The 18^th edition of the Nippon Connection Film Festival (NCFF) runs from May 29th to June 03rd in Frankfurt am Main and it continues to be the biggest and best event to see Japanese films in the world. That’s no exaggeration because it has more than 100 short and feature length films ranging from documentaries to anime to indie films and there will be an incredible slate of supporting programmes aimed at a wide range of people. Not only that, there will be many Japanese and international filmmakers, musicians, and artists travelling to the event as guests who will introduce their works and talk about films. This year’s guest of honour is the renowned actress Shinobu Terajima who will receive the NIPPON HONOR AWARD 2018.

There are lots of films programmed and just as many events and with so much to see, I’ll try and cover everything in one post. To find out more about a film, click on section titles to be taken to the festival page. Here are some highlights of what’s on offer:

NIPPON CINEMA

The Opening Film is a highly-rated one from Shuichi Okita, an expert in dramedy. He will be in town to introduce what is billed as an “ironic comedy [that] shows a day in the life of the famous Japanese painter Morikazu KUMAGAI (1880-1977)”.

Mori, The Artist’s Habitat   

モリのいる場所 「Mori no Iru Basho」

Running Time: 99 mins.

Release Date: May 19th, 2018

Director: Shuichi Okita

Writer: Shuichi Okita (Screenplay),

Starring: Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kirin Kiki, Ryo Kase, Ken Mitsuishi, Kitaro, Nobue Iketani, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Munetaka Aoki,

Website IMDB

Shuichi Okita, director of A Story of Yonosuke and The Woodsman and the Rain brings a gentle dramedy about an elderly couple. It looks relaxing and you can’t go wrong with Kirin Kiki.

Synopsis from Nikkatsu International: He lays among the shrubs and trees in his garden and observes the scurrying ants. This 94-year-old bearded man is Morikazu Kumagai, aka Mori, and he is a painter. For the last 30 years he’s hardly left his property. Most of his day is spent tirelessly observing his garden and all living things in it, which he renders into paintings. He paints every evening in a studio he calls the “school.” While he goes about his business, his wife Hideko attends to a string of visitors. In the garden there are the critters and insects and on the porch, birds in cages overlook the garden. Mori and Hideko live peacefully, surrounded by the things they love. But then some developers decide to build a condominium next door which puts their small paradise at risk. It will block the sun and the garden will be uninhabitable. Mori and Hideko decide to take action to protect the garden they cherish… The film is a humorous depiction of a summer day in the life of an old couple who’ve been together 52 years, in the more affable social atmosphere of the 1970s.

The highlights for the festival are many with Kitano’s finale to his bloody yakuza trilogy, Outrage Coda lined up alongside Hirokazu Kore-eda’s The Third Murder. Those two crime films are at opposite ends of the spectrum with the Kore-eda one being a murder mystery with intense courtroom scenes while Kitano uses shoot-outs and black humour to entertain audiences. There’s a new one with The Blood of the Wolves, which harkens back to the old-school crime films of the 70s:

The Blood of Wolves      

孤狼の血 「Korou no chi」

Running Time: 126 mins.

Release Date: May 12th, 2018

Director: Kazuya Shiraishi

Writer: Junya Ikegami (Screenplay), Yuko Yuzuki (Original Novel)

Starring: Koji Yakusho, Tori Matsuzaka, Yoko Maki, Tomoya Nakamura, Pierre Taki, Shido Nakamura, Yosuke Eguchi, Renji Ishibashi,

Website IMDB

This film was directed by Kazuya Shiraishi who made two lacklustre crime films, The Devil’s Path and Twisted Justice but reviews for this suggest this is the real deal.

Synopsis: It is the summer of 1988 in the fictional city of Kurebara, Hiroshima. The disappearance of an employee of a financial company leads to squeaky-clean cop Shuichi Hioka (Tori Matsuzaka) getting paired with veteran detective and rumoured-to-be corrupt cop Shogo Ogami (Koji Yakusho) just as a war between yakuza clans heats up.

Far away from crime, but no less thrilling are the dramatic turns that can be found in some really fascinating and moving character-driven dramas that reveal interesting insights into contemporary Japanese life. It is in this territory that Kazuya Shiraishi showing up again in this section with Birds without Names. Shinobu Terajima is the guest of honour at this year’s festival and there are three films in which she stars in in this section, The City of Betrayal and Vibrator, a film most Japanese movie fans will recommend including me. Dear Etranger is the third film and it’s a convincing drama that shows the strains that family life have on people. Director Yukiko Mishima will be there.

Dear Etranger    

幼な子われらに生まれ 「Osanago Warera ni Umare」

Running Time: 127 mins.

Release Date: August 26^th, 2017

Director:  Yukiko Mishima

Writer: Haruhiko Arai (Screenplay), Kiyoshi Shigematsu (Original Novel)

Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Rena Tanaka, Kankuro Kudo, Shinobu Terajima, Sara Minami, Miu Arai, Raiju Kamata, Shingo Mizusawa, Narushi Ikeda,

Website IMDB

This isn’t the flashiest or most complex of films but it and the actors consistently builds up characters who offer a fascinating portrait of a patchwork family and offers up a lot of nuance for its characters. Here’s my review.

Synopsis: Dear Etranger is based on a novel by Kiyoshi Shigematsu and tells the tale of 40-year-old Makoto Tanaka (Tadanobu Asano), an assistant manager at a company trying to balance two families and be an ideal father at a time when others give him or are going through crises. Free from melodrama and idealism, it paints a believable picture of the stresses and strains of maintaining a loving family unit built from the scraps of past relationships.

There are a couple of supernatural tales such as Occult Bolshevism and Foreboding which comes from Kiyoshi Kurosawa, but stick with the dramas. Here’s one which hasn’t been screened widely is this intriguing little drama:

Pumpkin and Mayonnaise    

南瓜とマヨネーズ 「Kabocha to Mayone-zu」

Running Time: 93 mins.

Release Date: November 11th, 2017

Director:  Masanori Tominaga

Writer: Masanori Tominaga (Screenplay), Kiriko Nananan (Original Manga)

Starring: Asami Usuda, Taiga, Joe Odagiri, Ryuya Wakaba, Koudai Asaka, Ritsu Otomo, Kurumi Shimizu, Ken Mitsuishi, Sario Okada, Emina Kondo,

Website IMDB

Masanori Tominaga (Rolling) assembles a great cast with Asami Usada (The Woodsman and the Rain) in a love triangle with Joe Odagiri (Over the Fence) and Taiga (Japanese Girls Never Die).

Synopsis: Tsuchida (Asami Usuda) lives with her boyfriend Seiichi (Taiga). He is an aspiring musician but he has no job and is struggling to write new songs. Tsuchida decides to work at a hostess club to support them both but doesn’t inform Seiichi. Things blow up when she gets herself involved with her customer Yasuhara (Ken Mitsuishi) and Seiichi finds out. Arguments ensue and he decides to get a job but around this time, Tsuchida runs into her ex-boyfriend Hagio (Joe Odagiri)…

There are two special films also in this section, one by a new director with massive potential to be a major force and the second coming from a veteran who has been in the game for a long time. If you have the chance, I’d recommend seeing both of these.

Bamy       

バーミー 「Ba-Mi-」   

Running Time: 100 mins.

Director: Jun Tanaka

Writer: Jun Tanaka

Starring: Hironobu Yukinaga, Hiromi Nakazato, Misaki Tsuge, Toshi Yanagi, Yuki Katsuragi,

This one was at last year’s Osaka Asian Film Festival and since then it has started to be screened around the world. It’s a fantastic supernatural thriller that many critics have highlighted since it puts a new spin on J-horror! Director Jun Tanaka will be in town so please make him feel welcome. Here’s my review.

Synopsis: One day, Fumiko (Hiromi Nakazato) runs into Ryota (Hironobu Yukinaga), an old acquaintance from her college photography club. They would have missed each other had it not been for a mysterious red umbrella tumbling from the skies causing them to lock eyes. Soon enough they are making plans to get married. They seem like an ideal couple but, unfortunately, their relationship slowly ruptures because Ryota is troubled by a secret ability… he can see ghosts. Fumiko cannot and the two find themselves being torn apart by Ryota’s ability. Things get even more complicated when he encounters Sae Kimura (Misaki Tsuge), a woman with the same ability. She seems like a perfect match and Ryota leaves Fumiko but the bonds of destiny cannot be broken by the will of a mere mortal.

Hanagatami    

花筐 「Hanagatami」

Running Time: 169 mins.

Release Date: December 16th, 2017

Director:  Nobuhiko Obayashi

Writer: Nobuhiko Obayashi, Chiho Katsura(Screenplay),

Starring: Shunsuke Kubozuka, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Keishi Nagatsuka, Tokio Emoto, Mugi Kadowaki, Yuriko Oo, Tetsuya Takeda, Takako Tokiwa, Hirona Yamazaki,

IMDB Website

Hanagatami is the latest film from veteran director Nobuhiko Obayashi, probably best known in the West for his 70s horror-musical House. This was at the Tokyo International Film Festival where it got a myriad of reviews praising Obayashi;s vision in bringing a unique (Japan Times, for example) film an anti-war message as well as its exuberant colourful celebration of youth to the screen. This could be Obayashi’s last film so you’d be crazy to miss it!

Synopsis: It is the spring of 1941 and the setting is Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture. Toshihiko Sakakiyama (Shunsuke Kubozuka), who has just returned from Amsterdam where his parents are living, to live a 17-year-old, to live with his wealthy aunt Keiko (Takako Tokiwa) and attend the local boys’ high school. He lives life to the full with dinner parties and picnics, frolicking in the country and partying in the city. He does this with a close group of friends including a cousin named Mina who suffers from lung disease but the war is drawing closer and their lives will be changed forever… 

NIPPON ANIMATION

Last year was all about Masaaki Yuasa with the world finally waking up and awarding the man for his genius and Nippon Connection has two films that should be seen.

The Night is Short, Walk on Girl

夜は短し歩けよ乙女 「Yoru wa Mijikashi Aruke yo Otome」

Release date: April 07th, 2017    

Running Time: 93 mins.

Director: Masaaki Yuasa

Writer: Masaaki Yuasa, Reiko Yoshida (Screenplay) Tomihiko Morimi (Original Novel),

Animation Production: Science SARU

Starring: Kana Hanazawa (Kurokami no Otome), Gen Hoshino (Senpai), Kazuya Nakai (Seitarou Higuchi), Yuuko Kaida (Ryouko Hanuki), Nobuyuki Hiyama (Johnny), Aoi Yuuki (Princess Daruma), Junichi Suwabe (Nise Jougasaki),

MAL     IMDB    Website

The Night is Short, Walk on Girl is probably the join-first best work from Masaaki Yuasa (the first being Mind Game). I can guarantee you will have a good time with this one having seen it with an audience of anime fans who were totally absorbed in its fantastic story. Others seemingly agree since it took top awards. The 41st Ottawa International Animation Festival was where it won Best Animated Feature and the 41st Japan Academy Prize Animation of the Year went to the film. This film is the very definition of the word exuberant in terms of story and style and should cement Yuasa as one of the best anime directors around. Here’s my review!!!

The narrative is simple: A black haired girl (voiced by the ubiquitous and super-talented Kana Hanazawa) is attending the wedding reception of a friend. As far as she is concerned, the party doesn’t have to end there and she walks around the streets of Kyoto at night from the alleyways and izakayas of Pontocho to the university campus, following the Komagawa river and making detours along the way. She is pursued by a male admirer, Sempai (voiced by the musician Gen Hoshino who also played the hapless lover in Why Don’t You Play in Hell?), who tries to catch her attention by appearing before her as often as possible. As this rather one-sided romantic dance unfolds, they experience surreal magical-realist moments that grow increasingly absurd thanks to a cast of unique characters, all of which tests Sempai’s resolve in love and the girl’s capacity for drink and fun because all the while, everyone keeps drinking and having a good time.

Lu Over the Wall   

夜明け告げるルーのうた 「Yoake Tsugeru Lu no Uta」

Running Time: 112 mins.

Release Date: May 19th, 2017

Director: Masaaki Yuasa

Writer: Masaaki Yuasa, Reiko Yoshida (Screenplay)

Animation Production: Science SARU

Starring: Kanon Tani (Lu), Shota Shimoda (Kai), Akira Emoto (Grandfather), Minako Kotobuki (Yuuho), Shinichi Shinohara (Lu’s father), Souma Saitou (Kunio),

Website ANN MAL

Lu Over the Wall was huge last year where it picked up awards including at Annecy, where it took the “Cristal for a Feature Film”. It was directed by Masaaki Yuasa with a script written by Reiko Yoshida, a woman who has written many different anime such as A Silent Voice, Yowamushi Pedal, and Shirobako. It was produced by Yuasa’s protege (and a highly talented animator) Eun young Choi, and animated by Science SARU and these folks are the geniuses behind Mind Game, Ping Pong: The Animation, and The Tatami Galaxy amongst other great artistic titles. 

It has the look of the 2009 Ghibli film Ponyo if I were to make a glib comparison but the animation and style are pure Science SARU, a studio finally picking up fans in the mainstream. The film has been picked up for UK distribution by Anime Limited.

Synopsis: Middle school student Kai finds himself forced to move from Tokyo to the declining fishing town of Hinashi to live with his father and grandfather following his parents’ divorce. For a kid from the big metropolis, there’s little for him to do besides composing music and sharing it on the Internet. One day his classmates Kunio and Yuuho invite him to join their band, and when he reluctantly accompanies them to practice on Mermaid Island, the three of them meet a mermaid named Lu. Through meeting her and playing music, Kai is slowly able to open up about his emotions but calamity soon strikes the town and he must find a way to avert it with his new-found friends and community!

There are many other great anime including the charming, Mary and the Witch’s Flower, the dark French-Japanese co-production Mutafukaz and a collection of shorts from the talented students at Tokyo University of the Arts.

NIPPON DOCS

This is a new program section which aims to show diverse approaches and content in documentary filmmaking: “patient and tentative explorations, intimate long time observations, and entertaining portraits”. It features everything from cooking (Ramen Heads) to the daily lives of people in a housing complex (Danchi) Kazuhiro Soda’s latest work, Inland Sea, which looks at a small fishing community on the Seto Inland Sea.

There are two fascinating-looking documentaries which have high review ratings and with the directors present at the festival to talk about their works.

Koi to Wolwachia   

恋とボルバキア 「Koi to Borubakia」

Running Time: 94 mins.

Release Date: December 09th, 2017

Director: Sayaka Ono

Writer: N/A

Starring: Oji, Ayu, Mihiro, Harumi Hasumi, Kiri Anzu, Ichiko Aizawa,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Wolbachia is a symbiotic bacteria that sexually transforms the host. This documentary is about “sexual minorities”. That explains the title. We get eight stories including lesbians, cross-dressers, transgender people and those who are in between categories. Humans, in other words. We see them humanised as we get glimpses of their everyday lives and their dreams and fears. They look like a nice bunch so I hope they have found happiness and hold onto it.

Of Love & Law

Running Time: 94 mins.

Release Date: 2018

Director:  Hikaru Toda

Writer: N/A

Starring: Kazuyuki Minami, Masafumi Yoshida, Yae Minami, Kazumi Tsujitani, Rokudenashiko, Hiroko Tsujitani, Masae Ido, Natsuo Yamamoto,

Website

Hikaru Toda is a documentary director/editor based in London and Osaka who has had her worked screened on BBC Storyville, France Televisions, NHK, The Guardian and at major international film festivals, including Hot Docs, CPH DOX and Melbourne International Film Festival. Hikaru moved back to Japan for the first time in 22 years to make Of Love & Law. Here’s the Kickstarter trailer:

Synopsis: Fumi and Kazu are partners in love and law; they run the first law firm in Japan set up by an openly gay couple. Together for 15 years, the lawyers want to raise a family of their own in a country where their partnership has no legal recognition or protection. Driven by their own experience of being ‘outsiders’, they attract a range of clients who reveal the hidden diversity of a country that prides itself on its obedience, politeness and conformity. Tired of being silenced and made to feel invisible, the lawyers and their misfit clients expose and challenge the archaic status quo.

There’s also a fascinating art documentary about Katsushika Oi, a special lady who got the anime treatment in Miss Hokusai.

Kurara: The Dazzling Life Of Hokusai’s Daughter

眩（くらら）～北斎の娘～　 「Kurara – Hokusai no Musume」

Running Time: 75 mins.

Release Date: September 18th, 2017

Director:  Taku Kato

Writer: Mika Omori (Screenplay), Makate Asai (Novel)

Starring: Aoi Miyazaki, Kyozo Nagatsuka, Ryuhei Matsuda, Kimiko Yo, Hideki Noda, Hiroki Miyake,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: There were a series of shows made about Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)when the British Museum held their exhibition, “Hokusai: Beyond the Wave” last year. The BBC made a couple, one of which was shown in a cinema in Japan, and NHK made a couple including this dramatized biopic of Katsushika Oei, daughter of Hokusai. She was a great artist in her own right, but channelled a lot of her power into nursing her father after his stroke and working closely with him for nearly 20 years. She was recognised for her talents then and is now being recognised by contemporary audiences.

The show also features the star visiting London to see an exhibition at the British Museum called Hokusai: Beyond the Wave, which also featured works by Oei.

NIPPON VISIONS   

This section is full of interesting-looking features but the biggest one took the Audience Award at the Udine Far East Film Festival quite recently.

One Cut of the Dead 

カメラを止めるな！ 「Kamera wo tomeru na!」

Running Time: 96 mins.

Release Date: November 04th, 2017

Director:  Shinichiro Ueda

Writer: Shinichiro Ueda (Screenplay),

Starring: Kazuki Nagaya, Manabu Hosoi, Tomokazu Yamaguchi,

Website

Synopsis: A film crew shooting a zombie movie in the mountains finds that their work turns real when honest to goodness zombies start showing up and chowing down on the crew. Does the director stop? Hell no! He keeps on shooting.

Other highlights include, Party ‘Round the Globe by indie star Hirobumi Watanabe, and Ice Cream and the Sound of Raindrops.

The Night I Swam / La nuit ou j’ai nage    

泳ぎすぎた夜 「Oyogi Sugita Yoru」

Running Time: 79 mins.

Release Date: 2018

Director:  Kohei Igarashi, Damien Manivel,

Writer: Ichiro Kusuno (Screenplay), Sui Ishida (Original Manga)

Starring: Takara Kogawa, Keiki Kogawa, Chisato Kogawa, Takashi Kogawa, Yuji Kudo,

Unifrance IMDB   Website

Kohei Igarashi, (Hold Your Breath Like a Lover) and Damien Manivel (A Young Poet, The Park) met at Locarno earlier this year and decided to collaborate. The resulting film was unveiled at the 74th Venice Film Festival in the Orizzonti category back in August. I missed it at the time but it turned up at Tokyo FILMeX which is where I caught up with it and it looks special since it charts a magical day in the life of a little boy who takes a detour from school and explores his local area. No dialogue, just the sounds of the world coupled with images that show the young character demonstrating the innocence and curiosity of a child his age.

Synopsis from the Venice Film Festival: Snow covered mountains in Japan. Every night, a fisherman makes his way to the market in town. His 6 year old son is awoken by his departure and finds it impossible to fall back to sleep. In the sleeping household, the young boy draws a picture he then slips into his satchel. On his way to school, still drowsy, he strays off the path and wanders into the snow…

There are way too many highlights in this section (like, I’d watch all of these at the festival if I had the chance to attend) but a personal favourite of mine is the next film which I saw at this year’s Osaka Asian Film Festival.

Ordinary Everyday

優しい日常 「Yasashii Nichijou」

Running Time: 27 mins.

Release Date: February 03rd, 2018

Director: Noriko Yuasa

Writer: Noriko Yuasa, Rie Mashiko (Screenplay),

Starring: Shin’nosuke Abe, Tamae Ando, Karin Ono, Motohiko Kawano, Eito Suda,

Website IMDB
This special gem was originally part of the omnibus movie “Kuruibana” (2017) but has taken on a life of its own and it is filled with shocks and fantastic style. This has to be one of the highlights of the festival. Director Noriko Yuasa has used inventive sound and visual design to create a great thriller! Here’s my review.

Synopsis: Mr Tsuda is a handsome teacher who is coaching a dance club. Concerned about one injured member, Ami, he visits her home in the middle of Tokyo. What he finds is a bright and bubbly schoolgirl with a seemingly perfect family living an idealised ordinary everyday life. She lives in a well-furnished home with Kanako, her lovely-looking mother, and Sho, her cute brother. Ami’s father is missing but nobody talks about him.

Everyone has smiles on their faces. Tsuda finds the mother’s smile is especially inviting and pretty soon his thoughts start straying to parent-teacher relations. What he doesn’t realise is that this is a two-faced family who lead anything but a very ordinary life.

There are many more films on offer including NIPPON RETRO and this is just a glimpse. The complete program as well as tickets will are available via the festival website. I hope you find something you like and enjoy.

More Info
www.NipponConnection.com
www.facebook.com/NipponConnection
twitter.com/NipponFilmfest
www.instagram.com/nipponconnection
blog.nipponconnection.com

Happy Weekend, people!

I spent this week writing when I said I wouldn’t because I need to focus on learning Japanese. I rounded up the better reviews of the Japanese films at the Cannes film festival with Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Asako I&II and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters and I’m waiting for reviews of Mamoru Hosoda’s latest feature, Mirai to be published so I can collect them in one post. I also posted a preview of Nippon Connection 2018. I also posted my review of Kushina which was originally published on V-Cinema. My review for the film, Goodbye Silence was published on V-Cinema as well. Right, I’ll be doing work for some classes I have to deliver late next week!

What’s released this weekend?

Nomitori Samurai   

のみとり侍　 「Nomitori Samurai」

Running Time: 110 mins.

Release Date: May 18th, 2018

Director:  Yasuo Tsuruhashi

Writer: Yasuo Tsuruhashi (Screenplay), Shigeo Komatsu (Original Collection of Short Stories)

Starring: Hiroshi Abe, Shinobu Terajima, Etsushi Toyokawa, Atsuko Maeda, Bunshi Katsura VI, Shinobu Otake, Takumi Saito,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Hironoshin Kobayashi (Hiroshi Abe) is a samurai in loyal service to the daimyo of Nagaoka. Such is his loyalty that when he offends his lord, he carries out the punishment of “catching cats’ fleas from customers”. This turns out to be giving sexual service to female customers. Some punishment…

Mori, The Artist’s Habitat   

モリのいる場所 「Mori no Iru Basho」

Running Time: 99 mins.

Release Date: May 19th, 2018

Director: Shuichi Okita

Writer: Shuichi Okita (Screenplay),

Starring: Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kirin Kiki, Ryo Kase, Ken Mitsuishi, Kitaro, Nobue Iketani, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Munetaka Aoki,

Website IMDB

Shuichi Okita, director of A Story of Yonosuke and The Woodsman and the Rain brings a gentle dramedy about an elderly couple. It looks relaxing and you can’t go wrong with Kirin Kiki.

Synopsis from Nikkatsu International: He lays among the shrubs and trees in his garden and observes the scurrying ants. This 94-year-old bearded man is Morikazu Kumagai, aka Mori, and he is a painter. For the last 30 years he’s hardly left his property. Most of his day is spent tirelessly observing his garden and all living things in it, which he renders into paintings. He paints every evening in a studio he calls the “school.” While he goes about his business, his wife Hideko attends to a string of visitors. In the garden there are the critters and insects and on the porch, birds in cages overlook the garden. Mori and Hideko live peacefully, surrounded by the things they love. But then some developers decide to build a condominium next door which puts their small paradise at risk. It will block the sun and the garden will be uninhabitable. Mori and Hideko decide to take action to protect the garden they cherish… The film is a humorous depiction of a summer day in the life of an old couple who’ve been together 52 years, in the more affable social atmosphere of the 1970s.

SUKITA: The Shoot Must Go On 　

SUKITA 刻まれたアーティストたちの一瞬 「Suteki na Dainamaito Sukyandaru」

Running Time: 115 mins.

Release Date: May 19th, 2018

Director: Hiromi Aihara

Writer: N/A

Starring: David Bowie, Miyavi, Hirokazu Kore’eda, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Masatoshi Nagase, Lily Franky, Jim Jarmusch, Paul Smith,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Masayoshi Sukita is a photographer who, over the course of 40 years, has earned the respect of actors, rock and roll stars, and fashion legends. This documentary by Hiromi Aihara looks at his work with David Bowie, T-REX, Iggy Pop and other big-name artists. Expect lots of fascinating interviews!

Kamen Rider Amazons the Movie: The Last Judgement    

仮面ライダーアマゾンズ THE MOVIE 最後ノ審判 「Gekijouban Kamen Raida- Amazonzu za mūbī Saigo no Shinpan」

Running Time: 98 mins.

Release Date: May 19th, 2018

Director:  Hidenori Ishida, 

Writer: Yasuko Kobayashi, Yuya Takahashi, (Screenplay), Shotaro Ishinomori (Original Creator),

Starring: Tom Fujita, Masashi Taniguchi, Rena Takeda, Ayu Higashi, Yu Kamio.

Website IMDB KAMEN RIDER WIKIA

Synopsis: This movies ends the Kamen Rider Amazons series which was released on Amazon prime in 2016. The story follows Jin Takayama and Haruka Mizusawa, two Kamen Riders who battle against people who have dormant, experimental cells which turn them into creatures called “Amazons”.

Gifted Freeman and Milk Selling Woman   

ギフテッド　フリムンと乳売り女　 「Gifuteddo Furiman to Chichi uri Onna」

Running Time: 110 mins.

Release Date: May 19th, 2018

Director:  Yasunari Izuma

Writer: Yasunari Izuma (Screenplay),

Starring: Yuki Mamiya, Motohisa Harashima, Misato Miyaguni, Yuuya Asato, Akira Nagata,

Website

Synopsis: Etsuko (Yuki Mamiya) and Hayato (Motohisa Harashima) live together in Naha, Okinawa. Their relationship has hit the rocks and things aren’t helped by the job situation: Etsuko works as a hostess while Hayato can only find low-paying jobs. He is now considering moving to Tokyo…

Kokoro no furusato aru wansei no ayunde kita michi   

心の故郷　ある湾生の歩んできた道　 「Kokoro no furusato aru wansei no ayunde kita michi」

Running Time: 150 mins.

Release Date: May 19th, 2018

Director:  Masayuki Hayashi

Writer: N/A

Starring: N/A

Website

Synopsis: Director Masayuki Hayashi has focused his documentaries on people who have some connection to Taiwan and in this film he tracks the lives of two people of Japanese descent who were born there and fled the country after the war.

Samurai and Idiots: The Olympus Affair   

サムライと愚か者　オリンパス事件の全貌　 「Samurai to orokamono Orinpasu jiken no zenbou」

Running Time: 76 mins.

Release Date: May 19th, 2018

Director:  Hyoe Yamamoto

Writer: Hyoe Yamamoto

Starring: Michael Woodford, Yoshimasa Yamaguchi, Shigeo Abe, Jonathan Soble, Waku Miller, Koji Miyata,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Michael Woodford was the first foreign CEO of Olympus Corporation, the multi-billion dollar Japanese optical company most famous for its cameras. His tenure was short-lived because he was thrown out of the job following his discovery of financial irregularities that would turn into a massive scandal. This documentary goes behind the scenes and talks to the key-players in the saga where the media and East-West corporate culture clash.

Mabuigumi New Caledonia hikisakareta iminshi   

まぶいぐみ　ニューカレドニア引き裂かれた移民史　 「Mabuigumi Nyu- Karedonia hikisakareta Iminshi」

Running Time: 110 mins.

Release Date: May 19th, 2018

Director: Yoshiaki Hongo

Writer: Yoshiaki Hongo, Shinya Sueyoshi, (Screenplay), Miki Takeshi (Original Story)

Narration: Yukio Yamakawa

Website JFDB

Synopsis: The journalist Miki Takeshi’s book “Kuhaku no iminshi – New Caledonia to Okinawa” explores the themes of family, war and ethnic groups from multiple perspectives, according to JFDB. In it, we see his journey to New Caledonia where he meets Kana Obry, a village elder who has been searching for word about his father ever since World War II. Miki tries to help search for the father… 

No Place to Return   

戻る場所はもうない　 「Modoru basho ha mounai」

Running Time: 39 mins.

Release Date: May 19th, 2018

Director:  Toshiharu Sasai

Writer: Toshiharu Sasai (Screenplay),

Starring: Ru- Ooshiba, Miyuki Takao, Misaki Mahiro, Hideyuki Arai,

Synopsis: This short film follows the troubles a woman named Yuko has when her older brother and a nurse disappear from her life.

Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle     

GODZILLA 決戦機動増殖都市 「Godzilla: Kessen Kidou Zoushoku Toshi」

Running Time: 101 mins.

Release Date: May 18th, 2018

Director:  Hiroyuki Seshita, Kobun Shizuno

Writer: Gen Urobuchi (Screenplay), Koi (Script/Original Creator)

Starring: Mamoru Miyano (Haruo Sakaki), Kana Hanazawa (Yuko Tani), Daisuke Ono (Eliott Leland), Junichi Suwabe (Mulu-Elu Dolu-do), Yuuki Kaji (Adam Bindewald), Tomokazu Sugita (Martin Lazzari), Kenyuu Horiuchi (Omberto Mori), Reina Ueda (Maina), Ari Ozawa (Miana),

Animation Production: TOHO, Polygon Pictures

Website MAL ANN

The new Godzilla anime film trilogy, Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (Godzilla: Kaiju Wakusei) launched on Netflix last year but only the first two instalments will be screened at Annecy. They showed up as a work in progress at last year’s Annecy. The directors are Kobun Shizuno (director of some Detective Conan movies) and Hiroyuki Seshita (Knights of Sidonia).

Synopsis from the Official Website: By the advent of the 21st century, much of humanity was dead, having been trampled over by a new master, Godzilla. A select few among mankind took to the stars in a spacefaring vessel called the Aratrum in search of “the promised land,” the planet Tau-e that could sustain human life. But the migration plan fails, and the remnants of the human race decide to return to Earth. But the distortions in space-time and the distance traveled means that mankind is returning to a completely changed Earth some 20,000 years later. The returnees, led by hero Haruo, prepare to take the fight to Godzilla based on a strategy that has been 20 years in the making. Carried out with the help of two alien species, the Exif and the Bilusaludo, the humans succeed in defeating Godzilla in a costly battle to the death.
But the victory is short-lived. Rising from the depths of the planet is a new breed of monster, dubbed “Godzilla Earth.” Evolving for 20,000 years, the creature stands 300 meters high, weighs over 100,000 tons and wields such overwhelmingly destructive power that Haruo and company have no choice but to run for their lives.

Coming to Haruo’s rescue, however, is Miana, a member of an aboriginal tribe called the Houtua. They are the first humanoid people the returnees have encountered. Could they descend from humans? “Our tribal god was destroyed by Godzilla. All that we have left are these eggs. Anyone who has tried to fight or resist him has been drowned in fire,” the tribespeople say to Haruo, who responds with: “This is our last hope of recovering our home.”

Meanwhile, Bilusaludo commander, Galu-gu is elated to discover that the Houtua tribe’s arrowheads are made of a nanometal or a self-sustaining metal. It had been developed in the 21st century as an “anti-Godzilla” killer weapon deployed at their decisive battle fought at the foot of Mt. Fuji, but had been destroyed before it could be activated in the form of a “Mecha-Godzilla.” The nanometal was its base substance, and proof that the manufacturing plant can still be used.

Hirokazu Kore-eda won the Palme d’Or at the 71st Cannes Film Festival for his latest film, Shoplifters.

Congratulations, Hirokazu Kore-eda!

This was his fifth time in the competition section and his win marks, to quote the critic Peter Debruge over at Variety,

“just the second time this century that an Asian film has claimed the festival’s top prize (the other being Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” in 2010).”

This latest drama features an unconventional family living happily together on the margins of Japanese society through a mixture of grit and graft. Initially a gentle and heartwarming film, the tone changes as it shines a light on the failings of society and individuals. It marks yet another film where Kore-eda has worked with child actors and got amazing results as the different reviews have pointed out (round-up of reviews post).

Cate Blanchett, the Cannes Jury president said, “We were completely bowled over by ‘Shoplifters.’ How inter-meshed the performances were with the directorial vision”.

The film has already been picked up for US distribution thanks to Magnolia Films. The company’s president, Eamon Bowles said,

“In a long career of incredible peaks, Hirokazu Kore-eda has delivered one of his best works. ‘Shoplifters’ is an incredible story that deals with familial bonds in a way I’ve never seen before”. SOURCE

Shoplifters   

万引き家族 「Manbiki Kazoku」

Running Time: N/A

Release Date: June 08th, 2018

Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Writer: Hirokazu Kore-eda (Screenplay),

Starring: Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Kirin Kiki, Mayu Matsuoka, Kairi Jyo, Naoto Ogatam Yoko Moriguchi, Yuki Yamada, Moemi Katayama, Akira Emoto, Kengo Kora, Chizuru Ikewaki, Sosuke Ikematsu,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Osamu (Lily Franky) and his wife Nobuyo (Sakura Ando) live with their son Shota (Kairi Jyo) Nobuyo’s younger sister Aki (Mayu Matsuoka) and their grandmother Hatsue (Kirin Kiki) in a home behind an apartment. Osamu works as a day labourer but they rely on Hatsue’s pension and the ill-gotten goods they have from their shoplifting antics. They may be poor but they are happy. Their number is given an addition when, one winter, they find a girl named Yuri (Miyu Sasaki) in the freezing cold and take her in. 

Kore-eda’s continual success is astounding and it’s great to see him honoured at Cannes. It was one of a small number of Japanese films to be screened but the reviews were all full of praise.

I just want to highlight my favourite review again, which comes from my favourite currently-writing critic Maggie Lee over at Variety who brings more insight into the origins and making of the film and applies it to the story.

“Koreeda’s sharp critique of labor conditions (not unique to Japan) are epitomized by a new initiative called “workshare”: Basically, workers are asked to alternate on half-day shifts so they’re paid less. The result is, in Osamu’s words, “everyone gets a bit poorer by the day.” As Osamu quibbles, stealing becomes the family’s subversive form of “workshare.” As the story progresses, theft doesn’t just involve taking money, it’s a defining act of existence in an emotionally deprived world…” Maggie Lee – Variety

Moët Hayami is an indie filmmaker who was born in Shiga Prefecture. She began her career by graduating from Ritsumeikan University’s visual department and Waseda University graduate school. Since then, she has worked on many films and commercials in different positions from production design/management, art direction, costume design, and as an assistant director. Projects include West North West (2015), directed by Takuro Nakamura, and Ryutaro Nakagawa’s award-winning film Summer Blooms (2017). She has written and directed shorts of her own and with Kushina, what will you be she has made her debut feature film.

Kushina tells the story of the inhabitants of a village of women hidden from the world in a forest somewhere in Japan. Their peaceful existence is disturbed when an idealistic anthropologist (Yayoi Inamoto) arrives and becomes attached to a girl named Kushina (Ikumi Satake). This connection deepens making tensions rise between Kushina’s mother Kagu (Tomona Hirota) and her grandmother Onikuma (veteran actress Miyuki Ono) who disagree over the future of the girl.

The film received its world premiere at the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2018 where it went on to win the Japan Cuts Award. The interview took place after the first screening.

The penultimate question features a bit of a mood spoiler so consider skipping it to get the maximum emotional punch.

Jason Maher: I was really blown away by what I saw on screen because you had created a whole universe and characters who fit into that universe. Could you tell me a little about pre-production?

Moët Hayami: First, me and my cinematographer went to the countryside to make a story. We went to an abandoned area and I imagined an image of one woman who is climbing up and the people who live in the abandoned area show their faces because they are waiting for her. That image I didn’t use in Kushina but maybe that image is in the future of the characters. The reason why I made the film is, I wanted to create a world where I feel cosy, somewhere where I belong. I don’t think my soul is in this world so I want to mix different cultures and everything that I like so Kushina is one of my worlds and to make the imaginary world strong I created the characters Onikuma, Kagu, and Kushina. They are not Japanese names but by using those unique names, it increased my imagination.

Jason Maher: In terms of the visuals, I felt that every scene was perfectly shot, like it could be a frame from a graphic novel. How much pre-shoot design did you do?

Moët Hayami: First, me and my cinematographer went to a museum to see pictures and we liked the same picture by Frederick Leighton. Study at a Reading Desk (1877). Do you know the picture? The girl is sitting and reading a book but she looks kind of bored. We liked that picture really much and through the texture, we felt the story and we thought, let’s do that. So we made up our minds before the shoot about covering every angle. These days, movies have fast editing but this is my first feature film so we needed to concentrate on individual shots so we decided to not cut too much because we wanted to make a strong film.

Jason Maher: The camera angles, shot composition, and mise-en-scene, everything was perfect. How did you find your experiences as a set designer and an assistant director on other films helped you with this film?

Moët Hayami: To be honest, I’m not good at being an assistant to somebody. When I joined other projects I always felt very stressed because I always wanted to make my own film so I don’t have a good answer. I don’t want to share my passion with another project.

Jason Maher: One of the strongest elements in the film is the location. It’s like Onikuma had stumbled upon an abandoned village and she had brought it back to life. In terms of set design, did you have overall control?

Moët Hayami: Yes, almost, but I did many things, clothes, set design, production management. I think I did more. Of course, I didn’t build the set, I borrowed the place and decorated it so I combined the design with the atmosphere at the location. If I had a bigger budget, I would want to create the whole set but I couldn’t do that this time so I embraced the atmosphere.

Jason Maher: This is truly an indie film. In terms of the script, it’s very unique with a largely female cast. Did you have any issues with finance?

Moët Hayami: I paid for everything by myself with help from my parents, but, still, the cost was very low because the actresses understood the situation. Even though she is very famous, these days she’s not working very much…

Jason Maher: Ono-san?

Moët Hayami: Yes. I took the script to the agency where Ono-san’s manager is vice-president and he quickly sent the script to Ono-san and she read it and she really liked it so, on the very same day, she sent a message to me, “Okay, I’ll do it.” We didn’t have money but she and the others understood the situation and they helped a lot.

Jason Maher: What was the response to the script from the others?

Moët Hayami: They were all pretty interested in it and, at the same time, the script is kind of unique so they could not imagine what was going on so they were curious. Hirota-san, Kagu, she felt hers was a very difficult role, maybe because Kagu is 28-years-old, and in those days, Hirota-san was also 28 and she felt a connection to Kagu at some point.

Jason Maher: You have tight control over visual elements, did you create a specific atmosphere on the set to get people to interact in a certain way?

Moët Hayami: I hope so but my production was not organised well, so maybe they helped me. They are very good actors and the set or location, maybe it helped them.

Jason Maher: The location is fantastic. Did you want it to be a character by itself? You use lots of close-ups of nature and you use lots of natural sound at points so it felt like it became a character in itself. Was that your intention?

Moët Hayami: Yes. So, as I mentioned with Frederick Leighton and texture, I wanted to pick up the details. I really like Ghibli. Miyazaki-san tells everyone how important nature is and its power, so I have learned that kind of thing from Ghibli. I had written the details of the natural world in Kushina‘s script. Usually, the writer doesn’t write those kind of things and some of the crew advised me to delete it to make the script clear. I didn’t think that nature was one of characters, but it was necessary for me to give life to each of the characters.

Jason Maher: That’s a really interesting answer because it brings to mind imagery from Totoro no Tonari and Mononoke Hime, it feels almost mystical and otherworldly at times. Also, another reference I got was Narayama Bushiko.

Moët Hayami: Narayama Bushiko! Actually, I really like Narayama Bushiko and when I saw it I thought I want to make that kind of film. Narayama Bushiko also had close-ups of nature so maybe it influenced me.

Jason Maher: Were there any site specific challenges to filming there?

Moët Hayami: We went to many locations, one of them was to Jukai, the Sea of Trees, the suicide forest. We shot in that area and the police came. The main area, the abandoned village, there is a path leading to it from the city but it is hard to get there on foot. There are no signs. Actually, for the insides of the houses we chose to shoot in the city. I hope nobody noticed.

Jason Maher: The use of the song “Que Sera Sera”, after the credits, [hits left side of chest] it got me. Did you have the idea to use that song from the very beginning or did it occur to you during the filming?

Moët Hayami: From the very beginning, actually. I made this film for my mother. When I was 20 I had a very bad relationship with my mother. The only thing we connected with was “Que Sera Sera”. When I was 20 I wanted to join the film industry but my parents disagreed so we argued every day but “Que Sera Sera” comes from the movies and my mother always sings that song so I feel that connection at some points so I decided that if I made my film I would use that song.

Jason Maher: What does the film mean to you, then?

Moët Hayami: This is another story about my mother and me. When we had a bad relationship, I went abroad to Vancouver, and she went to the station to see me off. At that time I got a letter from my mother but I couldn’t read it. I stayed in Vancouver for seven or eight months, and the day before I left Vancouver, I finally read the letter and it was not what I expected. I felt very sorry for my mother and I understood her thanks to that. Since then our relationship has gotten better so “Que Sera Sera” is like a tribute and I want to thank my mom.

As winner of the Japan Cuts award, Kushina, what will you be will been screened later this year at Japan Cuts in New York.

Columbus   

 Running Time: 114 mins.

Release Date: August 04th, 2017

Director: Kogonada

Writer: Kogonada (Screenplay)

Starring: John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey, Rory Culkin, Eren Allegretti, 

IMDB

This had it’s Japanese premiere at the Osaka Asian Film Festival where I watched it and pretty much burst into tears at the end.

There are many artistic avenues available for taking audiences into the lives of others and film offers the most direct and intense of those experiences. You can enter another person’s life in ways that other art-forms cannot hope to achieve, talented film-makers getting audiences to parse the most complex of emotions with ease if the form they construct on screen is right. Columbus is a great example. The film is named after the titular town located in Indiana which is famous for having the largest collection of public buildings designed by Modernist architects such as I.M. Pei, John Carl Warnecke, and Richard Meier. Using the pleasures of architecture and pleasurable dialogue, director Kogonoda martials his sets and cinematic techniques to concisely get at the heart of complex set of relationships through great locations and a script full of neat symmetry for the main characters.

The foundations of the story lie with a meeting outside the grand Victorian-style hotel Korean-American Jin (John Cho) is staying in. He has arrived in Columbus from Seoul to look after his estranged father, an admired architecture professor who has fallen into a coma on the eve of a lecture. Pretty much alone and isolated in town, he experiences something akin to culture-shock as he wrestles with being away from work and looking after a man he hasn’t spoken to in over a year. During one phone call with “home”, he encounters Casey (Haley Lu Richardson) who was planning on attending the lecture. This bright and intelligent 19-year-old graduated from high school a year ago but has taken on part-time work as a librarian to look after a troubled mother, having convinced herself this is the right path instead of pursuing her own dreams. Meeting over cigarettes shared over a fence, Casey and Jin talk. Small stuff at first. He hates being in Columbus while she genuinely likes it. He’s not fond of architecture while she believes in its power to change people. She tries to win him over by telling him about the town. Teasing and uneasiness turns into a form of connection and their world expands little by little as the conversation flows between the two and they recognise shared problems with errant parents and filial piety.

The town is the main stage and their conversations form the set-pieces of the film. Through natural and engaging dialogue we find out how the narrative trajectories of Jin and Casey mirror each other as they embark on random excursions and the film turns into a Richard Linklater-like drama. It’s down to the architecture providing weighty subjects for them to tunnel into and out of as we get past the “how” and “when” historical aspects of a building’s creation to the more soulful “why” something was created.

The buildings are given enough screen time to show off their characteristics in documentary-like fashion, sort of mini Frederick Wiseman-esque scenes as we are led on a tour and observe people in these spaces. More importantly for the story, they act as steps leading Casey and Jin outside of their emotional enclosures. Fenced in by cultural expectations such as what it’s like to be Korean in America and the draw of being back in Korea, and the burden of expectation placed on young women by the people in their lives, their surroundings essentially act as a natural bridge for them to discuss deeper personal issues, allowing them to survey the gaps in their emotional histories, and tear down facades of happiness they have erected before shoring up their resolve to try and do something to renovate their lives. It is all down to the characters reacting to their environments and it’s never contrived, it is always analytical, amusing, and moving.

Audience attention will be rooted on to the actors who have a magnificent chemistry as they discuss weighty topics and deepen their relationship with every conversation. There is a natural friendship at work on screen as the two spark off each other, playfully and in conflict, whilst also guiding each other with comfort and advice. John Cho as Jin is effortlessly cool and distant albeit a little cynical, but this hides a warm layer. Haley Lu Richardson is a perfect foil, an earnest and hopeful but also realistic young woman slowly succumbing to her lack of ambition but burning away with passion and confusion over what is the right step to take in her life. The two personalities mesh well and we see every smile or look of upset during conversations and believe it and also believe the changes they undergo.

What emerges between the two is a tastefully depicted platonic romance based on mutual concerns with architecture forming the central pillar the narrative is built around. It flows effortlessly out, buttressed by strong characterisation and fantastic performances. This is solidified by the supporting cast of characters with their own dreams and regrets who help paint the emotions of the characters and draw out the conflict. It is also brought to the front by Kogonada’s fantastic direction which frames the locations perfectly, often a long-shot with the conversations acting as narration so we understand what we are looking at but also how people interact with locations, positioning them naturally so we see everyday functions and also how different effects such as lighting and sound can influence a person. Kogonada’s scene composition and blocking acts symbolically to show the positions of relationships, how people walk alongside one another symmetrically, blocked by a fence until there is a gap which they can cross to be together, how Jin can spread his arms on a bench behind Casey with it being nonchalant and caring, how walking around a hexagonal space, something which forces people to look at each other, in a tracking shot talking about religion leads them to deeper issues, and how they may cross a bridge to some sort of understanding. It is never pretentious, it feels natural.

This American indie is worth watching for the weight of intelligence brought to form and theme and how it is constructed on screen but it never loses sight that cinema is about life and it has characters who we care about thanks to the performances and great writing, you will be glad to enter into the story, take time looking around the locations, and spend some time with the interesting people, so much so that you will feel a little broken-hearted when you leave town.

My review for this film was first published on V-Cinema on April 04th. I saw it at the Osaka Asian Film Festival.

Happy weekend, people!

I hope everyone is fine and dandy!

I’ve been busy at work conducting Japanese language/culture classes as well as doing my regular job. On top of that, I’ve managed to squeeze in time to do some writing. I posted about Kore-eda Hirokazu winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes on Sunday and followed that with an interview I had with the incredibly talented Hayami Moet, director of Kushina, what will you be, at the Osaka Asian Film Festival. I then posted a review for the American indie film Columbus which I saw at the same festival. V-Cinema posted my interview with the team behind Bad Poetry Tokyo and the director Takayama Kohei, both of which were conducted at, you guessed it, the Osaka Asian Film Festival!!!

I’ll be continuing with the lessons in the next week but I have started a new anime, Golden Kamuy. It’s pretty freaking brilliant.

What’s released this weekend in Japan?

3ft Ball & Souls    

三尺魂 「Sanjaku Tamashii」

Running Time: 93 mins.

Release Date: May 25th, 2018

Director:  Yoshio Kato

Writer: N/A

Starring: Honoka Murakami, Minehiro Kinomoto, Kanji Tsuda, Shinobu Tsuji,

Website    IMDB

Yoshio Kato, director of PLASTIC CRIME. He was inspired to become a movie-maker after watching Family Game (1983). This was at the Tokyo International Film Festival last year.

Synopsis: A group of four people gather together to commit suicide with a giant firework. However, after the explosion, the four are returned to just before their meeting. And it keeps happening. Three start to get the idea that the school girl in their group is actually from the future and try to persuade her not to join in…

After the Rain    

恋は雨上がりのように　 「Kurara – Hokusai no Musume」

Running Time: 111 mins.

Release Date: May 25th, 2018

Director:  Akira Nagai

Writer: Riko Sakaguchi (Screenplay), Jun Mayuzuki (Original Manga)

Starring: Nana Komatsu, Yo Oizumi, Nana Seino, Hayato Isomura, Honoka Matsumoto, Yo Yoshida, Mari Hamada, Maika Yamamoto,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Akira Tachibana (Nana Komatsu) is just 17 but her life has hit a speedbump and she’s not sure what to do. An injury has curtailed her athletics career and she’s all adrift until she meets 45-year-old Masami Kondo (Yo Oizumi), the manager of a family restaurant. His kind manner convinces her to take on part-time work there and it also convinces her heart that there’s something more…

My Friend “A”   

友罪　 「Yuuzai」

Running Time: 129 mins.

Release Date: May 25th, 2018

Director:  Takahisa Zeze

Writer: Takahisa Zeze (Screenplay), Gaku Yakumaru (Original Manga)

Starring: Toma Ikuta, Eita, Kaho, Yasuko Tomita, Mizuki Yamamoto, Koichi Sato, Eita Okuno, Kaoru Iida,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Junichi Masuda (Toma Ikuta) is the new guy at a factory in a small town. He’s pretty honest about his background. He failed in his attempt to become a journalist and isn’t sure what to do next. His co-worker Hideto Suzuki (Eita) is the complete opposite. Secretive and a bit of a loner, Suzuki doesn’t open up about his past. However, he slowly becomes friends with Junichi. This happens around the time that a child is killed in a nearby town. Masuda researches into that case and a series of child murders from 17 years ago and stumbles across an image of a boy who looks like Masuda... He decides to write an article on Masuda while befriending him and discovers a disturbing story.

What a Wonderful Family! 3: My Wife, My Life    

妻よ薔薇のように　家族はつらいよIII　 「Tsumayo Bara no you ni kazoku wa tsuraiyo III」

Running Time: 123 mins.

Release Date: May 25th, 2018

Director:  Yoji Yamada

Writer: Yoji Yamada, Emiko Hiramatsu (Screenplay),

Starring: Toma Ikuta, Eita, Kaho, Yasuko Tomita, Mizuki Yamamoto, Koichi Sato, Eita Okuno, Kaoru Iida,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: The dysfunctional Hirata household is back and on the brink of another crisis when matriarch Fumie (Yui Natsukawa) finds the money she has saved over the years has been stolen and when her husband Konosuke (Masahiko Nishimura) becomes indignant that she even thought of saving money behind his back, she flies the coop leaving the house in disarray.

Last Love Letter   

ラストラブレター　 「Rasuto Rabu Reta-」

Running Time: 58 mins.

Release Date: May 25th, 2018

Director:  Hiroyuki Morita

Writer: Hiroyuki Morita (Screenplay),

Starring: Sho Mineo, Yuko Kageyama, Ayumi Tada

Website

Synopsis: Set in the not so distant future, a woman named Akiko brings her husband back from the dead via an android that will operate for two weeks. She and her “husband” live together again…

Ani Tomo   

兄友　 「Ani Tomo」

Running Time: N/A

Release Date: May 26th, 2018

Director:  Ryo Nakajima

Writer: Chieko Nakagawa (Screenplay), Modomu Akagawara (Original Manga)

Starring: Ryusei Yokohama, Risaki Matsukaze, Karin Ono, Jun Fukuyama, Tsuyoshi Furukawa, Koudai Matsuoka,

Website

This one features the actor Karin Ono who was in the fantastic and fantastically freaky Ordinary Everyday.

Synopsis: Sota Nishino (Ryusei Yokohama) and Yukihiro Nanase (Tsuyoshi Furukawa) are friends but things get a little embarrassing when Sota meets Yukihiro’s sister Mai (Risaki Matsukaze) and the two innocent kids start dating.

Zenigata   

ゼニガタ　 「Zenigata」

Running Time: 111 mins.

Release Date: May 26th, 2018

Director:  Shinya Ayabe

Writer: Yuji Nagamori (Screenplay),

Starring: Ryohei Otani, Katsuya Kobayashi, Aimi Satsukawa, Yumi Adachi, Shunsuke Tanaka, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Masato Yoshihara, Yuki Tamaki, Takumi Tsuchida, Arisa Yagi,

Website

Synopsis: Tomio Zenigata (Ryohei Otani) and his younger brother Shizuka (Katsuya Kobayashi) run a backstreet bar in a fishing port. They also double-up as money-lenders dealing with a variety of customers.

The Man From the Sea   

海を駆ける　 「Umi wo Kakeru」

Running Time: 107 mins.

Release Date: May 26th, 2018

Director:  Koji Fukada

Writer: Koji Fukada (Screenplay),

Starring: Dean Fujioka, Taiga, Junko Abe, Mayu Tsuruta, Adipati Dolken, Sekar Sari,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Atsuko (Mayu Tsuruta) and her son Takashi (Taiga) are two Japanese people who live in an Indonesian town by the sea with the intention of helping the locals. The place was ravaged by war and a tsunami but good things start happening when Atsuko finds a man washed up on a beach. This mysterious fellow speaks broken Japanese and Indonesian and is taken into their care. They name him Rau (Dean Fujioka) and he starts to wander around. Soon, news reports tell of him performing miracles and saving lives.

Gachi Boshi    

ガチ星 「Gachi Boshi」

Running Time: 106 mins.

Release Date: May 26th, 2018

Director:  Kan Eguchi

Writer: Tomoki Kanazawa (Screenplay),

Starring: Kenichi Abe, Shoudai Fukuyama, Damari Hayashi, Ryo Funazaki, Kengo Morisaki,

Website

Synopsis: Koji Hamajima (Kenichi Abe) has given up as a father, husband, and as a professional baseball player. He spends his time languishing in pachinko parlours around Ogura, Fukuoka Prefecture. Pushing 40, he decides to change his life by attending a bicycle racing school but finds the harsh reality a shock to his system as a combination of brutal training and instruction from the coaches and younger cyclists batter his resolve. Can he hang on?

Hurry Go Round hide 20^th MEMORIAL FILM    

Running Time: 108 mins.

Release Date: May 26th, 2018

Director:  Tomoaki Ishikawa

Writer: N/A

Starring: hide, YOSHIKI, INA, Yoichiro Yamazaki, Eric Westfall, Yuma Yamato,

Website

Synopsis: Hide, the former guitarist of X Japan who died at the age of 33 in 1998, is still ma beloved musical icon in Japan and this documentary looks at the final days of the musician visiting places related to the man. The guy leading the film around his Yuma Yamato, an actor who has appeared in many films including the Chihayafuru trilogy.

The Reverse Diaries    

リバースダイアリー 「Riba-su Daiari-」

Running Time:  99 mins.

Release Date: May 26th, 2018

Director:  Shin Sonoda

Writer: Shin Sonoda (Screenplay),

Starring: Gen Ogawa, Marie Ono, Erika Tsunashima, Iku Arai, Moeru Akazome, Masana Hirabuki,

Website IMDB

Synopsis from IMDB: A novelist Rihito Shiraishi meets Saki Honda, a somewhat eccentric woman, and he is attracted to her. Triggered by Saki’s suicidal attempt and reading her diary, Shiraishi recognizes that their encounter was not a coincidence. United by an airplane accident, they start to face their true selves eventually, influencing one another.

SEVEN/7

Running Time:  N/A

Release Date: May 28th, 2018

Director:  Yu-ya HARA

Writer: N/A

Starring: The guys the third generation of J Soul Brothers from Exile Tirbe

Website

Synopsis: A documentary on the third generation J Soul Brothers from EXILE TRIBE to coincide with their new album, FUTURE which is released on June 06^th.

Mitsuko to Uchuu kobu    

みつこと宇宙こぶ 「Mitsuko to Uchuu kobu」

Running Time:  40 mins.

Release Date: May 29th, 2018

Director:  Risa Takeuchi

Writer: Risa Takeuchi (Screenplay),

Starring: Miku Komatsu, Yuuki Kaneda, Sota Shimano, Noa Miyano,

Website

The director was at the Tokyo International Film Festival last year as one of a new generation of talents getting support in SHINPA 6.

Synopsis: Mitsuko (Miku Komatsu) is a middle-school student with an obsession over humps. Do they contain aliens? Galaxies? The secret to life? She needs to know. If she can find out, she can answer all sorts of questions!

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2202: Ai no Senshi-tachi Chapter 5 “Rengoku-hen”    

宇宙戦艦ヤマト2202 愛の戦士たち　第五章「煉獄篇」 「Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2202: Ai no Senshi-tachi “Rengoku-hen”」

Release Date: May 25th, 2018

Running Time: 98 mins.

Director: Nobuyoshi Habara

Writer: Harutoshi Fukui (Screenplay),

Starring: Daisuke Ono (Susumu Kodai), Takayui Sugo (Juzo Okita), Noriko Kuwashima (Yuki Mori), Kenichi Suzumura (Daisuke Shima), Aya Uchida (Yuria Misaki), Rina Sato (Makoto Kato), Aya Hisakawa (Kaoru Niimi),

Website    MAL    ANN

Synopsis from ANN: Three years after the Yamato’s return from the planet Iscandar. The people of Earth restored their planet with the Cosmo Reverse System, and they signed a peace treaty with Garmillas. In addition to reconstruction, Earth developed a new defense fleet that includes the state-of-the-art battleship Andromeda. The Earth goes down a path of military expansion, despite Starsha Iscandar’s wishes. The Yamato helps accomplish this so-called peace, but it comes at the price of many invaluable sacrifices. The goddess Teresa, who prays for tranquility in space, calls the Yamato to a new voyage. The threat of Gatlantis is sweeping over the universe and approaching Earth.

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion – Glorification    

コードギアス　反逆のルルーシュIII 皇道 「 Code Geass – Hangyaku no Lelouch – Ōdō」

Running Time: 133 mins.

Release Date: February 10th, 2018

Director:  Goro Taniguchi

Writer: Ichiro Okouchi (Screenplay),

Starring: Jun Fukuyama (Lelouch Lamperouge), Takahiro Sakurai (Suzaku Kururugi), Yukana (C.C.), Akeno Watanabe (Viletta Nu), Ami Koshimizu (Kallen Stadtfeld),

Animation Production: Sunrise

Website ANN MAL

This is the final film in a trilogy recounting the events of the TV anime.

Synopsis: Following the conquest of Japan, The Empire of Britannia has near domination of the world . It has renamed Japan Area 11 and rules the country with a ruthlessness that doesn’t duck away from killing innocents. One Britannian named Lelouch vows to free the country after getting caught up with terrorists and meeting a young girl who gives him the power of Geass, which makes anyone obey any order…

Mamoru Hosoda’s new Mirai no Mirai (Mirai of the Future) was screened at Cannes in the Directors’ Fortnight section and it took a while for a bunch of reviews to be published online but they are there to be discovered and they are all full of praise for the film.

Mirai

Mirai of the Future    

未来のミライ 「Mirai no Mirai」

Running Time: 100 mins.

Release Date: July 20th, 2018

Director:  Mamoru Hosoda

Writer: Mamoru Hosoda (Screenplay/Original Work)

Starring: Haru Kuroki (Mirai-chan), Moka Kamishiraishi (Kun-chan), Gen Hoshino (Father), Koji Yakusho (Father), Kumiko Aso (Mother), Mitsuo Yoshihara (Mysterious Man), Yoshiko Miyazaki (Grandmother)

Animation Production: Studio Chizu

Website ANN MAL

Synopsis: A family living in a small house in a corner of a Yokohama dotes on a spoiled four-year-old boy named Kun-chan. When he gets a little sister named Mirai, he feels that his new sister stole his parents’ love from him. Jealousy and resentment well up until he meets an older version of Mirai, who has come from the future and takes him on an adventure.

As previously written, great plaudits for the film. Universal praise. A lot of focus is placed on Hosoda’s own experiences of being a father in a family where a newborn girl took the attention of the parents away from the elder sibling, a boy, and this dose of reality gives the story its hearty content.  

“…Hosoda turns life lessons into an exuberant and enriching story full of intriguing ideas…

…From the very start Hosoda nails the chaos and pure joy of family life.” Katherine McLaughlin – SciFiNow

Films based on families are what Hosoda tends to do and he tends to mix human drama with the fantastical to make it palatable. There were unconventional families showing the dedication and beauty of personal connections in Wolf Children, Summer Wars, and The Boy and the Beast. The film is closer to The Girl Who Leapt Through Time since it has time-travel with a coming-of-age story and we have time-travel again with all the familiar themes.

“Once Hosoda’s fantastical premise kicks in, Mirai unfolds into an episodic, almost plotless story of a child finding their place in the world, and discovering the responsibilities and relationships that help make up their developing identity.” Michael Leader – Little White Lies

The story sounds simple enough and easy to dive into, much like Hosoda’s other films. The real richness comes from the characters and family dynamics.

The film gets praise for its character design/animation as well as the design of locations such as the house. It shows the care and attention that Hosoda typically puts into his films. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars really capture the imagination with their locations which are so rich with details, well, I have tried on a number of occasions hunting down an old post from a blogger which went into detail about specific rooms and the symbolism of decorations.

“…the character design walks the line with grace between big-eyed anime cutesiness and closely observed realism, capturing with insightful wit the way dogs and kids move and wiggle, especially given the fact that they have different centers of gravity compared to adults. There are also some finely timed slapstick moments, and altogether, the story lasts a comparatively sprightly and pleasant 98 minutes, displaying a brevity that would serve more cartoons from the region well.” Leslie Felperin – The Hollywood Reporter

This film is going to be good!

Japanese Films at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (June 20th to July 01st) and while compared to past editions of the festivals it’s disappointing, these are two top titles the event presents probably the best chance to see them in the UK.

Here they are!

Party ‘Round the Globe         

地球はお祭り騒ぎ 「Chikyuu wa omatsurisawagi」

Running Time: 116 mins.

Release Date: 2017

Director:  Hirobumi Watanabe

Writer: Hirobumi Watanabe (Screenplay)

Starring: Gaku Imamura, Ringo, Hirobumi Watanabe, Katsumi Ino, Ryoko Ino, Akemi Watanabe, Takanori Kurosaki, Yuji Watanabe, Misao Hirayama,

Website

Hirobumi Watanabe and his small crew have been cranking out black-and-white films that find the humour and melancholy that characterise small-town life in Japan. Poolsideman was a big hit at last year’s TIFF and travelled around the world. This one is billed as another hit.

Synopsis: Hikaru Honda works at a small electronics factory in a suburban town in the north of the Kanto region. He leads a quiet life with his dog Ringo but one day, he decides to go to a Paul McCartney concert at Tokyo Dome with his fellow Beatlemaniac, Takafumi Hirayama. Thus, a road-trip movie is born!

Radiance

光 「Hikari」

Running Time: 129 mins.

Release Date: May 27^th , 2017

Director: Naomi Kawase

Writer: Naomi Kawase (Screenplay),

Starring: Masatoshi Nagase, Ayame Misaki, Tatsuya Fuji, Chihiro Ohtsuka, Kazuko Shirakawa, Saori Koide, Nobumitsu Onishi, Mantaro Koichi,

Website IMDB

Naomi Kawase is a veteran filmmaker whose works are finally leaving the festival circuit and becoming widely available in the West via home distribution. Her latest was at the 2017 Cannes film festival and it radiates with some glowing praise.

Synopsis: Masaya Nakamori (Masatoshi Nagase) is a genius photographer. He meets Misako Ozaki (Ayame Misaki), a woman who is involved in a voice acting project for the visually impaired. The two initially don’t get on because Masaya has a cold attitude but when Misako sees a photograph of a sunset shot by him, she is inspired to look into Masaya’s life and discovers that he is losing his sight and their relationship changes.

Here’s coverage of past Edinburgh International Film Festivals:

Edinburgh International Film Festival 2013

Edinburgh International Film Festival 2014

Edinburgh International Film Festival 2015

Edinburgh International Film Festival 2016

Edinburgh International Film Festival 2017

Saraba Seijaku   

サラバ静寂 「Saraba Seijaku」

Running Time: N/A

Release Date: January 27^th, 2018

Director: Kenichi Ugana

Writer: Kenichi Ugana (Screenplay),

Starring: Kaito Yoshimura, Sumire, Ryuya Wakaba, Nobu Morimoto, Takumi Saito,

Website

Entertainment, ideas, and art are vital for people. They become part of human instinct. It is seen in the way people dress, arrange their homes, and the way they respond to sounds and images so what happens when you take them away from people? This is the question explored by many stories perhaps the most famous being Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Director Kenichi Ugana follows his debut Ganguro Gals Riot (2016) with his sophomore feature Goodbye Silence (2018) and addresses this issue in a dystopian tale that is a fitfully interesting indie film with some interesting ideas.

The story takes place in an alternate-reality Japan where entertainment like music, movies, and TV are banned by the state and a fascistic police force brutally punishes anybody found enjoying them. As a result of this censorship life is dull for people including our lead characters Mizuto (Kaito Yoshimura) and Tokio (Ryuya Wakaba), two young lads who work at a screw factory. In the absence of things to inspire them, their entertainment is skipping stones on lakes and breaking into houses. One day, they pick the wrong house. What seems like a seemingly normal abode turns out to be the site of an execution of a man who concealed and used his collection of recording devices, vinyl, CDs, cassette tapes, and televisions to make music. For reasons best described as “aid to plot development”, the police left the house and its contents intact for anybody to discover. These items are inspirational for Mizuto and Tokio who find a new dimension opens up in their world as they take to making music. They aren’t the only ones connected to that location…