrific but they are more subtle and intriguing.

The mushi themselves are where we see the use of CGI on screen. They come in a variety Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.of types ranging from colours to white squirming things hidden in nooks and crannies to snail shells and even parts of Tanyu’s writing (how she controls mushi). Their variety gives rise to some beautiful impressionistic scenes where they are swirls of colour that surround characters – alluring but dangerous. The bugs are less monsters and more like leeches. The side-effects of a mushi can be something as minor (but still traumatic) as a person growing horns to stealing sound from an ear and causing a person to lose their balance thanks to being partially deaf.

Dealing with all of these Joe Odagiri who takes the lead role as the titular mushi-shi Ginko. He has a mop of white hair with its little parting that exposes his one eye and quietly confident look. He cuts a distinctive figure.

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Odagiri’s cool and calm actions speak of his knowledge and intelligence and his friendly eyes and warm smile leave one open to hearing what he has to say. You can see why people invite this travelling stranger into their homes and discuss what ails them. That he is also knowledgeable and lugs around a huge cabinet of curiosities also helps give the impression he is an expert.

As magnetic an actor as Joe Odagiri may be, it is the other characters in the film add extra dimensions to Ginko’s character. His dealings with the girl in the first story assure us that he is a professional and a decent chap but we get real depth when we see his relationship with Tanyu, the two resigned to leaving placing feelings for each other behind their duty tracking the mushi reveals their dedication to their chosen professions but the two still indulge in their ability to be sentimental.

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Yu Aoi as Tanyu is a serene beauty who I can watch all day so I’ll settle for this picture where she looks cute. If you get tired carrying her, Joe, I’ll take over!

Ginko’s travels with the comic and emotional Nijirou tracking a mushi is another highlight which reveals a degree of humour in the acting and script and revitalises Ginko’s faith and hopes which prove to be inspirational in helping him deal with one of the dark aspects with his past, Nui.

Ginko’s time with Nui from childhood to manhood is the heart of the film. It deals with the themes of youth and legacy and culminates in a final meeting which is creepy and tragic and cathartic but highlights both Ginko’s pragmatism and humanity and sense of duty.

The film is very Japanese both in its subject matter and themes with its high regard for nature and tradition (even if its fictional). We get an insight into Japanese mythology and mores by watching the way characters interact with each other and the spiritual world, always existing in the moment knowing that all paths must diverge and all things end and be consigned to memory. How a person lives their life and if they can cling onto hope and carry on with life defines whether they have a good ending or not.

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Speaking of endings I felt that this film’s ending where Ginko walks away and fades off screen into legend just cemented everything I felt about the way the film described the time and place. It was a fitting end which capped off a film that had me enraptured. It is magical and mystical and very relaxing and I enjoyed it.

4/5

I am certain in my enjoyment of the film but conversations with others has lead me to believe it might not be as enjoyable for everyone. It’s very beautiful but slow so if you are in the market for something contemplative then try this out.

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Clik here to view.Another week stuffed full of anime as I try and finish off the winter season and get into my first impressions of the spring selections I made. That written I did write about films! I made a longer than expected review Mushishi which is based on a manga and anime. I loved the film and found it a beautiful and relaxing watch which I can keep indulging in. I also posted about the trailer for Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s film Real. I went way overboard compared to my usual trailer posts and indulged my love of Kiyoshi Kurosawa films!

The majority of my film-watching time was spent with Film4 and its Studio Ghibli season which draws to a close later today with the screening of Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind. It capped a wonderful fortnight where I managed to watch nearly all of the titles. I re-watched The Cat Returns, Only Yesterday, Howl’s Moving Castle and Laputa: Castle in the Sky while doing Japanese homework and made a point of watching The Little Norse Prince and I enjoyed them all.

In terms of other anime I finished Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan in preparation for a review while the Anime UK News Serial Experiments Lain simul-watch has ground to a halt because it seems the participants are either too busy or too confused (the former for me). Level E surprised me with its 4^th episode which the comedy is toned down to miniscule proportions and the drama turned up and it works really effectively because I was engaged with the story right until (SPOILER) its ironic ending where I burst out into a fit of laughter. It showed the creativity of the creators. I finally finished Maoyu (review coming soon!). 

What do the Japanese film charts look like this week (April 06^th-07^th)?

1. Dragon Ball Z Battle of the Gods
2. Wreck-It Ralph
3. Doraemon Nobita’s Dinosaur
4. Platina Data
5. Aibou Series X Day
6. Precure All Stars New Stage 2
7. Oz the Great and Powerful
8. Jack the Giant Slayer
9. Himawari and Her Puppies
10. My Diary of Our Exchange

No real change in the top ten although Orpheus’ Lyre, one of last week’s big dramas starring Ryoko Hiosue, opens at 15 with a modest $178,145 earned from 109 screens.

What’s released this weekend?

Cold Bloom                                                            Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 桜並木の満開の下に

Romaji: Sakura Namiki no Mankai no Shita ni

Release Date: April 13^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 120 mins.

Director: Atsushi Funahari

Writer: Atsushi Funahari, Murakoshi Shigery

Starring: Asami Usuda, Takahiro Miura, Yurei Yanagi, Taro Suwa, You Takahashi

Atsushi Funahari premiered this at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year. It is a film with the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami as its subject matter much like his previous film, the documentary Nuclear Nation which looked at nuclear power after the disaster in 2011. This drama looks at the economic and emotional impact as felt by a group of workers at a factory. It stars a collection of new and old actors like Asami Usuda (The Woodsman & the Rain), Takahiro Miura (Ninja Kids!!!), Yurei Yanagi (Boiling Point, Ring) and Taro Suwa (Cold Fish, Himizu). A review on the Japan Times Website makes this sound good, a tough watch with some limited but focussed performances that make it emotionally rewarding. The first film of the week I want to watch.

Ever since the tsunami struck the workers of a metal factory in the industrial town of Hitachi have been in something of a malaise, the only thing keeping them afloat being a skilled worker named Kenji (Takahashi) who has secured them a contract. Then he dies on the first day at the client’s site. His colleague Takumi (Miura) is responsible and the factory worker turn on him, taking sides with Kenji’s widow Shiori (Usuda) but her hatred turns to love. 

The Great Passage                Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 舟を編む

Romaji: Fune wo Amu

Release Date: April 13^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 133 mins.

Director: Yuya Ishii

Writer: Shion Miura (Original Novel), Kensaku Watanabe (Screenplay),

Starring: Ryuhei Matsuda, Aoi Miyazaki, Joe Odagiri, Haru Kuroki, Misako Watanabe, Kumiko Aso, Shingo Tsurumi, Chizuru Ikewaki, Hiroko Isayama, Kaouru Kobayashi, Go Kato, Kaoru Yachigusa, Ryu Morioka, Shohei Uno, Kazuki Namioka

After watching Sawako Decides I was ready to join the Yuya Ishii fan-club. Then I watched Mitsuko Delivers, a stolid film hampered with a frustratingly docile story and wooden comedy. I was genuinely bewildered that he could have come out with something like that. Then I saw the trailer for The Great Passage when it was featured over at Otherwhere in one of Alua’s trailer weeklies. I was moderately interested in it as it seemed a return to form for Yuya Ishii. A lack of a genki girls and wooden comedy and a return to the low-key observational and character-based humour that marked Sawako Decides. Anyway…

The literal title is Fune wo Amu – Fune = Ship and Amu = knit so the Japanese title is We Knit Ship but the English title is The Great Passage. The film looks like a really smart intellectual rom-com  where a talented man of letters cannot find the words to say “I love you” to the girl of his dreams.

Mitsuya Majime (Matsuda) is has the talent to comprehend different languages and is the most important member of the editorial team of a dictionary but he struggles to tell Kaguya Hayashi (Miyazaki), a cook and the granddaughter o the owner of Majime’s boarding home, how he feels about her.

It is based on Shion Miura’s novel. She’s a pretty big deal considering she’s had mega successes with her scripts for Tada’s Do-It-All House and its dorama spin-off Mahoro Eki Mae Bangaichi. It has a cast list which is full of stars: Ryuhei Matsuda (Nightmare Detective), Aoi Miyazaki (Eureka), Joe Odagiri (Mushishi, Adrift in Tokyo), Haru Kuroki (The Wolf Children), Kumiko Aso (Pulse), Kazuki Namioka (Thirteen Assassins), Chizuru Ikewaki (Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, The Cat Returns) and Shohei Uno (The Drudgery Train).

I like the concept, I like the talent, I like the trailer – I want to watch this film!

HK Hentai Kamen                                         Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: HK 変態仮面

Romaji: HK Hentai Kamen

Release Date: April 13^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: N/A

Director: Yuichi Fukuda

Writer: Yuichi Fukuda, Shun Oguri (Screenplay), Keishu Ando (Original Manga)

Starring: Ryohei Suzuki, Fumika Shimizu, Ken Yasuda, Tsuyoshi Muro, Jiro Sato Narushi Ikeda, Takashi Tsukamoto, Yoshinori Okada

Yuichi Fukuda had his Child Police film released a few weeks back and he continues with Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.his comic film form with this film he co-wrote with Shun Oguri (The Woodsman & the Rain). The two have adapted Keishu Ando’s manga “Kyukyuko!! Hentai Kamen” which I have not read but seems like a male version of Go Nagai’s Mask the Kekkou Reborn which had a live-action film adaptation which was released last year and starred AV star Aino Kishi. I must admit that when I first saw the trailer I almost spat my coffee out from laughing so hard. I think I would see this at a cinema regardless of whether I had friends with me or not. Chalk this up as another film I would watch because it looks fun!

Anyway Ryohei Suzuki is ballsy enough to display his well-sculpted body on screen. Some may have seen him in Train Brain Express. Fumoika Shimizu, stars of many Kamen Rider films, is the love interest. Ken Yasuda (The Cat Returns, Rakugo the Movie), Tsuyoshi Muro (After School, A Story of Yonosuke) Takashi Tsukamoto (Battle Royale) and Yoshinori Okada (Fine, Totally Fine) also co-star. Check the trailer and admit that you laughed as well!

Kyosuke Shikijo (Suzuki) is a high school student and the most talented member of his school’s martial arts club. His late father was a detective and has passé on his sense of justice. On top of being a detective Kyosuke’s father was a masochist while his mother was a sadist which partly explains why Kyosuke love of wearing women’s underwear! When he does wear panties and what not he transforms into his alter ego “Pervert Mask” and gains superhuman powers. Said superpowers come in handy when he has to protect Aiko Himeno (Shimizu) from their dirty and evil teacher (Yasuda). Fortunately Aiko’s underwear gives Kyosuke super pervert techniques.

I’m not making this up! Someone else beat me to it! Here’s HK Hentai Kamen’s take on cinema etiquette:

The Adventures in Travel and Writing Songs Diary of Naoto Tabiuta Inti RaimiImage may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: ナオト　インテイライミ　冒険記　旅歌ダイアリー

Romaji: Naoto Initraimi Bouken-ki Tabi Uta Daiari

Release Date: April 13^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: N/A

Director: Yusuke Ishida

Starring: Naoto Inti Raimi

Yusuke Ishida, director of Moteki, has a documentary about Naoto Inti Raimi, a singer who made his debut in 2010 after he had travelled to 28 countries in Africa and South America to study the music of the natives.

Travellers: Dimensional Police                     Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: トラベラーズ　次元警察

Romaji: Torabera-zu Jigen Keisatsu

Release Date: April 13^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: N/A

Director: Koichi Sakamoto

Writer: Sotaro Hayashi (Screenplay),

Starring: Nao Nagasawa, Ayumi Kinoshita, Yuko Takayama, Kenji Ebisawa, Kohei Yamamoto, Koji Nakamura, Hitomi Sanae, Kentaro ShimazuImage may be NSFW.
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OH MY GOD. I’ve discovered a new crush! Nao Nagasawa. She was in Suicide Circle, Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battle and now she’s the star of a SF film directed by Koichi Sakamoto which looks a bit like Jet Li’s film The One with a terrorist organisation hopping between dimensions and lots of action. Just no burly men beating each other up. Nope, just beautiful ladies including Ayumi Kinoshita (Peeping Tom) and Yuko Takayama (Mutant Girls Squad). Look at that poster! Look at Nao! The director, Koichi Sakamoto, is responsible for some of the recent Kamen Rider movies. The script comes from Sotaro Hayashi who wrote the films Rabbit Horror 3D and Samurai Princess (which starred Aino Kishi). Chalk this up as another film I would watch.

Samurai Dash                                               Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: サムライ　ダッシュ

Romaji: Samurai Dasshu

Release Date: April 13^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 95 mins.

Director: Koki Yamamoto

Writer: Koki Yamamoto (Screenplay),

Starring: Ippei Osako, Sei Ashina, Yuta Nakano, Tsutomu Takahashi, JUN, Rio Natsume, Naoki Hosaka, Issei Ishida

The Pu-pu-Juice theatre troupe is here with a story about an ordinary salaryman named Taku who is meeting his girl at their usual café at the usual time but finds that his ay gets very complicated by his involvement with a strange man who leaves a letter on the table next to his. Presumably this letter leads to him getting chased around a lot as the trailer sows. I want to see ths based on what little I understood and the trailer alone. in a crisis. It stars Sei Ashina (Hard Romanticker), Kaname Endo (Afro Tanaka, Platina Data), Ippei Osako (Drugstore Girl), Yuta Nakano, most recently the star of the dorama Rich Man, Poor Woman, Tsutomu Takahashi (The Woodsman & the Rain), Naoki Hosaka (Yakuza Wives: Burning Desire, MPD Psycho) and Issei Ishida (Strange Circus). The trailer makes me want to see the film. It would be a pretty expensive week if I were in Japan! 

He Loves His Wife                       Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: ごくつまの恋

Romaji: Goku Tsuma no Koi

Release Date: April 13^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 75 mins.

Director: Hitoshi Ishikawa

Writer: Hitoshi Ishikawa (Screenplay),

Starring: Nana Nanami, Kengo Oguchi, Takahiro Tsuboya, Kodai Kuroishi, Mako Higashio, Ryujiro Suzuki

Ah, another entry in the Love & Eros collection. This one sounds more interesting than the last two as it concerns a group of freeters, a cuckolded wife who works in a mah-jong parlour and is forced to cover for her debt-ridden husband who is on the run from some yakuza. Basically it’s got action while the last two were about women’s emotions and stuff. It is directed by Hitoshi Ishikawa who has had a big film with Pile Driver (2007) which starred Toshinobu Matsuo (Goth – Love of Death) and Itsuji Itao (Ghost Train, Love Exposure). There are a lot of new actors on display here.

Rubble and Radio                                       Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: ガレキとラジオ

Romaji: Gareki to Rajio

Release Date: April 13^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 70 mins.

Directors: Taro Umemura, Kazunari Tsukahara

The list of films covering the Great East Japan Earthquake gets a little larger today with the release of this documentary, the debut of Taro Umemura and Kazunari Tsukahara. It takes place over a year in Minamisanriku Town in Miyagi Prfecture where 8,000 people are living in emergency evacuation accommodation. In the corner of a gymnasium shelter two people start a radio show aimed at delivering entertainment to those caught up in the disaster. The film’s theme song is performed by MONKEY MAJIK, the guys behind the OP for Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan. Koji Yakusho, who had a house in Sendai in Miyagi prefecture, is narrating the film.

Gachi-Ban Supremacy                                    Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: ガチバン　スプレマシー

Romaji: Gachiban Supuremashi-

Release Date: April 13^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 77 mins.

Director: Takashi Motoki

Writer: Masao Iketani (Screenplay),

Starring: Kazuma Sano, Masataka Kubota, Ryo Kato, Mari Suzuki, Risako Ito

I think I have stumbled upon the Yankee genre of films where delinquent school-boys beat each other up, yell, rebel against authority, break stuff and look cool (I guess it’s what teenagers call cool). It seems that Gachi-Ban is a popular franchise with many entries in the series and many clips available on YouTube.  I am totally unfamiliar with the series but I do recognise at least two of the actors because Ryo Kato was in Detroit Metal City where he played Soichiro’s younger brother while Masataka Kubota was in Thirteen Assassins and The Cowards Who Looked to the Skies. The trailer is a bit meh but I think I’m not its target audience anyway.

Space Battleship Yamato 2199   Chapter V Nostalgia in Intergalactic Space                                                                           Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199 第五章　望郷の銀河間空間

Romaji: Uchū Senkan Yamato 2199

Release Date: April 13^th 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: N/A

Director: Akihiro Enomoto, Yutaka Izubuchi

Writer: Ryusuke Hikawa

Starring: Daisuke Ono (Susumu Kodai), Houko Kuwashima (Yuki Mori), Kenichi Suzumura (Daisuke Shima), Takayuki Sugo (Captain Jūzō Okita), Aya Hisakawa (Lt. Kaoru Niimi), Rie Tanaka (Ensign Akira Yamamoto), Rina Satou (Makoto Harada)

Okay, the movie screenings of the TV anime continue (this covers episodes 15-18 out of 26) and I think this is the fourth time that I have copied and pasted the following (with some added info to reflect changes in storyline) but you might be new to this franchise…

In 1974 Leiji Matsumoto (Galaxy Express 999, Captain Harlock) and Yoshinubu Mishizaki created Space Battleship Yamato which became a massive hit. Thirty-nine years later we see the latest part of the anime movie adaptation released. This is actually the fifth part but the staff and voice actors remain the same. The role of director is taken up by two men: Yutaka Izubuchi is a veteran designer in the anime industry having worked on anime like RahXephon and the brilliant anime Patlabor. He is joined by Akihiro Enomoto who has worked on Fafner, Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Nobuteru Yuki (Escaflowne) acting as character designer and animation director.

There are a lot of veteran seiyuu involved with Daisuke Ono (Shizuo Heiwajima inDurarara!!), Kenichi Suzumura (Uta no Prince Sama), Aya Hisakawa (Yoko Yuzuki in Mōryō no Hako), Rina Satou (Mikoto Misaka in A Certain Magical Index), and Rie Tanaka (Sammy in Time of Eve). The animation is produced by Xebec (Nyarko-san: Another Crawling Chaos) and AIC (Burn Up). 

In the year 2199, the human race has lost a war against alien invaders named Gamilos and have been driven underground due to the threat of radiation. Scientists give humanity a year before it is destroyed. When young officers Susumu Kodai and Daisuke Shima retrieve a capsule from a ship that crash landed on Mars they set off to Iscandar on the other side of the Magellan Galaxy which has the technology to smash the Gamilos and save Earth. The battleship Yamato is sent on a mission to get that technology. In this instalment, the Yamata has come out of warp space and aims to avoid a large Gamilos fleet on its way to collect the weapons.

Aura: Maryūinkōga Saigo no Tatakai  Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: AURA ～魔竜院光牙最後の闘い

Romaji: Aura: Maryūinkōga Saigo no Tatakai

Release Date:  April 13^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 82 mins.

Director: Seiji Kishi

Writer: Jun Kumagai (Script), Romeo Tanaka (Original Light Novel)

Starring: Kana Hanazawa (Ryōko Satō), Nobunaga Shimazaki (Ichirō Satō), Chiwa Saito (Hino), Hiroki Yasumoto (Yamamoto), Hisako Kanemoto (Shinako Kobato)

The big-screen anime adaptation of Romeo Tanaka’s 2008 light novel Aura: Maryūinkōga Saigo no Tatakai is release today and it will be interesting to see if it can even place on the charts next week. Romeo Tanaka is the creator of the gloriously surreal and silly anime TV series, Humanity has Declined but this is hardly a name series like Evangelion, Berserk or Dragon Ball. The film is directed by Seiji Kishi who was the director of Humanity has Declined  and Persona 4 The Animation. The script has been written by Makoto Uezu (Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka?) and Jun Kumagai (Persona 4, Humanity has Declined).

The seiyuu include Kana Hanazawa who was infernally cute in Blue Exorcist as Shiemi Moriyama and Mayuri Shiina in Steins;Gate and she will be next heard in Makoto Shinkai’s The Garden of Words. She is joined by Chiwa Saito (Head Maid in the surprisingly good Maoyu – review to come soon), Hiroki Yasumoto (Aotabou in Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan), and Hisako Kanemoto (Asuna in Children Who Chase Lost Voices).

This film centres on a high school freshman named Ichirō Satō who forgets his book at school and sneaks back in at night to get it. While sneaking he encounters a beautiful girl named Ryōko Satō who claims to be a witch from a parallel world. Is she real or just a delusion? Ichirō Satō used to suffer delusions of grandeur but reinvented himself to try and fit in better. This girl isn’t going to help!

Hanakappa the Movie          Image may be NSFW.
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Japanese Title: 映画はなかっぱ　花さけ！パッカ～ん♪　蝶の国の大冒険

Romaji: Eiga wana Kappa Hana Sake! Pakka ~ ♪ chō no kuni no dai bōken

Release Date: April 12^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 60 mins.

Director: Kazumi Nonaka

Writer: Natsuko Takahashi, Tetsuo Yasumi (Screenplay), Tadashi Akiyama (Original Creator)

Starring: Rie Nakagawa (Hana Kappa), Megumi Ozaki (Mama), Hidenobu Kiuchi (Papa), Rumi Shishido (Momo Kappa-chan)

The Hana Kappa kids TV anime gets a theatrical film! I’ve never heard of it before but it’s aimed at kids so no surprise there. The anime comes from Tadashi Akiyama’s picture books and newspaper manga about a kappa who has a flower growing out of his head (which explains the name Hana Kappa) who lives with his parents and grandparents in Yamabiko village. The feature film follows Hana Kappa who sets out to rescue his mother and others from the land of butterflies, traveling through mountains and deserts and encountering a mysterious boy named Poru who wields a sharp sword. Rie Nakagawa (Taisho in Neko Ramen) takes the lead role.

The film runs in conjunction with a series of singalong short films called Hana Kappa Musical Pan to Gohan Dochi Nano!?

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Abara means rib in Japanese. It is drawn from the fact that the characters with special powers, Gaunas, can shape bone like armour and weaponry through altering their physical structure at will, creating layers and shapes to a partially chitinous exoskeleton like so.

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It is never explained how but that’s just how Tsutomu Nihei rolls. Like the first volume of Biomega, he doesn’t go to great lengths to tell you what happens, who everybody is and what they do. All we know is that war has ravaged earth and left one population centre which is about to come under an apocalyptic assault from biomorphous creatures known as White Gaunas and the government of the city is at odds with a techno-religious group known as Kegen hall who use Black Gaunas to battle these creatures. That’s it.

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Any message, much like in Ridley Scott’s work, is in the visual aesthetic.

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The world is rotten. People do not so much as live in urban sprawl, rather they rot in urban choke. The city of the story is a post-modern gothic dystopian nightmare of cramped spaces and cyclopean structures veined with sinuous wire and punctured by vents bleeding waste.

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People work in hellish factories and live in hovels just off streets that are crumbling, surrounded by alleys that stretch into darkness and walkways spiral off into what? Nothing.

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Outside the land is vast and barren and man is truly insignificant. The world is an empty landscape of odd shapes that resemble something biomechanical.

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