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An Interview with Daisuke Miyazaki, director of “TOURISM”, at the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2018

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Daisuke Miyazaki was born in 1980 in Yokohama, Kanagawa. A passion for analysing films turned into a career when he started making them while studying at Waseda University. In 2004, he participated in New York University’s summer school that took place in Japan. His thesis The 10th Room won the Christine Choi Award, which is the grand prix at the KUT Film Festival held by the NYU. His following film Love Will Tear Us Apart was invited to be a special screening at the Image Forum Film Festival 2006, which is the largest experimental film festival in Japan.

The next stage in his career was to work his way up through the film world from lighting assistant to acting as an assistant director for Kiyoshi Kurosawa on Tokyo Sonata(2008). Miyazaki’s first feature film, End of the Night (2011), was exhibited at the Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinema International Film Festival, and received a special award at the Toronto Shinsedai Film Festival. His work on the omnibus film 5TO9 was screened at the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2016 (OAFF) and his second feature Yamato (California) was screened at OAFF 2017.

He returned to OAFF in 2018 with his latest feature film, Tourism, an amusingly hip youth movie following two Japanese girls named Nina (Nina Endo) and Su (SUMIRE) who get lost in Singapore, which was shot in the space of five days. This is the first of a planned five film run which could take Miyazaki around the world.

Daisuke Miyazaki

Miyazaki kindly took part in an interview at the ABC Hall in Osaka midway through the festival where he went into detail about the shoot and his background.

Jason Maher: Thank you for making the film. It’s a really interesting experience. I felt like it captured the dislocation of travelling around a new place. I really liked your directing style.

Daisuke Miyazaki: Thank you very much.

How did you get your start in filmmaking?

When I was in college I was writing film reviews as a critic because I was in a film critic club. After watching a certain amount of films I thought, maybe I should start making them so I started filming by myself but after doing that for a few years I thought I don’t have the fundamental skills of a filmmaker like lighting, storytelling, directing so I went to a school called Film School of Tokyo (Eiga Bigakko) for a while and during that time I was invited to take part in film shoots as part of the crew.

Did that involve working as an assistant director with Kiyoshi Kurosawa?

That’s a bit later. I started as assistant lighting technician in a snowy mountain location. It was a horrible experience but that was my entrance. In Japan, you have to go step by step to assistant director or screenwriter and then you become a director. It’s an old style…

Slowly learning your craft.

But at the same time I was making my own short independent movies, trying and learning, trying and learning.

So is there a specific vision you have for all of your films that you want to keep with each project?

I want to make something new every time. I think 5TO9 was like a film noir and Yamato (California) was like a kind of music drama and this time it’s a little bit like comedy travel movie so every time I try to do something new and try to improve in some way.

That’s cool. You can see that each project has a different subject. I believe this project was in collaboration with the Singapore International Film Festival?

Ah yes, the Singapore International Film Festival and Art Science Museum first offered me a screening during their festival. Budget-wise, shooting-wise, it was supposed to be shot in Japan and it was supposed to be a short film but the budget for Japanese indie movies is usually very low and I wanted to try and shoot in a foreign country so I decided to shoot in Singapore. We only had five days but I think it turned out to be a good length feature film, not too short, a really comfortable size.

It’s just the right length and it’s a mellow space to enter. You said you only had five days to shoot, so was there a lot of pre-planning involved?

Yes, the fundamental reason is because there were only five days and that’s quite short for a feature-length film but I have experience working on very cheap v-cinema productions and I’ve been working as an assistant director for that so I know how to schedule in my brain, like, “I only have two minutes here and two minutes there”, so I used that skill and also in Singapore there are lots of security cameras and there aren’t so many places where you can film freely without permission so I had to walk around all of the places and check where the cameras are and think about how I should film. For the airport scene, I was already in Singapore preparing so, I myself wasn’t out there for that so I had to tell my DP on the phone what to do but before that I had already videod the airport and I had already decided all of the cuts and shots and the frame size and then I sent it to my DP and was like, “Oh I want my actresses coming in from the left side to do this so follow her”. I told my DP what to do with each cut and he tried to copy that.

That’s really amazing because there is, on the one hand, a real sense of spontaneity, like you have just showed up and the actors have wandered into the frame like real tourists and you’re shooting on the fly but it sounds like you did a lot of planning. Did you have storyboarding and other elements?

For the airport scene I had storyboarding and I did plan quite a lot. It does look natural Compared to the shooting period, the planning went on for a long time. I took a lot of time preparing because I knew that I couldn’t do so many things so there was no time to be confused.

The way you play around with the aspect ratios really fit the characters. What sort if aesthetic did you want for the film?

I told my DP that the bright colours of Singapore was one thing that was interesting for me, like the purples, greens, yellows, oranges in the little Indian area, like those shiny colours are really interesting for me so I told my DP that I want the tone of the AGFA film stock used by Yasujiro Ozu in which vivid colours come up and then, for the frame, I intended to change it a lot like a smartphone screen being this size or an Instagram kind of size and with each cut I tried to change something and keep the audience interested in it because the story is about girls getting lost and walking around so I thought about how I could keep the mind of the audience stuck to the screen. That was a big thing for me.

I think it really worked.

Thank you.

Tourism Film Image 2 Nina Endo and SUMIRE

I loved the switches in shooting styles like the on-screen text when they were streaming, that was really entertaining. [Laughter] You talk about location specific problems with regards to security cameras, were there any other surprises that came up?

Everywhere I went, let’s say, shooting in the temple or going inside that Muslim family’s home, I had intentions as a director that I wanted to do something but I was told that, traditionally, this is right, so your way is not right or correct so I myself was learning so much about the culture out there, the society and Singapore, and it was like a big tour for me. It was surprising. I did prepare a lot but on the set I studied the diversity of Singapore.

You go to different areas like the Hindu and Muslim areas as well as Chinatown and you meet a variety of Singaporeans, were they professional or non-professional actors?

Three of the main characters are professional, the rest are amateurs like my friend or my friend’s friend.

Like the Chinese lady who helps Nina, is she a professional?

She’s my good friend and I really like her voice and the way she laughs. The real her keeps on talking all of the time so I asked her, “can you act?” and she said, “oh I have never acted so I can’t”, and I said, “it’s okay, I’m going to direct so you can relax”.

She’s really good at communicating with Nina and the camera [laughter] and I really loved the conversation they have where she talks about anime because I have done things like that so it felt real. Did you have any specific way of directing people?

I basically tried to expand the good part of a person whether it’s their voice or how they talk or the angle they smile at. First I try to seek what’s the good part, the fascinating part of each person and then I try to extend it in a cinematic and theatrical way so the way you talk is interesting but if you talk a little bit faster it will become more fascinating. I do have in my mind what character I want to direct but I figured out recently that the best way is to find the best part of the actor and the original person and expand it.

The film captures some of the best moments of being a traveller such as when a stranger welcomes you into their home or shows you an aspect of the city you wouldn’t see as a tourist like the scene on the rooftop with the band. Was that spontaneous or pre-planned?

That’s from my real experience. I was drinking in Singapore and then my friend invited me to this one-room apartment and there was a really cool band playing inside. They told me that there are many underground bands who play in a room or a house and this youth culture is getting really hot in Singapore. I knew that band and for the final scene I wanted to show the landscape of the skyscrapers of Singapore at the same time, like a cool thing and the very touristic artificial thing at the same time was the theme of the movie so I was location scouting the area and actually that scene was supposed to be shot inside, one floor under the rooftop, and they said you can check out the rooftop so I climbed this big ladder to the rooftop and I asked, “can I use this place?” and they said, “yes, if you can bring up the equipment”, because we had to climb the ladder but everyone, every extra and people who went there cooperated and took heavy amps and guitars and filming equipment up the ladder and then we shot it.

It sounds like a really great atmosphere on set with everyone working together.

In Singapore there are so many people who love movies and they are really enthusiastic about it and many people want to help each other. If someone is having trouble, many people will come and help each other and so the shoot was like that. Even though I am Japanese, they treated me like a local person and supported me a lot and without that I don’t think it would have been possible to shoot it in five days.

So your own experiences on the shoot informed the movie a lot.

I started to like Singapore much much more after the shoot.

I’ve never been to Singapore, is the Merlion really disappointing?

It’s okay. I didn’t want to say, “this is boring” or something like that. I want to be quite positive about everything in my films so it’s okay. That area is very cool. It’s very plastic but as a sight-seeing place I think it’s good and also, in that scene, somehow everyone (the public) was wearing orange and so when the camera pans there’s so much orange in the frame so that was a really interesting coincidence.

Visually distinct. It’s the second time that you’ve worked with Nina Endo. Why did you bring her back from Yamato (California)?

Somehow I become really good friends with my actors after shooting. It’s probably because my directing style is not like, “I want to do this so can you act like that?”

Authoritarian?

Yes, it starts from “Hi, how are you?” and, “What food do you like?” “I think this part of you is really good.” This sort of personal communication goes on forever on the set so we become good friends. I thought about Hanae, too, but this time I wanted to do something for the younger generation. I want high school girls and young college girls to watch Tourism and say, “Oh, this is so cool!”. Nina is one of those fashion icons for the young generation so she was perfect for the role. She speaks English but not perfect so I thought that would be really effective to use, and her age was perfect for the role. I shot Yamato in 2015 and two years had passed and her acting got really good so all of those factors made me choose Nina first and then the rest of the cast was decided.

SUMIRE, she’s Tadanobu Asano’s daughter and she’s a fashion icon as well. Was this her first acting role?

I think she was in River’s Edge and maybe a few films before but this was her first time acting in a foreign country but still, she was not super used to acting so it was quite interesting. First, I felt she wasn’t so sure what she could do, so I made her confident during the process, like “You are great just being there but can you do a bit of this?” Every time I film an actor or actress, I try to show their best acting or best face in their career and I think Sumire was really good. I mean, she already has a few films, but this was her best acting role so far.

Yeah, she has a good comedic approach, like deadpan serious as seen when she recounts encountering the ghost. [Laughter] What was the meaning behind the ghost?

One big idea of this project was to step across all of the borders in this world like, sexuality, country, nation, dead, living, past, future, earth, space, whatever. I was trying to cross all of the borders with this movie. Anything can happen in this world and everything is to be supported and it’s a positive thing, is what I wanted to show in this movie.

What does the film mean to you?

Until my last film, Yamato (California), I tried to show how hard the world is and how it is a dirty place but also there’s beauty inside which is what I tried to show in a bit of a hardcore style. This time I wanted to be more positive and I wanted to show the younger generation the possibilities of the world. You can touch your smart phone all day long but if you get a $200 ticket and fly to somewhere, there’s something you can’t imagine and something 3D instead of 2D and it might change your life drastically. I wanted to show how much possibility and beauty there is in the world if you have the courage to step out.

You did it perfectly with the film because Nina encounters so much kindness. She could have just been wandering around touristic areas but she gets to know new urban spaces and real people. What is the meaning behind the Elvis t-shirt that she wears?

That’s quite a coincidence but I do like Elvis and you know, they talk about Elvis as a ghost in Jim Jarmusch’s movie Mystery Train. I really like that movie and I was writing a novel about it a few months before the shoot and I imagined Elvis like a ghost and he’s still wandering around the world in his Cadillac and then Nina had that Elvis t-shirt and Tourism is a story about ghosts and the living, so it was a coincidence and a perfect fit.

You want it to appeal to young people which is why you chose to have specific actors and gave the characters direct-to-camera interviews where they tell the audience that they work in Tsutaya and Book-Off, typical part-time jobs staffed by young people, why did you use that technique?

It’s part of the theme I was talking about. I wanted to cross the border between the documentary and fictional film world. I wanted to show that in this movie anything can happen. It’s all from my experience interviewing younger people in Yamato for Yamato (California). The actors look like they are talking naturally and it feels improvised but the dialogue was written. I think it would be nice to shoot it as a real documentary.

It’s really good at getting the sense of reality conveyed, as if these are people plucked out of Yamato itself but then there’s the narration which felt like it came from extra-terrestrials. At the end it promises to continue five years in the future in New York. Do you have intentions of carrying on Nina’s story?

Yes, I’m thinking of five stories about tourists and then the fifth story in New York is my plan. When I was filming, at first it was like a joke, I mean, I wanted to show the stories expanding out of this movie and spread to the world but after finishing I thought it worked out quite nice and I really wanted to do this again. I want to travel and film at the same time so, yes, I think I will go to other Asian countries or Eastern Europe and try to go on with the series.

Will Takayuki Yanagi go on the next journey?

The next journey I am planning is in China. Takayuki gets sick of Japan and Yamato and moves to the mountains in China and then he sends them (Nina and Su) a letter, like, “why don’t you come to China?” and then the movie starts from the scene when they receive the letter, and there’s one more person who is living inside of the house instead of Takayuki so three girls head to China but they can’t use their smartphones and they get lost. [Laughter]

That sounds amazing already, a fantastic follow-on. When do you start shooting?

I think I already have the story so I’m looking for investors, maybe Chinese investors but Japanese investors, too. Some people were quite amazed by the story and the platform is very simple since it’s about two girls who go to a country for a few days. I hope it’s not super difficult to find a sponsor compared to an original story project. I hope I can do it, this year or next year, because I have to reach New York in five years, right? [Laughter]

So it will be another journey for the next Osaka Asian Film Festival.

I hope so. That will be interesting.

I hope Tourism gets to travel around the world because it’s very contemporary. The music at the end is very melancholy, could you explain a little about that?

Sure, the last movie I used hip hop and noise rock but this time I was trying to do something more avante garde. I was talking with a Singaporean underground band, which I came to know over the last few years. Maybe making the music was the longest process during the film making. They made the music very quickly and then they sent it to me and I said, “Can you change this? Can you change this?” and they fixed it and we did this for several months and so that was very original and that was like making another film at the same time because they tried to make an album which is like a soundtrack and out of that I chose the music but it’s my first experience where the soundtrack came before the shoot. I could think of the rhythm of the movie in my mind and direct. For that dance scene I woke up in the morning and thought about dancing but it was not in the script so I suddenly told the actresses, “guys, could you dance now?” and they said, “no, it’s too early in the morning,” and I said, “Please think about the dance in the car and we’ll do it in the afternoon.”, and then they asked, “Why do we need a dance scene?” and I said, “Because it’s cool. We’re going to do it. Believe me.” The crew also asked me during the shooting, “Is this okay? Is this funny? Is this working?” but I was quite confident that it was funny and adorable when they started dancing. I was playing this very basic beat on the set and afterwards I asked the track maker of Yamato (California) to make a new one and then changed the original music into a new one.

Tourism Film Image 3 Nina Endo and SUMIRE

It’s a fantastic scene that always brings a smile to my face and other reviewers have highlighted that scene.

Thanks. [Laughter] I’m still not sure, can Western people enjoy this film, the scenery of Singapore? I’m also afraid if they can’t tell the difference between Japan and Singapore. It sure was intended to show how similar Japan and Singapore are in the centre of the city but there might be people who can’t even tell the difference between Singapore and Japan. For example, the airport scenes are very similar, so they might think it is the same country. The story starts with very basic ideas about modernisation and stuff but there are some differences in each country and very interesting diversities, which was what I wanted to show in this film. I hope that Western people can understand the differences.

I think you get a sense of that with the film. Nina goes off the beaten track and she leaves the touristic areas and the diversity of Singapore is brought to life.

Tourism was shown at the Osaka Asian Film Festival on March 10 and 15.

This interview was published on April 28th at VCinema.

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Punk Samurai Slash Down, The Name, Modern Love, The Trial, The Negotiator: Behind the Reversion of Okinawa, Let’s go! Anpanman: Shine! Kurun and the Star of Life, Uchu Sentai Kyuranger vs. Space Squad, MANDALAY STAR My Journey to Myanmar Folk Music, Bridge to Tomorrow Memories of 1989, Girls’ Encounter, The Second Security Unit Japanese Film Trailers

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Happy weekend, everyone!

Tourism Film Image 2 Nina Endo and SUMIRE

I hope everyone is feeling great!

I’ve had a good week watching some fantastic films and enjoying the good weather the UK is experiencing. I also got a lot festival press work done months in advance of an event with a press release, synopses, and contacts ready to go out.

The New York Asian Film Festival kicked off yesterday and two of my reviews have gone live on V-Cinema: The Hungry Lion and Dynamite Graffiti and there are a couple more waiting to be published. Over here on this blog I published a review for TOURISM and an interview with the director of TOURISM, Daisuke Miyazaki.

What is released this weekend in Japan?

The Name    The Name Film Poster 2

名前 Namae

Running Time: 114 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director: Akihiro Toda

Writer: Yusuke Moriguchi (Screenplay), Shusuke Michio (Original Story)

Starring: Kanji Tsuda, Ren Komai, Miho Kanazawa, Mako Komaki, Akari Kakimoto, Noriko Kijima, Yohta Kawase, Mayuko Nishiyama, Mariko Tsutsui,

IMDB      Website

I saw this one at the Osaka Asian Film Festival and thought it was a solid drama. Since then, the film has travelled around the world and others are enjoying it. I hope plenty of people get to see this film.

Synopsis: Moriya city in Ibaraki is a quiet place with residents who lead simple lives. Everyone, apart from a lonely angst-ridden bachelor named Masao Nakamura. Since losing his business and becoming penniless, he has adopted multiple identities to get by: Yoshikawa, a big businessman, Suzuki, the happy family man, Okubo, the doting husband who quit Tokyo to look after a sick wife. When his ruse about the sick wife is about to be exposed as a lie at work, a schoolgirl named Emiko Hayama steps in from out of nowhere and pretends to be his daughter.

Emiko is another person who loves to lie. Instead of facing a lonely home run by a single-mother, the girl hangs out with Masao and the pair strike up a friendship. It fills a gap in their lives but their lies hinder them from overcoming inner-turmoil. At some point a fake dad and a fake daughter will have to face their suffering in order to move on.

Punk Samurai Slash Down   Punk Samurai Slash Down Film Poster

パンク侍、斬られて候 Panku Samurai Kirarete Soro

Running Time: 131 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Gakuryu Ishii

Writer:  Kankuro Kudo (Screenplay), Ko Machida (Original Novel)

Starring: Gou Ayan, Keiko Kitagawa, Shota Sometani, Masahiro Higashide, Tadanobu Asano, Masatoshi Nagase, Jun Murakami, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Jun Kunimura, Etsushi Toyokawa,

Website    IMDB

Punk-rocker Ko Machida’s novel is given the big screen treatment by Gakuyu Ishii of ELECTRIC DRAGON 80000V, Angel Dust and Bitter Honey fame and the cast is full of super-talented actors!

Synopsis: Junoshin Kake (Gou Ayano) is a ronin eager to get nto the service of the Kurokaze plan s he concocts a lie about a doomsday cult called the Bellyshakers agitating for violence. He finds himself caught up in his own lies, the schemes of two clan retainers, the cult, and a whole host of other plans and plots from a bunch of weirdos such as a telekinetic imbecile and a talking monkey warlord.

Modern Love    Modern Love Film Poster

モダン・ラブ Modan Rabu

Running Time: 115 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Takuya Fukushima

Writer:  Takuya Fukushima (Screenplay),

Starring: Azusa Inamura, Leo Imamura, Yota Kawase, Mutsumi Sato, Seicho Yoshino, Kiichi Sonbe, Hirohiko Machiyama

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Mika (Azusa Inamura) is doing her Master’s degree in theoretical physics while working part-time at a travel agency. Her head is stuck in the past because she is unable to get over her boyfriend who disappeared five years ago. When  NASA announces the discovery of a new planet in the solar system, Emanon, where life might exist, Mika’s world changes. After experiencing déjà vu and meeting a version of herself she comes to think that Emanon might have caused a parallel world to intertwine with hers.

The Trial    The Trial Shinpan Film Poster

審判 Shinpan

Running Time: 118 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  John Williams

Writer:  Jun Urayama, John Williams (Screenplay), Franz Kafka (Original Novel)

Starring: Tsutomu Niwa, Megumi Sekine, Ichiro Murata, Leon Ota, Tomoko Hayakawa, Rino Tsuneishi, Aki, Sonoko Kameoka,

Website    IMDB

As soon as I saw the name John Williams, I pictured the American composer famous for the Indiana Jones movie scores but thought about the wonderful film Starfish Hotel (2007), which the British director made some time ago. It’s good to see he’s still working!

Synopsis: Kimura (Tsutomu Niwa) is a banker who wakes up on his 30th birthday to be greeted by two strange men in his room. They arrest Kimura but don’t specify what the crime is. Kimura protests his innocence but gets cast into a labyrinthine criminal proceeding where he is swallowed up by the system…

The Negotiator: Behind the Reversion of Okinawa    The Negotiator Behind the Reversion of Okinawa Film Poster

返還交渉人 いつか、沖縄を取り戻す Henkan Koshonin Itsuka, Okinawa wo Torimodosu

Running Time: 100 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Tsuyoshi Yanagawa

Writer:  Takuya Nishioka (Screenplay), Tetsuji Myagawa (Original Novel)

Starring: Arata Iura, Naho Toda, Toshinori Omi, Ayumu Nakajima, Shiro Sano, Ren Osugi, Renji Ishibashi, Taeko Yoshida,

Website    

Synopsis: This is based on the real life figure of Kazuo Chiba who headed down to Okinawa to prevent the island from becoming a staging point in the Vietnam War and also hosting nuclear weapons.

Uchuu Sentai Kyuranger vs. Space Squad    Uchuu Sentai Kyuranger vs Space Squad Film Poster

宇宙戦隊キュウレンジャーVSスペース・スクワッド Uchuu Sentai Kyuu Renja- vs Supe-su Sukuwaddo

Running Time: 131 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Koichi Sakamoto

Writer:  Nobuhiro Mouri (Screenplay),

Starring: Masayuki Deai, Yuka Hirata, Satomi Hirose, Hiroaki Iwanaga, Hiroshi Kamiya, Takumi Kizu, Mao Ichimichi,

Website    IMDB Tokusatsu Wikia

Synopsis: Taking place 4 years after the climactic events of the TV series, the peace of the universe is shattered when Hammie/Chameleon Green attacks the Rebellion and steals the newly developed Neo Kyutama. The Space Federation declare Hammie an outlaw across the universe but Lucky/Shishi Red and some of the Kyurangers decide to fight for Hammie to find out what is really happening with the fellow, causing a rift amongst the Kyurangers.

MANDALAY STAR My Journey to Myanmar Folk Music   MANDALAY STAR My Journey to Myanmar Folk Music Film Poster

MANDALAY STAR ミャンマー民族音楽への旅 Mandalay Star Myanma- Minzoku Ongaku e no Tabi

Running Time: 131 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Jun Kawabata

Writer:  N/A

Starring: N/A

Website

Synopsis: Jun Kawabata is a composer, photographer, producer and film director and he’s interested in the folk music of Myanmar. This is his second documentary where he seeks out the true sound by looking at traditional instruments and unique singers who take part in a concert. His focus is the city of Mandalay.

Let’s go! Anpanman: Shine! Kurun and the Star of Life   Let's go Anpanman Shine! Kurun and the Star of Life Film Poster

それいけ!アンパンマン かがやけ!クルンといのちの星Soreike! Anpanman Kagayake! Kurun to Inochi no Hoshi

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Running Time: 61 mins.

Director: Hiroyuki Yano

Writer: Tomoko Koharu (Screenplay), Takashi Yasase

Starring: Keiko Toda (Anpanman), Anne Watanabe (Kurun), Ryuusei Nakao (Baikinman), Michiyo Yanagisawa (Currypanman), Mika Kanai (Melonpanna), Kaneta Kimotsuki (Horrorman),

Animation Production: TMS Entertainment

Website   ANN MAL

Synopsis: It’s almost time for the annual Star Festival and everybody is happy but when black stars start falling from the skies everybody starts freaking out. Could something be wrong with the Star of Life and could it be connected to a mysterious boy named Kurun who has joined the community?

Girls’ Encounter   Girls_ Encounter Film Poster

少女邂逅 Shojo Kaiko

Running Time: 101 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director: Yuka Eda

Writer:  Yuka Eda (Screenplay),

Starring: Moeka Hoshi, Serena Motola, Mitsuki Akiba, Takumi Matsuzawa, Emina Kondo, Yuya Matsuura, Ryoka Neya, Takuya Sugiyama, Hikaru Saiki,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: Miyuri Obara (Moeka Hoshi) is a shy girl and a victim of bullying at her school. Her only friend is a silkworm, but the bullies discover it and throw it into a forest which leaves Miyuri terribly upset. What happens next is something magical: Tsumugi (Serena Motola), a teen girl, steps out of the trees and becomes Miyuri’s best friend. Their bond is deep but is it a normal human one or something more magical?

Bridge to Tomorrow Memories of 1989    Bridge to Tomorrow Memories of 1989 Film Poster

明日にかける橋 1989年の想い出 Ashita ni kakeru hashi 1989-nen no omoide

Running Time: 131 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Takafumi Ota

Writer:  Takafumi Ota (Screenplay), Franz Kafka (Original Novel)

Starring: Anne Suzuki, Misato Tanaka, Itsuji Itao, Akira Takarada, Tomoko Fujita, Haruka Echigo,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: Miyuki (Anne Suzuki) is an office lady who works in a provincial town. In 1989, a terrible car accident killed her younger brother Kenta and broke her family, her mother (Misato Tanaka) becoming ill and her father (Itsuji Itao) an alcoholic and a bankrupt when the bubble economy burst. One day, when she crosses Ashitabashi bridge, she remembers the rumour that it can make wishes come true and so she makes a wish to go back to 1989 to prevent the accident and save her family who she meets but she faces various challenges.

The Second Security Unit    The Second Security Unit Film Poster

第二警備隊 Dai ni keibitai

Running Time: 112 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director: Yuji Kakizaki

Writer:  Yuji Kakizaki (Screenplay),

Starring: Toshio Kakei, Masayuki Deai, Akaji Maro, Makoto Ashikawa, Ryunosuke Kawai, Jun Hashimoto, Miyoko Akaza, Yuka Takeshima,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: A private security firm are called in the protect a priest and politician. 

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Passage of Life  僕の帰る場所 Dir:  Akio Fujimoto (2017) Osaka Asian Film Festival 2018

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Passage of Life    Passage of Life Film Poster

僕の帰る場所 「Boku no kaerubasho

Running Time: 100 mins.

Release Date: November 25th, 2017

Director:  Akio Fujimoto

Writer: Akio Fujimoto (Screenplay)

Starring: Kaung Myat Thu, Khin Myat Thu, Issace, Htet Myat Naing, Yuki Kitagawa, Kanji Tsuda,

IMDB Website

Immigration is a thorny issue the world over and Japan is not immune to it since its tough stance and refusal to take large numbers of refugees draws criticism from nations which have more open policies. Whether this criticism is fair or not is put to the side in Passage of Life, as drama trumps politics.

One of two films at the Osaka Asian Film Festival looking at the immigrant experience of people who are of Burmese extraction and living in Japan, the other being My Country, My Home, it is shot with remarkable confidence considering it is the debut feature-film from Osaka-born director Akio Fujimoto who uses a documentary film style to show the uncertainties of life as an immigrant feeling the pull of two different cultures.

Passage of Life shows the lives of a Burmese family in two parts. The first half of the film quickly establishes the circumstances of a family that immigrated to Japan with no visa. The family consists of Khin (Khin Myat Thu), her husband Issace and their two boys, 7-year-old Kaung (Kaung Myat Thu) and his younger brother Htet (Htet Myat Naing). The boys were born in Myanmar but raised in Japan and they are happy. In scenes straight from normality, they play with Japanese friends in shotengai and their neighbourhood, clearly unconcerned about their heritage. Their parents are more worried because without the proper paperwork a secure life is impossible and we understand their plight. There can be no legitimate employment for Issace and Khin who make do with illegal jobs at a restaurant and laundrette respectively and government workers make life difficult with house-calls and formal checks. All hope lies with obtaining political refugee status which they have been refused in the past.

This uncertainty is captured by a documentary like style on handheld digital cameras with long sequences of normality and tension uninterrupted by intrusive editing. There are many shots of the family preparing for school, commuting by train to work, visiting members of their community that have a feeling of intimacy, especially as the boys play and fight quite often and the parents quarrel. Perhaps it is a result of filming in small spaces like the apartment the family uses, but there is the sense of being trapped which grows when we see Issace dealing with polite but cold bureaucrats who urge them to leave the country and also the shame they feel having to accept donations from friends. The stress is too much for Khin whose face is a grim mask of unhappiness throughout most of proceedings and it is little surprise when she is hospitalised with depression. This leads to a firm break in the narrative as the conflict between Issace over staying or going crescendoes and Khin decides to take the kids back to Burma.

Whether this is an act of selfishness or a necessary measure is debatable but what is certain is that the film does well in depicting what problems arise from being paperless citizens and the psychological toll it takes on people who lose their humanity and live with constant uncertainty. Which isn’t to say the film is political. Indeed, it grows greater in impact as it switches its focus to depict the inner struggles of Kaung who has to deal with a great change in his environment.

While Htet is young and able to adapt quickly, the slightly older Kaung already has a sense of identity as a Japanese child. The films wants us to identify with him and succeeds in making us do so. He speaks Japanese and seems to act Japanese. His clothes are markedly better than those of others and he cannot speak to the locals who take to mocking him and so the problems of taking a kid out of their environment is felt with every scene in Burma where Kaung regards the more chaotic world with horror and bewilderment. He has an open and expressive face and an energy that fluctuates between loveable and rebellious and so when he says he hates something, boy does he mean it and he hates Burma. He lists his complaints and his concerns grow as he mulls over his lack of connection with his father. These kids are untrained actors but both of boys are Khin’s real-life sons which explains why the scenes where they argue hold power. Then the boys make connections with their mother country and that tight camera work feels freer and more expansive as they roam the streets and get to know people. The place may be dirty and dangerous, noisy and crowded (contrasts shown simply and cleanly on screen) but it holds possibilities, the lights and colours of the city looking exciting. The change in behaviour is remarkable but believable. The tug of their Japanese identity and messy transnational politics remain but there’s the suggestion of moving forward as well as the greater sense of international relations between Japan and Burma. This makes the film worth watching but it’s the human drama at the centre which defines everything.

Fujimoto, a first-time feature film director, worked with non-professional actors and their efforts ensured the film won the Spirit of Asia Award, given by the Japan Foundation Asia Center as well as winning the Asian Future competition at last year’s Tokyo International Film Festival. The accolades are well-deserved even if the politics of Burma and immigration are not directly confronted. This is the story of a family and they are just as important as any weighty issues and they open a window on Japan’s connection with Burma and Asia as a whole.

My review was originally published on V-Cinema on April 15th.

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Japanese Films at the Fantasia International Film Festival (July 12th – August 02nd)

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The Fantasia International Film Festival starts in Montreal next week on July 12th and runs until August 02nd. The selection of Japanese films is simply stunning with titles from Miki Satoshi, Takashi Miike,  Nobuhiko Obayashi, Sion Sono and more. However, there are a selection of indie film titles that look absolutely killer as well.

Fantasia Header Image

This is the 22nd edition of the festival and it has become a focal point for filmmakers, festival programmers, journalists, and audiences eager to see a diverse slate of films before they hit the DVD or internet and take part in film culture. There are lots of guests and great experiences to be had and a chance to get involved with dictating which films get the hype behind them, so please choose Japanese, and try some of the titles listed here.

So what’s lined up?

There’s a rich mixture of indie and commercial features that have been programmed and the ones I’m listing first are the newest and ones I’ve written about the least.

Click on the titles to be taken through to the festival page for each film.

Amiko    Amiko Film Poster

あみこ Amiko

Running Time: 66 mins.

Release Date: N/A

Director: Yoko Yamanaka

Writer: Yoko Yamanaka (Screenplay),

Starring: Ai Sunohara, Hiroshi Oshita, Mineo Maiko,

This special gem won the Audience Award and Hikari TV Award at the Pia Film Festival and was featured at the Berlin International Film Festival and it will be at Japan Cuts this month as well. It’s an excellent debut film from Yoko Yamanaka and shows a filmmaker who is unafraid to use the camera and her actors in distinctive and, crucially, fun ways to deliver a quirky comedy about a sucky first love. My review for this film was finished last week, less than a day after watching it because the film left me feeling so hype!

Yoko Yamanaka will be hosting the screening so make her feel welcome!

SEE THIS FILM!!!

Synopsis: 16-year-old Amiko is convinced that “the Japanese are unable to dance spontaneously.” She’s just tried it out herself, with some strangers in a Tokyo underground passage. Believing that she’s had more than her fair share of days where she’d do absolutely anything, she’s left behind the provincial city of Nagano to head to the capital and take her heartthrob Aomi to task. A year before, she took a long winter’s walk with him and thought she’d met her soulmate, someone else like her who wonders in which phase of life there’s actually room for being happy. But then he disappeared, headed for Tokyo, together with Amiko’s nemesis Miyako of all people, the very “epitome of mass culture”, quite unlike her anti-bourgeois and wildly romantic self.

Violence Voyager

バイオレンス・ボイジャー 「Baiorensu Boijya-」               

Release Date: 2019 (Japan)

Running Time: 84 mins.

Director: Ujicha

Writer: Ujicha (Screenplay)

Starring: Aoi Yuki, Naoki Tanaka, Shigeo Takahashi, Tomorowo Taguchi, Daisuke Ono, Saki Fujita,

Kyoto Saga Art University graduate Uji Cha is a talented animator. His last work was The Burning Buddha Man (2012) which I wrote about back in 2013. It went on a festival tour because of its impressive creation. Ujicha used hand-made and painted paper cutouts, animated by hand, to tell a horror story. He has dubbed it “Geki-mation” and directs, writes, draws, edits, his own work and it is clear to see his skill is undeniable. It’s good to have him back with Violence Voyager.

Synopsis: An American boy named Bobby and his friend Akkun head to the mountains to build a secret base but when they encounter a group of scared kids stuck in a mysterious amusement park called Violence Voyager, they soon find themselves under attack by robot-like humanoids!

Louder!: Can’t Hear What You’re Singin’, Wimp!   Louder! Can_t Hear What You_re Singin_, Wimp! Film Poster

音量を上げろタコ!なに歌ってんのか全然わかんねぇんだよ!! Onryo wo Agero Tako! Nani Utatten noka Zenzen Wakannendayo!!

Running Time: 106 mins.

Release Date: October 12th, 2018

Director: Satoshi Miki

Writer:  Satoshi Miki (Screenplay),

Starring: Sadao Abe, Riho Yoshioka, Yudai Chiba, Kumiko Aso, Eri Fuse, Ryo Iwamatsu, Suzuki Matsuo, Shoko Ikezu,

Website    IMDB

Miki Satoshi (Adrift in Tokyo) is back (!!!!!!!) and this film looks like a whole lotta fun!!! This is the World Premiere so be amongst the first to see it! And, you can see it with the director Satoshi Miki who will be there at the premiere!

Synopsis: Sin (Sadao Abe) is a rock star who has the most awesome vocal chords on the planet. He has a loud voice and can scale up and down four octaves. How is he able to do this? Vocal cord doping. This is not without its problems and his voice is wearing out but not before he meets a street musician named Fuka (Riho Yoshioka) who has the tiniest voice Sin has ever heard. However, her presence makes him look back upon his life and he decides to help her find her voice…

Being Natural 

天然☆生活 Tennen Seikatsu

Running Time: 96 mins.

Release Date: 2018

Director: Tadashi Nagayama

Writer:  Tadashi Nagayama, Yuriko Suzuki (Screenplay),

Starring: Yota Kawase, Kanji Tsuda, Natsuki Mieda, Tadahiro Tsuru, Shoichiro Tanigawa,

IMDB

This was at the Yubari Fantastic Film Festival and it’s a new indie film from a director with a lot of hype building up behind him. The screening will be hosted by director Tadashi Nagayama, producer Keiichiro Yatomi and the actors Yota Kawase and Natsuki Mieda.

https://vimeo.com/274635700

Synopsis: Taka is a simple chap and lives a quiet life in his rural town in his uncle’s house as he takes care of the old man with dementia. He spends his days playing games when not looking after others but his peaceful life changes when a couple from Tokyo arrive in the area with plans to open a coffee shop.

Room Laundering   Room Laundering Film Poster

ルームロンダリング Ru-mu Rondaringu

Running Time: 109 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Kenji Katagiri

Writer:  Kenji Katagiri, Tatsuya Umemoto (Screenplay),

Starring: Elaiza Ikeda, Joe Odagiri, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Miho Tsumiki, Eri Watanabe, Tomorowo Taguchi, Kaoru Mitsumune,

Website    IMDB

Tsutaya, the film rental company are involved with backing this title from a newbie director. It looks quirky as heck and features a fantastic cast.

Synopsis: Miko Yagumo (Elaiza Ikeda) has a strange job: she stays in the apartments of people who have just died in them. Murder, suicide, she’ll stay there. Why? Landlords must tell potential tenants if someone has died in the property they are planning to rent but the law is a bit fuzzy as to how many people down the line landlords need to inform. So in steps Miko, at the behest of her uncle Goro (Joe Odagiri) who got her into the gig, and she spends time at these places. Lately, she has begun to see ghosts. It kinda makes sense because Miko’s recently-disappeared mother had the same ability. Miko begins to act as an exorcist and a councillor for a variety of people who aren’t quite ready to give up the ghost on their apartments…

The Travelling Cat Chronicles    The Travelling Cat Chronicles Film Poster

旅猫リポート Tabineko Ripoto

Running Time: 118 mins.

Release Date: October 26th, 2018

Director: Koichiro Miki

Writer:  Hiro Arikawa (Novel and Screenplay), Emiko Hiramatsu (Screenplay)

Starring: Sota Fukushi, Mitsuki Takahata, Yuko Takeuchi, Alice Hirose

Website    IMDB

I had this book with me as I travelled around Japan so I’m excited to see that it is being turned into a film.

Synopsis: Satoru (Sota Fukushi) is a kind-hearted man who has adopted a stray cat named Nana (voiced by Mitsuki Takahata) but since he cannot keep it he has a mission: to find a new owner for Nana. The two travel around and meet various people such as his childhood friend and his first love and Nana begins to understand his owner more.

Tornado Girl   Tornado Girl Film Poster

奥田民生になりたいボーイと出会う男すべて狂わせるガール Okuda Tamio ni Naritai Boy to Deau Otoko Subete Kuruwaseru Garu

Running Time: 100 mins.

Release Date: September 16th, 2017

Director: Hitoshi One

Writer: Hitoshi One (Screenplay), Chokkaku Shibuya (Original Manga)

Starring: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Kiko Mizuhara, Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Hirofumi Arai, Yuki Amami, Suzuki Matsuo, Noriko Eguchi,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: Koroki (Satoshi Tsumabuki) works for the lifestyle magazine Malet but he has no style of his own so he decides to look for inspiration from someone he considers cool: Tamio Okuda. Koroki begins to act and dress like the pop star and this nets him the admiration of colleagues and the attention of Akari (Kiko Mizuhara), a publicist for a fashion magazine with a reputation for being too hot for the men to handle. But is this all an act on her part and what happens when the two become honest?

Kasane    Kasane Film Poster

累 ―かさね― Kasane

Running Time: 112 mins.

Release Date: September 07th, 2018

Director: Yuichi Sato

Writer:  Tsutomu Kuroiwa (Screenplay), Daruma Matsuura (Manga)

Starring: Tao Tsuchiya, Kyoko Yoshine, Yu Yokoyama, Rei Dan, Tadanobu Asano, Mariko Tsutsui, Tomoko Ikuta, Kunio Murai,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: Kasane (Kyoko Yoshine) is the daughter of a famous actress and while she has impressive acting talent she has none of her mother’s good looks because her face is deformed by a giant scar. This led to the girl becoming extremely shy and hiding away. The situation changes when her mother dies and she leaves behind enchanted lipstick that allows the wearer the power to switch faces with whomever they kiss. Around this time, an old colleague of her mother, Habuta (Tadanobu Asano), connects Kasane with an extremely beautiful but extremely arrogant and talentless actress named Nina (Tao Tsuchiya) who seems to be the perfect person to use but the man has other plans...

Rokuroku: The Promise of the Witch   Rokuroku The Promise of the Witch Film Poster

ロクロク Rokuroku 

Running Time: 91 mins.

Release Date: January 27th, 2018

Director: Yudai Yamaguchi

Writer: Keita Amemiya, Yuki Kumagai(Screenplay),

Starring: Miho Nakanishi, Shiho, Karia Nomoto, Erika Asakura, Mickey Curtis, Mayuko Iwasa, Motoki Ochiai, Kokone Sasaki,

Website IMDB

Yudai Yamaguchi, the man behind low-budget trashy horror films like Meatball Machine (2005), Tamami: The Baby’s Curse (2008), and Deadball (2011), works with Keita Amemiya, creator of the GARO franchise, to bring this collection of horror tales to the big screen.

Synopsis: I remember I agreed to something stupid…

A promise, lost in a comer of the girls’ minds.

Izumi is a normal woman who lives with her parents and a dementia-afflicted grandfather but her life takes a strange turn when he receives a social media friend request from her middle-school classmate Mika, someone she has bad memories of. The two meet and go to the restaurant at a hotel but they are trapped there and, despite looking for a way to escape, go into going to a room numbered 666. It is there that they encounter Rokuroku, a woman with a long-neck woman who wears a red kimono. Rokuroku says to Izumi and Mika,“You promised.” Audiences will soon find out just what was promised and what has happened to others who have encountered Rokuroku over the course of nine tales…

Wilderness Part One    Wilderness Part Two Film Poster

あゝ、荒野 Aa, Koya

Wilderness Part Two

あゝ、荒野 後篇 Aa, Koya Kohen

Running Time: 304 mins.

Release Date: October 07th, 2017

Director: Yoshiyuki Kishi    Wilderness Part One Film Poster

Writer:  Yoshiyuki Kishi, Takehiko Mintao (Screenplay), Shuji Terayama (Novel),

Starring: Masaki Suda, Yang Ik-June, Akari Kinoshita, Tae Kimura, DenDen, Yusuke Santamaria, Anna Konno, Aoba Kawai,

Website    IMDB (Wilderness Part One) IMDB (Wilderness Part Two)

Two films combined and playing at five hours. I avoided writing about this one at previous festivals due to a severe lack of time but having finally confronted it, I can see these films is definitely one worth tracking down and watching in one go. It comes from Yoshiyuki Kishi (Double Life) and stars Masaki Suda (The Light Shines Only There).

Synopsis: Japan is facing a social crisis in the year 2021. Despite the bright hope of the Tokyo Olympics, what has transpired for the country has been a deterioration of the quality of people’s lives as the welfare system collapses and unemployment and suicide becoming a problem for the youth who protest government policies that have led to this state of affairs. Against this backdrop of declining tranquillity, a violent young man (Masaki Suda) has left juvenile detention and joined a boxing club where he meets Kenji (Yang Ik-June), a man living with an abusive father. The two train to escape their demons and they connect with each other but events in the boxing-ring will separate them once they step in together.

Penguin Highway      Penguin Highway Film Poster

打ち上げ花火、下から見るか?横から見るか?Uchiage Hanabi, Shita kara Miru ka? Yoko kara Miru ka?

Release Date: August 18th, 2017

Running Time: 119 mins.

Director: Hiroyasu Ishida

Writer: Makoto Ueda (Screenplay), Tomihiko Morimi (Original Script)

Starring: Kana Kita (Aoyama), Yuu Aoi (Mysterious Lady), Hidetoshi Nishijima (Aoyama’s Father), Megumi Han (Hamamoto), Naoto Takenaka (Hamamoto’s Father),

Animation Production: Studio Colorido

Website   ANN MAL

Synopsis: Aoyama is an elementary school student who makes notes in his diary every day. His town is quiet but his heart races every so often because he has a crush on a mysterious older woman who works as a dental assistant. One day, a group of penguins appears in his quiet suburban neighbourhood and Aoyama and the older lady want to discover the reason for their appearance.

Aragne: Sign of Vermillion      Aragne Sign of Vermillion Film Poster

アラーニェの虫籠Aragne no Mushikago

Release Date: August 18th, 2018

Running Time: 75 mins.

Director: Saku Sakamoto

Writer: Saku Sakamoto (Screenplay),

Starring: Kana Hanazawa (Rin), Ayana Shiramoto (Nasuha), Yosuke Ito (Tokiyo), Fukujuurou Katayama (Saion), Shuogo Batari (Mikaya)

Animation Production: zelicofilm

Website   ANN Kickstarter

Saku Sakamoto has taken on direction, writing, composing the music, CG and more roles to get this film made. It’s an epic undertaking that looks different from the usual anime so make Saku Sakamoto feel welcome and ask questions when you see this because he is hosting the screenings!

Synopsis: Rin (Kana Hanazawa) is an 18-year-old university student who is shy and anxious and a new arrival at her apartment complex. It’s a rundown and unfriendly place where crimes are occurring. There’s something darker stirring in the place, something supernatural and sinister and Run begins to investigate instead of moving the out.

Punk Samurai Slash Down   Punk Samurai Slash Down Film Poster

パンク侍、斬られて候 Panku Samurai Kirarete Soro

Running Time: 131 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Gakuryu Ishii

Writer:  Kankuro Kudo (Screenplay), Ko Machida (Original Novel)

Starring: Gou Ayano, Keiko Kitagawa, Shota Sometani, Masahiro Higashide, Tadanobu Asano, Masatoshi Nagase, Jun Murakami, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Jun Kunimura, Etsushi Toyokawa,

Website    IMDB

Punk-rocker Ko Machida’s novel is given the big screen treatment by Gakuyu Ishii of ELECTRIC DRAGON 80000V, Angel Dust and Bitter Honey fame and the cast is full of super-talented actors!

Synopsis: Junoshin Kake (Gou Ayano) is a ronin eager to get nto the service of the Kurokaze plan s he concocts a lie about a doomsday cult called the Bellyshakers agitating for violence. He finds himself caught up in his own lies, the schemes of two clan retainers, the cult, and a whole host of other plans and plots from a bunch of weirdos such as a telekinetic imbecile and a talking monkey warlord.

There are many films that have been on the festival circuit for a while and here they are:

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Hanagatami    Hanagatami Film Poster

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. Obayashi has started making another film in Onomichi so check this one out as you wait for his next title.

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… 

Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura   DESTINY Kamakura Monogatari Film Poster

DESTINY 鎌倉ものがたり DESTINY Kamakura Monogatari

Running Time: 129 mins.

Release Date: December 09th, 2017

Director:  Takashi Yamazaki

Writer:  Takashi Yamazaki (Screenplay), Ryohei Saigan (Original Manga)

Starring: Masato Sakai, Mitsuki Takahata, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Sakura Ando, Min Tanaka, Tamao Nakamura, Mikako Ichikawa, Jun Kunimura, Tomokazu Miura,

Website IMDB

Masato Sakai (Key of Lifeand Mitsuki Takahata (Japanese Girls Never Die) take the lead in this charming-looking magical mystery film. She’s got a lot of great support from Min Tanaka (Haruneko, Maison de Himiko), Mikako Ichikawa (Rent-a-Cat), Sakura Ando (100 Yen Love) and Jun Kunimura and Shinichi Tsutsumi (both in Why Don’t You Play in Hell?)

Synopsis: Kamakura is the ancient capital of Japan and the place where ghosts, demons, and youkai appear on a daily basis. Akiko (Takahata) is the freshly-minted wife of the mystery writer Masakazu Ichimoku (Sakai) and she gets a surprise every day with her supernatural neighbours. She also sees her husband help the police investigate difficult cases involving monsters and ghosts and she soon gets caught up in a case of her own…

I Am a Hero    

I am a Hero FIlm Poster
I am a Hero FIlm Poster

アイアムアヒーロー「Ai amu a hi-ro-

Release Date: April 23rd, 2016

Running Time: 127 mins.

Director: Shinsuke Sato

Writer: Akiko Nogi (Screenplay), Kengo Hanazawa (Original Manga)

Starring: Yo Oizumi, Masami Nagasawa, Kasumi Arimura, Miho Suzuki, Yu Tokui, Yoshinari Okada, Nana Katase,

Website    IMDB

I Am a Hero was first published in 2009 and in the years since it was launched it has over 4 million copies in print. My review of the manga shows how much I like it and I have been half-anticipating half-dreading seeing what the film will turn into. The trailer has left me relieved. I like what I see and I will write a review for the film soon.

Synopsis: Hideo Suzuki (Yo Oizumi) is a manga artist assistant who is struggling to get his own manga made. As he struggles with life a mysterious virus spreads throughout Japan and the rest of the world. People with the virus are known as ZQN and they turn into zombies with super speed and strength and attack other people. One of the victims of the virus is Hideo’s girlfriend Tetsuko (Nana Katase) who comes down with the virus and attacks him. Hideo flees Tokyo and heads out into the country.

During his escape he meets a high school girl named Hiromi Hayakari (Kasumi Arimura) but she has been bitten by a ZQN, a baby without teeth, so her infection isn’t as bad. During their escape they head to a mall where a group of survivors lead by NEETs are hiding on the roof. There they meet Nurse Yabu (Masami Nagasawa) who hopes she can draw an antibody from Hiromi.

Ajin: Demi-Human    Ajin Demi-human Film Poster

亜人 Ajin

Running Time: 109 mins.

Release Date: September 30th, 2017

Director: Katsuyuki Motohiro

Writer:  Koji Seko, Masahiro Yamaura (Screenplay), Gamon Sakurai (Original Manga)

Starring: Takeru Satoh, Gou Ayano, Yudai Chiba, Tetsuji Tamayama, Minami Hamabe, Yuu Shirota, Yuki Yamada, Rina Kawaei.

Website    IMDB

This one is based on an action manga and manages to transfer a lot of the action to the screen in some exhilarating sequences but the sheer amount is exhausting after a while. The open ending promises a sequel.

Synopsis: Kei Nagai (Takeru Satoh) is an Ajin, a type of immortal human whose body can fix itself even after the most terrible accidents. This ability is why he is captured by the government and experimented on. His only hope seems to be a fellow Ajin named Sato (Gou Ayano) who plans acts of mass-murder against normal humans but Kei cannot bring himself to do this…

Tokyo Vampire Hotel

東京ヴァンパイアホテル 「Toukyou banpai hoteru

Running Time: 142 mins.

Release Date: October 28th, 2017

Director:  Sion Sono (biography   season)

Writer: Sion Sono, Jun Tsugita, Manabu Ikarimoto (Screenplay),

Starring: Yumi Adachi, Kaho, Ami Tomite, Megumi Kagurazaka, Akihiro Kitamura, Shinnosuke Mitsushima,

IMDB

Sion Sono (Suicide Club, Love Exposure) is back. Adapted from the Amazon series, Tokyo Vampire Hotel sees two vampire tribes go to war as the world faces an apocalypse. The series is based on an original screenplay and stars actress Kaho (Puzzle), Ami Tomite (Antiporno), Yumi Adachi; and Megumi Kagurazaka, the director’s wife who practically stars in most of his films post Cold Fish. It was filmed in Japan, and also in Transylvania and Romania, including Dracula’s Castle. Here’s an article over at The Japan Times. It has been programmed at the Five Flavours Film Festival and Tokyo FILMeX.

SynopsisManami’s (Ami Tomite) night starts off great as she is celebrating her 22nd birthday in a pub in Shinjuku but it all ends in a bloodbath when she is caught up in a massacre. She’s the only survivor and now that she’s 22, she has access to special vampire powers. This isn’t random. It turns out she is connected to the Dracula clan, something she finds out when she is followed by a mysterious woman who calls herself K (Kaho) and a mysterious man named Yamada who represents the Corvin clan. Both are vampires from rival clans and both want Manami but Yamada has her trapped in a hotel where humans will have to donate blood for all eternity as the collapse of civilisation seems to be happening outside… 

 

Laplace’s Witch       Laplace_s Witch Film Poster

ラプラスの魔女 Rapurasu no Majo

Running Time: 116 mins.

Release Date: May 04th, 2018

Director:  Takashi Miike

Writer: Hiroyuki Yatsu (Screenplay), Keigo Higashino (Original Novel)

Starring: Sho Sakurai, Suzu Hirose, Sota Fukushi, Mirai Shida, Hiroshi Tamaki, Eriko Sato, Rei Dan, Lily Franky, Tao, Etsushi Toyokawa,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: When two people die after being poisoned by hydrogen sulfide at two different hot springs in two different areas, an environmental analyst named Professor Shusuke Aoe (Sho Sakurai) is drafted in by the police to work his magic on the geochemistry of the area and determine whether the deaths are freak accidents or murder. His investigation becomes distinctly strange when he encounters Madoka Uhara (Suzu Hirose), a youg girl who can correctly guess when a natural phenomenon will occur. Her powers make her a suspect when a third person is killed…

Laughing Under the Clouds  Laughing Under the Clouds Film Poster

曇天に笑う Donten ni Warau

Running Time: 94 mins.

Release Date: March 21st, 2018

Director: Katsuyuki Motohiro

Writer: Yuya Takahashi (Screenplay), Karakara Kemuri (Autobiographical Essay)

Starring: Sota Fukushi, Yuma Nakayama, Kirato Wakayama, Shunsuke Daito, Yuki Furukawa, Junya Ikeda, Ren Kiriyama, Yuta Koseki

Website IMDB

Synopsis: The film takes place after the Meiji Restoration in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture. It follows the three sons of the Kumo family, Tenka (Sota Fukushi), Soramaru (Yuma Nakayama) and Chutaro (Kirato Wakayama). They are working with government special forces known as Yamainu to try and seal the power of Orochi, a giant snake that comes to life every 200 years and bbrings disaster to people. Trying to aid the giant snake are ninjas from the Fuma clan who want to use the snake to overthrow the government…

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms

さよならの朝に約束の花をかざろう Sayonara no Asa ni Yakusoku no Hana wo KazarouLet's Decorate the Promised Flowers in the Farewell Morning Film Poster

Running Time: 115 mins.

Director:  Mari Okada

Writer: Mari Okada (Screenplay),

Starring: Manaka Iwami (Maquia), Miyu Irino (Ariel), Misaki Kuno (Medmel), Tomokazu Sugita (Izol), Hiroaki Hirata (Barlow), Yoko Hikasa (Dita), Rina Satou (Mido),

Animation Production: P.A. Works

Website ANN MAL

The film is the directorial debut of anime screenwriter Mari Okada (Anthem of the Heart, The Dark Maidens) and it was animated at P.A. Works.

Synopsis: Maquia, comes from the elfin lolf race. They stop ageing in their mid teens. She isn’t as brave as Leilia, the most beautiful girl in her clan and the person she idolises. Although her days are peaceful she feels lonely, maybe because she has no parents and Leila has attracted the attention of Clear, the boy Maquia has secret feelings for. When an army of dragon-riding bandits invades seeking the legendary women who stop ageing, Maquia is able to escape, but she loses her friends and her home. Wandering alone in the forests of the outside world, a place she was warned to avoid, she finds Erial, a baby boy who has lost his parents. Unable to leave him behind, she adopts him, initially untroubled by the fact he will age like a human while she won’t…

Fireworks    Fireworks Film Poster

打ち上げ花火、下から見るか?横から見るか?Uchiage Hanabi, Shita kara Miru ka? Yoko kara Miru ka?

Release Date: August 18th, 2017

Running Time: 90 mins.

Chief Director: Akiyuki Shinbo, Director: Nobuyuki Takeuchi

Writer: Hitoshi One (Screenplay), Shunji Iwai (Original Script)

Starring: Suzu Hirose (Nazuna Oikawa), Masaki Suda (Norimichi Shimada), Mamoru Miyano (Yuusuke Azumi), Kana Hanazawa (Miura-sensei), Takako Matsu (Nazuna’s mother),

Animation Production: Shaft

Website   ANN MAL

Synopsis: Norimichi Shimada and his friends are going to enjoy the summer fireworks but they have one question they want answered: do they look round or flat from the side? One person has more important matters on her mind, his classmate, Nazuna Oikawa, who plans to run away from home before her parent’s divorce. She wants Norimichi to join her but things get weird when a strange orb in Nazuna’s possession begins influencing their situation.

Inuyashiki   Inuyashiki Film Poster

いぬやしき Inuyashiki

Running Time: 127 mins.

Release Date: April 20th, 2018

Director: Shinsuke Sato

Writer: Hiroshi Hashimoto (Screenplay), Hiroya Oku (Original Manga)

Starring: Noritake Kinashi, Takeru Satoh, Kanata Hongo, Fumi Nikaido, Yuki Saito, Yusuke Iseya, Mari Hamada, Ayaka Miyoshi, Nayuta Fukuzaki,

Website IMDB

This is based on a manga series by Hiroya Oku, the guy who created the super-disturbing horror sci-fi Gantz. Inuyashiki was turned into an anime that turned out to be pretty good. The live-action version looks like it should be fun. Takeru Satoh (Rurouni Kenshin and Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno) stars as the bad guy. Director Shinsuke Sato will be hosting this screening so get hyped!

Synopsis: Ichiro Inuyashiki (Noritake Kinashi) is a salary-man on his way out. Unappreciated at work and at home and freshly diagnosed with cancer, his life looks miserable but things take a drastic turn when he is involved in an explosion. When he regains consciousness, he discovers that he has been transformed into a cyborg. Far from freaking out, he has a new lease of life and decides to use his powers to help those in need. Meanwhile, Hiro Shishigami (Takeru Satoh), a high school student, was also involved in the very same explosion and has gained the very same the powers. He just wants to see the world burn. Two super-powered people do battle in Japan!

One Cut of the Dead One Cut of the Dead Film Poster

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

This film has been earning a lot of hype on the festival circuit where it won the audience award at Udine and it is getting played at the New York Asian Film Festival, you can catch it in Montreal.

Synopsis: A film crew are dragged to an abandoned warehouse in the mountains by a super-dedicated director to film a zombie movie. Rumour has it that the place was used for military experiments so that adds to the atmosphere of the film but the cast and crew find that their work turns real when honest to goodness zombies start showing up and chowing down on people. Does the director stop? Hell no! He keeps on shooting and the results are captured in one 37 minute take.

Bleach    Bleach Film Poster

Running Time: 108 mins.

Release Date: July 20th, 2018

Director:  Shinsuke Sato

Writer:  (Screenplay), Tite Kubo (Original Story),

Starring: Masami Nagasawa, Miyavi, Hana Sugisaki, Erina Mano, Sota Fukushi, Ryo Yoshizawa, Yosuke Eguchi,

IMDB Website

Director Shinsuke Sato will be in attendance.

Synopsis: Ichigo Kurosaki (Sota Fukushi) has the ability to see spirits. Thanks to this, he meets a “Soul Reaper” (shinigami) by the name of Rukia Kuchiki (Hana Sugisaki), who transfers her powers to him after being injured by an evil spirit known as a “Hollow.” Under Rukia’s guidance, Ichigo trains to harness his newfound Soul Reaper abilities in the battle against Hollows while Rukia does her best to fit in as a human high school girl.

Tremble All You Want  

勝手にふるえてろ 「Katte ni Furue teroTremble All You Want Film Poster

Running Time: 117 mins.

Release Date: December 23rd, 2017

Director:  Akiko Ooku

Writer: Akiko Ooku (Screenplay), Risa Wataya (Original Novel)

Starring: Mayu Matsuoka, Daichi Watanabe, Takumi Kitamura, Anna Ishibashi, Kanji Furutachi, Hairi Katagiri,

IMDB Website

A person obsessed with ammonites? How quaint. However, I can’t ready the synopsis for this and not think about the Junji Ito manga Uzumaki.  This one was at the Tokyo International Film Festival where it won the Audience Award.

Synopsis: Yoshika (Mayu Matsuoka) is 24-years-old with a fairly unique hobby: she likes researching ammonite fossils and collects them. Perhaps this explains why she doesn’t have a boyfriend in her life. Or maybe the lack of a man is down to the fact that she pines for her first love, a guy from school named Ichi. One day, Ni, a guy who works at the same company, confesses his feelings for her.

River’s Edge   River's Edge Film Poster

リバーズ・エッジ Riba-zu Ejji

Running Time: 118 mins.

Release Date: February 16th , 2018

Director:  Isao Yukisada

Writer: Isao Yukisada (Screenplay),

Starring: Fumi Nikaidou, Ryo Yoshizawa, Aoi Morikawa, Shuhei Uesugi, Sumire, Shiori Doi,

Website   IMDB

Isao Yukisada is a familiar face to appear at Berinale since this is his fourth film to appear in the Panorama section. His feature film debut was Sunflower which won the Fipresci Prize at the 2000 Busan International Film Festival. Go is his 2001 teen action film which was nominated for over 50 international awards but his biggest film in Japan is Crying Out Love in the Center of the World ) reached an audience of 6.2 million, making it Japan’s most commercially successful film of 2004. I’ve reviewed two of his works, Parade (2010) and Aroused by Gymnopedies (2016).

Synopsis: This is a film told from a variety of perspectives, all linked up to show a generation and their experiences with extreme emotions. Stories consist of a bulimic model who gorges herself on food every night, a gay highschooler who is bullied by classmates who discovers something gruesome in a polluted river, a girl who pushes the boundaries of rough sex to frightening levels, and an introvert who reads her pregnant sister’s diaries.

If you made it to the end, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and discover some great films!

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Room Laundering, The Chrysanthemum and the Guillotine, Rainbow Days, 36.8°C Sanjurokudohachibu, One Man’s Son, You, Your, Yours, K SEVEN STORIES Episode1 「R:B BLAZE」, Okinawa 1965, Into the Shin Guu, Hooked on the Jomon, Hotaru no Kawa no Mamoribito Japanese Film Trailers

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Happy weekend, you lovely people!

Room Laundering Film Image

I hope you are well!

I’ve had a busy week packed full of fun things. Sunday started with VCinema posting my review of The Blood of Wolves and then I posted a review for Passage of Life. I then posted a preview for the Fantasia International Film Festival over in Montreal, Canada which looks absolutely fantastic. Vcinema also published my review for The Scythian Lamb. In the real world, the weather has been great and I continued with my day job and went to a funding meeting with a friend for her film festival. I also met Prince Charles at work and I had the chance to shake his hand and talk to him about my role in an exhibition! I have a couple of invites for drinks next week but I’ve got to get two film reviews filed away and do some more festival work before I can think about them.

What is released this weekend?

Room Laundering   Room Laundering Film Poster

ルームロンダリング Ru-mu Rondaringu

Running Time: 109 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Kenji Katagiri

Writer:  Kenji Katagiri, Tatsuya Umemoto (Screenplay),

Starring: Elaiza Ikeda, Joe Odagiri, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Miho Tsumiki, Eri Watanabe, Tomorowo Taguchi, Kaoru Mitsumune,

Website    IMDB

Tsutaya, the film rental company are involved with backing this title from a newbie director. It looks quirky as heck and features a fantastic cast.

Synopsis: Miko Yagumo (Elaiza Ikeda) has a strange job: she stays in the apartments of people who have just died in them. Murder, suicide, she’ll stay there. Why? Landlords must tell potential tenants if someone has died in the property they are planning to rent but the law is a bit fuzzy as to how many people down the line landlords need to inform. So in steps Miko, at the behest of her uncle Goro (Joe Odagiri) who got her into the gig, and she spends time at these places. Lately, she has begun to see ghosts. It kinda makes sense because Miko’s recently-disappeared mother had the same ability. Miko begins to act as an exorcist and a councillor for a variety of people who aren’t quite ready to give up the ghost on their apartments…

The Chrysanthemum and the Guillotine    The Chrysanthemum and the Guillotine Film Poster

菊とギロチン 女相撲とアナキス Kiku to Girochin Onnazumo to Anakisuto

Running Time: 189 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Takahisa Zeze

Writer:  Takahisa Zeze, Toranosuke Aizawa (Screenplay),

Starring: Hanae Kan, Masahiro Higashide, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Maho Yamada, Takashi Yamanaka, Yoko Kamon, Shun Sugata, Shohei Uno, Yota Kawase,

Website    

Synopsis: This is billed as Takahisa Zeze’s first original project in eight years and takes place in Tokyo in the Taisho era, immediately after the Great Kanto Earthquake. A group of women join a female sumo wrestler stable to escape bad backgrounds such as domestic violence and prostitution and they practice hard with the intention of “becoming stronger and living with their own power”. Anarchist groups and those who advocate “an equal society without disparity” are fascinated by the female wrestlers’ fighting and support them.

Rainbow Days    Rainbow Days Film Poster

虹色デイズ Nijiiro Deizu

Running Time: 109 mins.

Release Date: July 06th, 2018

Director: Ken Iizuka

Writer:  Rika Nezu (Screenplay), Minami Mizuno (Manga)

Starring: Reo Sano, Taishi Nakagawa, Mahiro Takasugi, Ryusei Yokohama, Ai Yoshikawa, Yuri Tsunematsu, Mayu Hotta, Nozomi Bando, Yuki Yamada, Kenichi Takito

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: High-school boys Natsuki Hashiba (Reo Sano), Tomoya Matsunaga (Taishi Nakagawa), Tsuyoshi Naoe (Mahiro Takasugi),and Keiichi Katakura (Ryusei Yokohama) are close friends who enjoy happy lives but when Natsuki starts getting the hots for Anna Kobayakawa (Ai Yoshikawa), their daily lives begin to change.

36.8°C Sanjurokudohachibu   36.8°C Sanjurokudohachibu Film Poster

36.8℃ サンジュウロクドハチブ 36.8°C Sanjurokudohachibu

Running Time: 65 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Mana Yasuda

Writer:  Mana Yasuda (Screenplay),

Starring: Mayu Hotta, Makiko Watanabe, Yasufumi Terawaki, Amon Hirai, Ryuichi Ando, Haruna Kishimoto, Sagisa Nishino, Masaki Kitahara,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: High-school girl Wakana (Mayu Hotta) has a peaceful life but is sensitive to others. She meets an office lady named Mizuho who she chats to through SNS to talk about her worries.

One Man’s Son    One Man_s Son Film Poster

一人の息子 Hitori no Musuko

Running Time: 86 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Kenji Tani

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Ryoma Baba, Yuki Tamaki, Ayame Misaki, Keiko Takeshita, Tomohisa Yuge, Shota Takasaki,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis:When Itsuki Yamauchi’s (Ryoma Baba) father collapses, he has to attend to the old man despite not having a good relationship with him. He connects with Ayumu Kurata (Yuki Tamaki) who doesn’t have a father when the two men come into contact with a piece of paper.

You, Your, Yours    You, Your, Yours Film Poster

君が君で君だ Kimi ga Kimi de Kmi da

Running Time: 104 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Daigo Matsui

Writer:  Daigo Matsui (Screenplay)

Starring: Sosuke Ikematsu, Kim Kkobbi, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Koji Ookura, Mahiro Takasugi, Eriko Nakamura, Maho Yamada, Ken Mitsuishi, You, Osamu Mukai,

Website

Synopsis:3 men who are in love with the same woman, Hime (Kim Kkobbi) change themselves to whom their love admires: Japanese musician Yutaka Ozaki (Sosuke Ikematsu), popular American actor Brad Pitt (Shinnosuke Mitsushima) and historical political figure Ryoma Sakamoto (Koji Ookura). Just as they do this, they find the end of their love is near.

K SEVEN STORIES Episode1 R:B BLAZE」   K SEVEN STORIES Episode1 「RB BLAZE」 Film Poster

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Running Time: 65 mins.

Director: Shingo Suzuki

Writer: Azano Kouhei (Screenplay), GoRA, GoHands (Original Creator)

Starring: Kenjiro Tsuda (Mikoto Suoh), Tomokazu Sugita (reisi Munakata), Takahiro Sakurai (Izumo Kusanagi), Yuuki Kaji (Tatara Totsuka), Taku Yashiro (Daichi Yamata), Miyuki Sawashiro (Seri Awashima),

Animation Production: GoHands

Website   ANN MAL K Wiki

Synopsis: One year from Scepter 4’s dissolution and the HOMRA members are running uncontrolled, many are frustrated with new Red King Mikoto Suoh’s increasing power but a new Blue King has awakened and rebuilds Scepter 4 to deal with the HOMRA gang just before a conflict kicks off.

Okinawa 1965    Okinawa 1965 Film Poster

Running Time: 95 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Shinya Todori

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Kyoko Ureshino, Etsuko Shiyabana, Takamatsu Gujiken,

Website    

Synopsis: The conflict between over the US military presence in Okinawa continues to rage 46 years after the island was given back to the Japanese. Documentaries about people protesting are quite common but this one looks at a tragic case where a girl was killed by a US military truck. Her body was photographed by the photographer Kyoko Ureshino. The documentary traces her activities at the time.

I’m not sure I got the director’s name right but he did direct a 2014 documentary which can be found in an old trailer post here.

Into the Shin Guu    Into the Shin Guu Film Poster

熊野から イントゥ・ザ・新宮 Kumano Kara Into Za Shinguu

Running Time: 83 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Chiseko Tanaka (IMDB)

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Tsuyoshi Kaibe, KENT, Shiro Sano Yayoi Suzuki, Sakiko Uran,

Website

Synopsis: This is the third in a semi-documentary series from critic/filmmaker Chiseko Tanaka and it’s about the Kumano, Wakayama, an area full of fascinating history, temples and famed for its horses. and it heads to Shingu City to take in world heritage sites. A previous Chiseko Tanaka film, the one that this new one is a sequel to, can be found in this trailer post.

Hooked on the Jomon    Jomon ni Hamaru Hitobito Film Poster

縄文にハマる人々 Jomon ni Hamaru Hitobito

Running Time: 103 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Nozomi Yamaoka

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Komuai (Narration), Tatsuo Kobayashi, Takashi Sato, Seiko Ito, Rai Ifu, Shuzou Koyama, Dennis Banks, Yasushi Kosugi, Takashi Ikegami,

Website

Synopsis: The fantastic singer Komuai of Suiyoubi no Campanella shows up in another film this weekend. This one is a documentary about the Jomon period. It seeks to examine it and reveal hidden secrets that many people do not know or understand. To do this, archaeologists, musicians, artists, and experts are interviewed.

Hotaru no Kawa no Mamoribito         Hotaru no Kawa no Mamoribito Film Poster

ほたるの川のまもりびと Hotaru no Kawa no Mamoribito

Running Time: 86 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Eiji Yamada (IMDB)

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Tsuyoshi Kaibe, KENT, Shiro Sano Yayoi Suzuki, Sakiko Uran,

Website

Synopsis: There is a small village in Nagasaki Prefecture just downstream of the Kawagashi River. The villagers are battling against plans for the “Ishiki Dam” and have been fighting for half a century. Some people took compensation money and left but there are still 54 people in 13 households fighting for their homes.

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Japanese Films at the Asian Film Festival Dallas 2018 (July 19 – 26)

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The Asian Film Festival Dallas runs from July 19th to 26th and is continuing its mission of bringing movies from Asian and Asian-American filmmakers living around the world to audiences in Dallas, Texas in order to celebrate and support emerging and established filmmakers and sharing the rich diversity of Asian culture through films.

I’m here to cover the Japanese films and the selection is really surprising and good. Many of these Dallas Premieres and some US Premieres with the likes of Riding Uphill, 3Ft and Ball, and The Reverse Diaries being real surprises. These three look like solid dramas and offer an alternative look at Japan. There’s the entertainment movies like We Make Antiques and Laughing Under the Clouds and there’s a classic in the form of Seijun Suzuki’s Tokyo Drifter.

There are some great non-Japanese films like Edward Yang’s phenomenal Yi Yi and the HK crime thriller The Brink and a bunch of Korean films like The Mimic and Believer. There’s a lot on offer!

America is a big place and you’re not going to be able to see many titles on the big screen if you’re not living in New York and able to enjoy Japan Cuts and the New York Asian Film Festival. If you’re in Texas or near it, this is going to be your best opportunity to see them especially since some of these may not be available on streaming services.

Anyway, here are the films! Just click on the titles to be taken to the corresponding page on the festival site!

Friday, July 20, 2018 6:00 PM  |  Monday, July 23, 2018 3:30

RIDING UPHILL    Gachi Boshi Film Poster

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 the Shuzenji bicycle racing school to become a professional Keirin racer but finds the harsh reality a shock to his system as a combination of brutal training and instruction from the coaches and younger cyclists half his age batter his resolve. Can he hang on?

Friday, July 20, 2018 11:00 PM

Ghost Squad    Ghost Squad Film Poster

ゴーストスクワッド Go-suto Sukuwaddo

Running Time: 106 mins.

Release Date: March 03rd, 2018

Director: Noboru Iguchi

Writer: Noboru Iguchi (Screenplay)

Starring: Anna Yanagi, Minori Mikada, Yuni Hong, Sumire Ueno – The NOMAKES girls), Asaka Nakamura,

Website IMDB

Idol girls, NO MAKES, step into the film world with Noboru Iguchi of Mutant Girls Squad (2010) and The Machine Girl (2008) fame as they bring another trashy, silly film with deliberately broken and OTT physical effects.

Synopsis: Cowardly Rika is a victim of her father’s domestic violence and struggles to get free from him. An unlikely path to freedom happens when she meets the ghosts of a bunch of girls killed by criminals. These ghosts want revenge so they can find peace and see Rika as their path towards their goal. In helping them, Rika jumps between the world of the living and the dead and delights in getting to taste their haywire powers… 

Saturday, July 21, 2018 11:00 PM  |  Monday, July 23, 2018 10:00 PM

Liverleaf   Liverleaf Film poster

ミスミソウ Misumisou

Running Time: 114 mins.

Release Date: April 07th, 2018

Director: Eisuke Naito

Writer: Miako Tadano (Screenplay), Rensuke Oshikiri (Original Manga)

Starring: Anna Yamada, Hiroya Shimizu, Rinka Otani, Rena Ohtsuka, Aki Morita, Kenshin Endo, Arisa Sakura, Minori Terada,

Website IMDB

Rensuke Oshikiri is the creator of the popular manga Hi Score Girl, a fun comedy. This one is decidedly more serious. A revenge drama using the theme of school bullying, it is directed by Eisuke Naito, the guy who did Puzzle .

Synopsis: Haruka Nozaki (Anna Yamada) has moved from Tokyo to a school in some backwater town. She is the victim of bullying which escalates to her house being burnt down and her family being burnt alive. She has an emotional breakdown and takes revenge…

Saturday, July 21, 2018 4:30 PM | Tuesday, July 24, 2018 3:30 PM

The Reverse Diaries    The Reverse Diaries Film Poster

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.

Saturday, July 21, 2018 9:15 PM  |  Monday, July 23, 2018 7:45 PM

Laughing Under the Clouds  Laughing Under the Clouds Film Poster

曇天に笑う Donten ni Warau

Running Time: 94 mins.

Release Date: March 21st, 2018

Director: Katsuyuki Motohiro

Writer: Yuya Takahashi (Screenplay), Karakara Kemuri (Autobiographical Essay)

Starring: Sota Fukushi, Yuma Nakayama, Kirato Wakayama, Shunsuke Daito, Yuki Furukawa, Junya Ikeda, Ren Kiriyama, Yuta Koseki

Website IMDB

Synopsis: The film takes place after the Meiji Restoration in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture. It follows the three sons of the Kumo family, Tenka (Sota Fukushi), Soramaru (Yuma Nakayama) and Chutaro (Kirato Wakayama). They are working with government special forces known as Yamainu to try and seal the power of Orochi, a giant snake that comes to life every 200 years and brings disaster to people. Trying to aid the giant snake are ninjas from the Fuma clan who want to use the snake to overthrow the government…

Saturday, July 21, 2018 6:30 PM | Thursday, July 26, 2018 9:30 PM

We Make Antiques    We Make Antiques Film Poster

嘘八百 Uso happyaku

Running Time: 105 mins.

Release Date: January 05th, 2018

Director: Masaharu Take

Writer: Shin Adachi, Masako Imai (Screenplay),

Starring: Kiichi Nakai, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Tomochika, Aoi Morikawa, Tomoya Maeno, Keiko Horiuchi, Shohei Uno, Jakujaku Katsura,

Website IMDB

The writer and director of 100 Yen Love team up again to make this comedy about counterfeit art. One of the actors involved is Tomoya Maeno who was fantastic in Emi-Abi.

Synopsis: Norio Koike (Kiichi Nakai) works as an antique dealer in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, close to a sacred place linked to the tea ceremony which produced Sen no Ryo. He wants to make a lot of money but business is hard so when he encounters a skilled ceramic artist named Sasuke Noda (Kuranosuke Sasaki) is a potter they decide to cheat an art appraiser by creating a new batch of Sen no Rikyu’s chaki (tea utensils).

Saturday, July 21, 2018 2:00 PM

Tokyo Drifter    Tokyo Drifter Film Poster

東京流れ者 「Toukyou nagaremono

Running Time: 86 mins.

Release Date: April 06th, 1966

Director:  Seijun Suzuki

Writer: Yasunori Kawauchi (Screenplay),

Starring: Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara, Hideaki Nitani, Tamio Kawaji, Ryuuji Kita, Eiji Go,

IMDB

See the film that got Seijun Suzuki fired from Nikkatsu for being too arty. This landmark yakuza flick parodies the genre mercilessly while its low-budget forced Suzuki to be visually inventive, combining modernist aesthetics with visuals straight from traditional Japanese theatre. It has gone down as a classic that has inspired filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Takeshi Kitano, Jim Jarmush, and John Woo.

Synopsis: Attempting to go straight, a yakuza enforcer named Tetsu looks forward to life outside of organised crime but finds his attempts frustrated when his old gang call him back to Tokyo to help them battle a rival gang. He soon must become a drifter after his old rivals attempt to assassinate him…

Sunday, July 22, 2018 7:00 PM  |  Thursday, July 26, 2018 12:00 PM

3ft Ball & Souls    3 ft Ball & Souls Film Poster

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. Again and Again. Three of the group start to get the idea that the school girl who is with them is the cause for these time-slip shenanigans and try to persuade her not to join in…

Sunday, July 22, 2018 9:45 PM   |  Wednesday, July 25, 2018 10:30 PM

Our Escape

Our Escape Film Poster

ぼくらの亡命 Bokura no Boumei

Running Time: 115 mins.

Release Date: June 24th, 2017

Director: Nobuteru Uchida

Writer:  Nobuteru Uchida (Screenplay)

Starring: Ryubun Sumori, Ai Sakurai, Daisuke Matsunaga, Hikari Suzuki, Nobuhito Irie, Kaori Shiina, Seiichi Shido, Kousuke Takaki,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: Noboru (Ryubun Sumori) lives in a tent in the outskirts of Tokyo. One day, he witnesses a fight between Kifuyu (Ai Sakurai) and Shigehisa (Daisuke Matsunaga), a thug who uses her in an extortion scheme known as a “badger game”. To save her, Noburu devises a fake kidnapping and demands ransom from Shigehisa. Things go wrong and Kifuyu, afraid of being abandoned, finds comfort in Noboru’s arms and the two journey towards the sea in the attempt to fill each other’s solitude.

Tuesday, July 24, 2018 8:00 PM

The 8-Year Engagement    The 8-Year Engagement Film Poster

8年越しの花嫁 8 Nen Goshi no Hanayome

Running Time: 199 mins.

Release Date: December 16th, 2017

Director: Takahisa Zeze

Writer: Yoshikazu Okada (Screenplay), Hisashi Nakahara, Mai Nakahara (Autobiographical Novel)

Starring: Takeru Satoh, Tao Tsuchiya, Hiroko Yakushimaru, Tetta Sugimoto, Kazuki Kitamura, Kenta Hamano, Yuri Nakamura, Keisuke Horibe, Kanji Furutachi,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Three months before Hisashi (Satoh) and Mai (Tsuchiya) are due to marry, Mai becomes ill and falls into a coma. Hisashi remains by her side, praying for her recovery and the magic moment happens but when it does, it seems Mai has lost her memory. Will the two live happily ever after?

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An Interview with Rina Tanaka, Ryo Kato, Fixy Lee, Takehito Sato, and Kaori Takeshita, the Cast and Crew of the film “Filled With Steam” at the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2018

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At the Osaka Asian Film Festival, Filled with Steam (2017) was one of the films screened at the Housen section, a place reserved for films that received support from the Housen Cultural Foundation. This organisation aims to further film study and production in graduate schools across Japan with the aim of “preserving and helping grow film culture in Japan” through funding shorts and features. This is the second year that OAFF ran a dedicated Housen section and this year there were three films, Girl Returned (2017), Protest (2016), and Filled with Steam.

Filled with Steam is a bittersweet 30-minute dramedy that details a relationship full of secrets as a woman named Midoriko (Ayako Mizuno) and her husband Daisuke (Takehito Sato) drift apart. Midoriko is visiting a pregnancy classroom run by a flamboyant teacher named Miho (Kaori Takeshita) unbeknownst to Daisuke but a series of twists forces the couple to confront the substance of their marriage. Directed by Rina Tanaka, the film displays a talented director working with great people and interesting material to make a thought-provoking human drama. It was warmly received by its audience at its world premiere at the National Museum of Art, Osaka, but questions remained for this correspondent about the use of comedy and the late-stage intervention of a baby. Fortunately. the cast and crew of the film provided answers in a group interview.

Filled with Steam Team
Fixy Lee, Takehito Sato, Rina Tanaka, Ryo Kato, KAori Takeshita

This interview was conducted after the screening with the help of Kayoko Nakanishi, a member of OAFF’s International Press team, who acted as an interpreter and got involved in the lively interview with some questions and comments due to her own enjoyment of the film. Taking part in the interview from the film’s cast and staff were the director, Rina Tanaka, a graduate with a Masters from the Tokyo University of the Arts, Film & New Media, Directing course, the actors Takehito Sato and Kaori Takeshita, the film’s writer Ryota Kato and the editor, Fixy Lee.

Jason Maher: First off, I’d like to thank you for making this film. I’ve seen it three times and it has given me a lot to think about. The first thing I want to ask about is the title. When I think of steam, I think of energy but the characters in the film seem to lack vitality and energy and so it makes me think of another aspect of steam, the fact that it’s not solid. There’s nothing solid there like the central relationship. Why did you pick that title?

Rina Tanaka: My way of thinking isn’t straight. It’s a little bit twisted. When I thought about the main theme of the izakaya the characters meet at, they exchange their feelings and they are so into it that it is like there is steam coming out of them. My question is, if it’s okay to just end there, to not leave the story in a happy way but with the steam filling the place so we can’t see things. Not leaving the story in a happy way but with a question. It is like whiteout when you can’t see things.

I should have asked that question last. [Laughter] What was the writing process like?

Ryota Kato: Tanaka-san loved the first draft. She didn’t make big changes. Only two or three revisions and they were minor changes. We discussed the last part of the story and made a change but basically she liked what I wrote.

In terms of the acting, what was the first reaction when you read the script Sato-san and Takeshita-san?

Takehito Sato: Interesting, but… [Laughter] it might take time to remember…

Rina Tanaka: The shoot happened last year in February so it’s about a year ago. [Laughter]

Takehito Sato: When I first read the script I thought that the tone of the story was very serious but after I watched the film I found out it has more humour and comic parts so I was surprised by the gap between the script and the film

Kaori Takeshita: I thought it was a very serious drama so I took the role very seriously but when I saw a preview of the film, I found out that during my scenes funny music was playing so I thought it was only for my sequence but at the end of watching the film at the cinema today I found out that it’s a very comic film and it’s important to have the reaction of the audience, too. It’s totally different to see it on a laptop and in a cinema with an audience.

What would you say the themes of the film are?

Ryota Kato: The style of the comedy is actually only the surface of the film. The main theme is, if I can sum it up in one word, horror. The relationship between husband and wife is horror.

It’s horror? [Laughter]

Ryota Kato: That’s what Tanaka-san and I discussed from the very first part of the production.

Tanaka-san, what was your approach to combining comedy and the very serious theme of horror.

Rina Tanaka: Actually, this was my first time making a comedy because my previous films have all been serious in style. From the beginning, Kato-san suggested that I try a new directing style to make this film so I was ready to make a comic film but it’s also my nature to make serious films so that’s why, even if we say it’s going to be a comedy, I added my original taste to the film like in the ending.

HOSEN01_FilledWithSteam

That ending sequence is really emotionally moving because of its scope, how did you plan that sequence and was it your intention to end it in that style?

Rina Tanaka: That’s from the scriptwriting process. We discussed about how to show the background of the couple, the husband and the wife. It is very delicate showing scenes from their past and adjusting it to the storytelling so I thought maybe it would be nice to have a totally different tone, a very serious scene and then a very comical scene. I changed the tone based on the time of the scene in the life of the couple during the scriptwriting process.

How did you relate to your characters then. It seems like you took it very seriously but certainly, the opening scene for your character is comic. Were you totally unaware of the comedy aspect of the film?

Takehito Sato: Hmm…

It was filmed a year ago, it’s a very long time. [Laughter]

Takehito Sato: Actually, I didn’t think about it seriously but I believe I was affected by the other cast members and also the previous scenes filmed. [Laughter]

Rina Tanaka: A good point about Sato-san is that he is always in his role. He’s not watching the whole movie. He is always himself. He only does what he believes he should do on set and it looks like he’s playing differently but he fits in.

What would you describe your character’s most charming point to be?

Takehito Sato: Hmmm. I think the most charming point of the character is that he always thinks about the people around him and he always wants to make things better for those who surround him. He is always aiming to make things better.

Miho is such a strong character, like, WOW, [Laughter] How did you approach her?

Kaori Takeshita: Actually, I have a role model that I based the character of Miho on. She’s a yoga teacher and she owns her own studio and she is always strong and she believes in herself and what she believes, so she’s the one I wanted to emulate to make the character.

She shines with confidence. Kato-san, did the characters remain the same as on the page or did the cast have the chance to change them?

Ryota Kato: It was a big surprise for me when I saw the film because the characters are actually what I wrote and I’m not trying to say good things in front of everyone but while writing, I questioned myself about if it’s good enough.

It all worked out fine.

Ryota Kato: It seems that way, yes.

There’s a really nice pace to the film so the comedy and the drama flow together. In terms of editing, Fixy, did you have any specific instructions or an emotional response to the material?

Fixy Lee: I had worked with Rina on her previous films so we know each other well. Basically, the first cut I made by myself by following the script and then I made changes. There are two scenes that I remember well. At the bus stop, Hikari (a classmate of Midoriko’s) points out Daisuke’s nametag. In the script, there is no scene after the tag is pointed out but I added their reactions after that moment. The sequence in the pregnancy classroom when the teacher is telling her students that pregnancy is not only an issue for the women but also the partner, there wasn’t a shot that showed Daisuke’s reaction but I took a shot from another part and put it there.

Nice call. [Laughter]

Rina Tanaka: She’s a professional. She works for TV programmes as an editor. She’s quick and she knows what she does. So we only took two or three days to finish the editing of this film.

Fixy Lee: I really love Tanaka-san’s work. I want to work with her even though I’m busy working on TV programmes. I always want to work with her.

Tanaka-san, how would you describe your style?

Rina Tanaka: What I try to do is not show everything directly. I always think about telling the audience different things. I want to use different ways to make them feel my main purpose. Even though this film has lines that are really straight, the characters are not shown doing things directly. I want to leave things in the background and not focus clearly on them but leave them ambiguous. That’s how I want to leave room for the audience to think about the story in their own way.

So, for example, characters do comical things to each other but the audience is looking at the reaction of horror and betrayal from the people around them and having a lingering camera that focusses on the surrounding characters even after the characters leave the scene.

Rina Tanaka: I enjoy that the audience has room to have their own reaction. I’m not really into being the character. There is always distance between the character and myself. Even if I think the characters are foolish, at the same time, I love their characters, too. I always want to see it from a distance but at the same time, I envy those people who are full of steam, so energetic.

How did you find shooting the baby scene? Was it difficult and upon watching it with an audience, how did you find their reactions?

Rina Tanaka: It was my first time to shoot with a baby and I thought it would be hard. The baby was a boy and he was with his own mother at the shooting location so he was fine. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. On the day of the shoot, it was really intense so everybody got really nervous and we failed to shoot a scene on time because of the schedule however, even though it was so intense and we were nervous, once the baby came in, everyone was like, “aawww”. Everybody felt happy. So that’s when I finally felt the power of the baby. That’s related to the theme of the pregnancy classroom. The people attending the pregnancy classroom want this magic power. That’s when I finally realised I felt those feelings for those characters.

So it doesn’t matter that nobody called the police over a lost baby? [Laughter]

Ryota Kato: It’s fantasy.

Rina Tanaka: That’s an element of the audience’s reaction that I worried about. I wasn’t sure how they would react.

Ryota Kato: The female audience member next to me was smiling. Her reaction was warm so I was relieved. But actually, that scene with the woman who tried to keep the baby, Tanaka-san was questioning that sequence at the scriptwriting stage because the characters were not treating the baby as a human being but as an object and they had stronger lines which I wrote but I changed it with the director.

Rina Tanaka: I’m curious about your reaction to the scene.

I was very invested in the drama between Midoriko and Daisuke and I felt that the scene went a little too far towards fantasy. Up until that point, everything occurring between the couple felt really real and really affected my emotions and the woman trying to take the baby away seemed very strange to me, out of place, but now that you’ve explained that the baby created a magical atmosphere on set and it’s meant to be fantasy, I understand a little better. Thanks for your time.

Kayoko Nakanishi: Sato-san has a question about the final scene.

Takehito Sato: You have watched this film three times so I expect you noticed. When I rode on the bicycle down the hill, I changed my top and called the make-up artist to change my hair and then rode back up with the second person.

Yes. You were wearing the same trousers.

Ryota Kato: Really? I didn’t know. I was there but didn’t notice. [Laughter]

Kayoko Nakanishi: So you realised it was done in one shot?

Yeah. [Laughter]

Rina Tanaka: Excellent CG! [Laughter]

Takehito Sato: I have another question. I didn’t know it would be filmed in one shot until on the day. I read the script and it seemed like there would be two scenes. Why did you (Tanaka-san) do this in one shot?

Rina Tanaka: The hill is like a time machine to show scenes from their past so I wanted to capture the whole scene in one shot.

That’s a really well done scene.

Kayoko Nakanishi: I was so moved by that scene.

Rina Tanaka: He changed everything while wearing the mic.

[Everybody claps]

Thank you for that final question! Dynamite stuff! Thank you!

Filled with Steam received its world premiere at the Osaka Asian Film Festival on March 16.

This interview was published on VCinema on June 09th.

Ginmaku-ban shonan no kaze ichigoichie, Pokemon the Movie: Everyone’s Story, Shino Can’t Say Her Own Name, Watashi no jinsei nano ni, Kalanchoe, Akabeko, Kono machi de kuraseba, Peace Nippon, Everyday is Alzheimer’s The Final Death Becomes Us Japanese Film Trailers

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Happy weekend, people!

Dynamite Graffiti Tasuku Emoto

I hope everybody is doing well!

Think about the people who live in the western part of Japan who have lost a lot due to the heavy rain and consider donating to relief efforts if you can spare the money. Times are tough so prayers and positive energy and raising awareness is also good. Here’s a link to Time Out which has a number of options. Good news came in the form of the boys and the coach rescued from the cave in Thailand. Well done rescuers and the people who supported them.

As for me, I ducked out of some social engagements due to a physical injury I’ve had since last week Monday but I watched three films and got three film reviews done. I also watched Sicario II: Soldado in a cinema with my mother and sister and really enjoyed what turned out to be a thrilling film. Great performances from Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro and some hair-raising action scenes! I posted a preview of the awesome-looking Asian Film Festival Dallas which has lots of great Japanese films. I also posted an old interview from the Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) involving Rina Tanaka and her cast and crew from her film, Filled with Steam. The Fantasia International Film Festival launched this week in Canada and it has some killer titles!

What is released this weekend in Japan?

Ginmaku-ban shonan no kaze ichigoichie    Ginmaku-ban shonan no kaze ichigoichie Film Poster

銀幕版 湘南乃風 一期一会 Ginmaku-ban shonan no kaze ichigoichie

Running Time: 79 mins.

Release Date: July 13th, 2018

Director: Jun Takahashi

Writer:  N/A

Starring: RED RICE, HAN-KUN, SHOCK EYE, WAKADANNA

Website

Synopsis: Shonan no Kaze are a popular reggae group from Japan and they have been together since they debuted in 2003. This documentary looks at the bandmates during their history and at more recent performances.

Pokemon the Movie: Everyone’s Story    Pokemon the Movie Everyone_s Story Film Poster

劇場版ポケットモンスター みんなの物語 Gekijouban Poketto Monsuta- Minna no monogatari

Release Date: July 13th, 2018

Running Time: 100 mins.

Director: Tetsuo Yajima

Writer: Aya Takaha, Eiji Umehara (Screenplay),

Starring: Rica Matsumoto (Satoshi), Ikue Otani (Satoshi’s Pikachu), Megumi Hayashibara (Musashi), Mana Ashida (Largo), Rina Kawaei (Risa),

Animation Production: OLM, Wit Studio

Website   ANN MAL

Synopsis: Satoshi and his Pikachu are at Frau City for the annual Wind Festival which celebrates the fact that the city is blessed with wind from the Legendary Pokémon Lugia. It is there that they meet five strangers struggling with life who find that Pokemon may helm them achieve some growth. These people include Largo, a mysterious girl found in a forest, and Risa, a Pokemon beginner and a high school girl.

Shino Can’t Say Her Own Name    Shino Can't Say Her Own Name Film Poster

志乃ちゃんは自分の名前が言えない Shino-chan wa Jibun no Namae ga Ienai

Running Time: 110 mins.

Release Date: July 14th, 2018

Director: Hiroaki Yuasa

Writer:  Shin Adachi (Screenplay), Shuzo Oshimi (Manga)

Starring: Sara Minami, Aju Makita, Tetsu Watanabe, Riku Hagiwara, Akana Ikeda, Akari Kakimoto, Kaoru Okunuki, Jun Aonami,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: High school girl Shino Ooshima (Sara Minami) has difficulties pronouncing words that start with vowels including her own name. Because of this, she has few friends. She meets Kayo (Aju Makita), a girl who loves music but is tone-deaf. The two decide to work together to start a band.

Watashi no jinsei nano ni   Watashi no jinsei nano ni Film Poster

私の人生なのに Watashi no jinsei nano ni

Running Time: 103 mins.

Release Date: July 14th, 2018

Director: Keinosuke Hara

Writer:  Keinosuke Hara (Screenplay), Kiyuu Azuma, Tomohide Kiyoshi (Novel)

Starring: Kang Ji-Young, Yu Inaba, Motoki Ochiai, Miho Ninagawa, Yuria Eda, Takao Handa, Toshie Negishi, Mariko Akama,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: Mizuho Kinjo (Kang Ji-Young) was a promising rhythmic gymnast who was on the fast track to the Olympics until a spinal cord disease left her disabled from the waist down. Feeling crushed and bitter, she figures her future is bleak until a man with a guitar enters her life and draws her out of her negative thinking and gives her hope.

Kalanchoe   Kalanchoe Film Poster

カランコエの花 Karankoe no Hana

Running Time: 39 mins.

Release Date: July 17th, 2017

Director: Shun Nakagawa

Writer:  Shun Nakagawa (Screenplay),

Starring: Mio Imada, Sho Kasamatsu, Chihiro Nagase, Arisa, Makoto Sudo, Haruna Hori,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: This short film won the Grand Prix competition at the 2017 Tokyo International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival for its drama about how people react in a school when some pupils are rumoured to be gay and lesbian.

Akabeko     

あかべこ Akabeko

Running Time: 25 mins.

Release Date: July 14th, 2018

Director: Hidenori Takahashi

Writer:  Hidenori Takahashi, (Screenplay),

Starring: Niko Sano, Eriko Tomiyama, Kikuko Kanazawa, Chiharu Ookubo,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0fnojv_PXg&feature=youtu.be

Synopsis:This short was at the 2015 SKIP City International D Cinema Film Festival and it looks beautiful from the still images. The story follows six-year-old Mika who has travelled to her grandparents’ house in Aizu with her mother for the birth of a new baby. Mika is upset over the lack of attention she is getting and so she takes a cow shaped talisman called an “Akabeko” which was meant for the baby and runs away. Then she meets a mysterious woman…

Kono machi de kuraseba    Kono machi de kuraseba Film Poster

このまちで暮らせば Kono machi de kuraseba

Running Time: 42 mins.

Release Date: July 14th, 2018

Director: Hidenori Takahashi

Writer:  Hidenori Takahashi, (Screenplay),

Starring: Sho Kasamatsu, Haruka Imou, Kikuko Fujimoto, Hiroshi Katsuno,

Website

Rough Synopsis: A young man who wants to be a forestry worker in a small town in Kumamoto Prefecture has a rocky relationship with his mother. However, a tradition surrounding a special type of cedar trees and a life-threatening illness will reconcile them.

Peace Nippon       Peace Nippon Film Poster

ピース・ニッポン Pi-su Nippon

Running Time: 111 mins.

Release Date: July 14th, 2018

Director: Hiroyuki Nakano

Writer:  Hiroyuki Nakano, Akihisa Shibasaki (Screenplay),

Starring: Dai Watanabe, Sakino Oikawa,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: So, the director of the Tajomaru film I reviewed years ago is back with a documentary! This film looks at the real beauty of Japan and captures it in more than 200 places in 47 prefectures nationwide at a 4K resolution. It took eight years to make this film. It’s part of a project that will document Japan now for future generations to understand things such as the “Four Seasons in Japan” and the “Spirit of Japan”.

Everyday is Alzheimer’s The Final Death Becomes Us    Everyday is Alzheimer_s The Final Death Becomes Us Film Poster

毎日がアルツハイマー ザ・ファイナル 最期に死ぬ時。 Mainichi ga arutsuhaimā za fainaru saigo ni shinu toki.

Running Time: 72 mins.

Release Date: July 14th, 2018

Director: Yuka Sekiguchi

Writer:  N/A

Starring: 

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: Yuka Sekguchi’s mother Hiroko was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease a number of years ago and Yuka has had to care for her. Yuka has documented her exploration of what Alzheimers is and how people with the disease can be cared for. This is the latest part of the series looks at options for dying after her mother was hospitalised for an extended period and ended up with pain in her hip joints. With support seemingly hard to give and her mother suffering, Yuka travels to Europe to look at them. I first wrote about in 2014 but stretches back to 2012 in this IMDB page which needs to be merged with the director’s other one.

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Third Window Films Release “SUFFERING OF NINKO” on July 23rd on DUAL FORMAT Blu-ray/DVD

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Third Window Films are having a cracking year releasing great films what with three Sono titles The Whispering Star/The Sion Sono and Antiporno and the Osamu Tezuka anime. Here’s a great title which I reviewed last year called Suffering of Ninko which will get released on July 23rd on Blu-ray and DVD.

Special Features:
Dual format DVD & BLURAY
45 minute interview with the director
“Strawberry Jam” Short film

Director Norihiro Niwatsukino trades in combining animation and live-action to make a fun horror comedy with shades of shunga and samurai action as well as plenty of earthy humour. With beautiful women and ghosts aplenty, this comes close to being like the 70s exploitation films many fans of Japanese cinema will recognise. Here’s more about the film:

Suffering of Ninko       

the-suffering-of-ninko-film-poster
the-suffering-of-ninko-film-poster

仁光の受難 Ninko no junan

Running Time: 70 mins.

Director: Niwatsukino Norihiro

Writer: Niwatsukino Norihiro (Screenplay)

Starring: Masato Tsujioka, Miho Wakabayashi, Hideta Iwahashi, Yukino Arimoto, Tomoko Harazaki, Kyoko Kudo,

IMDB  Website

This is the debut movie of Norihiro Niwatsukino and it premiered at last year’s Vancouver international Film Festival before moving on to Tokyo FILMeX. It’s a hilarious take on Japanese history with many comedic and visual surprises.

Synopsis: Ninko is a diligent Buddhist monk but he has a problem: he’s irresistible to many women (and some men). Due to his holy vows, he suffers greatly morally and, because he can’t go about his daily life, it affects him physically. It’s getting to him mentally and since sexual indulgence is a sin, he decides to “purify” himself and learn how to rebuff sexual advances so he goes on a journey during which he meets a samurai named Kanzo and hears of a village decimated by the rapacious mountain goddess Yama-onna who kills men to absorb their energy. Ninko sees defeating her as part as part of his quest.

About the director: NORIHIRO NIWATSUKINO 庭月野議啓
Born April 6, 1981, Norihiro Niwatsukino started filming while attending the Kyushu Institute of Design in Fukuoka. After graduating from the Graduate School of Design at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Niwatsukino moved to Tokyo and started working as a freelance director and as a screenwriter. He has directed various video works includes live-action, music video, animation, etc. His short film STRAWBERRY JAM (2010) was invited to various film festivals in Japan. Niwatsukino followed with his first animation series ONIZUSHI. SUFFERING OF NINKO is his first feature film.

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The Path Leading to Love アイニ向カッテ Dir: Kohei Takayama (2017) Osaka Asian Film Festival 2018

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The Path Leading to Love

アイニ向カッテ Ai ni Mukatte

Running Time: 76 mins.

Release Date: 2018

Director: Kohei Takayama

Writer: Kohei Takayama (Screenplay),

Starring: Ippei Tanaka, Yumi Mukai, Mika Dehara, Suzuka Minagawa, Koichi Sakaguchi,

Alcohol addiction and writers go together like cookies and cream, or so it seems. The combination of self-destructive artist and liquid fire has been the subject of films like The Lost Weekend (1945), Leaving Las Vegas (1995) and works based on the life and novels of Charles Bukowski. The need to blot out reality comes from many sources and The Path Leading to Love is a quietly powerful film that shows how alcohol blights the life of someone too filled with doubt, cowardice, weakness, and selfishness to overcome it for the sake of others.

The drunk is Shosuke (Ippei Tanaka). He could be a promising manga artist but he cannot even approach the foothills of creativity because his alcoholism pushes away his desire to work. It also pushed away his ex-girlfriend Sawako and threatens his relationship with his current partner, the loyal but lovelorn Yasuko.

His drinking is self-destructive. Three cans of Asahi is just the start. He usually cleans out the refrigerator and goes to a store for more. Why? It is possibly inherited from one of his parents but it is also an escape from a deeper question he has: whether love is real or not. Haunted by his failings with Sawako, he drifts along in life. However, when he gets a call from his sister in his home town that their mother is ill, Shosuke must face something of a reckoning as he is confronted with whether the questions and problems he has are all rooted in his selfishness which his alcoholism masks. Perhaps the potential absence of the ones who care for him will force him to walk a path leading to love…

This restrained and subtly told drama takes audiences into the toxic world alcoholism and the negative affects it has on the addict and those around him. The film features perfectly calibrated acting and exacting visual form to deliver a compelling story of lost potential and fraying relationships.

There is a minimalist style to proceedings in the sense that there are no big dramatics and no fancy visual or audio techniques. Director Kohei Takayama uses subdued but powerful lighting, set design, and precise camera movement to highlight the actors who give naturalistic performance. It all creates an emotionally potent tale of a sorry man ruining everything good in his life.

Shosuke’s drinking is a long-standing issue and his actions have had tragic consequences that he is well aware of, the extent of it becomes clearer as conversations, haunting dreams of a child, and hazy flashbacks gradually spill out on screen and give insight into what went wrong with Sawako, colouring the present-tense narrative, his relationship with Yasuko and his failing relationship with his family. The content of a poisonous atmosphere is delivered through fantastic form.

Set design and locations are resolutely normal, clean and pleasant, even, but the cans strewn around on tatami and desks show how much alcohol is being consumed. The camera mostly remains static as it observes people, but when it does move, it delivers a lot of visual information in terms of the changes in relationships between characters. The sharpest movement is a lateral tracking shot through Shosuke and Yasuko’s apartment space after he has had a massive binge-drinking session and they have argued. The disappointment and disillusion can be heard in her voice as the camera slides around the set, showing the shift in their relationship. The actors are separated by the architecture: a partition that divides the frame, acting like a huge physical barrier and representing an emotional barrier he puts up through his rejection of her love. The next sequence, their positions are switched but the partition remains and their sight lines are totally off, their body-language distant. There is no need for dialogue to messily tell us their emotions. The precise camera movement, when coupled with the actors and their body language, says so much.

Tanaka is perfect as Shosuke. A lassitude affects his lanky frame when he tries to work. Staccato-like rhythms take over as he gives in to drink. He is afflicted by woozy movements when drunk, finally hunched and with a face full of horror when sober and ashamed of himself and his inability to focus. Whenever Shosuke enters a group space at his family’s home, he isn’t a part of it, his head hung down. There are moments when he lifts his gaze, eyes shot through with guilt, and you almost believe his regret but there is always the craven man full of self-loathing lurking not too far beneath the surface. Full of contradictions, humiliations, he presents a sorry figure but still manages to hold the camera’s gaze. The other actors give equally fine performances by reacting to his void of decency, either trying to pull him back or reacting with fury and disappointment. Everything that develops between people feels natural. This is an everyday sort of tragedy.

To leaven this atmosphere are locations such as Shosuke’s hometown, a lush tropical paradise in comparison to his apartment somewhere in the winding streets of Tokyo. Beautiful beaches and blue skies offer a reprieve from the grey. The emotions shown by the women in Shosuke’s life also breathe with passion and love and it makes the man’s descent all the more a shame.

Downbeat but full of moments of beauty that alleviate the darkness, Kohei Tanaka has crafted a compelling portrait of an alcoholic which navigates the human wreckage created by addiction.

The Path Leading to Love received its world premiere at the Osaka Asian Film Festivalon March 10 and March 15.

This review was originally published on V-Cinema on March 10th.

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An Interview with Kohei Takayama, director of “The Path Leading to Love” at the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2018

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Takayama Kohei OAFF Interview

Kohei Takayama was born in Chiba prefecture in 1987. After graduating from Waseda University, he began making indie films such as Ni naru (2015) and Kudaranai kudaranai kono sekai (2016). He was at the Osaka Asian Film Festival to present the world premiere of his latest work, The Path Leading to Love (2018). The story is a downbeat tale of a talented manga artist wasting his skills thanks to alcohol. The main protagonist, Shosuke (Ippei Tanaka) lacks the ability to overcome his alcoholism even though it has ruined relationships with his family, his ex-girlfriend Sawako (Mika Dehara) and threatens his relationship with his current girlfriend Yasuko (Yumi Mukai). The story refuses to look away from the negative aspects of alcoholism and asks the audience to follow a man on his self-destructive path. What makes it a gripping watch is the powerful acting performances from the cast.

Kohei Takayama kindly gave an interview on the penultimate day of the festival at the press centre. Acting as interpreter was Kayoko Nakanishi who was invaluable in helping the conversation flow smoothly and always offering nuanced interpretation of what turned into a philosophical conversation based on the intelligent and thoughtful work of Takayama.

Jason Maher: Thanks for making the film and appearing at the festival. It’s a really interesting film and I respect it a lot. Could you give me a little of your background, please.

Kohei Takayama: I started to be interested in films while I was a university student. After graduation I started making short films. I think it was kind of late but it came at a time when I was wondering what I was going to do with my life. I was influenced by my parents who love art and paintings and music so when I thought about making films I thought, “this is it, this is what I’m going to do with my life”. I was actually planning on making a short film when I started writing the script for The Path Leading to Love. When I was doing pre-production I had the feeling that maybe it could be longer than I originally planned. Then, while shooting, because I tend to use long sequences in one shot, I thought maybe it could be longer. Then, when I was editing, I finally realised it could be a feature film.

Jason Maher: Where did the story come from?

Kohei Takayama: While I was planning this film I read a novel by Yukio Mishima. There is a line about free will and I started thinking about the concept of free will. How you can say something like, “this is my free will”. A person can say, “I want to do this”, and it’s natural that we think that this is the person exercising their free will, something originally from their mind, but it’s not actually free will, it’s all influenced by circumstances and environment. A person cannot control their will. For example, for me to make films may seem like an act of free will but actually my circumstances and environment influenced me to do it and so I wanted to make a story about a protagonist who cannot choose his will or control his actions. It’s like your relatives, you cannot choose them or your dream, even though it’s your dream to be a film director, it’s not you controlling your dream, it just came to you because of your circumstances and influences so I wanted to make a film where the main character is trying to find his way with his will but, actually, he cannot take control.

Jason Maher: So a person’s will is just a reflection of the environment and the people around them?

Kohei Takayama: A person’s will is the point where the environment converges.

Jason Maher: Is Shosuke’s character based on someone you know?

Kohei Takayama: There are several people, actually. One is a friend from my junior high school days and there are people like friends and relatives who cannot stop drinking. They keep regretting drinking so much but they can’t stop. They drink heavily at night and then in the morning they regret they cannot stop but even though they have these problems I actually like these people. Even though they have these problem there is some happiness which I kept thinking about and the story came out.

Jason Maher: Do the female characters represent some aspect of your feelings towards those friends and family with that problem?

Kohei Takayama: Maybe, it could be.

Jason Maher: In terms of casting the characters, what did you look for in the person who would portray Shosuke?

Kohei Takayama: Ippei Tanaka auditioned and I liked his body, his physicality.

Jason Maher: Very distinct, very tall and rangy. Did he have to act out a particular scene for the audition?

Kohei Takayama: I only provided a script for the character Tanaka-san auditioned for but it’s based one year earlier in the character’s life before the start of the story in the film because I needed to see how he would portray the lead character. I don’t want actors to do the same scenario from the film because the audition is held at a meeting room which is completely different from the shooting locations so I need to see the actor as the character and I also need to have different content to see their possibilities because I don’t want to bring what they felt from the audition to the shooting location.

Jason Maher: What did you look for in Yasuko and Sawako’s actresses during the audition?

Kohei Takayama: The way I did their audition was like a workshop so the three actors auditioning for those characters all worked together. I was careful to watch the distance between the actresses and Tanaka-san’s character because Shosuke is very isolated and not an open-minded person so the actresses needed to be careful when being close to Shosuke. Some actresses might just go and be physically close to him. That’s not what I wanted so I was careful to look at the distance between the actors.

Jason Maher: What do Sawako and Yasuko find attractive in him? There’s a line in the film from Yasuko, “what I see in you is deeper than your words and expressions, a river flows in you and I can’t stop watching it”. It’s extreme when Shosuke has such problems.

Kohei Takayama: I think, and maybe this is my philosophy, but it’s not the point to like a person based on their goodness or success. I tend to like very small things about a person, what they say and what they do. I believe that these two female characters see Shosuke as an attractive person even though on the surface he’s not a good guy. Maybe he’s an alcoholic but these two characters, they have found Shosuke’s essence. I didn’t want to show the details of these characters because that isn’t my style. I don’t want to explain precisely the characters because in real life people do not like someone because of a specific reason, small things are important in finding someone attractive.

Jason Maher: So it becomes more instinctive?

Kohei Takayama: I believe that, for example, artificial intelligence and human beings, the way they perceive is opposite. Human beings capture the whole face first but the AI looks at specific features, like these are two holes so they are the eyes and so this must be the face. The AI has a process to recognise things through each part and then see the whole picture but human beings, we capture things by the whole picture first and then see the details so it’s totally opposite. So when you like someone you don’t think of the details first. I like this person because of this, because of this, because of this, it’s not like that, you just like that person as a whole and then you find the details. So when I say the whole picture of that person, there might be something that is not obvious but it is there in the background. You don’t see everything when you look.

Jason Maher: The atmosphere around the person? The colour of energy?

Kohei Takayama: Yes. That’s the point. This is not written in the script but what I want to show is the charm and the greatness that I found in the actors I have.

Jason Maher: What would you say is Tanaka-san’s greatest asset?

Kohei Takayama: So, Tanaka-san has two different characteristics. He’s sensitive and careful. While shooting, I was talking to the DP on the set and even though I wasn’t talking to Tanakan-san, he listened to what I said, took it and used it in his acting. He tried so hard. Every time I shot him, I was curious and excited to see what Tanakan-san would do next because I couldn’t imagine it. He’s sensitive but also, at the same time, expressive 大胆 daring, bold.

Jason Maher: When it comes to working with actors, do you want them to follow a strict set of directions or do you allow them freedom to interpret their roles while shooting?

Kohei Takayama: Before a shoot, the actors and I discuss scenes a lot and I make sure everybody knows what I want to show with the scene and then I let them act with their own ideas. I shoot with wide frames so that I can capture the movement of the actors.

Jason Maher: Do you worry about the audience’s reactions to the story because it felt like there were no positive aspects to Shosuke seen on screen so it’s harder to the audience to sympathise.

Kohei Takayama: I do worry about it, yes, very much. At the same time, I know this is my way of thinking and feeling and it might not be accepted by the audience so this might be a point to work on in the future. I also realise it depends upon how each person reacts and feels. So that’s the point of the film because people with problems like the main character are not accepted by society and that’s very sad. I hope that in the future, society accepts these people even though they have problems. I believe that these people should be accepted so that is why I wanted to make this film with this theme. I don’t want to run away from this theme because I think it’s important and so that is why the happiness of the characters should be accepted by society.

Jason Maher: I’m very interested in the idea that will is not something generated from within, it’s a reflection of the environment. Do you think it’s actually possible to change your will and change the world around you?

Kohei Takayama: I believe that small choices are important. Even though you say my will is influenced by my environment, you can choose what environment will influence you. You can make small changes that influence you and that’s how we can improve our lives. It’s simultaneous and interactive because it isn’t just you being influenced, you are influencing so you can change the environment and world.

Jason Maher: In terms of shot selection, camera movement, placement and blocking and lighting, did you do a lot of pre-planning?

Kohei Takayama: Yes, I did preparation. I created a storyboard for each scene but during shooting, when we came up with a new idea, we tried it.

Jason Maher: I was really impressed by the way you used lighting to convey the inner worlds of characters. There’s one particular shot where Shosuke has a bad hangover and the corner of the apartment he is in is pitch-black and in another scene there’s a lateral camera movement where the partitions of the apartment were placed to keep Shosuke and Yasuko separate on screen.

Kohei Takayama: We rented the apartment we shot in so I had to be very careful in choosing which apartment we would use, what type of room, the layout and architecture that would allow the actors to move around.

Jason Maher: Last question, does love exist?

Kohei Takayama: In one word, only the path leading to love. I want to emphasise that I don’t want to depict the despair of the lack of love. Love is not a form you can touch, it’s incomplete so you need to be careful to think about love. You must keep thinking about love otherwise you might lose it.

Jason Maher: So it’s like a constant choice as well as an instinctive feeling?

Kohei Takayama: I agree.

Jason Maher: Thank you very much, this talk was very interesting. It helped me understand the characters and the themes of the film a lot more.

This interview was originally published on V-Cinema on May 24th.

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Bleach, Mirai of the Future, Still Life of Memories, Ame no kubi furizaka, Engine Sentai Go-Onger: 10 Years Grand Prix, Anna (Kidnapper), Sukabro Japanese Film Trailers

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Happy weekend, people!

The Suffering of Ninko Kazama

I hope everyone is feeling fine.

I’ve just finished a six-day working week at my regular job and I’m in the middle of film festival work for Kotatsu. I finished crafting PR stuff weeks ago but getting it set in motion is happening now. Since the last trailer post, I watched ten films and written about Third Window Films’ release of Suffering of Ninko, posted a review for The Path Leading to Love and posted an interview with the director of that film, Takayama Kohei.

What is released this weekend in Japan?

Bleach    Bleach Film Poster

Running Time: 108 mins.

Release Date: July 20th, 2018

Director:  Shinsuke Sato

Writer:  (Screenplay), Tite Kubo (Original Story),

Starring: Masami Nagasawa, Miyavi, Hana Sugisaki, Erina Mano, Sota Fukushi, Ryo Yoshizawa, Yosuke Eguchi,

IMDB Website

This one is playing at Japan Cuts in New York and will be screened twice on July 28th.

Synopsis: Ichigo Kurosaki (Sota Fukushi) has the ability to see spirits. Thanks to this, he meets a “Soul Reaper” (shinigami) by the name of Rukia Kuchiki (Hana Sugisaki), who transfers her powers to him after being injured by an evil spirit known as a “Hollow.” Under Rukia’s guidance, Ichigo trains to harness his newfound Soul Reaper abilities in the battle against Hollows while Rukia does her best to fit in as a human high school girl.

Mirai of the Future    Mirai of the Future Film Poster

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

Probably film of the week by a long-shot. The reviews from this year’s Cannes film festival paint this to be a home-run for Mamoru Hosoda.

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.

Ame no kubi furizaka   Ame no kubi furizaka Film Poster

雨の首ふり坂 Ame no kubi furizaka

Running Time: 93 mins.

Release Date: July 21st, 2018

Director: Shunsaku Kawake

Writer:  Sumio Oomori (Screenplay), Shotaro Ikenami (Original Work)

Starring: Baijaku Nakamura, Takahiro Miura, Akiyoshi Nakao, Shigeru Izumiya, Ren Osugi, Sei Ashina,

Website    

Synopsis: Baijaku takes the lead in a film where he has to dodge pursuit from a hostile gang whilst also helping out a family of innocent people who run a noodle store. I think. More importantly, this was one of Ren Osugi’s last films.

Still Life of Memories       Still Life of Memories Film Poster

スティルライフオブメモリーズ Sutiru Raifu obu Memori-zu

Running Time: 107 mins.

Release Date: July 21st, 2018

Director: Hitoshi Yazaki

Writer: Masa Asanishi, Akira Ito (Screenplay), Inuhiko Yomota ‘Eizo Yori’ (Original Novel),

Starring: Masanobu Ando, Natsuko Haru, Rima Matsuda, Vivienne Sato, Kiyomi Ito, Inuhiko Yomota,

IMDB    Website

Hitoshi Yazaki is an indie veteran whose return is being greeted with anticipation and his latest film will get people hot under the collar since it is all about a photography shoot which may, or may not, be erotic. It is inspired by Henri Maccheroni’s scandalous relationship with his lover/muse which became the collection of work, ‘Cent photographies choisies dans la serie Deux mille photographies du sexe d’une femme’.

I saw it at the Osaka Asian Film Festival, made notes, prepped a review, but didn’t feel inspired to write about it despite the fact it was well-shot. I didn’t get it on a first viewing I guess.

Synopsis: Haruma is an up-and-coming photographer who is getting full exposure at a photo exhibition in a Tokyo photo gallery. Rei, a beautiful curator at the Yamanashi Prefectural Art Museum, is fascinated by the photos she sees and calls Haruma to request a photo-shoot with an intimate part of herself as the subject. The only rules to this shoot are that no questions must be asked and Rei will be given the negatives. Haruma is initially surprised but goes along with the job, however the job becomes something of an obsession for the photographer…

Engine Sentai Go-Onger: 10 Years Grand Prix    Engine Sentai Go-Onger 10 Years Grand Prix Film Poster

炎神戦隊ゴーオンジャー 10 YEARS GRANDPRIX Enjin Sentai Gōonjā Ten Iyāzu Guran Puri)

Running Time: 53 mins.

Release Date: July 21st, 2018

Director: Katsuya Watanabe

Writer:  Sho Aikawa (Screenplay), Shotaro Ikenami (Original Work)

Starring: Yasuhisa Furuhara, Shinwa Kattaoka, Rina Aizawa, Masahiro Usui, Kenji Ebisawa, Hidenori Tokuyama, Yumi Sugimoto,

Website    IMDB Power Rangers Wiki

Synopsis:Made to commemorate the 10th anniversary since the broadcast of the first episode of the Go-Onger sentai run, this one picks up the story at a time when sentai teams are banned and a suicide bomber disrupting the peace in response to the ban.

Anna (Kidnapper)     Anna (Kidnapper) Film Poster

誘拐アンナ Yuukai Anna

Release Date: July 21st, 2018

Running Time: 30 mins.

Director: Kaichi Sato

Writer: Kaichi Sato (Screenplay),

Starring: Hana Takeda, Toshiyuki Morikawa,

Animation Production: Studio DEEN

Website 

Synopsis: The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968) is getting screened in certain cinemas and a3DCG anime was created as a tribute to continue the story.

Sukabro     Sukaburo Film Poster

スカブロ Sukaburo

Running Time: 101 mins.

Release Date: July 21st, 2018

Director: Junichi Yagi

Writer:  Junichi Yagi (Screenplay),

Starring: Shunsuke Kubozuja Rueed, Aisha, Marika Fukunaga, Kan Muto, Sho Uesugi,

Website

Synopsis: Here we have a crime drama about an older brother named Ryosuke (Shunsuke Kubozuka) who returns from a sluggish acting career in Tokyo to Yokosuka where his younger brother is a musician. They get caught up in a quiet to deliver a letter from a father to a son and some criminals get involved along the way.

I don’t remember Yokosuka being like this… Anyway, local actors and crew have made this

Sorry about the poor job this weekend, I’ve been hyperactive in my day job and exhausting myself. I discovered this hype track last night to change my mood.

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Japan Foundation’s “Pre-Summer Explorers!” Free Film Screenings in August

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The Japan Foundation are running their Summer Explorers full of anime and live-action films that are set during the summer. This is a free event which you have to register for. I repeat, this is a free event. Free films!!! To find out more about it, visit the Japan Foundation’s website.

Saturday, 4 August 2018: Soho Hotel Cinema
4 Richmond Mews (via Richmond Buildings), London, W1D 3Dh

NHK WORLD DOUBLE BILL PART ONE

A Tale of Love & Honour: Life in Gion
Dir. Maki Kubochi, 2017, 49min

Take a peek into the distinct district of Gion in Kyoto and witness the proud and wistful stories of people belonging to this secret world in this fascinating documentary from NHK WORLD-JAPAN.

Living Ninja Legend Masaaki Hatsumi
Dir. Fuyuhiko Nishi, 2016, 41 min

Masaaki Hatsumi, 84 years old, is a living ninja in modern times. What is the essence of his astonishing art? This documentary investigates the hidden power of this ninja master.

House    House Film Poster

ハウス 「Hausu」

Released: July 30th, 1977 (Japan)

Running time: 88 mins.

Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi,

Writer: Nobuhiko Obayashi, Chiho Katsura (Screenplay),

Cast: Kimiko Ikegami – Oshare,  Miki Jinbo – Kung-Fu, Kuniko Oba – Fantasy, Ai Matsubara – Prof., Kiyohiko Ozaki – Mr. Togo, Yoko Minamida – Auntie,

IMDB

The highlight, in my opinion. This film is a riot of fun and good music with a haunted house setting to die for as a bunch of girls will find out. It comes from Nobuhiko Obayashi and his daughter and features so much imagination and flair for visual spectacle and cool music that it is a delight to watch. I highly recommend it. Here’s my review.

Synopsis: The summer holidays have arrived and for seven high school girls named Melody, Prof, Sweetie, Kung-fu, Mac, Fantasy and Oshare (Kimiko Ikegami) they have the chance to go camping with their teacher Mr. Togo. Oshare declines because her father is back from Italy and she’s looking forward to staying at a villa with him. Her plans are ruined when he introduces her to his potential new wife. Oshare is upset at the presence of the woman and decides to visit an eccentric spinster aunt, inviting her friends along for the trip. After a long journey the girls arrive at the aunt’s house but find their presence has triggered a hostile force that immediately attacks them, picking them off one by one while the eccentric aunt watches.

Sunday 5 August 2018: Courthouse Hotel Cinema
19-21 Great Marlborough Street, London, W1F 7HL

Summer Wars    

サマーウォーズ Sama- Wo-zu

Release Date: August 01st, 2009

Running Time: 114 mins.

Director: Mamoru Hosoda

Writer: Satoku Okudera (Screenplay),

Starring: Kenji Koiso (Ryunosuke Kamiki), Kazuma Ikezawa (Mitsuki Tanimura), Sumiko Fuji (Sakae Jinnouchi), Nanami Sakuraba (Natsuki Shinohara), Ayumu Saitou (Wabisuke Jinnouchi),

Animation Production: Madhouse

MAL ANN Website

Mamoru Hosoda is riding high with the release of Mirai in Japanese cinemas and I think it would be fair to say that his career has been full of hits that mix the fantastical with the mundane much in the way some Ghibli films do. This particular title is set in Ueda in Nagano Prefecture which is close to the director’s birthplace. It earned him the Japanese Academy Award for Animation of the Year in 2010. It’s a lot of fun.

Synopsis: Kenji Koiso is a 17-year-old maths genius and part-time moderator for the world of OZ, a globally popular online world which many people use to regulate aspects of their daily lives from shopping to social media. One summer, he is invited by his secret crush Natsuki on a summer trip to Nagano where he will stay at her family’s estate. They are preparing for her great-grandmother’s 90th birthday but he suddenly receives a mysterious, coded message on his cell phone from an unknown sender who challenges him to solve it but his maths skills might just put the world in danger…

NHK WORLD DOUBLE-BILL PART TWO

My Small Steps from Hiroshima
2016, 50min

Kaoru Ogura dedicated his life to telling the world about Hiroshima, where the first atomic bomb was dropped. This documentary recounts the life and work of Ogura and his fellow anti-nuclear activists.

The Phone of the Wind: Whispers to Lost Families
2016, 49 min

On a hill overlooking the sea in northern Japan is a phone booth known as the “Phone of the Wind”. It is connected to nowhere, but many people come here to “call” their loved ones lost in the 2011 tsunami…

Kikujiro   Kikujiro Film Poster

菊次郎の夏「Kikujiro no Natsu

Release Date: June 05th, 1999 (Japan)

UK Distributor: Third Window Films

Running Time: 121 mins.

Director: Takashi Kitano

Writer: Takashi Kitano (Screenplay),

Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Yusuke Sekiguchi, Kayoko Kishimoto, Yuko Daike, The Great Gidayu, Rakkyo Ide, Fumie Hosokawa, Beat Kiyoshi,

IMDB

This film is just great. It features Beat Takeshi’s absurd sight-gags and edgy humour in what turns from a road movie featuring a mismatched pair to a heartfelt story of two people learning to face the issue that hampers their lives and causes them heartache. Here’s my review.

Synopsis: It’s summer and little Masao (Yusuke Sekiguchi) has no one to play with. Soccer practice has been suspended and his friends are far away at the beach. Living alone with his grandmother, summer seems even less fun for this nine-year-old boy. With address and photo in hand, Masao decides to take off in search of the mother he’s never met. But with little money and even less sense of direction, Masao can’t go alone. A friend of his grandmother volunteers her husband Kikujiro (Takeshi Kitano) to accompany the boy on his quest.

Kikujiro hardly seems an ideal companion for anyone, let alone for a boy as sensitive as the sullen Masao. Brash, loudmouthed and always on the lookout for easy money, the irresponsible Kikujiro doesn’t even appear to be overly fond of children but by the bittersweet trip’s end, both will have experienced heart-warming lessons and lots of adventures.

Saturday, 11 August 2018: Soho Hotel Cinema
4 Richmond Mews (via Richmond Buildings), London, W1D 3Dh

Only Yesterday Film Image 2

 

Only Yesterday (Literal Title – far superior – Memories Come Tumbling Down)   Only Yesterday Film Poster

おもひでぽろぽろOmohide Poro Poro

Release Date: July 20th, 1991

Running Time: 111 mins.

Director: Isao Takahata

Writer: Isao Takahata (Screenplay), Hotaru Okamoto, Yuuko Tone (Original Manga)

Starring: Miki Imai (Taeko), Toshiro Yanagiba (Toshio), Youko Honna (Taeko (child)), Mayumi Iizuka (Tsuneko), Mei Oshitani (Aiko), Megumi Komine (Toko),

IMDB MAL ANN

While I prefer the more fantastical side of Studio Ghibli’s output, I recognise that Isao Takahata’s realistic dramas are pretty powerful due to the way he treats his characters, offering them complexity and humanity and a space to grow. I cried hard when watching them and Only Yesterday, a film aimed at evoking nostalgia in Japanese women. The ending had me in tears. Apparently Takahata had troubled adapting the episodic stories of the source manga and so he created the framing narrative of the main character travelling to Yamagata Prefecture and falling in love. Here is a trailer to give you a taste as to why audiences loved it:

Synopsis: A 27 year old office worker, Taeko Okajima (Miki Imai), leaves the city for her first extended trip outside of Tokyo.

Visiting her sister in rural Yamagata, she daydreams about her younger self and is forced to reflect on her hectic life when she meets a handsome young farmer.

Napping Princess Ancien and the Magic Tablet Film Poster

ひるね姫 ~知らないワタシの物語~ Hirune Hime: Shiranai Watashi no Monogatari」 

Running Time: 110 mins.

Release Date: March 18th, 2017

Director: Kenji Kamiya

Writer: Kenji Kamiya (Screenplay),

Animation Production: Signal.MD

Starring: Mitsuki Takahata (Kokone Morikawa), Arata Furuta (Watanabe), Hideki Takahashi (Isshin Shijima), Shinnosuke Mitsushima (Morio),

IMDB Website MAL

Production I.G has been the creative home to director Kenji Kamiyama and he directed the TV anime Eden of the East, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit. Napping Princess is an original anime from Kamiya and it was produced by Signal.MD. a subsidiary studio of Production I.G. The film was made as a response to a question Kamiyama had for himself: could he make a film for his teenage daughter. The result is an always beautiful film which is fun adventure that soon becomes a mess as it mishandles the switches between dream and reality and the lines become so blurred and the narrative goes awry. Stay during the credits for a heartbreaking sequence.

Synopsis: Days before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Kokone, a high school girl who spends more time sleeping than studying, has the same strange dream filled with futuristic warring machines which seem to be connected to her family in some secret way. She will soon uncover the truth after her mechanic father is arrested and she travels to Tokyo and between dreams and reality to rescue him.

Mitsuko Delivers                                                      Mitsuko Delivers Poster

ハラ が コレ なんで 「Hara Ga Kore Nande」

Release Date: November 05th, 2011 (Japan)

Running Time: 109 min.

Director: Yuya Ishii

Writer: Yuya Ishii

Starring: Riisa Naka, Aoi Nakamura, Ryo Ishibashi, Shiro Namiki, Miyoko Inagawa, Miyako Takeuchi, Momoka Oono, Yoshimasa Kondo, Yukijiro Hotaru, Keiko Saito,

IMDB

I personally wanted more from the narrative, especially the issue surrounding the baby’s complex parentage but that’s just me. Other reviewers like this a lot. Here’s my review. I think Yuya Ishii has come along brilliantly as a director after this film with The Great Passage and The Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue being two absorbing and detail/character rich dramas.

 

Synopsis: Mitsuko (Naka) is nine-months pregnant, broke and alone in Tokyo. Her parents (serial failed entrepeneurs) think that she’s in America with the baby’s GI father but she’s actually in dire straits as she is forced to move out of her apartment. Despite all of this she remains positive and believes that things will turn out alright. She doesn’t know where she will go but decides to hop into a taxi she cannot pay for and follows a cloud back to the ramshackle working-class alley where she grew up. This place is a relic from the past and it has had the life sucked out o it with the departure of many of its residents, but Mitsuko’s infectious get-up-and-go attitude soon compels the remaining locals to roll up their sleeves and restore the alley to its former glory.  Mitsuko has so much to do and so little time before her baby arrives but she will find a new assertiveness and help those floundering around her.

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Japan Foundation’s Free Film Screenings: “Summer Explorers!”

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The Japan Foundation in London are putting on a series of free film screenings the first of which I posted about yesterday – Pre-Summer Explorers! – and this is the second series of screenings which has three films that aren’t screened in the UK all that often, or at all! Just click on the title to be taken through to the page to book tickets.

Sunday 12th August 2018: Courthouse Hotel Cinema
19-21 Great Marlborough Street, London, W1F 7HL

His Master’s Voice   Mouichido Film Poster

もういちど  「Mo ichido」

Release Date: August 23rd, 2014 (Japan)

Running Time: 95 mins.

Director: Hiroyuki Itaya

Writer: Hiroyuki Itaya (Screenplay/Original Story),

Starring: Nayuta Fukuzaki, Gori, Taihei Hayashiya, Mami Kumagai, Hisashiro Ogura, Momoka Ohno, Yasuko Tomita,

IMDB   Website

This film will be screened twice on August 12th, 14:00 and 18:40.

Synopsis: A, Edo Period drama focussing on the comic storytelling art of Rakugo, the story begins when Sadakichi (Nayuta Fukuzaki) returns home to take a holiday from his work after being bullied there. In order to cheer up their little son, his parents ask their gloomy looking neighbour, Taihei (Taihei Hayashiya), a former Rakugo storyteller, to give a performance for him. Sadakichi is deeply moved by his performance and hopes to become Taihei’s apprentice and learn the art.

Giovanni’s Island Giovanni's Island Film Poster 2

ジョバンニの島 「Giovanni no Shima」

Running Time: 104 mins.

Director: Mizuho Nishikubo

Writer: Yoshiki Sakurai (Screenplay),

Starring: Kota Yokoyama (Junpei Senou), Junya Taniai (Kanta Senou), Masachika Ichimura (Tatsuo Senou), Yukie Nakama (Sawako), Polina Ilyushenko (Tanya)

Giovanni’s Island has a story deals which deals with the immediate aftermath of World War II and two brothers trying to find their place in the world amidst a Soviet invasion. It has been compared to Grave of the Fireflies and that is heady praise. One does not invoke that film lightly.

Synopsis: Junpei and his younger brother Hirota live on a peaceful island of Shikotan with their father Tatsuo and grandfather Genzo. The island lies north of Japan and close to the Soviet Union. They get their names from the Kenji Miyazawa novel Night on the Galactic Railroad which their late mother enjoyed reading. Then on August 15th, 1945, Soviet troops arrive. The boys glimpse the chaos and fear an army occupation brings but they also feel love for a Russian girl named Tanya.

Saturday 18th August 2018: Regent Street Cinema
309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2UW

Chiery and Cherry   Cherry to Chieri Film Poster

ちえりとチェリー Chiery to Cheri-

Running Time: 54 mins.

Director: Makoto Nakamura

Writer: Makoto Nakamura, Michiru Shimada (Screenplay)

Animation Production: Toei Animation

Starring: Natsumi Takamori (Chieri), Gen Hoshino (Cherry), Rina Kitagawa (Shouta), Uki Satake (Emi), Machiko Ono (Marie),

Website MAL ANN JFDB

Makoto Nakamura has had a long career making TV anime such as Yuri Kuma Arashi, Coppelion, as well as OAVs and films such as GYO: Tokyo Fish Attack and Hotarubi no Mori e. Chier to Cherry is his directorial debut on an original work and it was inspired by ideas in Russian animator Roman Kachanov’s 1967 The Mitten short. After being partially funded through a crowdfunding campaign last year it made its debut at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Synopsis: Chieri is a 6th grade elementary school girl. Her father died when she was little, so she lives with just her mother. The only friend of Chieri had been a stuffed doll Cherry which she found on a storehouse at the time of her father’s funeral. In Chieri’s world of fantasy, Cherry had talked and played with, and advised and protected her in place of her father. Chieri visits her grandmother’s house for a first time in a while to attend her father’s remembrance ceremony. There, she finds a stray dog being about to give birth to puppies. But a crow and strange monster come trying to get the pups. Can Chieri and Cherry save their lives?

Neko Samurai Neko Samurai Film Poster

猫侍  「Neko Samurai」

Release Date: March 01st, 2014

Running Time: 100 mins.

Director: Yoshitaka Yamaguchi

Writer: Yuji Nagamori, Yoshitaka Yamaguchi

Starring: Kazuki Kitamura, Misako Renbutsu, Yasufumi Terawaki, Yosuke Asari, Kanji Tsuda, Megumi Yokoyama, Shingo Mizusawa,

Website   IMDB

Who can kill a cat? Cats rock! It seems this samurai agrees in this fun looking film which is based on a TV show.

Synopsis: Kyutaro (Kitamura) was once a fearsome samurai but has fallen on hard times and tries to keep a low profile. When a man named Sakichi (Mizusawa) sees an example Kyutaro’s swordsmanship he hires the samurai to kill a white cat named Tamanojoh who has bewitched his boss Yozaemon (Ito) and left him immature. Kyutaro takes the job but when he sees how lovely the white cat is he has a change of heart.

 

Oshin                             Oshin Film Poster

おしん「Oshin」

Running Time: 109 mins.

Release Date: October 12th, 2013

Director: Shin Togashi

Writer: Sugako Hashida, Kota Yamada (Screenplay),

Starring: Kokone Hamada, Aya Ueto, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ayako Kobayashi, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Guts Ishimatsu, Pinko Izumi,

Website   IMDB

The second of two films involving kids learning to be independent.

Synopsis: In 1907, 7-year-old Oshin (Hamada) is traded by her parents for 60kg of rice and finds herself made to work in a lumber shop. It’s tough and about to get tougher when she is suspected of theft by the owners. With no other options left, she takes fate into her own hands and runs away into the mountains during a blizzard where she is ound by the kind Shunsaku who helps Oshin learn how to read and write, and the importance of independent thinking. A remake of the biggest hit drama in Japanese TV history from 1984, Oshin retells the story of a woman whose patience and endurance helped her through a tough life.

 

A Preview of BATSU FILM FESTIVAL 2018 (AUGUST 03-05)

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Here’s a brand new festival for North America that is totally dedicated to Japanese films. It’s called the BATSU FILM FESTIVAL and it runs from August 03rd to 05th at the Alamo Drafthouse in Denver Colorado. It’s aim is to go beyond the films of familiar names that tend to make the rounds on the festival circuit and get releases and expose the hidden talents in the Japanese film industry. With this mission, the festival programmer has dived into indie films as well as commercial features that weren’t given a wide distribution or shown outside of the bigger festivals to bring audiences in Denver a great selection of films all in one weekend in August.

There are many highlights amongst the 12 features and 4 shorts that have been selected and I have trailers for them all and links to reviews. I have watched (and reviewed) some but haven’t published any info yet so check out the notes above the trailers for some thoughts. As always, click on the titles to be taken to the festival page to see more info:

0.5mm    

0.5 mm Film Poster
0.5 mm Film Poster

0.5ミリ 0.5 miri

Release Date: November 08th, 2014

Running Time: 196 mins

Director: Momoko Ando

Writer: Momoko Ando (Screenplay)

Starring: Sakura Ando, Junkichi Orimoto, Toshio Sakata, Masahiko Tsugawa, Akira Emoto.

Website IMDB

This one comes from Momoko Ando, sister of the super-talented Sakura Ando who takes the lead in this film. In the era of #MeToo, this offers an interesting look at gender roles as well as inter-generational differences and despite its long running-time, it doesn’t drag.

Synopsis: Sawa (Sakura Ando), a home helper for a middle class family with an elderly infirm grandfather, is forced to stretch her morals to keep her job. As a result, she finds herself broke and out on the street. She survives her first night by striking up an ambiguous friendship with a kindly old man, gaining access to a portion of the immense wealth held by Japan’s ageing population. She continues with similar encounters, and while these begin as scams or revenge on rampant sexism, they ultimately become vulnerable inter-generational exchanges.

Bamy       bamy-film-poster

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 was one of the highlights of the 2017 run of the Osaka Asian Film Festival and many critics have picked up on its unique take on horror and relationship dramas. It’s interesting looking back on it because I focused on the horror element and its use of atmosphere which reminded me of Kiyoshi Kurosawa, one of my favourite directors, but the actual emotional disconnect between the central characters and the dead atmosphere it produces is the more interesting aspect of the film to explore. Beautiful and excellently composed, it will stick in your mind. Here’s my review of Jun Tanaka’s Bamy (2017). I hope you get to see it.

This film will be preceded by the short Pacalien.

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.

Death Row FamilyDeath Row Family Film Poster

全員死刑 Zenin Shikei

Running Time: 98 mins.

Release Date: November 18th, 2017

Director:  Yuki Kobayashi

Writer: Yuki Kobayashi (Screenplay), Tomohiko Suzuki (Original Novel)

Starring: Shotaro Mamiya, Katsuya Maiguma, Naomasa Musaka, Kanako Irie, Hazuki Shimizu, Motoki Ochiai, Kisetsu Fujiwara, Miyuki Torii,

Website IMDB

This film will be preceded by the short Crying Free Sex.

Synopsis: This is based on a real-life criminal case that happened in 2004 in Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture. The story is specifically based on the memoir of one of the sons caught up in the crime. Four members of a family deep in debt decide to rob a wealthy family who run a loan-shark and tax evasion operation. The robbery goes wrong and someone dies. When it rains for these guys it really pours because eventually things escalate until they kill more people.

Emi-abi    

Emi-Abi Film Poster
Emi-Abi Film Poster

エミアビのはじまりとはじまり 「Emiabi no Hajimari to Hajimari」 

Running Time: 88 mins.

Director: Kensaku Watanabe

Writer: Kensaku Watanabe (Screenplay)

Starring:  Ryu Morioka, Tomoya Maeno, Haru Kuroki, Hirofumi Arai, Mari Yamachi,

Website IMDB

Emi-Abi is a film marked by death but it is incredibly life-affirming. Written and directed by Kensaku Watanabe (he adapted the novel The Great Passage  into a script for the big screen), it tells the tale of artistic endeavour in the face of disaster and comes up trumps with a happy ending in a film that perfectly balances tragedy and comedy through the use of inter-cutting scenes and sequences to keep it from pitching over into one emotion more than the other. I really liked this film and I highly recommend it. Here’s my review.

Synopsis: The story begins at the end of the manzai act Emi-Abi. The duo has lost its funny-man Unno (Tomoya Maeno) in an accident. All that remains is the handsome straight man Jitsudo (Ryu Morioka) and his dutiful manager Natsumi (Haru Kuroki) who has a comedy streak funnier than her remaining charge. With Unno’s funeral in the past and an uncertain future as a mere pretty-boy performer in a pretty crowded field, Jitsudo is on his way to his comedy sempai Kurosawa’s (Hirofumi Arai) home to pay respects and to get advice.

Getting Any?   Getting Any Film Poster

みんな~やってるか!Minna~ Yatteru ka

Running Time: 108 mins.

Release Date: February 11th, 1995

Director:  Takeshi Kitano

Writer: Takeshi Kitano (Screenplay),

Starring: Dankan, Moeko Ezawa, Takeshi Kitano, Susumu Terajima, Kanji Tsuda, Yurei Yanagi, Ren Osugi, Taka Guadalcanal, Hakuryu, Yojin Hino, Yoneko Matsukane,

IMDB Website

Takeshi Kitano’s out-and-out zany comedy was made when he was suffering an existential crisis between being the popular comedian and an auteur. It is funnier at the start with its short and snappy sex-themed jokes and threatens to wear out its welcome when it gets to the tokusatsu and kaiju eiga stuff but when one considers this is Kitano lobbing a molotov cocktail at the Japanese film industry, the daringness of the film is something to admire. Here’s my review.

The trailer does work but there’s no thumbnail.

Synopsis: Acclaimed director Takeshi Kitano may be hailed for his films like Hanabi, Kikujiroand Dolls but go back to earlier in his career and witness a never-ending series of bizarre, over the top comedy full of silliness and daring gags. This is a satire of Japanese society and popular cinema in the 90s as it embraces the spirit of Kitano s early stand-up and television work and as such it offers a genuine inside look into his true personality.

The story follows middle-aged layabout Asao (DANKAN), a professional daydreamer, whose one and only goal in life is to get laid. Asao embarks on a series of slapstick adventures to impress a woman enough to get some action. The harder he tries, the more absurd the situations become as the film ramps up the nonsense vignettes from robbery schemes, and breaking into big movie productions, to taking part in yakuza gang wars and scientific experiments.

Gukoroku – Traces of Sin   Gukoroku Film Poster

愚行録  Gukoroku」    

Running Time: 120 mins.

Director: Kei Ishikawa

Writer: Kosuke Mukai (Screenplay), Tokuro Nukui (Original Novel),

Starring: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Hikari Mitsushima, Keisuke Koide, Asami Usuda, Yui Ichikawa,

Website IMDB

This is a disturbing film which opens up a can of worms about class and the treatment of women in Japan and it gives us a chilling existential portrait of people driven mad by that issue as they try and climb the social ladder. It features a great performance from Satoshi Tsumabuki (who gives a fantastic performance in RAGE, another film at the BATSU FILM FESTIVAL) and another from Hikari Mitsushima. Here’s my review.

It is preceded by the short film Matou.

Synopsis: Tanaka, an investigative reporter who grew up in a troubled family, is going through a tough time trying to support his younger sister Mitsuko (Hikari Mitsushima), recently arrested and held in prison. Meanwhile, he immerses himself in a story about a shocking murder of the ‘perfect’ family – a successful businessman, a beautiful wife and an adorable child – who were brutally massacred the year before, with the case going cold and remaining unsolved, Tanaka decides to dig into it through interviewing the family’s friends and acquaintances. The deeper he digs, the more the stories of their true nature unfold and it becomes apparent that the family was not as ideal as it appeared to be. In turn, the interviewees unveil their own hidden natures, revealing a disturbing portrait of social elitism.

Happiness

ハピネス Hapinesu   

Running Time: 129 mins.

Director: SABU

Writer: SABU (Screenplay)

Starring: Masatoshi Nagase, Orakio, Hiroki Suzuki, Tetsuya Chiba, Arisa Nakajima,

Website IMDB

This is a sucker-punch of a film that will catch you off-guard. It’s primarily down to the mysterious performance of Masatoshi Nagase and the master writer-director SABU’s twisting narrative that asks how fine the line between happiness and sadness is and if anyone should be allowed to manipulate it.

Synopsis: A mysterious man named Kanzaki (Masatoshi Nagase) arrives in a quiet small town. He brings with him a strange invention: an odd-looking helmet that he claims is a happiness machine. To prove it works, he uses the helmet on an elderly shopkeeper and as soon as he activates the device, the woman remembers long forgotten happy memories and becomes much more cheerful. The mayor becomes enthusiastic about the machine and asks Kanzaki to stay. Soon, the entire town is allowed to experience the machine, but why does Kanzaki look so sad and what is his true agenda?

Ice Cream and the Sound of Raindrops 

アイスと雨音 「Aisu to Amaoto」   Ice Cream and the Sound of Raindrops Film Poster

Running Time: 74 mins.

Release Date: 2018

Director:  Daigo Matsui

Writer: Daigo Matsui (Screenplay),

Starring: Taketo Tanaka, Guama, Yuzu Aoki, Kokoro Morita, Jotaro Tozuka, Kazumasa Kadoi, Mimori Wakasugi, Reiko Tanaka, Momoha,

IMDB Website JFDB

Daigo Matsui or How Selfish I Am! (2013) and Japanese Girls Never Die (2016)  fame showed this at the Tokyo International Film Festival last year and travelled on to Nippon Connection. I don’t know too much about this film so see it and find out more!

Synopsis: In 2017, a stage performance is scheduled in a small town. The young actors are to present British playwright Simon Stephens’ “Morning” for the first time in Japan only they are asked to use their real names instead of the ones in the play so they can draw upon their own frustrations and experiences. The savage play has been attracting attention in the theatre world for its story of a violent act by two best friends. The performance is suddenly cancelled, but one actress suggests they continue rehearsing. For a month, the young actors struggle between reality and fiction, as well as between film and the stage, and their story is captured in a single 74-minute shot. 

One Cut of the Dead One Cut of the Dead Film Poster

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

This film has been earning a lot of hype on the festival circuit where it picked up the audience award at the Udine Far East Film Festival and wowed critics and audiences alike. So if you missed it at the New York Asian Film Festival, you can catch it in Montreal and here.

Synopsis: A film crew are dragged to an abandoned warehouse in the mountains by a super-dedicated director to film a zombie movie. Rumour has it that the place was used for military experiments so that adds to the atmosphere of the film but the cast and crew find that their work turns real when honest to goodness zombies start showing up and chowing down on people. Does the director stop? Hell no! He keeps on shooting and the results are captured in one 37 minute take.

RageRage Film Poster

怒り 「Ikari

Running Time: 142 mins

Director:  Sang-il Lee

Writer: Sang-il Lee (Screenplay), Shuichi Yoshida (Novel),

Starring: Ken Watanabe, Hikari Mitsushima, Mirai Moriyama, Aoi Miyazaki, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Gou Ayano, Suzu Hirose, Hideko Hara, Pierre Taki, Takahiro Miura, Mitsuki Takahata, Chizuru Ikewaki, Akira Emoto, Eri Fukatsu, Kirin Kiki, Kenichi Matsuyama,

Website IMDB

The film is based on a novel by Shuichi Yoshida and he has had many of his books turned into films. You may have seen A Story of Yonosuke (2013), Villain (2010), Parade (2010) The Ravine of Goodbye (2013) or at least heard of them. Rage is arguably the most ambitious due to it’s scale as it takes in a horrible crime and its effect on three different communities in different places in Japan. Sang-il Lee who handled the big-screen adaptation of Villain (2010) and crafted a good drama works with a stellar cast to bring this powerful tale to life.

Here’s my review.

Synopsis: A married couple is brutally murdered by someone. The only clues are that the murderer is a man and he wrote the word “Ikari” (“Anger”) with the blood of the couple. The killer undergoes plastic surgery and flees and Japan is gripped by the crime and whenever a male stranger appears in a community, the people there suspect that the stranger might be the murderer.

People such as Yohei Maki (Ken Watanabe) who works at a harbour in Chiba. He is concerned that the man his daughter Aiko (Aoi Miyazaki) is dating, Tetsuya Tashiro (Kenichi Matsuyama), might be the killer, because Tetsuya is not his real name.

An advertising executive named Yuma Fujita (Satoshi Tsumabuki) falls for a man named Naoto Onishi (Gou Ayano) and they begin to live together but Yuma soon develops suspicions that Naoto is the killer.

Izumi Komiya (Suzu Hirose) and her mother (Urara Awata) move to an isolated island in Okinawa and Izumi meets a backpacker named Shingo Tanaka (Mirai Moriyama) who is hiding a secret.

Three different communities across Japan, three different stories involving different people, all linked by one murder.

Swaying Mariko

たまゆらのマリ子  Tamayura Mariko   

Running Time: 65 mins.

Director: Koji Segawa

Writer: Koji Segawa (Screenplay)

Starring: Chise Ushio, Keita Yamashina, Hide Miura, Hikari Goto, Tomoko Kato,

IMDB

I saw this psychological chamber piece at the Osaka Asian Film Festival earlier this year. It’s an interesting title which won over a lot of the serious critics who viewed the film. It all hinges on the central performance of lead actor Chise Ushio and the cruel world that Koji Segawa crafts for her. Don’t worry, it’s not all bitter and angry. There’s black humour and a neat ending. It’s surprising to see how far this film has travelled but that’s a sign of its quality. Director Koji Segawa will be present for the screening so please make him feel welcome!

The short film Ping-Pang will be screened before the film. Here’s my review amongst a collection of short film reviews.

tamayura-mariko-film-image

Synopsis: Mariko, a seemingly normal housewife, has been together with her younger husband named Tomoharu for six years and has been dissatisfied every day. Despite having a son together, Tomoharu is often absent from home and she suspects he might be having an affair. Her workplace, a batting center, is also a miserable environment because the sleazy manager chases after her and the customers are rude. With constant pressure bearing down on her in public and private, Mariko becomes dominated by a certain obsession that eats away at her perception of reality.

Tremble All You Want  

勝手にふるえてろ 「Katte ni Furue teroTremble All You Want Film Poster

Running Time: 117 mins.

Release Date: December 23rd, 2017

Director:  Akiko Ooku

Writer: Akiko Ooku (Screenplay), Risa Wataya (Original Novel)

Starring: Mayu Matsuoka, Daichi Watanabe, Takumi Kitamura, Anna Ishibashi, Kanji Furutachi, Hairi Katagiri,

IMDB Website

A person obsessed with ammonites? How quaint. However, I can’t ready the synopsis for this and not think about the Junji Ito manga Uzumaki.  This one was at the Tokyo International Film Festival where it won the Audience Award and has stayed on the festival circuit because of its quality writing and a fantastic performance by Mayu Matsuoka.

Synopsis: Yoshika (Mayu Matsuoka) is 24-years-old with a fairly unique hobby: she likes researching ammonite fossils and collects them. Perhaps this explains why she doesn’t have a boyfriend in her life. Or maybe the lack of a man is down to the fact that she pines for her first love, a guy from school named Ichi. One day, Ni, a guy who works at the same company, confesses his feelings for her.

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Code Blue, Imagination Game, Katachi no Nai Hone, 1999 – Nen no natsu yasumi, There is no gender! Queer days of intersex cartoonists, Boy Soldiers: The Secret War in Okinawa Japanese Film Trailers

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Happy weekend, dear reader!

I hope you are all well.

It has been a busy week for J-film fans in North America because the while the New York Asian Film Festival has finished, Japan Cuts is still in full swing on the East Coast of the States in New York and the Asian Film Festival Dallas has been making waves down south in Texas. There’s another festival due to start next week called the Batsu Film Festival in Denver, Colorado. Each festival has had a fantastic selection of films, many of which I have reviewed (yay!) and can recommend. V-Cinema has been publishing reviews of mine:

Hanagatami (2017)

Amiko (2017)

Towards a Common Tenderness (2017)

Born Bone Born (2018)

Of Love and Law (2017)

Older ones from the V-Cinema archive which I covered last year or at Osaka earlier this year:

The Night is Short, Walk on Girl (2017)

Passage of Life (V-Cinema Review) (2017) 

Kushina, what will you be (V-Cinema Review) (2018) Here’s an interview with the director: Hayami Moet (V-Cinema)

Dear Etranger (2017) (V-Cinema)

Nagisa (2017)

TOURISM (V-Cinema Review) (2018) Here’s an interview with the director: Miyazaki Daisuke (V-Cinema

My reviews from the New York Asian Film Festival were also published at V-Cinema:

The Scythian Lamb (2017)

The Blood of Wolves (2018)

The Hungry Lion (2017)

Dynamite Graffiti (2018)

Some of the older reviews and the Osaka ones I have published here over the last year, the newer ones will be published over the next couple of months. A couple of these will make my top ten films of the year!

As for the UK, we get a lot of films screened for free by the Japan Foundation as part of their Pre-Summer Explorers and Summer Explorers run.

Right, that’s enough of a catch-up with here, what’s released in Japanese cinemas this weekend?

Code Blue    Code Blue Film Poster

コード・ブルー~ドクターヘリ緊急救命~ Kodo Buru: Dokuta Heri Kinkyu Kyumei

Running Time: 127 mins.

Release Date: July 27th, 2018

Director: Masaki Nishiura

Writer:  Naoko Adachi (Screenplay),

Starring: Tomohisa Yamashita, Yui Aragaki, Erika Toda, Manami Higa, Yosuke Asari, Kippei Shiina, Daiki Arioka, Ryo Narita, Yuko Araki

Website    IMDB

Synopsis:The “Doctor Helicopter” team operating around Narita airport is made up of a good-looking bunch of guys and gals who, if you were about to die, you’d probably want to see just before kicking the bucket. The lovely emergency responders  include Kousaku Aizawa (Tomohisa Yamashita), Megumi Shiraishi (Yui Aragaki), Mihoko Hiyama (Erika Toda), Haruka Saejima (Manami Higa) and Kazuo Fuikawa (Yosuke Asari). See them tackle emergencies.

Imagination Game    Imagination Game Film Poster

イマジネーションゲーム Imajine-shon Ge-mu

Running Time: 91 mins.

Release Date: July 28th, 2018

Director: Taisuke Hata

Writer: Taisuke Hata (Screenplay),

Starring: Masami Hisamoto, Tomomi Itano, Koutaro Tanaka, Minami Sengoku, The Charisma Brothers: George, Jiro, Mino, Susumu Terajma,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis:Makiko Hayami (Masami Hisamoto) is a single lady who works a regular company job but in her private time she helps run a website where people are given clues as to where underwear is hidden on the street. One day, she meets Aoi (Tomomi Itano) who runs the blog “Husband Revenge Site.”

Katachi no Nai Hone   Katachi no Nai Hone Film Poster

形のない骨 Katachi no Nai Hone

Running Time: 104 mins.

Release Date: July 28th, 2018

Director: Junji Kojima (IMDB)

Writer: Junji Kojima (Screenplay),

Starring: Seiko Ando, Junya Tanaka,, Noriko Takada, Yume Sugio, Futoshi Kumagai, Jo Ishikawa, Chie Watanabe

Website   

Synopsis:Ryoko (Seiko Ando) is a 34-year-old woman living unhappily with her abusive husband Tadashi (Junya Tanaka), her waspish mother-in-law Kazuko (Noriko Takada) and her young age son Hiroshi (Yume Sugio) whom she treasures. Her husband is a painter who deals in forgeries but when he dies in an accident, things change…

1999 – Nen no natsu yasumi   1999 - Nen no natsu yasumi Film Poster

1999年の夏休み 1999 – Nen no natsu yasumi

Running Time: 90 mins.

Release Date: March 26th, 1988

Director: Shusuke Kaneko

Writer:  Rio Kishida (Screenplay), Moto Hagio (manga Touma no Shinzou aka Toma’s Heart) (uncredited)

Starring: Eri Miyajima, Tomoko Otakara, Miyuki Nakano, Eri Fukatsu, Masaaki Maeda, Hiromi Murata, Nozomu Sasaki, Minami Takayama,

IMDB

It;s the 30th anniversary of this film and it is getting new screenings. It looks like it’s based on a shounen-ai manga and the cast was made up of girls including a young Eri Fukatsu!

The trailer seems to be region-locked.

Synopsis:At the onset of the summer holiday the students of a Japanese boys’ school all go home. Well, nearly all. Three boys who have no families to return to remain in the empty halls, Norio (Eri Fukatsu), Kazuhiko (Tomoko Otakara) & Naoto (Miyuki Nakano). The three exist uneasily with each other because they are haunted by the suicide, three months earlier, of classmate Yu. Things come to a head when Kaoru, a new student, arrives and he looks exactly like Yu (Eri Miyajima).

There is no gender! Queer days of intersex cartoonists    Seibetsu ga, nai! Intāsekkusu mangakka no ku~iana hibi Film Poster

性別が、ない!インターセックス漫画家のクィアな日々 Seibetsu ga, nai! Intāsekkusu mangakka no ku~iana hibi

Running Time: 106 mins.

Release Date: July 28th, 2018

Director: Shingo Watanabe

Writer: N/A

Starring: Eiko Koike (Narration), Sho Arai, Usaki ko, IKKAN,

Website   

Synopsis:Sho Arai is a manga-ka who is intersex, “something neither male nor female” and has written about it in an essay manga. Sho Arai lived as a woman until 30 years old and turned out to be an intersex by chromosome examination. Arai experienced divorce and moved from Tokyo to Nagoya, becoming a part-time instructor at a vocational school and then a manga artist making the aforementioned work and starting a relationship with a woman. The film looks at their relationship and also how transexual and those who are intersex are treated in other countries.

Boy Soldiers: The Secret War in Okinawa    Boy Soldiers The Secret War in Okinawa Film Poster

沖縄スパイ戦史 Okinawa Supai Senshi

Running Time: 114 mins.

Release Date: July 28th, 2018

Director: Chie Mikami, Hanayo Oya

Writer: N/A

Starring: N/A

Website   

Synopsis: The battle of Okinawa claimed 240,000 lives, both American and Japanese. It was hard-fought on both sides not least because many Okinawans committed suicide rather than be captured. This documentary which looks absolutely fascinating talks about an unknown or little-known aspect of the battle, the Gokyotai, Okinawan teenage boys who were drafted into guerilla units led by officers from the mainland and tasked with attacking US forces. These units were cruel, making the boys execute the wounded and sick or anyone considered to be a spy. There are also other stories of how people were forcibly moved by Japanese forces to islands known for disease. It’s all told in archive footage, still-photographs and interviews with the veterans which makes this powerful stuff, especially since it gets information from both sides, civilians and military, too. Mark Schilling gave it a glowing review.

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Japanese Film Festival Los Angeles (August 18 – 19)

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Japan Film Festival in Los Angeles will run on August 18 to 19 at the Japanese American National Museum and then at Orange County’s Newport Beach Higashi Honganji.

It’s an event that has been running since 2003 and it’s stated aim is to strengthen understanding of Japanese culture through screening films for Japanese and American people to watch together. It’s laudable and it highlights the power of cinema: to take us into the lives of others. As such there are many different films programmed each year and in doing research for trailer posts, I’ve stumbled upon this festival and want to support it.

The films selected are really eclectic and run the gamut from largeish commercial feature to indie titles that hit the festival circuit. If you’re in the LA area, this could be the best chance to catch these films on the big screen.

Here are the details:

SATURDAY, AUGUST 18TH

11:00 AM – blank 13   with a video Message from Takumi Saitoh

1:00 PM – Oh Lucy!, the short film version plus other short films

3:20 PM – Scythian Lamb

5:50 PM – One Cut of the Dead

 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19TH

11:00 AM – Lost In Ramen with Dir. Yuki Kumagai

1:20 PM – Forgive – Don’t Forget with Dir. Brad Bennett

3:05 PM – We Are X

5:20 PM – Hee  Q&A with Kaori Momoi

 

The Scythian Lamb    The Scythian Lamb Film Poster

羊の木 Hitsuji no ki

Running Time: 126 mins.

Release Date: February 03rd, 2018

Director: Daihachi Yoshida

Writer: Masato Kagawa (Screenplay), Tatsuhiko Yamagami, Mikio Igarashi (Original Manga),

Starring: Ryo Nishikido, Fumino Kimura, Kazuki Kitamura, Yuka, Mikako Ichikawa, Shingo Mizusawa, Min Tanaka, Ryuhei Matsuda, Tamae Ando,

Website IMDB
Daihachi Yoshida of The Kirishima Thing fame us back with this gripping drama that mixes murder mystery with a moral quandary over whether anyone can be forgiven for being a killer. It has doses of drama and comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. Here’s my review.

Synopsis: Thanks to a government program, the small seaside town of Uobuka gets six strangers into the community. They include a scary fisherman (Kazuki Kitamura), a methodical cleaning woman (Mikako Ichikawa), and a simple-minded deliveryman (Ryuhei Matsuda). All are under the supervision of local government official Hajime Tsukisue (Ryo Nishikido) who gets reports of suspicious behaviour. When he finds out who these people are and their criminal backgrounds, a body is discovered in the harbour and Tsukisue suspects one of the newcomers committed murder… 

One Cut of the Dead One Cut of the Dead Film Poster

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

This film has been earning a lot of hype on the festival circuit so if you missed it at the New York Asian Film Festival, you can catch it in Montreal.

Synopsis: A film crew are dragged to an abandoned warehouse in the mountains by a super-dedicated director to film a zombie movie. Rumour has it that the place was used for military experiments so that adds to the atmosphere of the film but the cast and crew find that their work turns real when honest to goodness zombies start showing up and chowing down on people. Does the director stop? Hell no! He keeps on shooting and the results are captured in one 37 minute take.

Blank 13    Blank 13 Film Poster

ブランク13 「Buranku 13

Running Time: 70 mins.

Release Date: February 03rd, 2018

Director:  Takumi Saitoh

Writer: Mitsutoshi Saijo (Screenplay), Koji Hashimoto (Original Story)

Starring: Issei Takahashi, Mayu Matsuoka, Takumi Saitoh, Misuzu Kanno, Lily Franky, Jun Murakami, Riku Ohnishi, Sairi Itoh,

Website IMDB

We all know Takumi Saito as an actor from roles such as Ai to Makoto / For Love’s Sake but how about as a director? He has worked on two short films and this is his feature-film debut. It is based on the true story of a journalist named Koji Hashimoto who found out about the life of his estranged father 13 years after the man went missing.

See it with a video message from Takumi Saito 

Synopsis: A father (Lily Franky) disappears from his wife and two sons. 13 years later, he shows up. However, his life expectancy is short since he has cancer. With only 3 months left to live, the father and his family must come to terms with their short reconciliation. It’s not enough time but at the funeral ’13-year blanks are filled up by a number of fathers’ friends and acquaintances who all have tales to tell…

We are X   

we-are-x-film-poster
we-are-x-film-poster

Running Time: 99 mins.

Director: Stephen Kijak

Starring: Yoshiki, Toshi, Pata, Hiroshi Morie, Sugizo, Gene Simmons, Wes Borland,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: This is a rock documentary about X-Japan, one of the biggest bands working today. The group started out as childhood friends who formed a musical unit in 1982 and survived over thirty years of hard rock, death, cults, and stratospheric fame to continue today. With a worldwide fan-base, their rock music has captivated audiences worldwide thanks to the awesome music and their stylish costumes and stage sets and the doc ends with a show at Madison Square Garden. Yoshiki, leader of the band, guides us through the history. 

Forgive – Don’t Forget   Forgive Don't Forget Film Poster

Running Time: 70 mins.

Release Date: July 2018

Director: Brad J. Bennet, Jonah Guelzo, Austin Journey, Paul D. Ufema

Writer:  Austin Journey (Screenplay),

Starring: Glenn D. Frazier, Federico Marcon, Kazuaki Kato, Yoji Koda, Paul D. Ufema, Alex Bennet, Yujin Yaguchi,

Website    IMDB

See it with one of the directors, Brad Bennett

Synopsis: American forces confiscated many swords following Japan’s defeat and surrender in World War II and some made their way back to the US. A documentarian took it upon himself to return one of these swords to its original owner in the hopes of understanding the past and building a bridge between cultures in the present.

Oh Lucy!   Oh Lucy! Film Poster

Running Time: 22 mins

Release Date: April 28th, 2018

Director:  Atsuko Hirayanagi

Writer: Atsuko Hirayanagi, Boris Frumin (Screenplay),

Starring: Shinobu Terajima, Josh Hartnett, Kaho Minami, Koji Yakusho, Reiko Aylesworth, Casey J. Adler, Megan Mullally, Calvin C. Winbush, Kayano, Kimie Tanaka, Leni Ito,

Website IMDB

Director Atsuko Hirayanagi attended NYU Tisch School of Arts in Asia and holds a black belt in karate. How’s that for awesome. She made a number of short films including the award-winning short Oh Lucy! (2014) which was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and was developed into this feature-length title that was screened at the Cannes Film Festival last year. You can read more here about the making of the film. It’s an inspiring story and the resulting film looks great. The Japanese Film Festival LA are screening the short so you can see where it all began. 

Synopsis: Setsuko Kawashima (Terajima) is a lonely, chain-smoking office lady in Tokyo who is past her prime and watching colleagues get retired. When her neice gives her the chance to take an English class, she meets a charismatic American instructor named John (Hartnett) who gives her a new lease of life through a new identity in her American alter ego, ‘Lucy’. Just as Satsuko falls in love, John suddenly disappears with her niece and Setsuko sets out on a quest to find him, eventually leading her to the outskirts of Southern California.

Lost in Ramen   Ramen Kuitee Film Poster

ラーメン食いてぇ! 「Ramen Kuitee 

Running Time: 106 mins.

Release Date: March 03rd, 2018

Director: Yuki Kumagai

Writer: Yuki Kumagai (Screenplay), Akiteru Hayashi (Original Manga),

Starring: Renji Ishibashi, Reiko Kataoka, Yurika Nakamura, Kenji Mizuhashi, Wakana Aoi, Takayuki Takuma, Matsumi Fuku, Jin Katagiri, Yumi Morio,

Website IMDB

Ramen is life for the people in this film. It looks slight based on the premise but the trailer shows a well-shot film with some heartfelt acting from new talents like Reiko Kataoka and Yurika Nakamura, who have been paired up with the highly experienced Renji Ishibashi. I had a go at making soba noodles and the training sequences are no lie: it’s a skill that you have to spend time cultivating.

See it with director Yuki Kumagai

Synopsis: Marie (Yurika Nakamura) has attempted suicide. Akahoshi (Jin Katagiri) has had an accident in the middle of the Xinjiang Uygur province of China and ramen master Akashi (Renji Ishibashi) has just lost his wife. The desire for perfect ramen keeps them going through tough times.

Hee   hee-kaori-momoi-film-poster

火 HeeHi Hee」 

Running Time: 72 mins.

Director: Kaori Momoi

Writer: Kaori Momoi, Miyuki Takahashi, Daisuke Kamijo (Screenplay) Fuminori Nakamura (Original Story)

Starring:  Kaori Momoi, Yugo Saso, Ayako Fujitani, Brian Sturges, Melody Thi,

IMDB

Director Kaori Momoi is a trailblazer in Japanese film if this interview is anything to go on. She has worked with Akira Kurosawa (Kagemusha), Takashi Miike (Sukiyaki Western Django), Shunji Iwai (Swallowtail Butterfly) and others and has appeared in all sorts of films. She is making films (writing, directing) all around the world as well as in Japan. 

Q&A with Director Kaori Momoi after the screening

Synopsis: The film’s story involves a psychiatrist named Dr. Sanada (Yugo Saso) investigating an old patient named Azusa (Kaori Momoi) who thinks she is crazy and blames herself for the death of her parent’s in a fire. The reason he is investigating is because he has come into contact with her again after he is called to Los Angeles where she is a prostitute accused of murder. Sanada must decide whether Azusa is mentally ill or not and whether he failed her.

Orange County

SATURDAY, AUGUST 18TH

10:00 AM – The Gift of Memory 1 & 2  うつくしいひと+ うつくしいひと サバ?

11:45 AM – Behind the Cove with director Keiko Yagi

2:30 PM – Bridge over Troubled Water with director Takafumi Ota

5:10 PM – Wake up in America with lead actor Megumi Matsushita

SUNDAY , AUGUST 19TH

10:00 AM – The Scythian Lamb

12:20 PM – Hana’s Miso Soup Katsuhiko Muraoka

2:40 PM – ITO – Strings Katsuhiko Muraoka

Hana’s Miso Soup   

Hana’s Miso Soup Film Poster
Hana’s Miso Soup Film Poster

はなちゃんのみそ汁Hanachan no Misoshiro

Release Date: December 19th, 2015

Running Time: 118 mins.

Director: Tomoaki Akune

Writer: Tomoaki Akune (Screenplay), Shingo Yasutake, Chie Yasutake, Hana Yasutake (Original Book)

Starring: Ryoko Hirosue, Kenichi Takito, Emina Akamatsu, Mahiru Konno, Kiwako Harada,

Website    IMDB

I saw this one at a free screening at a food festival in Tokyo. Even though the story is predictable, I cried a little before helping myself to some delicious food. The first 50 viewers in the cinema for this screening will get miso soup.

Q&A with producer Katsuhiko Muraoka

Synopsis: Chie (Ryoko Hirosue) is a happy woman. She has a boyfriend named Shingo (Kenichi Takito) and her life seems idyllic but when she is diagnosed with breast cancer her world is rocked. Shingo steps up to the plate and marries her. Despite having to undergo treatment the two try for a child and they succeed in having one: Hana. Chie is determined to pass on memories of time spent together with her daughter and that includes making miso soup.

 

Behind ‘The Cove’   

Behind ‘The Cove’ Film Poster
Behind ‘The Cove’ Film Poster

ビハインド・ザ・コーヴ 捕鯨問題の謎に迫る「Bihaindo za ko-bu hogeimondai no nazo ni semaru

Release Date: January 30th, 2016

Running Time: 105 mins.

Director: Keiko Yagi

Writer: Keiko Yagi (Screenplay),

Starring: Keiko Yagi, David Hance, Joji Morishita, Richard O’Barry, Katsunori Horihata, Louis Psihoyos,

Website    IMDB

Q&A with the director Keiko Yagi

Synopsis: This is a rebuttal to the 2010 documentary “The Cove” which looked at dolphin hunting in Taiji, Japan, and director Keiko Yagi, in her debut, aims to give both sides of the story instead of an anti-hunting message. She was inspired after “childhood memories of whale meat dishes inevitably led her to the town of Taiji” and she documents her experiences there to show a comprehensive picture of dolphin and whale hunting.

Bridge to Tomorrow Memories of 1989    Bridge to Tomorrow Memories of 1989 Film Poster

明日にかける橋 1989年の想い出 Ashita ni kakeru hashi 1989-nen no omoide

Running Time: 131 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Takafumi Ota

Writer:  Takafumi Ota (Screenplay), Franz Kafka (Original Novel)

Starring: Anne Suzuki, Misato Tanaka, Itsuji Itao, Akira Takarada, Tomoko Fujita, Haruka Echigo,

Website    IMDB

This was released a couple of weeks ago so it’s a major scoop for the festival.

Q&A with director Takafumi Ota   

Synopsis: Miyuki (Anne Suzuki) is an office lady who works in a provincial town. In 1989, a terrible car accident killed her younger brother Kenta and broke her family, her mother (Misato Tanaka) becoming ill and her father (Itsuji Itao) an alcoholic and a bankrupt when the bubble economy burst. One day, when she crosses Ashitabashi bridge, she remembers the rumour that it can make wishes come true and so she makes a wish to go back to 1989 to prevent the accident and save her family who she meets but she faces various challenges.

The Gift of Memory 1 & 2   The Gift of Memory 1 Film Poster

うつくしいひと + うつくしいひと サバ? Utsukushii hito = Utsukushii hito saba

Running Time: 40 mins. 45 mins.

Release Date: July 22nd, 2017

Director: Isao Yukisada

Writer:  Isao Yukisada, Anne Horiizumi (Screenplay),

Starring: Kengo Kora, Loic Garnier, Rakkyo Ide, Shizuka Ishibashi, Kaori Kobiyama, Yoshihiro Kuroki Hitomi Nakagawa,

Website    IMDB

This one is listed on the site but doesn’t have a link to an individual page so keep checking back with the festival site to see when it goes live.

Synopsis: People connected to Kumamoto came together to make this film to The Gift of Memory 2 Film Posterhelp revive the place following the earthquake which left it damaged. Shooting occurred in areas such as Kumamoto Castle. Aso Bridge and Shrine. A private detective happens upon a foreigner wandering around the area. The stranger cannot speak a word of Japanese apart from “saba” and so the detective helps the man who turns out to have an important and heartbreaking reason to be in the region.

Wake Up in America

アラフォーの挑戦 アメリカへ Arafō no chōsen Amerika e

Running Time: 93 mins.

Release Date: N/A

Director: Junichi Suzuki

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Megumi Matsushita

Megumi Matsushita will be present for the screening

From https://www.jffla.org/wake-up-in-america

Synopsis: This is a documentary narrated by and starring 37-year-old Megumi Matsushita, a young lady who went to America to study English and change her life. She finds a whole lot of adventure and discovers that life is more than just chasing after a husband.

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Donation Theater: Help Western Japan Recover From the Flooding Through Film

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Japan has a rainy season and typhoon season every year but this year’s has been pretty bad with record rainfall in July leading to widespread flooding and landslides in various areas of western Japan such as Okayama, Ehime, Hiroshima, and elsewhere. At least 140 are dead and others are missing. Millions of people have been have been ordered to evacuate and too many have lost their homes and access to utilities like electricity and water. With the weather calming down, the heat has returned so dangers are still present. People are now digging through mud and rubble to recover their communities and some are living in evacuation centres as the recovery efforts are underway with more than 70,000 rescue workers and lots of volunteers helping the relief effort.

You may be wondering what you can do. There is something.

http://donation-theater.eiga-infra.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/main-1024×386.png

Last month film Twitter started retweeting a link to something called Donation Theater, a fund-raising campaign handled by the CINEMA INFRASTRUCTURE ASSOCIATION OF JAPAN to support the victims of the “western Japan heavy rain disaster”. Essentially, you can use a Paypal account or bank transfer to donate some money to help people and then watch films, some of which have been made by people who come from these areas.

The idea is that a selection of directors are going to make their films available for people who donate to the site to stream for a limited duration of 30 days starting from mid-August. There are many donation tiers you can select starting at 1500 yen and going up to 100,000 yen. The money raised will be given to Peace Winds Japan to help with disaster relief. You get to help out and also get to watch films. Simple.

You can donate money to the site to get access to streams of short and feature films by around 43 directors such as:

Koji Fukada (Human Comedy in Tokyo)

Noriko Yuasa (Looking for My Lost Sunflowers, Girl Wavering)

Hana Matsumoto (A Midsummer Dream)

Akihiro Toda (Neko ni Mikan)

There are many more with some directors offering multiple films.

The process works like this: when you make the donation, whatever email you have connected to PayPal or the bank transfer will be how the organisers will contact you with details of how you get the films. What I will say is that I don’t know if there are any English-language subtitles with all of the works so it’s a judgement call you’ll have to make for yourself. If nothing else, donating a little money to help someone who may have lost a lot is doing something.

If you would like to donate money in another way then you can access some of the sites suggested by this Time Out article where they highlight organisations like the Japanese Red Cross which you can donate to.

Thanks for taking the time to read the article. Stay safe.

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Sensei Kunshu, Ao-Natsu Kimi ni Koi Shita 30-nichi, My Hero Academia THE MOVIE: The Two Heroes, Doushiyoumonai Koi no Uta, The Exorcist Nurse, Poem of Seasons Woven Together / Flavors of Youth, K SEVEN STORIES Episode2 「SIDE: BLUE Tenrou no Gotoku」, Kamen Rider Build: Be The One, Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger vs. Keisatsu Sentai Patranger en Film, Zenra Resistance, Garandou, Fureto tsumori de, Tokyo Noir, Crazy Road of Love Japanese Film Trailers

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Happy weekend, people!

I hope you are all well.

I’ve started doing regular PR work for a festival which is on the horizon and I’m making my way through as many films as I can and I also re-watched some Ghibli films which are getting aired on television in the UK. That written, I’ve been in work every day this week (it’s a 12 day work week) and hanging out at places and eating Japanese food when I get the chance as I try and take advantage of the nice weather. This week was chicken katsu curry, next week will be a sushi party of sorts.

In terms of posts on this blog, there was one for the Japanese Film Festival Los Angeles which starts in a couple of weeks time and there was one for Donation Theater, a way of donating money to a charity while also getting the chance of watching indie films. It’s all set up to help the people of western Japan recover after the rainfall. I hope you will help out.

What’s released this weekend in Japan?

Sensei Kunshu    Sensei Kunshu Film Poster

センセイ君主 Sensei Kunshu

Running Time: 104 mins.

Release Date: August 01st, 2018

Director: Sho Tsukikawa

Writer: Erika Yoshida (Screenplay), Momoko Koda (Original Manga)

Starring: Ryoma Takeuchi, Minami Hamabe, Taiki Sato, Rina Kawaei, Yuki Saso, Riko Fukumoto, Yuma Yamoto, Yua Shinkawa,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis:High schooler Ayuha Samaru (Minami Hamabe) is a good girl who gives her best in everything but when she runs into financial difficulties while settling the bill at a gyudon restaurant it seems she’s in a bit of a pinch until a handsome young man intervenes and pays for her. It turns out that he is her new home room teacher Yoshitaka Hiromitsu (Ryoma Takeuchi), and Ayuha is convinced that he is her fated loved one.

Ao-Natsu Kimi ni Koi Shita 30-nichi    Ao-Natsu Kimi ni Koi Shita 30-nichi Film Poster

青夏 きみに恋した30日 Ao Natsu Kimi ni Koi Shita 30-nichi

Running Time: 113 mins.

Release Date: August 01st, 2018

Director: Takeshi Furusawa

Writer:  Yukiko Mochiji (Screenplay), Atsuko Nanba (Original Manga)

Starring: Wakana Aoi, Hayato Sano, Aimi Terakawa, Rinka Kumada, Seika Furuhata, Shiori Akita, Takumi Kizu, Atom Mizuishi,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis:A high school girl from Tokyo (Wakana Aoi) spends her summer in the country where she meets a high school boy (Hayato Sano) and the two fall in love.

My Hero Academia THE MOVIE: The Two Heroes   My Hero Academia The Movie Two Heroes Film poster

僕のヒーローアカデミア THE MOVIE 2人の英雄(ヒーロー)Boku no Hi-ro- Akademia THE MOVIE 2 Hito no Eiyuu (Hi-ro-)

Release Date: August 02nd, 2018

Running Time: 96 mins.

Director: Kenji Nagasaki

Writer: Yousuke Kuroda (Screenplay), Kohei Horikoshi (Original Creator)

Starring: Izuku Midoriya (Daiki Yamashita), All Might (Kenta Miyake), Ochako Uraraka (Ayane Sakura), Shoto Todoroki (Yuuki Kaji), Wolfram (Rikiya Koyama), David Shield (Katsuhisa Namase), Melissa Shield (Mirai Shida)

Animation Production: Bones

MAL ANN Website

Synopsis: Deku and All Might are getting ready for summer training when they are invited to I-Island, a high-tech artificial moving island where the scientists of the world have their knowledge pooled together for an upcoming exhibition about Quirk. While there, Deku meets a Quirkless girl named Melissa and gets thrown into a hostage situation when the island’s security system is hijacked by villains…

Doushiyoumonai Koi no Uta   Doushiyoumonai Koi no Uta Film Poster

どうしようもない恋の唄 Doushiyoumonai Koi no Uta

Running Time: 96 mins.

Release Date: August 04th, 2018

Director: Kenichiro Nishiumi

Writer: Ichiro Ryu, Hitoshi Ishikawa (Screenplay), Yuu Kusanagi (Original Novel)

Starring: Shinsuke Kato, Rina Fujisaki, Yuki Mamiya, Rion Takahashi, Kokone Sasaki, Hitoshi Ishikawa, Hideo Sakaki,

Website    

Synopsis:Mitsutoshi Yashiro (Shinsuke Kato) has lost everything when his business goes under and his wife leaves him. He heads to a red light district to have sex one last time and he meets Hina (Rina Fujisaki) who alters his course of actions…

The Exorcist Nurse    Kurokan Film Poster

黒看 Kurokan

Running Time: 94 mins.

Release Date: August 04th, 2018

Director: Masafumi Yamada

Writer: Masaki Tsujino, Masafumi Yamada (Screenplay), Aruji Kuroki (Original Short Story)

Starring: Nanami Yamada, Haruka Momokawa, Kaori Saeki, Masumi Hirose, Yu Wakamatsu,

Website

Synopsis:Toshie Asama (Nanami Yamada) is a nurse at a hospital that becomes the focal point of weird phenomena after a patient named Yukiko Norita (Kaori Saeki) is admitted. Yukiko is a newly-wed who develops ulcers when her husband touches her. Could this and all the other things be the result of a curse?

Poem of Seasons Woven Together / Flavors of Youth -International Version-    Shikioriori Poem of Seasons Woven Together Film Poster

詩季織々Shikioriori

Release Date: August 04th, 2018

Running Time: 74 mins.

Chief Director: Haoling Li

Director/Writer: Haoling Li (Shanghai Koi), Jiaoshou Yi Xiaoxing (Hidamari no Choshoku), Yoshitaka Takeuchi (Chiisana Fashion Show)

Starring: Chiisana Fashion Show: Minako Kotobuki (Irin), Haruka Shiraishi (Lulu), Hiroki Yasumoto (Steve), Hidamari no Choshoku: Taito Ban (Shaomin), Mariya Ise (Shaomin), Shanghai Koi: Ikumi Hasegawa (Shiaoyu), Takeo Otsuka (Rimo)

Animation Production: CoMix Wave Films

MAL ANN Website

Synopsis (ANN report paraphrased): This is a collection of three shorts titled Hidamari no Choshoku (Sunny Breakfast), Chiisana Fashion Show (A Small Fashion Show), and Shanghai Koi (Shanghai Love), and they are all set in Chinese cities. As can be ascertained from the titles, they are based on the themes of food, clothing, and shelter. Hidamari no Choshoku is about a young man working in Beijing and his grandmother in his hometown. Chiisana Fashion Show is about sisters living in Guangzhou. Shanghai Koi is set in 1990s Shanghai and is an homage to 5 Centimeters Per Second.

K SEVEN STORIES Episode2 SIDE: BLUE Tenrou no Gotoku」   K SEVEN STORIES Episode2 「SIDE BLUE Tenrou no Gotoku」 Film Poster

K SEVEN STORIES Episode2 SIDE:BLUE 天狼の如く」

Release Date: August 04th, 2018

Running Time: 64 mins.

Director: Shingo Suzuki

Writer: Azano Kouhei (Screenplay), GoRA, GoHands (Original Creator)

Starring: Kenjiro Tsuda (Gouki Zenjou), Tomokazu Sugita (Reishi Munakata), Takahiro Sakurai (Izumo Kusanagi), Yuuki Kaji (Tatara Totsuka), Taku Yashiro (Daichi Yamata), Miyuki Sawashiro (Seri Awashima),

Animation Production: GoHands

Website   ANN MAL K Wiki

Synopsis: The story continues with Munakata teaching sword fighting skills to Gouki Zenjou.

Kamen Rider Build: Be The One   Kamen Rider Build Be The One Film Poster

劇場版 仮面ライダービルド Be The One Gekijouban Kamen Raida- Birudo Be The One

Running Time: N/A

Release Date: August 04th, 2018

Director: Kazuya Kamihoriuchi

Writer:  Shogo Muto (Screenplay), Shotaro Ishinomori (Original Work)

Starring: Atsuhiro Inukai, Eiji Akaso, Kouhei Takeda, Kaho Takada, Yuki Ochi, Yukari Taki, Yuiaki Kiyama,

Website    IMDB Kamen Rider Wiki

Synopsis:The Japanese Civil War has left the people of the country yearning to be reunited and three friends Sento, Hokuto and Touto support each other in that very mission. The country is split into regions with governors, all of whom are part of an evil organisation called “Blood Tribe”, which intends to take over the entire world. Their first plan is to destroy Sento Kiryu/Kamen Rider Build through manipulating Sento’s friends and other civilians against him. Can he overcome this threat?

Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger vs. Keisatsu Sentai Patranger en Film   Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger vs Keisatsu Sentai Patranger en Film Film Poster

快盗戦隊ルパンレンジャーVS警察戦隊パトレンジャー en film  Kaito sentai rupanrenja VS keisatsu sentai patorenja en film

Running Time: N/A

Release Date: August 04th, 2018

Director: Teruaki Sugihara

Writer: Junko Komura (Screenplay),

Starring: Asahi Itou, Shogo Hama, Haruka Kudo, Kousei Yuuki, Ryo Yokoyama, Kazusa Okuyama, Seiya Motoki,

Website    IMDB Power Rangers Wikia

Synopsis:An inter-dimensional crime syndicate known as Gangler acquire dangerous weapons after raiding the Lupin Collection, a vast ensemble of dangerous items acquired by the legendary gentleman thief Arsène Lupin over his career. There are two Super Sentai teams out to stop them: one being the Lupinrangers: Kairi Yano, Toma Yoimachi and Umika Hayami who aim to steal back the collection to not only live up their namesake’s reputation but also wish back those they have lost. The other team are the Patrangers: Keiichiro Asaka, Sakuya Hikawa and Tsukasa Myojin who are tasked to uphold justice by retrieving the collection and taking down the members of Gangler. The mysterious Noël Takao who aids them as the fourth member in both teams.

The next couple are short films made by graduates of Tokyo University of the Arts from 2015 – 2017. They worked on each other’s films and the three films are in one of the trailers:

Garandou

がらんどう Garandou

Running Time: 29 mins.

Release Date: August 04th, 2018

Director: Anna Kawahara

Writer: Anna Kawahara (Screenplay),

Starring: Risa Kojima, Tamami Sakakura, Nina Kumagaya, Koichi Sakaguchi,

Synopsis:Anna Kawahara’s film is about a young woman who lost her mother at a young age and resents her father. The young woman connects with her grandmother.

Zenra Resistance

ゼンラレジスタンス Zenra Rejisutansu

Running Time: 15 mins.

Release Date: August 04th, 2018

Director: Tatsuro Nishikawa

Writer: Mizuho Nakano (Screenplay),

Starring: Yoshio Hosokawa, Miki Takemoto, Tetsuro Mihara, Yusuke Oishi, Yuuki Tomoyama, Daisuke Fujisawa, Eijo Takuto,

Synopsis: This one is about a guy who used to go streaking. He has hidden it from his girlfriend but when an old friend contacts him, he cannot contain his passion… or his naked body.

Fureto tsumori de    Fureto tsumori de Film Poster

触れたつもりで Fureto tsumori de

Running Time: 28 mins.

Release Date: August 04th, 2018

Director: Tatsuro Nishikawa

Writer:  Anna Kawahara (Screenplay),

Starring: Erika Oota, Mitsunori Izumi, Yasuyuki Sakurai, Kikka Oishi, Daisuke Matsuki, Nobuyuki Yukawa,

Website

Synopsis: A former criminal goes to an instrument shop where a high school girl works. Their meeting heralds a new relationship that leads to a certain incident…

Tokyo Noir    Tokyo Noir Film Poster

東京ノワール Tokyo Nowa-ru

Running Time: 82 mins.

Release Date: August 04th, 2018

Director: Masa Yamashita

Writer: Masa Yamashita (Screenplay),

Starring: Kotaro Inoue, Hiroshi Ryougoku, Akira Ohtata, Ichiro Kusakabe, Hiroshi Ota, Yusuke Kasai, Marino Baba,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: Narumi is the leader of a yakuza group but is eager to retire. It has been a year since the death of his friend and he has been looking for a way out but when a gun trafficking job goes wrong and a cop is shot, Narumi is in the cross-hairs of cops and criminals alike.

Crazy Road of Love    Crazy Road of Love Film Poster

恋のクレイジーロード Koi no Kureiji- Ro-do

Running Time: 18 mins.

Release Date: August 04th, 2018

Director: Koji Shiraishi

Writer:  Koji Shiraishi (Screenplay),

Starring: Shohei Uno, Shunsuke Tanaka, Sumire Ashina, Noriyuki Takahashi,

Synopsis: A bus travelling down a quiet country road picks up a woman. At least that’s what it seems like until it turns out to be a man with a shovel who bludgeons one passenger and threatens the driver to make him keep driving. Then he turns his attention to a young man and his girlfriend…

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Japanese Films at the Venice International Film Festival 2018

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The Venice International Film Festival is here for its 75th edition and it will run from August 29th to September 08th. There are about five apanese films at this year’s festival (so far), the highlight being Shinya Tsukamoto’s return to feature-film making as a director. His last film was First on the Plain which was at the 2014 edition of the festival. He’s in the competition section with his latest offering. On a purely personal note, I met the chap and got his autograph.

Here’s what’s on offer:

Zan (Killing)     Killing Film Poster

センセイ君主 Zan

Running Time: 80 mins.

Release Date: November 24th, 2018

Director: Shinya Tsukamoto

Writer: Shinya Tsukamoto (Screenplay),

Starring: Sosuke Ikematsu, Yu Aoi, Shinya Tsukamoto, Tatsuya Nakamura, Ryusei Maeda

Website    IMDB

Shinya Tsukamoto is back writing, directing, editing and producing his own films after a short spell acting in features like Shin Godzilla and Over the Fence. I’m a big fan of his works thanks to Nightmare Detective(2007), Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989), Tokyo Fist (1995), and Vital (2003) and his film A Snake of June, which was given the Special Jury Prize at the 2002 Venice Film Festival. It seems like Venice has become his home away from home since he has been invited to the festival nearly ten times.

Synopsis:This is Tsukamoto’s first period piece and it concerns Sosuke Ikematsu’s character who is a ronin. He is alive during the end of the Edo period where many like him are finding their way of life dying out as the country modernises. He lives in the suburbs of Tokyo and is acquainted with a farmer’s daughter played by Yu Aoi who comes from the same farming village.

There are two films in the Venice Classics section

Street of Shame    Street of Shame Film Poster 1

赤線地帯 Akasen Chitai

Running Time: 86 mins.

Release Date: March 18th, 1956

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi

Writer:  Masashige Narusawa (Screenplay), Yoshiko Shibaki (Original Novel)

Starring: Machiko Kyo, Ayako Wakao, Aiko Mimasu, Michiyo Kogure, Kumeko Urabe, Yasuko Kawakami, Hiroko Machida, Eitaro Shindo, Sadako Sawamura,

IMDB

Synopsis: A film about female sex workers in a licensed brothel near the Sensouji Temple in Tokyo’s Yoshiwara district at a time when the Japanese government is considering a ban on prostitution, we see the women’s daily dramas as each tries to navigate different situations and achieve their dreams. Hanae supports her family while, Yumeko, a widow, uses her earnings to raise and support her son, who is now old enough to work and care for her. Yasumi aims to pay off a debt and leave while the ageing Yorie has the opportunity to get married. Miki finds her situation changes when her father comes from Kobe to bring her news of her family and ask her to come home.

Love, Thy Name Be Sorrow AKA The Mad Fox   Love, Thy Name Be Sorrow Film Poster

恋や恋なすな恋 Koi Ya Koi Nasuna Koi

Running Time: 109 mins.

Release Date: May 01st, 1962

Director: Tomu Uchida

Writer:  Yoshitaka Yoda (Screenplay),

Starring: Hashizo Okawa, Michiko Saga, Ryunosuke Tsukigata, Kensaku Hara, Jun Usami, Eijiro Yanagi, Yoshi Kato, Sumiko Hidaka,

IMDB

Synopsis:A highly theatrical and beautiful fantasy film involving fox spirits getting involved in the imperial court of Kyoto in medieval Japan. An astrologer predicts danger for the Imperial family but doesn’t specify who is in peril. In fact, he says that the answer is written on a scroll that only his successor can decipher before he dies suddenly without naming a successor between his two disciples. This leads to the widow favouring one who is her lover and banishing the other but not before torturing his lover to death. Mad with grief, he winds up with her original family and finds aid in the fox spirits as he tries to right wrongs.

Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie Virtual Reality Diver   Ghost in the Shell The New Movie Virtual Reality Diver Film Poster

攻殻機動隊 新劇場版 Virtual Reality Diver Koukaku Kidoutai: Shin Gekijou-ban Virtual Reality Diver

Release Date: 2016

Running Time: 16 mins.

Director: Higashi Hiroaki

Writer: N/A (Screenplay), Masamune Shirow (Original Creator)

Starring: Elizabeth Maxwell (Motoko Kusanagi), Christopher Sabat (Batou), Jad Saxton (Logicoma), Stephanie Sheh (Yuri), Marc Diraison (Oribe),

Animation Production: Production I.G

MAL ANN Website

Originally released in 2016 for smart phones which are compatible with VR head-sets and Sony’s VR units, this 15-minute work offers an original story in immersive 360° 3D video.

Synopsis from Production I.G: To end the war and protect my wife, I must delete you all…”

Japan, 2025. Technology has been advancing more and more rapidly.

“Brain cyberization” that makes possible direct connections to information networks via the brain, the technology of “prosthetic bodies” that allows humans to change their body parts into cybernetical ones; in this world where such scientific advances have become common, a bombing attack threat is sent to the Japanese government.

The target is an international meeting involving dignitaries from the Republic of Kuzan. The case is entrusted to the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Public Security Section 9.

Section 9’s leader, the full-cyborg Motoko Kusanagi, assembles her team and heads off to trap and eliminate the terrorist.

Tales of Wedding Rings VR     

結婚指輪物語Kekkon Yubiwa Monogatari

Release Date: N/A

Running Time: 30 mins.

Director: Sou Kaei

Writer: N/A (Screenplay), Maybe (Original Creator)

Starring: Akari Kito, Takumi Satou, Kouichi Souma,

Animation Production: Square Enix

ANN Website

This title blends VR with manga in a 30 minutes story that includes Japanese voice acting and manga style visuals where there is a camera that moves around a traditional manga frame to give you an experience of the environment and characters.

Synopsis: Ordinary schoolboy Satou is best friends with Hime. She keeps telling him that she is a princess and he goes along with it but when she tells him that she’s moving, he decides to act and finds himself in another world where he becomes her groom at her wedding and takes on the role of the Ring King: a hero of immense power who will save the world from the Abyssal King…

That’s it for now. I’ll keep an eye on the Venice festival site to see if other films from Japan are added.

Here is past coverage of the festival:

Venice International Film Festival 2017

Venice International Film Festival 2014

Venice International Film Festival 2013

Venice International Film Festival 2012

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