Being Natural   

天然☆生活 「Tennen Seikatsu」

Release Date: March 23rd, 2019

Duration: 96 mins.

Director: Tadashi Nagayama

Writer:  Tadashi Nagayama, Yuriko Suzuki (Screenplay),

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

IMDB

Tadashi Nagayama goes back to nature with his second feature following his debut, Journey of the Tortoise (2017) but where the film ends up will prove to be a surprise after a delightful, if slightly disturbing social satire of a sojourn in the Japanese countryside.

It starts off as a gentle comedy where we follow Yota Kawase’s good-natured lead character Taka, an easy-going chap who lives a quiet life in a rural town in his uncle’s traditional Kayabuki (thatched roof) house. Unemployed and easygoing, he lives a simple life of taking care of the old man with dementia, hanging out with friends, BBQs, and playing his bongos but his peaceful life changes when his uncle dies and his cousin Mitsuaki (Shoichiro Tanigawa) tries to sell the house.

Old family grievances simmer and boil over at the funeral but, with the help of mutual friend Sho (Tadahiro Tsuru), they manage to paper over everything and find the essential connection between each other as shown in some cringe-inducing montages of the boys playing games like schoolboys. And so the film flows along with gentle comedy as these guys just chill and work at Mitsuaki’s fishing pond, revealing childish behaviour, eccentric natures and psychological flaws. The laidback tone of the film reminded me of the wonderful Yosuke Fujita films Fine, Totally Fine(2008) and Fuku-chan of Fukufuku Flats (2012) and its sharp observations on human nature and left-field low-key comedy but the film begins to roil the narrative with the intrusion of some city-slickers into their bucolic paradise.

The intruders are the a family of three from Tokyo: stunningly beautiful and statuesque mother Satomi (Natsuki Mieda), loving husband and father Keigo (Kanji Tsuda) and cute teenage daughter Itsumi (Kazua Akieda). They have been driven to the countryside by the desire to life the “natural life” as they seek to avoid negative aspects of city life. Ostensibly lovely and genuine, the family wage a campaign of winning everyone over with gifts and kindness but reveal their true ruthless natures when they set their sights on converting Taka’s house into a cafe that serves organic food and that means having to turf the poor guy out but Taka refuses to go without a fight. 

At this point, the initially sunny atmosphere of the film surges with a darker energy. Nagayama displays great control of tone as the film easily shifts between drama and comedy without breaking its stride or feeling odd and that’s down to the characters he and Yuriko Suzuki have written and the way the actors become them.

Initially 2D, they change over the course of the story to display ugly levels of selfishness and cruelty driven by loneliness and desire that stands in complete contrast to the beautiful countryside landscape they inhabit. This allows the film to become a sharp satire of human nature as both city-slickers with their cynical views of the country rub up against naive by avaricious country bumpkins and naive Taka gets caught in the middle. As the conflict rages on, themes of xenophobia, nature vs urbanity, progress vs tradition are drawn out, mostly for comedic purposes as Satomi and her clan try to crush the poor man in a campaign that features absurdly childish behaviour, rather malicious rumour campaigns and shocking acts of violence.

And then the film goes completely off the rails with an ending that is absolutely bonkers. It is a jaw-dropping genre-hop of a conclusion that is equal parts laugh-out-loud funny, horrific and tragic and is sure to leave audiences gasping. The sudden shift in tone manages to be audacious but fitting because we root for Taka after all he has had to endure and because he is a genuinely lovely guy just trying to be himself. The film rests on Yota Kawase’s performance and you can see exactly why he is often cast in roles where he plays a slimeball (Demolition Girl) or a rogue (The Kamagasaki Cauldron War) and his easygoing nature and warmth bring a softness to a character we might not normally like and so, when he goes full Dragon Ball and turns into his final form in this movie, we still feel a connection with the man. It’s this connection that makes the movie hang together no matter how weird it gets.

Happy weekend, everyone!

I hope you are all well.

I feel I’ve been searching for something deeper than the ocean and I may have found it now I have to summon the courage to seize it.

I wrote a preview of the Tokyo International Film Festival and also posted a review for Yota Kawase’s rural comedy Being Natural.

What is released this weekend?

Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Chapter 2

銀河英雄伝説 Die Neue These 星乱　第二章　 「Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Die Neue These Seiran Dai Nishhou」

Release Date: October 25th, 2019

Duration: N/A

Director: Shunsuke Tada

Writer: Noboru Takagi (Series Composition), Yoshiki Tanaka (Novel)

Starring: Kenichi Suzumura (Yang Wen-li), Mamoru Miyano (Reinhard von Lohengramm), Yuichiro Umehara (Siegfried Kircheis), Kana Hanazawa (Hildegard von Mariendorf),

Animation Production: Production I.G.

Website ANN MAL

This is the second season of the anime remake of the original work and it hits the cinemas in three instalments. Each cinematic version will be the length of four episodes.

Synopsis: Two interstellar human states – the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance – are locked in a seemingly never-ending conflict and two leaders emerge, Reinhard von Lohengramm from the Galactic Empire and Yang Wen-li from the Free Planets Alliance. They will become Galactic Heroes.

108: Revenge and Adventure of Goro Kaiba   

108 海馬五郎の復讐と冒険　 「108: Kaiba Goro no Fukushu to Boken」

Release Date: October 25th, 2019

Duration: 102 mins.

Director: Suzuki Matsuo

Writer: Suzuki Matsuo (Screenplay), 

Starring: Suzuki Matsuo, Miho Nakayama, Shunsuke Daito, Shiori Doi, Louis Kurihara, LiLiCo. Miwako Shishido, Mayu Hotta, Natsuko Akiyama,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Facebook is an evil corporation that wrecks everything from democracy to marriage. Just take Goro Kaiba (Suzuki Matsuo) as an example. He learns that his wife Ayako (Miho Nakayama) is having an affair with a hot guy and she posted about it on Facebook and that post has received 108 likes! Facebook brings out the worst in people (usually venality and racism). For Goro Kaiba, it brings out a bizarre revenge plot:

A divorce would cost him 10,000,000 million yen, so instead of that he decides to use that money on a epic one month womanising streak where he plans to bed 108 women.

Summer Night Sky, Autumn Sunset, Winter Morning and Spring Breeze

夏の夜空と秋の夕日と冬の朝と春の風　 「Natsu no yozora to aki no yuuhi to fuyu no asa to haru no kaze」

Release Date: October 25th, 2019

Duration: 95 mins.

Director: Munetoshi Mukai

Writer: Munetoshi Mukai, Shintaro Mitani (Screenplay), 

Starring: Hayato Ichihara, Nagisa Saito, Nobuyuki Suzuki, Marie Iitoyo, Kaoru Hirata, Ryubi Miyase, Mayuko Iwasa,

Website IMDB

This anthology film is set in Fukuoka and tells four stories set in four seasons, each story having a thematic song which is played in the final scene of each story.

Synopsis: Four stories of change such as Naoya, a school teacher who quits his job to take care of his wife, Yumi and Kosugi who are childhood friends who will soon be parted because Kosugi’s mother is going to remarry, Yamamoto, a kid who rises in the boxing world and faces a choice of universities to enter, and Ayako, a leather craftsman who begins to struggle and seeks some solution.

Kura yami-sai no Ogawa-san   

くらやみ祭の小川さん　 「Kura yami-sai no Ogawa-san」

Release Date: October 25th, 2019

Duration: 111 mins.

Director: Yukiyasu Asano

Writer: Yukiyasu Asano (Screenplay), 

Starring: Seiji Rokkaku, Reiko Takashima, Aimi Satsukawa, Kumi Mizuno, Akira Emoto,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Fuchu City in Tokyo has backed this film and locals have helped make it. The story concerns a retired salaryman leading a banal existence with an unappreciative family. He can’t get a job but hope for change beckons when he joins the Kurayami Festival… 

Togenkyo Labyrinth   

桃源郷ラビリンス　生々流転　 「Tougenkyou rabirinsu seiseiruten」

Release Date: October 25th, 2019

Duration: 111 mins.

Director: Jun Yoriko

Writer: Shintaro Kanno, Jun Yoriko (Screenplay), Hiromi Okayama (Original Work)

Starring: Kensuke Takahashi, Yuichi Nakamura, Noboru Kaneko, Yuuki Torigoe, Taishi Sugie, Ikkei Yamamoto,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Momotaro has been reborn as an ikemen who owns a cafe in Okayama city and just like his historical counterpart, he attracts all sorts of funny characters… 

Thunderbolt Fantasy Seiyuu Genka    

Thunderbolt Fantasy 西幽げん歌 「Thunderbolt Fantasy Seiyuu Genka」

Release Date: October 25th, 2019

Duration: 90 mins.

Director:  Gen Urobuchi

Writer: Gen Urobuchi (Script/Original Work),

Starring: Takanori Nishikawa (Lang Wu Yao), Nao Toyama (Mu Tian Ming), Rie Kugimiya (Chou Fu), Tarusuke Shingaki (Xiaò Kuáng Juàn), Katsuyuki Konishi (Líng Yá), Kikuko Inoue (Làng Wū Yáo’s Mother),

Animation Production: Pili International Multimedia

Website ANN

Thunderbolt Fantasy took western anime fandom by surprise. Gen “Psycho-Pass” Urobuchi took Wu Xia tales to a puppet animation studio (so it’s technically not an anime) in Taiwan to create another film instalment before the next season hits TV.

Synopsis: A boy who was born with an extraordinary singing voice is abused through the harsh training under his blind mother who dreams of sending her son to the Royal court. This leads to an unfortunate accident which set the boy free and set him on the path to meeting a princess… 

Kimi dake ni Motetainda   

キミだけにモテたいんだ。　 「Kimi dake ni Motetainda」

Release Date: October 25th, 2019

Duration: 53 mins.

Director: Shun Kudo

Writer: Mari Okada, Akiko Waba, Nanami Higuchi (Script/Series Composition), 

Starring: Yui Ishikawa (Sakiko Horinomiya), Kouki Uchiyama (Shigekazu Toshida), Rikiya Tomizono (Kotaro Tojima), Soma Saito (Tokio Furuta), Yuuki Kaji (MC),

Animation Production: Signal.MD

Website ANN MAL

Synopsis: Five handsome boys who are indebted to a rich girl named Sakiko Horinomiya find themselves entered into the “Motemen Koshien” contest by her so they can pay her back using the prize money. 

Futsuu wa hashiridasu   

普通は走り出す　 「Futsuu wa hashiridasu」

Release Date: October 25th, 2019

Duration: 107 mins.

Director: Hirobumi Watanabe

Writer: Hirobumi Watanabe (Screenplay/Original Work)

Starring: Hirobumi Watanabe, Minori Hagiwara, Yako Koga, Honoka, Sakiko Kato, Chihiro Nagai,

Synopsis: The Watanabe brothers are back in another indie film set in their hometown of Otawara, Tochigi Prefecture. It mixes reality and fiction as it shows the struggle of a movie director struggling to get a production underway whilst also contending with daily life.

Boy Detectives Club Neo Beginning   

超・少年探偵団NEO Beginning　 「Cho Shonen Tanteidan NEO: Beginning」

Release Date: October 25th, 2019

Duration: 92 mins.

Director: Shintaro Ashzuka

Writer: Shintaro Ashzuka, Hitomi Mieno (Screenplay), Edogawa Ranpo (Original Work)

Starring: Mahiro Takasugi, Gaku Sano, Mayu Hotta, Hiroshi Kamiya, Oshiro Maeda, Koki Osamura, Mizuki Itagaki, Jiro Sato,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: High school student Yoshiro Kobayashi (Mahiro Takasugi) is the great-grandchild of the first president of the Boy Detectives Club and he finds himself having to live up to his ancestor’s legacy when the Fiend with Twenty Faces appears and sets off a string of fiendish cases for the boy to solve.

Saenai Kanojo (Hiroin) no Sodate-kata Fine (fi-ne)   

冴えない彼女（ヒロイン）の育てかた Fine（フィーネ）　 「Saenai Kanojo (Hiroin) no Sodate-kata Fine (fi-ne)」

Release Date: October 26th, 2019

Duration: 115 mins.

Chief Director: Kanta Kamei, Director: Akihisa Shibata

Writer: Fumiaki Maruto (Script/Series Composition), Fumiaki Maruto (Original Creator)

Starring: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Tomoya Aki), Ai Kayano (Utaha Kasumigaoka), Chinatsu Akasaki (Izumi Hashima), Sayuri Yahagi (Michiru Hyodo), Saori Onishi (Eriri Spencer Sawamura),

Animation Production: CloverWorks

Website ANN MAL

Synopsis: Tomoya Aki is an otaku who is working part-time to fund his anime purchases and also bankroll a doujin game. He gets creative inspiration for his game’s main character from his classmate Megumi but he needs to get a team to fill in the creative details such as art and writing, so he asks ace of the art club Eriri Spencer Sawamura to provide the art, as well as the honour student Utaha Kasumigaoka to write the scenario so they can produce a decent game for Comic Market.

Kuuchuu chashitsu o yumemita otoko   

空中茶室を夢見た男　 「Kuuchuu chashitsu o yumemita otoko」

Release Date: October 26th, 2019

Duration: 75 mins.

Director: Chiyoko Tanaka

Writer: N/A

Starring: Mitsu Tanaka, Tomoko Yonetsu, Ramon Koizumi, 

Synopsis: A documentary about an aerial tea room made during the Edo period and the men who designed and made it. Interviews and documents bring it back to life since it disappeared some time in the Edo period. 

Kono hoshi wa, watashi no hoshi janai   

この星は、私の星じゃない　 「Kono hoshi wa, watashi no hoshi janai」

Release Date: October 26th, 2019

Duration: 90 mins.

Director: Miwa Yoshimine

Writer: N/A

Starring: Mitsu Tanaka, Tomoko Yonetsu, Ramon Koizumi, 

Website

Synopsis: A documentary pursuing Mitsu Tanaka (Wikipedia), a feminist who challenged the patriarchal structure of Japan and argued for women’s liberation in areas such as sex. 

TOKYO24   

Release Date: October 26th, 2019

Duration: 64 mins.

Director: Kazuhiro Teranishi, Shinichi Karube, Shu Okada,

Writer: Kazuhiro Teranishi (Screenplay/Original Work)

Starring: Yuuma Teranishi, Kwang Soo, Mai Hakase, Takayuki Kodai, Tomoya Shiroishi,

Website

Synopsis: An action suspense set in the year 2030 in Tokyo where humans and AI coexist and there is a case involving. AI Criminal and kidnapped scientists.

Hitotsubu no mugi Ogino Ginko no shougai   

一粒の麦　荻野吟子の生涯　 「Hitotsubu no mugi Ogino Ginko no shougai」

Release Date: October 26th, 2019

Duration: 110 mins.

Director: Hisako Yamada,

Writer: Hisako Yamada, Kazuhiro Kurisaki, Takako Shigemori (Screenplay)

Starring: Mayumi Wakamura, Koji Yamamoto, Kako Kakuchi, Shiro Sano, Akira Emoto,

Website

Synopsis: Biographical drama depicting the life of Ogino Ginko (Wikipedia), the first woman doctor recognised for practising in western medicine in Japan during the Meiji period, an era when women were not permitted to do anything like that. 

New Directions in Japanese Cinema (ndjc) is a programme which has been in operation since 2007 with the express purpose of cultivating talented young filmmakers through putting them together with experienced actors and crews in workshops for the production of a 30-minute narrative short shot on 35mm film. The 2019 selection of shorts are all well-crafted dramas in production terms and deal with themes of either fractured families or the influence of fathers.

Farewell Family     

サヨナラ家族 「Sayonara Kazoku」

Release Date: March 02nd, 2019

Duration: 29 mins.

Director:  Kohei Sanada,

Writer: Kohei Sanada (Screenplay)

Starring: Hoshi Ishida, Toshie Negishi, Yui Murata, Shiori Doi, Kazuhiro Sano, Yosuke Saito,

Website

I first encountered Kohei Sanada’s work at the 2017 edition of the Osaka Asian Film Festival. The title was, Icarus and Son, and its story of a father reconnecting with his son left me cold, not least because the father was unsympathetic and the conclusion of the story too obtuse to actually be moving. Sanada continues to mine father-son relationships in this short film which was the first of the five titles to screen when I saw it at the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2019.

Writer/director Kohei Sanada’s Farewell Family tells a straight story of overcoming loss with supernatural overtones to create something absorbingly atmospheric. We watch a soon-to-be father named Yohei (Hoshi Ishida) struggling over the death of his beloved father. As the time to return to his family home and commemorate his passing approaches, Yohei is plagued by menacing visions but with support of his family he comes to terms with the situation.

Kohei Sanada shows good control of atmosphere through the use of light and shadow and camera movement to create a haunted atmosphere through low-lighting. Those aspects are coupled with the tight spaces of the family home and the visions to create an unsettling series of strands, both in terms of mise-en-scene and narrative, to build up to a good emotional pay-off. It works because of the because of the simplicity of the story and the strong acting which radiates the raw loss the characters feel and then the reconciliation as they come to terms with death.

Quiet Hide-and-Seek  

うちうちの面達（つらたち）は。 「Uchi uchi no men-tachi (tsura-tachi) wa.」

Release Date: March 02nd, 2019

Duration: 28 mins.

Director:  Kan Yamamoto

Writer: Kan Yamamoto (Screenplay)

Starring: Kanau Tanaka, Hiromasa Taguchi, Mari Hamada, Mayu Ogawa, Shun Yamamoto

Website

In Quiet Hide and Seek, a mother (Mari Hamada) disappears into the attic of the family house without warning to see how her self-centred husband (Hiromasa Taguchi) will react to her “running away.” Their son, Kojiro, is aware of everything going on, while teenage daughter, Shiho (Mayu Ogawa), is aghast at the situation.

The scenario is little more than a trifle but a welcome chance for character actor Mari Hamada to exercise her comedic potential. Her elastic face with its big grin and flexible body are showcased by director Kan Yamamoto as he has her dashing about the set and causing mischief. In some broad but neat characterisation and good acting, everyone establishes their personalities and different energies with Miyu Ogawa and Hiromasa Taguchi proving good foils for Hamada. The film’s set design is a little memorable thanks to the father’s boutique bathroom business which invites oddities in terms of furniture.

Cloudy, Occasionally Sunny  

くもり ときどき 晴れ 「Kumori tokidoki hare」

Release Date: March 02nd, 2019

Duration: 30 mins.

Director:  Motoyuki Itabashi

Writer: Motoyuki Itabashi (Screenplay)

Starring: Megumi, Miyoko Asada, Kenji Mizuhashi, Masashi Arifuku,

Website

Cloudy, Occasionally Sunny, directed by Motoyuki Itabashi, tells the story of a busy career-woman named Haruko (MEGUMI) who lives with her mother (Miyoko Asada). She and her brother discover their estranged father is in hospital with dementia and she decides to visit him but wonders whether it is the right thing to do and over the course of the story we discover why: he was abusive.

The extent of the abuse is never described beyond an ominous reference to physical beatings but the alternating cold and hostile reactions of the mother and brother are telling and as Haruko tries to browbeat them into seeing the old man she turns into an almost insufferable protagonist. Itabashi, with his script, bites off more than he can chew with the limited run-time as there is so much painful history dwelling beneath the surface for the characters that 25 minutes cannot tell everything. It bubbles up in some good acting but the road to forgiveness and the conclusion are a little too easy, the drama proving hollow.

Saaya’s Box  

はずれ家族のサーヤ 「Hazure Kazoku no Sa-ya」

Release Date: March 02nd, 2019

Duration: 30 mins.

Director:  Mikiko Okamoto

Writer: Mikiko Okamoto (Screenplay)

Starring: Naho Yokomizu, Mei Kurokawa, Sue Masukoshi, Taijirou Tamura, Yurito Mori,

Website

Saaya’s Box, written and directed by Mikiko Okamoto, follows a girl named Saaya (Naho Yokomizu) who comes from a patchwork family. Saaya lives with her grandmother while her mother, Mai (Mei Kurokawa), now lives with her new partner and their son Mitsuki. Saaya longs to be the centre of her mother’s attention, so when she meets a mysterious toy-seller with a magical box which makes things disappear, Saaya gets the chance to be the only child again…

Okamoto’s script is simple and her direction is effective with confident camerawork and staging catching the biggest of emotions in even the smallest of her actor’s movements so that a smile and a little gesture can mean a lot. Okamoto elicits great performances from experienced actress Mei Kurokawa and the two child actors, both cute as a button, with Naho Yokomizu really impressing and proving sympathetic.

Last Judgement / Saigo no Shinpan   

最後の審判 「Saigo no Shinpan」

Release Date: March 02nd, 2019

Duration: 29 mins.

Director:  Shinya Kawakami

Writer: Shinya Kawakami (Screenplay)

Starring: Ren Sudo, Miru Nagase, Asuka Kurosawa, Kiyomi Aratani,

Website

Last Judgement by Shinya Kawakami is the best of the ndjc 2019 films. It burrows into the mind of a young man named Inaba (Ren Sudo) who has failed the Tokyo University of the Arts entrance exam five times and is jealous of a talented high schooler named Hatsune (Miru Nagase) who exhibits genius-tier artistic abilities. However, she helps him unlock his potential through a challenge to produce street art…

While the four other ndjc films are quiet and considered in story and effect, Kawakami aims high and unleashes 25-minute cinematic firework display of editing and audio techniques to take us into the world of Inaba and colour the screen with his emotions and the overblown sense of drama, thus giving a simple story a propulsive and all encompassing feel that lights up the cinema’s screen with meaning. From painting sessions scored by percussive jazz music to the talky moments full of rapid and witty dialogue, it’s held together by tight editing which ships in a deeper backstory through flashbacks showing Inaba’s family situation and the pressure he places on himself.

The lead performances of Ren Sudo and Miru Nagase are perfectly pitched at displaying their character’s abilities with passion and slightly cartoonish conflict, combining with all of the technical fireworks to make a film which will get audiences bouncing in their seats and grinning.

Here’s my full review for this film. It was the last film I saw of the NDJC shorts and I was on the edge of my seat and feeling truly happy to have seen it.

My review was originally published on July 19th at VCinema

The traditional Halloween movie review is back and I wanted to try something different with an action anime I had seen at the Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival earlier this month.

Fate/stay night Heaven’s Feel I. Presage Flower   

劇場版 Fate/stay night Heaven’s Feel I. presage flower 「Gekijouban Fate/stay night Heaven’s Feel I. lost butterfly」

Duration: 120 mins.

Release Date: October 14th, 2017

Director: Tomonori Sudo

Writer: Akira Hiyama (Screenplay), Kinoko Nasu, TYPE-MOON (Original Creator),

Starring: Ayako Kawasumi (Saber), Noriaki Sugiyama (Shirou Emiya), Jouji Nakata (Kirei Kotomine), Noriko Shitaya (Sakura Matou), Kana Ueda (Rin Toosaka), Mai Kadowaki (Illyasviel von Einzbern),

Animation Production: ufotable

ANN MAL Website

Fate/Stay Night is a venerable series for those who know of it. Originally starting in 2004 as a visual novel from indie video game company Type-Moon, it is an operatic story where the protagonist can join three heroines offering different routes to the finish – Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, Heaven’s Feel. What was an underground game won hardcore fans and became esoteric with every addition to the franchise over the years. This includes the many anime adaptations courtesy of animation production powerhouse ufotable (Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack). Close collaborators of Type-Moon, they have attempted to try and be faithful to the game’s story and pack in everything into a short running time. Fate/stay night Heaven’s Feel I. Presage Flower is a fateful adaptation that takes on the same-titled, lesser-explored route.

Thanks for reading and HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

Since starting the Halloween reviews, I have covered Nightmare Detective, Strange Circus, Shokuzai, POV: A Cursed Film, Charisma, Don’t Look Up, and Snow Woman (2016), Snow Woman (1968). 

Happy weekend, everyone!

I hope you are all well.

I’ve just completed a 12-day work week so I’ve got two days to relax. Because it is Halloween, I watched a bunch of 80s horror films such as Demons 2 and 3 and The Gate. I’ll watch more over the next two days. Also, because of a friend, I’ve been able to see Sion Sono’s latest work, The Forest of Love.

This week, I posted reviews for the New Directions in Japanese Cinema shorts and wrote one for Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel I Presage Flower.

This year’s Kyoto International Film Festival and my posts on the Busan International Film Festival, and Tokyo International Film Festival came to the rescue when it came to digging up info on this weekend’s trailers.

So what was released this weekend?

No Smoking,     

帰郷　 「Kikyou」

Release Date: November 01st, 2019

Duration: 96 mins.

Director: Taketoshi Sado

Writer: N/A

Starring: Haruomi Hosono, Van Dyke Parks, Keigo Oyamada, Yukihiro Takahashi,

Website

Synopsis: A documentary about Haruomi Hosono, famous for his solo work, his work with Yellow Magic Orchestra and the music he composed for Cannes Palme d’Or winner Shoplifters. The footage spans his career from his early days to his recent first overseas performances in London, New York and Los Angeles. In London, he was joined by Yukihiro Takahashi, and when Ryuichi Sakamoto made a surprise appearance onstage, the YMO members were reunited for the first time in five years, a must-see spectacle captured on film.

After the Matinee   

マチネの終わりに　 「Machine no Owari ni」

Release Date: November 01st, 2019

Duration: 124 mins.

Director: Hiroshi Nishitani

Writer: Yumiko Inoue (Screenplay), Keiichiro Hirano (Novel)

Starring: Masaharu Fukuyama, Yuriko Ishida, Yusuke Iseya, Yuki Sakurai, Haruka Kinami, Jun Fubuki, Yuka Itaya, Ikko Furuya, Thibaut Garcia, Avant Strangel,

Website IMDB

Masaharu Fukuyama (Like Father, Like Son) uses his musical skills and superior personality to play a lead character who charms the socks off (and possibly more) a female journalist in this drama…

Synopsis: Satoshi Makino (Masaharu Fukuyama) is an incredibly talented world-renowned classical guitarist. He meets writer and journalist Yoko Komine (Yuriko Ishida) who is about to get married to a nice guy. The two become attracted to each other…

Black School Rules   

ブラック校則　 「Blakku Kousoku」

Release Date: November 01st, 2019

Duration: 124 mins.

Director: Shintaro Sugawara

Writer: Kazuya Konomoto (Screenplay),

Starring: Shori Sato, Kaito Takahashi, Rintaro Mizusawa, Juri Tanaka, Serina Motola, Yumena Yanai, Mayu Hotta,

Website IMDB

The last couple of years saw stories of high schoolers in Japan rebelling against strict dress codes and demands on their appearances including that they have straight black hair and this film picks up on that.

Synopsis: Sora and his friend Chuya have opposite personalities with Sora being quiet and Chuya being more of an extrovert but they do have something in common: they both have feelings for the same girl. However, the girl refuses to attend school because she doesn’t want to have to dye her brown hair to black. Sora and Chuya decide to force a change to their school’s rules for the girl they like.

Family of Strangers 

閉鎖病棟　 「Heisa Byoutou」

Release Date: November 01st, 2019

Duration: 117 mins.

Director: Hideyuki Hirayama

Writer: Hideyuki Hirayama (Screenplay), Hosei Hahakigi (Novel)

Starring: Tsurube Shofukutei, Gou Ayano, Nana Komatsu, Ryota Bando, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Reiko Kataoka, Toshie Negishi, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Satomi Koabayashi,

Website IMDB

Three great actors in an intriguing drama… Tsurube Shofukutei (Dear Doctor), Gou Ayano (The Light Shines Only There) and Nana Komatsu (The World of Kanako).

Synopsis: Hidemaru Kajiki (Tsurube Shofukutei), Chu-san (Gou Ayano) and Yuki (Nana Komatsu) are patients at a psychiatric hospital in Nagano Prefecture. They each have a different reason to be there, Kajiki having killed his mother and daughter-in-law, Chu-san suffering from auditory hallucinations and Yuki refusing to go to her high school student. They try to live positively but when a murder happens, one of them is accused…

The First Supper   

最初の晩餐　 「Saisho no Bansan」

Release Date: November 01st, 2019

Duration: 127 mins.

Director: Shiro Tokiwa

Writer: Shiro Tokiwa (Screenplay),

Starring: Shota Sometani, Erika Toda, Yosuke Kubozuka, Yuki Saito, Masatoshi Nagase, Nana Mori, Taro Suwa, Raiku, Hyunri,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Rintaro (Shota Sometani) returns to his hometown for his father’s funeral where his mother Akiko (Yuki Saito) and his sister Miyako (Erika Toda) will prepare the food for the ceremony themselves based on instructions from their father’s will. As the family get together and go over personal issues, the first meal served is fried eggs made just the way his father used to do them.

Dosukoi! Sukehira   

どすこい！すけひら　 「Dosukoi! Sukehira」

Release Date: November 01st, 2019

Duration: 91 mins.

Director: Shiro Tokiwa

Writer: Shiro Tokiwa (Screenplay), Junko Tamura, Tomohide Kiyoshi (Manga)

Starring: Kang Ji-Young, Takuya Kusakawa, Airi Matsui, Naoto Takenaka, Eriko Tomiyama,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Ayane Sukehira (Kang Ji-Young) is an overweight woman who lives in Italy because she loves chocolates (I would have thought Belgium or Switzerland might be the place to go, but whatever). One day, Ayane suffers an accident and passes out. When she wakes up, she finds that her appearance has totally changed and she has lost a lot of weight. When she travels back to Japan she attracts the attention of handsome boys and idols…

IDOL Aa Mujou   

IDOL あゝ無情　 「IDOL Aa Mujou」

Release Date: November 01st, 2019

Duration: 85 mins.

Director: Hiroki Iwabuchi

Writer: N/A

Starring: Ayuni D, Toriaizu Hana, Mayu Empire, Hanae Monster, Saaya Ito,

Website

Synopsis: A documentary for WACK music label as they hold a joint audition camp for their popular idol groups “BiSH”, “BiS”, “GANG PARADE”, “EMPiRE” and “WACK” on a remote islands in Kyushu. Expect to see girls singing, dancing and running a marathon.

Katsu Futaro!!   

喝風太郎!!　 「Katsu Futaro!!」

Release Date: November 01st, 2019

Duration: 103 mins.

Director: Keisuke Shibata

Writer: Yuusuke Moriguchi (Screenplay), Hiroshi Motomiya (Manga)

Starring: Hayato Ichihara, Tom Fujita, Ayano Kudo, Ryutaro Ninomiya, Tomoki Kimura, Taichi Fujishiro,

Website

Synopsis: An ascetic monk Futaro finishes his training and goes wild with drinking, womanising and partying. This causes chaos and possibly joy for those with pent up emotions…

Wakasa to Bakasa   

若さと馬鹿さ　 「Wakasa to Bakasa」

Release Date: November 01st, 2019

Duration: 61 mins.

Director: Yutaro Nakamura

Writer: Akira Kimura (Screenplay), 

Starring: Takuya Shibata, Mio Matsutake, Nanako Kudo, Shigeko Hisada, Rei Hirano, Yosuke Nishi, Hidenori Abera,

Website

Synopsis: Takaya and Sakura are in their late 20s and live together in a small room. Takaya is drifting in life just exercising and playing around while Sakura wants to make a future for them…

What Can You Do about It   

だってしょうがないじゃない　 「Datteshou ganai Janai」

Release Date: 2019

Duration: 120 mins.

Director: Yoshifumi Tsubota

Writer: N/A

Starring: Makoto Oohara, Yoshifumi Tsubota, Machiko Kimura, Yoshinori Kimura, Tatsuyoshi Tsubota, Yoko Tsubota, Masako Tsubota, Miharu Seki, Naoko Misawa, Hiroo Shibata,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: The filmmaker, Yoshifumi Tsubota (The Shell Collector), who has suffered from mental illness, records what happens when he is diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at a psychiatric hospital. He tells his mother who informs him that he has an uncle who has Pervasive Developmental Disorder and lives alone. Tsubota goes to see him.

Saori, Piling Up   

積むさおり　 「Tsumu Saori」

Release Date: November 02nd, 2019

Duration: 40 mins.

Director: Soichi Umezawa

Writer: Soichi Umezawa (Screenplay), 

Starring: Asuka Kurosawa, Keisaku Kimura,

Website IMDB

Asuka Kurosawa (A Snake of June) re-teams with director Soichi Umezawa after two Vampire Clay movies to do this short for which Kurosawa won Best Actress for her performance at the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2019

Synopsis: Saori and her husband Keisuke have been married for five years but they have been torturous for the woman since he is a stereotypical guy with rough manners while she is gentle. His bad behaviour has piled up the stress on the woman and when she develops tinnitus, the pressure becomes too much and she snaps…

Traverse   

TRAVERSE トラバース　 「Traverse Toraba-su」

Release Date: November 02nd, 2019

Duration: 96 mins.

Director: Yuuko Okada

Writer: Naoki Kawakubo, Yuuko Okada (Screenplay), 

Starring: Jun Tamegai, Ren, Kanji Tsuda, Yuki Masuda, Jin Kusanagi, Shinji Kasahara, Rei Ai,

Website

Synopsis: A martial-arts movie with no CG or wire-work where a man investigates the supposed suicide of someone close to him.

Mizorogi Mitsuki o Sagashite   

ミゾロギミツキを探して　 「Mizorogi Mitsuki o Sagashite」

Release Date: November 02nd, 2019

Duration: 71 mins.

Director: Ryohei Yoshino

Writer: Ryohei Yoshino (Screenplay), 

Starring: Roka Kawai, Daisuke Matsuki, Miwako Murata, Emi Moriya, Harumi Shuhama,

Website

Synopsis: The Mizorogi family from Ishinomaki lost their eldest daughter to the tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake. She is still missing but they haven’t given up searching and go to Tokyo to search for clues as to what happened to her by doing things such as tracking an ex-boyfriend through Twitter and meeting psychics. All the while, they meet people in Tokyo and see the progress of construction for the Olympics…

RUN! 3films   

ミゾロギミツキを探して　 「Mizorogi Mitsuki o Sagashite」

Release Date: November 02nd, 2019

Duration: 84 mins.

Director: Tetsuhiko Tsuchiya, Yusuke Hatai

Writer: Tetsuhiko Tsuchiya, Masao Iketani (Screenplay), 

Starring: Ryo Shinoda, Minehiro Kinomoto, Shinji Matsubayashi, Tsukasa Kuroiwa, Kanji Tsuda, Kei Yamazaki,

Website

Synopsis: An omnibus film consisting of three stories:

Dancing Down Memory Lane – A part-timer at a convenience store finds himself held up by a former classmate. 

Vanish – a science fantasy that recounts the encounter and story of a corpse disposer, and a mysterious parent and child duo that eat humans for survival.

Actor – a struggling actor steps into a mysterious movie set and crosses through the border of reality and illusion.

Birthday Wonderland     

バースデー・ワンダーランド 「Ba-sude- Wanda-rando」

Release Date: April 26th, 2019

Duration: 115 mins.

Director: Keiichi Hara

Writer: Miho Maruo (Screenplay), Sachiko Kashiwaba (Original Creator)

Starring: Mayu Matsuoka (Akane), Akiko Yajima (Doropo), Anzu (Chi), Keiji Fujiwara (Xan Gu), Kumiko Aso (Midori), Masachika Ichimura (Hippocrates),

Website MAL ANN

After a career with titles that flirted with fantasy, from 2010’s Colorful and the 2015 award-winning smash-hit Miss Hokusai, director Keiichi Hara leaps straight into the genre with this movie adaptation of Sachiko Kashiwaba’s 1988 children’s story “Strange Journey From The Basement”. This Ghibli-esque tale is a delightful family-friendly female-led fantasy that is sure to entertain all but the most cynical individuals with its jaunt through a cute wonderland full of colourful characters and creatures in its story of a girl who learns how to stand up for herself and take responsibility by saving another world.

Akane Uesugi is our protagonist. A shy elementary school student (around 12 years old), she has trouble telling other people how she feels and this causes a crisis for her after one dicey situation in school where a friend is ostracised by her social circle while she stands by and does nothing. Feeling a little guilty, she decides to hide out at home by feigning an illness. The day before her birthday, Akane’s mother, Midori, sends her on an errand to go get her birthday present from her aunt Chi who owns an antique shop.

So far so normal as we see Akane’s everyday environment. Fantastic background art which is close to photorealistic depicts recognisable objects and furnishings that show the cocoon Akane inhabits as she covers herself in the duvet on her comfy bed and is surrounded by items such as iPhones and MacBooks and a cute tubby cat. Once outside, we see the suburban landscape and then Chi’s shop which has the atmosphere of one of those new age places that sell kooky knick-knacks from around the world (and there’s an impressive comic book library with covers that carry references to Hell Boy and Tintin).

Aunt Chi is a free spirit who loves to travel having had adventures in Bolivia and elsewhere as objects in her shop attests. Boisterous and independent, she rubs the sometimes sullen and mostly reluctant Akane the wrong way and she proves to be an excellent travelling companion when the young girl is dragged into a fantasy land.

This happens after Akane slots her hand into an imprint in a mysterious stone slab prompting a small fairy named Pipo and a strange man wearing a suit and top hat named Hippocrates the Alchemist arrive from the basement of Chi’s home to whisk Akane and her aunt to Wonderland.

And this is where the comparison to Ghibli begins.

With an atmosphere and set-up not so far away from The Cat Returns (2002), Akane and Chi find themselves transported to a fairy tale kingdom where there is an emerging crisis involving the world losing its vitality because of a water shortage. Akane is labelled the “Green Goddess” and told she must save the land but she resists the idea with as much sulkiness as she can muster. Chi, meanwhile, is more than happy to be along for the ride as she gets to go on an adventure. Thus begins a high stakes and low peril adventure for the ladies as they find themselves embarking on a laid-back road-trip.

The film becomes something of a delightful travelogue across the massively different colourful landscapes of Wonderland from the ruby red and lemon yellow sands of a desert, the sherbet blues and vivid violets of an icy valley crowned by an aurora borealis, the emerald greens of a pastoral paradise that feeds the fluffiest sheep you will ever see and what seems to be a recreation of Victorian London complete with smog and drunks clogging the cobblestone streets. Every location is distinctive and hosts creatively designed creatures and characters such as giant flamingos and a spiderweb road weaved by spiders sporting moustaches, glasses and top hats. Most places are completely fantastical, very different from our reality and a lot of fun because of it.

Each area is plagued by a specific environmental crisis that is sparked by the water shortage and while Akane is positioned as the one true saviour she has to be pushed to go on her journey which is more like a sojourn than a mission as she and aunt Chi saunter from place to place. The girl has to overcome her reluctance to engage with difficult situations to complete her character arc. This works because the character dynamics between Akane, Chi, Pipo and Hippocrates are entertaining to be around as they tease each other and laugh at their misadventures and admire the landscape they are in. Chi is a real standout with her hard-drinking uber romantic lifestyle which gained a huge laugh from the audience I saw it with whenever it surfaced.

With each encounter, Akane gains the confidence to be herself in character development that is simple for people to get behind.

Pushing the story along is the mildest of threats from an armoured antagonist named Zan Gul and his tiny henchman Doropo who roll around in their mouse-shaped tank and terrorise the locals in each area as they seek their own, rather violent, way of solving the water crisis. The narrative gives enough of their perspective for the audience to realise that the bad guys mirror Akane in their goals and even their personal problems with how they address tough situations. Indeed, the world reflects the problems we face in our own as there is a misuse of power and resources by the people tasked with looking after the environment.

While I was not sold on Ilya Kuvshinov’s character designs – Akane doesn’t look like a 12-year-old girl – its evocative enough and everyone has some charm including Akane who learns to overcome fear and take responsibility for herself, her environment and others to give the film a heart to go underneath the pretty images that are all lovely to look at. All in all, good fun.

The Tokyo International Film Festival (TokyoIFF) finished yesterday with an award ceremony (results) that celebrated various strands programme including Japanese movies (see this preview). Awards were aplenty in the 90 minute ceremony, beginning with the Tokyo Gemstone Award for new talents which went to Josefine Frida, Sairi Ito, Riru Yoshina and Yui Sakuma. The Lifetime Achievement awards were already announced and went to director Nobuhiko Obayashi and actor Tatsuya Nakadai.

The Competition section had two Japanese titles but the majority of awards went to international films. Uncle, the Danish film from director Frelle Petersen, was awarded the Tokyo Grand Prix after having had its world premiere in Tokyo. Winner of the second-place Special Jury Prize was the Ukrainian film Atlantis. Best Director went to Iran’s Saeed Roustaee for 6.5. The Best Screenplay award went to Shin Adachi’s A Beloved Wife.

Taking to the stage to announce the award was Julie Gayet who said that the awards went to, “a scriptwriter that made us look into his complicated private life with a lot of humour and laughter that made his film universal”.

A Beloved Wife   

喜劇　愛妻物語 「Kigeki Aisai Monogatari」

Release Date: 2020

Duration: 76 mins.

Director: Shin Adachi

Writer: Shin Adachi (Screenplay/Novel)

Starring: Gaku Hamada, Asami Mizukawa, Chise Niitsu, Eri Fuse, Kaho, Kayoko Ookubo, Ken Mitsuishi, 

Shin Adachi is best known for his script for 100 Yen Love (2014) and has worked on other projects, including directing a warmly received comedy 14 That Night (2016). He adapts his autobiographical novel for his sophomore film as a director and it was produced by Aoi Pro, whose works include Shoplifters (2018) and The Long Excuse (2016).

Synopsis: Gota Yanagida (Gaku Hamada) is a scriptwriter with a family and a desperate need for a hit film. His wife of 10 years, Chika (Asami Mizukawa), is the family breadwinner and very unhappy about their lack of money. His daughter Aki (Chise Niitsu) is beginning to view him as a bit of a loser. His desperation for a break is finally answered when a film producer tasks Gota with writing a screenplay for his story of “a high school girl who makes udon noodles at a tremendous speed”. Gota has a chance to travel to Kagawa Prefecture to write a screenplay and so he persuades Chika and Aki to go with him, but when he arrives he discovers a different film project has already been decided…

Adachi took the award and thanked the programming director for allowing a comedy to be entered into the Competition and, in explaining the background of his project, assured the audience that while it is based on his life, the leading lady and man do, in no way represent his them, it’s the actors.

Japanese Cinema Splash

The Japanese Cinema Splash section for Japanese indie films featured eight titles, two notable for being political documentaries, and plenty of dramas. This provided a complicated job for the jury to narrow down the candidates for the awards.

The Best Film award went to Tatsuya Mori’s documentary i – Documentary of the Journalist.

Nam Dong-Chul, programme director at the Busan International Film Festival, was a member of the jury and he was present to give the award to director Tatsuya Mori. In his review he summed up why the film was selected:

“This film introduces an unforgettable female character described with depth and it also introduces Japanese social issues [in a way] that is appealing to the world.”

i -Documentary of the Journalist- 

i－新聞記者ドキュメント－ 「I – shinbun kisha dokyumento –」

Release Date: November 15th, 2019

Duration: 120 mins.

Director: Tatsuya Mori

Writer: N/A

Starring: Isoko Mochizuki

Tatsuya Mori is a documentarian famous for the films A (1998), 311 (2011) and Fake (2016). He also acted as producer on The Journalist (2019) which is based on a book by the real-life female journalist, Isoko Mochizuki. She forms the centre of this film as she pursues the truth.

Synopsis: Traditional news media is in a spin as social media, financial forces and political tribalism batter them around. Maybe film documentary might be the best place for news if not for some of brave journalists still working for newspapers who are unafraid to look for the truth. Isoko Mochizuki of The Tokyo Shimbun is one of them as she asks all the awkward questions that keep those in power on their toes and ferrets out the truth. This in a country which is still patriarchal, in an industry which is male-dominated, in a media environment that prefers not to challenge those in power lest they lose access to government press conferences. Here’s an article about her in The New York Times (written by Motoko Rich) which gives an excellent overview of the environment she works in.

Tatsuya Mori stepped onto the stage in rather normal attire at such a formal affair and made a joke of it, apologising for looking like he’s dressed like he’s going to a video rental shop in his neighbourhood.

The meat of his speech went on to thanking everyone involved and stating how documentary is important, acknowledging the presence of Kazuo Hara with his movie Reiwa Uprising but managed to lace in some jokes amidst the serious critiques. 

“I think documentary is really fun and it gets to portray how the media is positioned so the audience gets to see that as well. I believe that the air we feel in Japan, especially about speech and expression, that we’re quite suppressed. I would like to say thank you to the programme directors. You may have a difficult time but it’s your responsibility so you will have to live with it.”

The film’s producer, Mitsunobu Kawamura, talked a little about the background, how he wanted to screen this film alongside The Journalist but couldn’t.

“I believe that this film depicts the hollowness that we feel working in the media and it is also a good expression of what is taking place in Japanese society right now and I believe it is the role of film to try and bring these issues to the fore.”

Here’s a Q&A report from the film’s screening at the festival (English language).

Best Director went to Hirobumi Watanabe for Cry. The judges said that they would remember the film a year from now and there was unanimous agreement on who should win Best Director.

Director Akiko Ooku congratulated those involved in the making of the film strong and praised “a unique vision [that] also made us recall warm emotions and it was a very interesting film”.

Cry

叫び声 「Sakebigoe」

Release Date: N/A

Duration: 75 mins.

Director: Hirobumi Watanabe

Writer: Hirobumi Watanabe (Screenplay), 

Starring: Hirobumi Watanabe, Riko Hisatsugu, Keita Hisatsugu, Nanaka Sudo, Takanori Kurosaki, Gaku Imamura, Yuji Watanabe, Misao Hirayama,

Website

I met the Watanabe brothers and their cinematographer at the 2014 Raindance Film Festival‘s screening of And the Mud Ship Sails Away and I got their autographs. Little did I suspect that they would turn into familiar faces at the Tokyo International Film Festival as they get backing from the event to keep produce their brand of offbeat comedy shot in black-and-white. It’s an alternative to the urban voices and a lot of sideways fun.

Synopsis: A man who lives with his ageing grandmother works silently in a pigpen…

Hirobumi Watanabe explained the background to the film, how it is a family affair with his brother, parents and grandparents among those who worked on the film in their home Prefecture of Tochigi, and, in the most moving part of the ceremony, he went on to pay emotional tribute to his grandmother who passed away in August at the age of 102 saying he believed he was able to get the award because of her.

I watched the awards as they were screened live just before work. Here’s a link to a video.

Happy weekend, people!

I hope you are all well!

I watched a bunch of more horror films this week and worked harder on my kanji. Slightly less overtime at work. I’m about to spin up for a few outside projects at the end of November to refresh my teaching skills.

This post was easier to write because a few of these films were recently shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival. I posted the awards handed out at the fest and also a review for the fun anime adventure Birthday Wonderland.

What is released this weekend?

Yuho No Ato   

夕陽のあと　 「Yuuho no ato」

Release Date: November 08th, 2019

Duration: 133 mins.

Director: Michio Koshikawa

Writer: Ureha Shimada (Screenplay), Ryuho Ookawa (Novel)

Starring: Shihori Kanjiya, Maho Yamada, Masaru Nagai, Satoru Kawaguchi, Midori Kiuchi, Towa Matsubara, Shohei Uno, Saori Watanabe,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Satsuki lives on an island in Kagoshima. She is a local through-and-through having grown up and starting a new family there. She has taken the step of fostering a seven-year-old boy and wants to adopt him legally. It all appears to be going smoothly but the arrival of a woman named Akane from Tokyo begins a stormy series of events as it is revealed that she is the birth mother and wants to reconnect with her son.

Little Miss Period     

生理ちゃん　 「Seiri-chan」

Release Date: November 08th, 2019

Duration: 75 mins.

Director: Shunsuke Shinada

Writer: Shin Akamatsu (Screenplay), Ken Koyama (Manga)

Starring: Fumi Nikaido, Sairi Ito, Yoshinori Okada, Ren Sudo, Hana Toyoshima, Manami Iida, Risaki Matsukaze, Kyohei Kanomi,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Aoko works as an editor at a publishing house who, alongside heaving to content with deadlines, has to balance a horrible boss and a romance with a well-off widower boyfriend (Yoshinori Okada) who wants to marry her, but he has an 11-year-old daughter (Hana Toyoshima) who hates her. When her period strikes, she is resigned to its presence, a big plush that she has to drag around. 

Riho (Ito) works at the same publishers but as a cleaner. As she does her job, she makes observations about the people around her which she turns into material for her blog. When her period strikes (also a plus), she gets irritable and angry. She figures she will be single for the rest of her life but she is noticed by someone at the company who thinks her writing is good and fancies her as a life partner.

Hikaru (Matsukaze) is Aoko’s teenage sister and she is beginning to have her period just as and her boyfriend are getting closer to going all the way. Although less of a pain, any romantic and carnal thoughts are delayed by her period which turns up as a smaller plush. 

Can all three ladies get past this most awkward time and find happiness?

One Night   

ひとよ　 「Hitoyo」

Release Date: November 08th, 2019

Duration: 123 mins.

Director: Kazuya Shiraishi

Writer: Izumi Takahashi (Screenplay), 

Starring: Takeru Satoh, Ryohei Suzuki, Mayu Matsuoka, Yuko Tanaka, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Mariko Tsutsui, Hanae Kan, Megumi,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Koharu (Yuko Tanaka), in an effort to protect her three children from their abusive father, she murdered the man. It shattered their family and sent them on wildly different paths. 15 years later, the family reunites again, each bearing scars from their traumatic background…

Nunchaku and Soul   

ヌンチャクソウル　 「Nunchaku Souru」

Release Date: November 09th, 2019

Duration: 76 mins.

Director: Akiyoshi Koba

Writer: Akiyoshi Koba (Screenplay),

Starring: Masahiro Kuroki, Atsushi Takahashi, Jun Bay, Anju Kurosu, Yun Hayama, Michiko Hayashi, Shinichiro Osawa,

Website IMDB

I saw this one at the Osaka Asian Film Festival where I was charmed by its low-key comedy about two guys in small-town Japan overcoming their problems through nunchaku and soul music. The audience I was with laughed through it and we were all impressed by the dance moves and nunchaku skills of Masahiro Kuroki in the post-screening Q&A. Here’s my review and here’s the interview I did with director Akiyoshi Koba.

Synopsis: Numata (Masahiro Kuroki) is a bit of a nerd who loves nunchaku. He yearns for some fun in life and an encounter with a cute woman named Reiko at a mixer leads him to join the dance class she attends but it is run by a devilishly handsome instructor who has his sights firmly set on the lady. To be in with the chance to win Reiko’s heart, Numata enters a  dance contest but he needs help from  Soma (Atsushi Takahashi), a middle-aged singer of a funk band whose own life is a bit of a mess. Between the two, and through the power of dance, they confront their problems…

Dumping Ground   

ヴィニルと烏　 「Biniru to Karasu」

Release Date: November 08th, 2019

Duration: 32 mins.

Director: Kosuke Yokota

Writer: Kosuke Yokota (Screenplay), 

Starring: Kosuke Yokota, Satoru Iguchi, Yoshinori Miyata, Shuto Moriya, Kenya Nojima,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Jun is being bullied at school so he visits his brother to learn boxing. Even though he becomes stronger, he still can’t stand up for himself so his brother has to intervene…

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro   

ルパン三世　カリオストロの城

「Rupan Sansei Kariosutoro no Shiro」

Release Date: December 15th, 1979 (Japan)

Duration: 96 mins

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Writer: Yasuo Otsuka (Screenplay), Haruya Yamazaki, Hayao Miyazaki (Script), Monkey Punch (Original Manga)

Starring: Yasuo Yamada (Arsene Lupin III), Makio Inoue (Goemon Ishikawa), Kiyoshi Kobayashi (Jigen Daisuke), Goro Naya (Inspector Zenigata), Eiko Masuyama (Fujiko Mine), Sumi Shimamoto (Lady Clarisse de Cagliostro)

Animation Production: Tokyo Movie Shinsha

Website ANN MAL

Synopsis: Famed thier Arsene Lupin III and best-pal/partner in crime Jigen, search for a counterfeiter who has rendered their latest casino heist a waste of time as they discover their haul of cash are called “Goat Bills”. They discover that the fake money they have comes from a counterfeiter in the secluded country of Cagliostro and he is a wicked count who is holding a beautiful and innocent princess in a tower. Lupin and his pals resolve to steal the Count’s treasure and the princess, too, all while Inspector Zenigata is hot on his trail.

Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu – Hyouketsu no Kizuna   

Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活　氷結の絆　 「Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu – Hyouketsu no Kizuna」

Release Date: November 08th, 2019

Duration: 80 mins.

Chief Director: Kenichi Kawamura, Director: Masaharu Watanabe

Writer: Masahiro Yokotani (Script/Series Composition), Tappei Nagatsuki (Original Creator)

Starring: Rie Takahashi (Emilia), Yumi Uchiyama (Puck), Yusuke Kobayashi (Subaru Natsuki), Inori Minase (Rem), Rie Murakawa (Ram), Takehito Koyasu (Roswaal L. Mathers),

Animation Production: White Fox

Website ANN MAL

Synopsis: The OVA will adapt the meeting between Emilia and Puck.

Sumikko Gurashi: Tobidasu Ehon to Himitsu no Ko   

映画　すみっコぐらし　とびだす絵本とひみつのコ　 「Sumikko Gurashi: Tobidasu Ehon to Himitsu no Ko」

Release Date: November 08th, 2019

Duration: 65 mins.

Director: Mankyuu

Writer: Takashi Sumita (Script/Series Composition), San-X (Original Creator)

Starring: Narrators – Yoshihiko Inohara, Manami Nanjo

Animation Production: Fanworks

Website ANN MAL

Synopsis: The slightly negative characters who like to hide away from sight are back as Shirokuma, a polar bear who is sensitive to cold, Penguin?, a penguin suffering an existential crisis. Tonkatsu, a piece of uneaten pork cutlet, Neko, a shy cat; and Tokage, the last dinosaur find themselves on the big screen.

That Moment, My Heart Cried   

その瞬間、僕は泣きたくなった －CINEMA FIGHTERS project－　 「Sono shunkan, boku wa nakitaku natta – CINEMA FIGHTERS project –」

Release Date: November 08th, 2019

Duration: 115 mins.

Director: Takashi Miike, Isao Yukisada, Daishi Matsunaga, Hiroki Horanai, Hiroki Inoue

Writer: N/A

Starring: EXILE AKIRA, Naoki Kobayashi, Ryuji Imaichi, Reo Sano, Taiki Sato, Natsuko Akiyama, Gouichi Mine, Misako Renbutsu, Ruka Matsuda, Sayu Kubota,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: An omnibus film featuring five stories from five directors. Takashi Miike’s one shows the relationship between a man and a woman after she tries to commit suicide following an earthquake.

Geki × Cine  SIREN IN THE SHADOWS

ゲキ×シネ「髑髏城の七人」Season 極「GekixShine Dokuroshou no Shichinin-Kyoku」

Release Date: October 04th, 2019

Duration: 214 mins.

Director:  Takuji Izumi

Writer: Kazuki Nakashima (Screenplay),

Starring: Yuki Amami / Seiji Fukushi Ryo Ryusei Kurumi Shimizu / Hiroki Miyake Akira Yamamoto Zen Kajihara / Arata Furuta

Website

Synopsis: A beautiful Geisha named Gokuraku Tayu (Yuki Amami) was once the most valued sniper and consort of Nobunaga Oda. Since he was killed, she has become an assassin in a chaotic land which is near unification thanks to the efforts of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. However a group known as the Kanto Skulls, led by a mysterious masked man named Tenmaoh (Arata Furuta), prevents Hideyoshi’s plan by building a castle and amassing an army. When Tayu is tasked with taking out the leader of this group, Tenmaoh reveals himself to be…

CinemaKabuki Onna Goroshi Abura no Jigoku

シネマ歌舞伎　女殺油地獄　 「Shinema Kabuki Onna Goroshi Abura Jigoku」

Release Date: December 06th, 2019

Duration: 103 mins.

Director: Masanori Inoue

Writer: N/A

Starring: Koshiro Matsumoto, Ennosuke Ichikawa,

Website

Synopsis: Based on a true incident, this is a timeless story of a hot-headed young man who rebels against his parents and is forced into desperate straits, eventually losing himself in madness.

Fafner THE BEYOND     

蒼穹のファフナー THE BEYOND 「Soukyuu no Fafner THE BEYOND」

Release Date: November 08th, 2019

Running Time: 81 mins.

Director: Takashi Noto

Writer: Tow Ubukata, Hisashi Hirai (Screenplay),

Starring: Kohei Kiyasu, Makoto Ishii, Marika Matsumoto, Miyu Irino, Takahiro Sakurai, Nobuhiko Okamoto,

Animation Production: XEBECzwei

Website   ANN   MAL

Synopsis: “Fafner” are humanoid mobile weapons “Fafner” and their pilots are teens who battle creatures called “Festum” It’s a long-running franchise and a new series is starting so the second batch of three episodes from the 12 episode series will be screened. 

Crying Free Sex Never Again!   

クライング フリー セックス ネバーアゲイン 「Kuraingu Furi- Sekksu Never Again!」

Release Date: November 09th, 2019

Duration: 45 mins.

Director: Tomohiko Iwasaki

Writer: Tomohiko Iwasaki (Screenplay), 

Starring: Allen Ai, Michael Fanconi, Keisaku Kimura, Yoshie Suzuki, Miho Wakabayashi, Riko Matsui, Misaki Nishiri, Yuri Osawa,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Two secret agents, Naomi (Allen Ai), and Cobra (Michael Fanconi), thought their last mission was a one-night stand but they have to partner up against a secret organisation creating an erotic army.

Kokuumon Gate   

虚空門 GATE 「Kokuumon Gate」

Release Date: November 09th, 2019

Duration: 123 mins.

Director: Hideki Kojiya

Writer: 

Starring: Tetsuo Shoji, Yasuko Hayashi, Ryo Takemoto, Toshnori Omori,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: A documentary depicting Tetsuo Shoj, a man who can call UFOs, who Hideki Kojiya tries to catch in the act  after seeing smartphone images. There are also interviews with people who believe in UFOs. The truth is out there… 

Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution    

交響詩篇エウレカセブン ハイエボリューション 「Kokyo shihen Eureka sebun Hai eboryu-shon 1」

Release Date: September 16th, 2017

Duration: 109 mins.

Chief Director:  Tomoki Kyoda

Director:  Hisatoshi Shimizu

Writer: Dai Sato (Screenplay),

Starring: Kaori Nazuka (Eureka), Yuko Sanpei (Renton Beams/Renton Thurston), Aya Hisakawa (Ray Beams), Juurouta Kosugi (Charles Beams), Tohru Furuya (Adrock Thurston), Michiko Neya (Talho Yuuki),

Animation Production: BONES

Website ANN MAL

When did anime compilation films become a thing and which greedy capitalist initiated it? Most months of the year feature a spin-off or a sequel to a TV anime, all of which are fine, but the compilation seems like the most cynical cash-grab since it is often only the most salient parts of a TV show blown up on the big screen, something that could only satisfy a pre-existing audience who have watched the entire story and will have a high level of familiarity with the characters and what is going on in the narrative and bring all of that linking material to a truncated story. This film is a great example of everything wrong with compilation films and then some.

Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution is the first of three movies that serve as a reboot for the Eureka Seven mecha anime which ran for 50 episodes on TV from 2005 to 2006. It takes footage from the first 10 episodes and adds a brand new beginning and end while the remixing footage from the TV anime for the middle section – you’ll notice which parts were made for the cinema and for TV with the change in aspect ratio.

The early part of the film (and the most spectacular since it is newly animated for the cinema) covers the final stages of “The Summer of Love”, a giant battle between humanity and aliens known as “Scub Coral” over the fate of the earth. Chaos and explosions shower the screen before the space opera is over, the aspect ratio changes, and the TV anime is dived into as the early years of Renton, a boy who lost his father during the event, are shown including first encounters with a mecha named Nirvash and the pilot, a girl named Eureka.

This, the remixed part, takes all of the key plot twists and character development for characters, cutting them up into smaller scenes and showing them rather randomly with only on-screen text used to inform the audience how many years, months, days, hours they have jumped in the life of Renton as the film retells the TV anime in a non-linear order. A sequence rarely lasts for than five minutes before inter-titles (Playback, Play Forward) burst on to the screen and disrupt any and all coherence and the audience is left to piece things together before having the narrative rug pulled out from under them again as the film hops back and forth along the timeline.

This may work for hardcore fans but with little of the background of the world delivered in any form of exposition, people who aren’t fans may be left confused and unsatisfied as there is no way to enter the story and all emotional connections that build solid character arcs are left flailing due to the way the timeline of the story is dealt with in such a non-linear manner. I found the process bemusing. The initial fight was exhilarating with all of the information and mecha flying across the screen tricking me into believing it was all important while the final scene had so much charming shounen spunk (after some grisly off-screen deaths) that I could imagine hardcore fans being bowled over and made hype for more of Renton’s journey in the final two movies. The rest in the middle is messy and meant I didn’t really care all that much.

Both this movie and the TV anime were created by the animation studio Bones, a studio known for really strong world building and sharp use of contemporary counter-culture to make genre defining shows. They are the team responsible for anime like Wolf’s Rain and My Hero Academia and one of their best titles is Eureka Seven. The quality of the TV anime is present in the character/mecha designs and the glimpses of the world we see on the screen, all of which holds up over a decade after they were first created. The movie footage is spectacular with its broad and breathless approach to framing battles and landscapes. A switch in aspect ratio signals changes to the old and new footage but all of it looks good. It’s a shame that the story is lost.

This is one strictly for fans. It sets up the next two films which significantly alter certain characters and events and I have been informed the second one is much easier to get into. When it comes to this one, it might be too disorientating and you would be better off watching the TV anime first for context.

Penguin Highway      

ペンギン・ハイウェイ 「Pengin Haiuei」

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

Ten years since his three-minute student short film Fumiko’s Confession brought him to worldwide attention, Hiroyasu Ishida has taken the helm of his first feature, Penguin Highway, for Studio Colorido. A little more calm and controlled than his manic and comedic debut, what remains the same is his knack for telling a tale from a kid’s perspective and with a lot of heart.

Based on a same-named book by Tomihiko Morimi, the story takes a child’s-eye view of the world by following the adventures of Aoyama and his coterie of friends who live in a quiet suburban town. These bright and bubbly kids are charmers as they all display cute foibles while getting lost in their everyday squabbles and learning more about their world in a laid-back summertime atmosphere. Things take a turn for the fantastical as penguins start popping up everywhere without warning.

The birds emerge in gardens and fields, on the backs of trucks and in the waters of canals. Waddling, swimming, and jumping, they get into all sorts of mischief that brings smiles and laughter to Aoyama and his chums (as well as the audience), not least because these Antarctic natives are quite rubbery and nigh on indestructible and perfect catnip for curious land mammals that chase them around.

Aoyama may be an elementary school student but he is undaunted and quite analytical. Full of confidence and eager to work out how the world runs, he and his best pal, a timorous lad named Uchida, investigate the origins of the penguins. Their search leads to a forest clearing where there is a giant levitating silver orb which is already being investigated by the smartest girl in Aoyama’s class, Hamamoto. Methodical analysis involving copious note-taking based on rigorous measurements and experiments is done with maximum seriousness but made funny because the tools at hand to an intellectually precocious child are toys rather than high-grade electrical equipment. It is genuinely cute to watch these kids with hutzpah and an earnest and intelligent dedication to science try to discover the truth behind these wondrous occurrences and their love for discovery and wonder shines bright under the summer sun, so much so it all begins to feel like a big game.

Then there is a mysterious older woman who works as a dental assistant that Aoyama is fixated on, her breasts being a favourite thing for the boy contemplate. That may sound like some tonal whiplash for what was innocent until that last sentence but the possible perversity of Aoyama’s contemplation is reduced due to his earnest and analytical nature so any questionable lines are made palatable because they are delivered as philosophical and scientific observations. 

Indeed, it could be said that the confident and mysterious older lady who befriends Aoyama gives the kind of unrealistic relationship dynamic a lot of men crave, her openness and sass being used for confidence building through advice and support. It definitely serves to help Aoyama explore and broaden his emotions as he experiences character growth through their relationship. The dialogue between the two sparkles with admiration and genuine affection that buds into the possibility of love as they bond over chess at cafe “Au Bord de la Mer”  and chasing penguins but we understand there is more to her which she reveals and that ultimately Aoyama’s emotional growth rocket.

The pacing gets slower during these sequences that bring Aoyama and co’s searches and the connection with the lady together and this is when the penguins disappear but what keeps the film afloat is the growth in characters whether it is learning romance, responsibility to friends and family and shaping the behaviour of others through positive reinforcement and empathy. 

Aoyama tests the limits of his body and mind by exploring his feelings for other people and things with a maturity not often seen in little boys portrayed on the big screen and there are touching moments such as a late-night heart-to-heart talk with his little sister about mortality and his increasing care for the mysterious lady which adds shades of complexity and melancholy to to the story as we see him leave his childishness behind and grow up, just a little. Everything he learns throughout the narrative is utilised in the third act as it strengthens Aoyama’s declarations of affection for others and intent to understand the world and its mysteries and makes his connections with others really heartfelt which means the ending packs a punch as he and other characters have to make sacrifices.

The chief delight through all of this is tracking down penguins with the kids and seeing the town from their perspective so the environment feels more expansive and mysterious, made doubly so by urban legends passed around classmates and the cute penguins who add magic to the everyday setting. Hiroyasu Ishida and his team bring this world to life with fantastic detailing to make the suburban world real and then subvert it with all the weird events before he and his team bring the penguins back for a barnstorming finale where reality is literally bent and some mysteries are left unclear. That’s for Aoyama to discover as he grows older and after this adventure the audience will be sure to trust him to do that.

The combination of Masaaki Yuasa and Tomihiko Morimi brought to life the dreamy world of student life in The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl, which is set in a magical mirror Kyoto where a fantasy and reality melts into a loving tribute to life lived romantically. This film does the something similar by bringing to life the perspective of a maturing child, taking seriously the emotions felt by young people, detailing how they are fostered by pals, parents and passions, and how they change with growing awareness of the world. Although the film sags in the middle as it has to bring together an investigation, it picks up speed in a spectacular finale that shows the studio bending its artistry for a topsy-turbo ending that resonates with an aching love of humanity.

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Time to relax unless you have a weekend job.

Only one film watched and that was the Italian zombie movie Burial Grounds which was not that great. Plenty of Japanese practise and I did a bit more overtime this week and during that period where I was just escorting a contactor around, I managed to read a book by Ernest Hemingway. I published reviews for Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution and Penguin Highway.

What is released this weekend? A lot…

i -Documentary of the Journalist- 

i　－新聞記者ドキュメント－　 「I – shinbun kisha dokyumento –」

Release Date: November 15th, 2019

Duration: 120 mins.

Director: Tatsuya Mori

Writer: N/A

Starring: Isoko Mochizuki

Tatsuya Mori is a documentarian famous for the films A (1998), 311 (2011) and Fake (2016). He also acted as producer on The Journalist (2019) which is based on a book by the real-life female journalist, Isoko Mochizuki. She forms the centre of this film as she pursues the truth. It won an award at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Synopsis: Traditional news media is in a spin as social media, financial forces and political tribalism batter them around. Maybe film documentary might be the best place for news if not for some of brave journalists still working for newspapers who are unafraid to look for the truth. Isoko Mochizuki of The Tokyo Shimbun is one of them as she asks all the awkward questions that keep those in power on their toes and ferrets out the truth. This in a country which is still patriarchal, in an industry which is male-dominated, in a media environment that prefers not to challenge those in power lest they lose access to government press conferences. Here’s an article about her in The New York Times (written by Motoko Rich) which gives an excellent overview of the environment she works in.

He Won’t Kill, She Won’t Die   

殺さない彼と死なない彼女 「Korosanai Kare to Shinanai Kanojyo」

Release Date: November 15th, 2019

Duration: 123 mins.

Director: Keiichi Kobayashi

Writer: Keiichi Kobayashi (Screenplay), Seikimatsu (Novel)

Starring: Shotaro Mamiya, Hinako Sakurai, Yuri Tsunematsu, Mayu Hotta, Yutaro, Ryo Sato, Aimi Satsukawa, Yumena Yanai,

Website IMDB

Keiichi Kobayashi directed indie movies About the Pink Sky and Bon Lin and I’m pleased to see him back with another film!

Synopsis: Rei is an apathetic highschooler who is bored and lives a boring existence. When he sees his class-mate Nana bury a dead bee with care and respect he becomes interested in her and that is when Nana confides in him that she has no will to live and is harming herself…

Wings Over Everest   

Release Date: November 15th, 2019

Duration: 110 mins.

Director: Fay Yu

Writer: Fay Yu (Screenplay), 

Starring: Koji Yakusho, Jingchu Zhang, Po-Hung Lin, Victor Webster, Noah Dalton Danby, Babak Haleky, Graham Shiels,

IMDB

Synopsis: When a plane carrying important documents crashes in the Death Zone of Mount Everest, two men claiming to work for India’s research and analysis department offer a large sum of money to Team Wings to take them up to recover them.

Last Ninja: Blue Shadow      

下忍　下忍　青い影 「 Genin Aoi Kage」

Release Date: November 15th, 2019

Duration: 88 mins.

Director: Yoshitaka Yamaguchi

Writer: Ichiro Ryu (Screenplay), 

Starring: Kanichiro, Kosei Yuki, Kanji Tsuda, Mayu Yamaguchi,

Website

The first of a two-part ninja movie series, it features action direction from Tak Sakaguchi (Re:born).

Synopsis: It is the end of the Edo period and the samurai of the Satsuma domain are threatening to plunge Japan into a crisis by overthrowing the shogunate. Sho (Kousei Yuki), a Ryukyu martial arts expert, has drifted into Edo and comes into conflict with Ryu (Kanichiro), a lowly member of a ninja clan who is on a mission is to capture Shizu (Mayu Yamaguchi), a princess of the Satsuma Domain who is due to be wed to a samurai. The strong-willed Shizu and the lowly ninja Ryu find themselves pursued by Sho…

Kyofu Ningyo   

恐怖人形　 「Kyofu Ningyo」

Release Date: November 15th, 2019

Duration: 86 mins.

Director: Taro Miyaoka

Writer: Yuta Okuyama (Screenplay), 

Starring: Nao Kosaka, Riku Hagiwara, Mario Kuroba, Kyoka Minakami, Yuusuke Kondo, Ruka Ishikawa, Asuka Kurosawa,

Website

Synopsis: Yuri is a female college student who receives an invitation to a party from an acquaintance. Although it seems a little dubious, she heads there with her friend and meets a group of people, mostly the same age as her except a middle-aged guy. Once gathered together, the group head to a seemingly idyllic campsite where a terrifying child-sized doll literally rocks up at the doorstep of their cabin and starts stalking them. 

Tennis no Oujisama BEST GAMES!! Fuji vs Kirahara   

テニスの王子様 BEST GAMES!! 不二vs切原　 「Tennis no Oujisama BEST GAMES!! Fuji vs Kirahara」

Release Date: November 15th, 2019

Duration: 43 mins.

Director: Keiichiro Kawaguchi

Writer: Mitsutaka Hirota (Series Composition), Takeshi Konomi (Original Creator)

Starring: Junko Minagawa (Ryoma Echizen), Junichi Suwabe (Keigo Atobe), Ryotaro Okiayu (Tezuka Kunimitsu),

Animation Production: M.S.C

Website ANN 

Synopsis: This is the third in a series of OVAs which feature pivotal matches from the Prince of Tennis franchise. The match is between Shusuke Fuji and Akaya Kirihara from the Kanto Tournament. 

Inochi Sketch   

いのちスケッチ　 「Inochi Sukecchi」

Release Date: November 15th, 2019

Duration: 100 mins.

Director: Naoki Segi

Writer: Yuu Sakudo (Screenplay),

Starring: Kanta Sato, Izumi Fujimoto, Tateto Serizawa, Ren Sudo, Mari Hayashida, Tomoya Maeno,

Website 

This drama is set in a real zoo in Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture, which is attracting worldwide attention as a zoo specialising in animal welfare.

Synopsis: Ryota Tanaka, who moved to Tokyo to become a manga artist but didn’t reach his dream in the big metropolis and had to return to his hometown in Fukuoka. His friend introduces him to a part-time job at a local zoo where there is an emphasis on “animal welfare”. Ryota finds the work fulfilling and inspirational as he comes to understand its value by working with the staff and puts his feelings on the page when he starts drawing again. 

Yuuyake Kodomo Club!   

ゆうやけ子どもクラブ！　 「Yuuyake Kodomo Kurabu!」

Release Date: November 16th, 2019

Duration: 112 mins.

Director: Yoko Ide

Writer: N/A

Starring: N/A

Website

Synopsis: Documentary of Yuyake Children’s Club in Kodaira City, Tokyo, which has been in oepration since 1978. The place offers holiday and after-school activities for children from elementary school to high school age and the kids are a diverse bunch, some with disabilities and learning difficulties. They get the chance to play and learn with dedicated adult staff and parents. The film was shot over a long time for the audience to get to know everyone. 

Find   

Release Date: November 15th, 2019

Duration: 112 mins.

Director: Shinpei Yamasaki

Writer: Yuu Sakudo (Screenplay), 

Starring: Moe Tsurumi, Fuka Kumazawa, Hana Hanamiya, Rei Asahina, Rana Masui, Risa Aizawa, Miyu Mochizuki, Juna Kanda,

Website

Synopsis: A bunch of girl gathered at an abandoned church in a forest find themselves stalked and attacked by a frightening masked man…

Mio on the Shore   

わたしは光をにぎっている　 「Watashi ha hikaru o nigitte iru」

Release Date: November 15th, 2019

Duration: 96 mins.

Director: Ryutaro Nakagawa

Writer: Ryutaro Nakagawa, Harumi Uraki, Keitaro Sakon (Screenplay), 

Starring: Honoka Matsumoto, Daichi Watanabe, Eri Tokunaga, Kaito Yoshimura, Shugo Oshinari, Ken Mitsuishi, Fumie Kashiyama,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Mio (Honoka Matsumoto) is 20-years-old and lives in Nagano with her grandmother. Mio lost her parents as a child and was raised by the woman at a traditional Japanese inn. However, when her grandmother is hospitalised, Mio travels to Tokyo to find a new job. She ends up living with her father’s old friend Kyosuke and working at the public bathhouse he runs in an old shopping district. Initially bewildered by Tokyo, by interacting with the people in the area, she begins to find her way in life but just ass things are turning around for her, she hears that the shopping district will be demolished…

Hell Girl   

地獄少女　 「Jigoku Shoujo」

Release Date: November 15th, 2019

Duration: 107 mins.

Director: Koji Shiraishi

Writer: Koji Shiraishi (Screenplay), Hiroshi Watanabe (Manga)

Starring: Tina Tamashiro, Manami Hashimoto, Raiku, Akaji Maro, Nana Mori, Sawa Nimura, Mina Oba, Tomu Fujita, Hazuki Kimura,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Miho (Nana Mori) is a high school student who is drawn into the occult world of an artist known as the Devil (Tomu Fujita). He draws girls into his live performances and when one girl named Haruka (Sawa Nimura) gets involved, Miho discovers that the live performances include a section about sacrifices! Undaunted, Miho digs deeper to discover more and uncovers the “Hell Correspondence” website where a person can input someone’s name and that person will be sent to Hell. In return, the other person will be sent to Hell at the end of their life. Hell Girl Ai (Tina Tamashiro) is the one that comes to collect.

Shadowfall   

影踏み　 「Kagefumi」

Release Date: November 15th, 2019

Duration: 112 mins.

Director: Tetsuo Shinohara

Writer: Tomoe Kanno (Screenplay), Hideo Yokoyama (Novel)

Starring: Masayoshi Yamazaki, Machiko Ono, Takumi Kitamura, Kenichi Takito, Shingo Tsurumi, Shinobu Otake, Pistol Takehara, Yuri Nakamura, Ryoko Fujino, Akiyoshi Nakao,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: When a thief enters a house late at night, he disturbs a murder/arson attempt by a woman in the place. The thief stops her and gets drawn into a crime that occurred 20 years ago… 

Curtain Call

カーテンコール　 「Ka-ten Ko-ru」

Release Date: November 16th, 2019

Duration: 65 mins.

Director: Ryo Moroe

Writer: Ryo Moroe (Screenplay), 

Starring: Shinobu Mogi, Miyuu Omori, Kechon, Miku Yoshida, Yui Fujimoto, Ayaka Morikawa,

Website

Synopsis: Yuina (Shinobu Mogi) and Ran (Miyuu Omori) are members in the drama club at Haruyama High School who are working on a play based on their school’s female baseball team. On the way to the camp, their bus gets into an accident and things take a supernatural twist as the theatre club become ghosts. Despite this, the show must go on…  

Angel Sign   

エンジェルサイン　 「Enjeru Sain」

Release Date: November 15th, 2019

Duration: 105 mins.

Director: Kamila Andini, Masatsugu Asahi, Tsukasa Hojo, Nonzee Nimibutr, Ken Ochiai, Ham Tran

Writer: N/A

Starring: Nao Matsushita, Dean Fujioka, Momoko Kikuchi, Jiro Sato, Mikako Yoshida, Naoto Ogata, Sayako Sakai,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Two musician lovers dream of composing a melody that will move the world. This is part of a live-action omnibus work and is directed by Tsukasa Hojo, a manga artist known for City Hunter. 

Dream of Euglena/Midori mushi no Yume   

ミドリムシの夢　 「Midori mushi no Yume」

Release Date: November 16th, 2019

Duration: 86 mins.

Director: Mikiya Sanada

Writer: Yoshinari Ota (Screenplay),

Starring: Takuya Fuji, Hiroki Horikawa, Yoshino Imamura, Nahoko Yoshimoto, Kazuma Sano, Shiiko Utagawa, Tomoharu Hasegawa, Masahiro Toda,

Website IMDB

Screened at Skip City

Synopsis: Two parking attendants, Makoto, a straight arrow, and Shige, a loose cannon, endure days and nights of facing people’s ire and on one particular late-night shift, they get involved in an unexpected incident. 

Scene in the Dark   

そこにあるもの　 「Soko ni aru mono」

Release Date: November 16th, 2019

Duration: 68 mins.

Director: Keiichiro Sawa

Writer: N/A

Starring: N/A

Website IMDB

Synopsis: A documentary that captures the daily lives of blind people at a nursing home in Tokyo. We see their daily routines such as radio exercises and club activities and we try and understand their world where visual information is hidden away.

Toumei ningen ☆ Tamura Toru   

透明人間☆田村透　 「Toumei ningen ☆ Tamura Touru」

Release Date: November 16th, 2019

Duration: 37 mins.

Director: Kota Yoneyama

Writer: Kota Yoneyama (Screenplay), 

Starring: Fumihito Endo, Hiroki Kono, Nana Ishida, Sawako,

Synopsis: Ever since Toru was a high schooler he was mostly ignored. He considers himself  a “transparent person” and he has accepted the reality to lead a peaceful high school life. When he goes on to university, a girl “sees” him and starts to have fun…

Shiro to Kuro no Dousoukai   

白と黒の同窓会　 「Shiro to Kuro no Dousoukai」

Release Date: November 16th, 2019

Duration: 72 mins.

Director: Yozo Hatanaka

Writer: Taizo Ienaka (Screenplay), 

Starring: Yuu Kikawa, Reina Fujie, Kyoka, Marina Nagasawa, Aika Oota, Remu Tamagawa,

Website

Synopsis: A woman named Erina is attending two alumni associations, one consisting of former junior high school classmates and the other former high school classmates, and experiences the troubles between people who have reunited after a long time when both events happen at the same place! Popular in high school but a reject in junior high school, she finds this dissonance affecting her behaviour as her past comes back to haunt her. 

Gekijouban hontou ni atta kowai hanashi 2019 fuyu no tokubetsu-hen   

劇場版ほんとうにあった怖い話2019 冬の特別篇　 「Gekijouban hontou ni atta kowai hanashi 2019 fuyu no tokubetsu-hen」

Release Date: November 16th, 2019

Duration: 75 mins.

Director: Yasutake Torii

Writer: Tokuya Niitsu, Risa Nishino (Screenplay), 

Starring: Haruna Iikubo, Nana Komaki, Yasutaka Torii, Shohei Hashimoto,

Synopsis: Theatrical version of the popular spiritual omnibus horror series. “Trick or Treat” shows male college students trying out the rituals found at an occult site, “Phantasm” shows what seemed just mischief caused children during Halloween balloon into something horrific, and “The Door” sees a girl haunted by an older foreign woman. 

This year’s London International Animation Festival (LIAF 19) will be at the Barbican from Friday, November 29th to Sunday, December 08th. The organisers have combed through 2,600 entries and whittled them down to 85 films that best represent the international indie animation universe.

I’m interested in everything Japanese so here’s what’s on offer:

Abstract Showcase (15) (International Competition 1)

Sat 30 Nov, 17:00

The Dawn of Ape (Dir: Mirai Mizue, 2019, 4 mins, Website) 

This animation is Mirai Mizue’s 20th work and it had its world premiere at Annecy International Animation Festival earlier this year.

Synopsis: This is the world’s first animation created for chimpanzees to watch and it is meant to inspire their imagination.

Down Escalation (Dir: Shunsaku Hayashi, 2018, 7 min)

Synopsis: Falling down, deep into the layers of itself, until the form is no more.

Looking for Answers (15*) (International Competition 7)

Mon 2 Dec, 20:45

Castle (Dir: Ryotaro Miyajima, 2019, 5 min, Website)

Synopsis: During the period of the ‘Provinces of War’ many lives were lost. A castle architect discovers the possible role of a tearoom as a place for warriors to regain humanity.

Edge of Frame presents – Memento Stella FEATURE
Sat 7 Dec, 20:30 

This is the fourth year where LIAF work in partnership with Edwin Rostron, the animator and editor of the website Edge of Frame, who has curated a programme of experimental work “at the intersection of animation, experimental film and artists’ moving image”. He has selected one Japanese work which actually featured at Rotterdam earlier this year.

Memento Stella (Dir: Takashi Makino, 2018, 60 mins.)

Synopsis: Makino Takashi, who won a Tiger Award for Short Films with Generator in 2012, has recorded things from everyday life and manipulated them through digitisation, colour correction, and other means to create hundreds of layers of footage blended into a dense field of imagery to make something abstract and hard to recognise. On top of all that, the soundtrack by Reinier Van Houdt is also put through this process.

Takashi Makino is quoted on the site as saying: “Memento Stella is an original phrase I coined to remind me to ‘never forget that we too reside among the stars,’ as well as the title of a project I started in the winter of 2016. For several years I’ve travelled the world, screening my work. And throughout this dark, sad world, amid war and terrorism and countless lives lost to natural cataclysms caused by humans, there hasn’t been a single day that death hasn’t been in my thoughts. At the same time, I do realise that it is not only death that binds us. We are also born and raised and living on this little planet, among the stars. I pursue my work with the idea that if each day, we might be conscious of this truth for even a moment, then maybe perhaps somewhere deep in our hearts, we might find shared artistic expressions, keys to a place beyond the religions, politics, borders, languages, and personal desires which tear us apart.”

On-Gaku: Our Sound FEATURE (15)
Thur 5 Dec, 18:45 
On-Gaku: Our Sound (Dir: Kenji Iwaisawa, 2019, 68 mins.)

This anime is based on the manga by Hiroyuki Ohashi and the write up makes it sound good as “the film’s animation technique evolves as the story does, culminating in a rock ‘n’ roll spectacle for the ears and the eyes”.

It reminds me of A Japanese Boy Who Draws based on that last line. Anyway, the film won Best Feature Film at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. This screening will be a European Premiere and it will be preceded by Kenji Iwaisawa’s short film Fukurai-cho, Tunnel Alley Man.

Synopsis: A summer day. Three outsider high school students who haven’t touched an instrument in their lives decide to form a band to express their teenage angst and impress girls. Does it matter that Kenji and his friends have never played an instrument before? Of course not – he’s got a guitar at home and his friends have a bass and drums so in the true spirit of punk, with blind confidence and absolutely minimal effort they start to make friends and influence people.

Late Night Bizarre (18)
Sat 7 December,  9:00 pm

Takoyaki Story (Dir: Sawako Kabuki, 2019, 2 min)

Synopsis: The story of a girl addicted to octopus balls.

There are Japanese and Japanese-inspired entries in the Music Video section.

This blog has supported all sorts of animation since I make an effort to cover different titles appearing in various festivals and I also work for an animation festival that promotes different types of styles so I’m happy to see LIAF continue to forge ahead with its yearly celebration of animation!!! 

Here are past articles – LIAF 2012 LIAF 2013 LIAF 2015 LIAF 2016 LIAF 2017   LIAF 2018

A Silent Voice  

Release Date: September 17th, 2016 (Japan)

Duration: 129 mins.

Director: Naoko Yamada

Writer: Reiko Yoshida (Screenplay), Yoshitoki Ooima (Original Manga)

Starring: Saori Hayami (Shouko Nishimiya), Miyu Irino/Mayu Matsuoka (Shouya Ishida),  Aoi Yuuki (Yuzuru Nishimiya),

Animation Production: Kyoto Animation

Website MAL ANN

If love brings out our best qualities, hatred deform us. A lack of empathy and ignorance lead to hatred and victimisation. This is perfectly illustrated in A Silent Voice. Based on Yoshitoki Ooima’s award-winning seven-volume manga, Kyoto Animation (KyoAni), with their trademark eye for revealing the humanity in their characters through their focus on exquisite character designs and animation, create a quiet and searing tale of teens experiencing the poisonous effect of bullying, the fragmenting of relationships and their self-perception in a story that takes the rather unconventional step of showing it from the perspective of the bully.

Directed by Naoko Yamada, she and her team of animators at KyoAni create one of the most honest portrayals of guilt and perseverance in the name of redemption through every character, each of whom carries some form of guilt and each of whom has been lovingly drawn and animated to give them a life that emanates from the screen so we can relate to them. Lingering shots on facial expressions or mid-shots that focus body-language and sign language show the subtly shifting emotions of hate and love so we feel for all of the characters.

The film opens with what looks like an attempted suicide as a spaced-out high schooler named Shouya Ishida in Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture, arranges everything to be left to his mother and contemplates throwing himself off a bridge. While he is the victim of bullying, he was also a bully himself. The film goes back in time to show how he got there and it leads to a harrowing 20 minutes as we see his victim.

We meet Shouya again and he is the boy about town. Introduced with The Who’s My Generation, the song and the way he is animated show he personifies confidence and thoughtlessness as he and his buddies bounce around the environment and lark about with nary a care in the world. Then Shouko Nishimiya, a young deaf student who has transferred to his elementary school, appears in front of his class with a notebook.

From the very beginning we are aware of how she is his opposite and how she is an individual and seems quite vulnerable compared to the group she is stood before.

Everyone looks at Shouko from behind her desks and sees a girl with closed and nervous body language, best shown by how rigidly she stands, how she jumps at physical prompts from her teacher like a tap on the shoulder and how tightly she holds the notebook she wants her classmates to communicate to her with. This is coupled by a heartbreaking hopeful smile as she stands at the front of the classroom and introduces herself hoping to make friends and be accepted. She will be sitting in front of Shouya and he is curious.

Her acclimatisation to her new school gets off to a hesitant start as a couple of classmates take a superficial interest in her but as the inconvenience she poses for some of the less tolerant pupils begins to grate, they start to ostracise her and complain about her presence and this is when Shouya takes it as a cue to start bullying Shouko for her hearing impairment.

As Shouko Nishimiya’s isolation grows, she shows forbearance and forgiveness that will wrack the hearts of audiences, especially as Shouya Ishida’s idiocy and lack of empathy allows his cruelty to fuel some horrendous acts. It all culminates in a scene of physical violence that makes Shouko snap and fight back, both characters pushing and punching each other and knock over desks and chairs in the classroom. It is one of the most uncomfortable and heartrending fights I have seen in 30 years of watching animation because of that careful attention to detail that KyoAni showed in their characters and their movements that make us care about them. We have seen Shouko’s body-language go from broadcasting nascent hope for acceptance and her nervousness and unease as a new girl in class into this burst of violence that contains so much pent up pain and shame while Shouya hums with anger and confusion.

The sequences of bullying had me in tears. Whether Shouya’s intention with his acts was to show Shouko his uneasiness around her or for the sake of getting a laugh from the class, they are sure to set the audience against boy are but the film reverses the relationship dynamics so that Shouya becomes a victim of bullying as the film tries to give some explanation as to how bullying occurs.

Throughout everything we witness between the two leads, we always remain aware of others and what they do to foster the atmosphere. There are many different examples of behaviour where people goad Shouya or turn a blind eye to his behaviour. Miyoko Sahara is initially friendly to Shouko but, due to fear, refuses to get involved and stand up for her. Then there is Miki Kawai who pretends to care about others but is more interested in maintaining an image. The rest are either indifferent or intolerant. When Shouko transfers out of the class because of the bullying, the others turn on Shouya and use him as a scapegoat and that sees him put in a similar position to Shouko. By giving us a wider view of everyone in the classroom we can clearly understand how intolerance and group-think, peer pressure and ignorance, foster victimising anyone perceived as the “other”.

In a neat montage we see Shouya be a victim of similar bullying as scenes mirror what he put Shouko through and so we get a real taste of what bullying does to a person as we see it from both sides. We also see his slow realisation as to what a fool he is as he learns more about her background, both kids being raised by single-mothers, both working-class and, now, both outsiders.

And so we understand how Shouya becomes a suicidal teen as he finds himself ostracised and feeling immense guilt over what he did. But he refuses to give up and makes it his quest to apologise to the girl then the film does the amazing job of making us empathise with him as well as Shouko.

The film tracks him finding the girl and trying to break down barriers, hesitantly and uncertainly, but with genuine feelings of remorse. He shows he has learned sign language and accepts his role in her torment.

For every step forward, there are setbacks as the film slowly details how they both grew into teens dealing with internalised self-loathing thanks to their experiences being bullied, everything shown in their body-language. Shouko flees from the sight of the boy and there is a nervousness that her hopeful smile doesn’t always mask. Shouya has his head almost permanently cast downward because he cannot meet the gaze of others. His shame is made palpable by this and the way he always imagines people talking about him negatively if they are glancing in his direction and he gets lost in memories of unpleasant moments shown in flashbacks.

The extent of the damage each individual suffered is unveiled throughout the rest of the film and, while the narrative is baggy, it is heart-stopping stuff as we see them try to overcome their shared past and make a better future for themselves. It’s a roller-coaster ride of emotions that will grip your heart especially as every little gain these kids get leads to a brittle front that crumbles to pieces when arguments and guilt flare up. But of course, the skilled animators use their abilities to show not just the devastation of bullying but the hope these kids cling on to of things getting better and we see friendships forged during this time that show how important human connections are.

Nagatsuka, a comedically short and podgy chappy bursting with emotion, is the first to slowly but surely draw Shouya out and others follow as he realises he needn’t live life as a recluse. Every new moment of human contact sees Ishida wonder about the meaning of friendship and the delicacy of it. From outside the toxic soup of his past is Mashiba, a guy who has no connection to the incident who can offer level-headed views and then there is Shouya’s family, an unconventional lot whose constancy and support is vital.

The same goes for Shouko whose family are also key players, her mother having a believable hardness created by their situation while the others being selfless. The extent of her self-hatred over her deafness is horrific and leads to dramatic twists but the thing that stands out is her courage as she accepts Shouya and faces her past. Their budding romance feels vital in the context of what they suffered and while some may think it unbelievable, it is also real in the way that they search for excuses to see and be with each other and work up the courage to tell each other their romantic feelings and try to present a positive front.

The movie builds up towards an optimistic view of life, how we are not alone and that by learning to support and love others we can create connections to ourselves and the world. This realisation culminates in a dreamlike finale that shines with hope as all of the kids shed their learned negative behaviour and become more open and accept and understand their emotions and those of others and it is made through the care and attention that KyoAni typically lavishes on everything.

Movies prime us to believe that characters will become romantically linked and it seems that A Silent Voice ends at this moment but it might be smarter to see the feelings between Shouko and Shouya as just another stage on a journey through the vacillating emotions of adolescence, having shared the same trauma, having a desire to be accepted, having had to confront and overcome self-loathing and guilt that has metastasised and searching for self-worth. Whether they stay together or not, the two are on a path to self-actualising personalities and it is an ending that is earned for both characters after they have suffered so much and the animation perfectly details everything and makes their struggle come to life.

However you choose to see them ending up, it cannot be denied that they have been on an emotional journey so honest and humane in its depiction thanks to the animators at Kyoto Animation that A Silent Voice stands as one of the best anime movies of all time (or at least this decade). It teaches a lesson in overcoming guilt and learning to empathise and that helps audiences come to a common understanding of humanity. It culminates into a lesson on how our better emotions such as love and generosity are keys to understanding and loving ourselves and that is something we need more of in this world.

I saw it twice at a cinema. Each time there was a lot of sobbing from the audience throughout the film and I myself was in tears. The second time I walked out of the building and heard a father and two daughters talk about the film and how they had never cried so much in a movie before. That’s evidence of the film’s power.

Happy weekend, everyone.

I hope you are all well.

It’s raining in my neck of the woods and I think I am coming down with a cold, this just before I take a teaching course to refresh my English language teaching skills. I’ll power through, regardless.

This week I managed to watch a bunch more 80’s horror movies as I tick of titles from a list of films I haven’t seen. I published a preview of the Japanese films for this year’s edition of the London International Animation Festival and a review for the Kyoto Animation film A Silent Voice.

What is released this weekend?

Until Rainbow Dawn   

虹色の朝が来るまで　 「Niji Iro no Asa ga Kuru Made」

Release Date: November 20th, 2019

Duration: 63 mins.

Director: Mika Imai

Writer: Mika Imai (Screenplay), 

Starring: Eri Nagai, Haruka Kobayashi, Ren Kikukawa, Nozomu, Yuki Takemura, Yuna Sato,

Websit

Synopsis: A human drama depicting the story of LGBTQ deaf people. Hana and Ayumi are both deaf and meet in a sign language group. Their meeting leads to Hana feeling attracted to a person of the same sex for the first time but this leads to conflict with her mother. Ayumi tries to solve things by introducing Hana to a group for LGBTQ deaf people.

The 47 Ronin in Debt   

決算！忠臣蔵 「Kessan! Chushingura」

Release Date: November 22nd, 2019

Duration: 125 mins.

Director: Yoshihiro Nakamura

Writer: Yoshihiro Nakamura (Screenplay), Hirofumi Yamamoto (Novel)

Starring: Shinichi Tsutsumi, Takashi Okamura, Gaku Yamada, Satomi Ishihara, Yuko Takeuchi, YosiYosi Arakawa, Satoshi Tsumabuki,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: When Lord Takuminokami Asano is ordered to kill himself due to a scheme by Kozukenosuke Kira, his loyal samurai plan an attack but they need the help of the accountant Chosuke Yato (Takashi Okamura) because but they don’t have enough in their budget.

Rise of the Machine Girls   

爆裂魔神少女 バーストマシンガール 「Bakuretsu Machine Shoujo Burst Machine Girl」

Release Date: November 22nd, 2019

Duration: 76 mins.

Director: Yuki Kobayashi

Writer: Yuki Kobayashi (Screenplay), 

Starring: Himena Tsukimiya, Kanon Hanakage, Tak Sakaguchi, Rie Kitahara, Toshie Negishi, Kokone Sasaki, Taro Yabe, Ryuju Sumikawa, Yuya Ishikawa,

Website IMDB

Sushi Typhoon was an outfit that took America by storm with its line-up of splatter films in the early 2000s. One film stood out above all other titles, Noboru Iguchi’s Machine Girl (2008) which is now getting a reboot thanks to a new director.

Synopsis: Ami and her sister Yoshie find themselves mortal enemies of the criminal enterprise known as the Dharma Family. Yoshie is kidnapped by the Battle Bust Sisters, female killing machines designed by Dharma Aoyama, and is turned into a human cyborg programmed to kill Ami who has had her arm cut off and decided the best way to rectify the situation is to attach a machine gun to the stump. Bullets and carnage are the only way to take her sister Yoshie back!

Sea     

海抜　 「Kaibutsu」

Release Date: November 23rd, 2019

Duration: 80 mins.

Director: Kensei Takahashi

Writer: Kensei Takahashi (Screenplay), 

Starring: Satoshi Abe, Shin’ichi Hirose, Misaki Matsuzaki, Arisa Sato, Masato Mori, Yurie Saegusa, Seiya Okuda, Yoshiki Natori,

Website IMDB

This film was winner of the Nippon Visions Jury Award at the 2019 edition of Nippon Connection.

Synopsis: Hiroshi has led a troubled life ever since he witnessed the rape of his classmate Rie by two class bullies. Seeing them again as an adult makes him snap…

Fragtime   

フラグタイム　 「Furagu Taimu」

Release Date: November 22nd, 2019

Duration: 59 mins.

Director: Takuya Sato

Writer: Takuya Sato (Script), Sato (Original Creator)

Starring: Miku Ito (Misuzu Moritani), Yume Miyamoto (Haruka Murakami), Chika Anzai (Yukari Kobayashi),

Animation Production: Tear Studio

Website ANN MAL

Synopsis: Misuzu Moritani has a special power, the ability to stop time for three minutes a day. Nobody knows about it. She could use it for crime but she follows her heart by sneaking a peek up the skirt of the class idol, Haruka Murakami. While trying to observe Haruka’s panties Misuzu discovers Haruka observing her since it turns out she is immune to Misuzu’s power…

Yayoi Kusama∞INFINITY   

草間彌生∞INFINITY　 「Kusama Yayoi ∞INFINITY」

Release Date: November 22nd, 2019 (Japan)

Duration: 76 mins.

Director: Heather Lenz

Writer: Heather Lenz, Keita Ideno (Screenplay), 

Starring: Yayoi Kusama

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Yayoi Kusama is one of the world’s most famous female artists and this film tracks her journey to such a lofty status, from a conservative upbringing in Japan to the explosion of her fame in America during the 1960s and the continued growth of her international fame as she has entered her 80s even while she has spent the last 30 years living in a mental institution in Japan.

The Gossip Gang   

お口の濃い人　 「Okuchi no koihito」

Release Date: November 23rd, 2019

Duration: 95 mins.

Director: Masato Oki, Kenichi Ebisawa

Writer: Masato Oki (Screenplay), 

Starring: Kyoko Toyama, Takuya Fujisaki, Yoshiko Sugawara, Ryo Mukuta, Yukimi Soma, Yoshio Soma, Kohei Kuroda,

Website

Synopsis: A slapstick comedy based at a bar where a diverse group of people including otaku meeting for the first time in the flesh, a women’s association with only two people  and a debt collector and the debtor are all gathered… 

Shana-o: Oedo no Kyandi 3   

遮那王　お江戸のキャンディー3　 「Shana-ou Oedo no Kyandi- 3」

Release Date: November 22nd, 2019

Duration: 85 mins.

Director: Leona Hirota

Writer: Leona Hirota (Screenplay/Original Work), 

Starring: Kenta Suga, Ryosuke Miura, Yuu Imari, Takuma Zaiki, Shinichi Wagao, Naoto Takenaka,

Synopsis: The “Edo Candy” series depicts a world similar to the Kamakura period where there are only ultra stylish men with tales based on the history of the Genji and Heike clans. The prosperous Heike clan live on the surface of the earth while the Genji live in an underground cave system but their worlds mix as a member of the Genji clan attends a party hosted by the Heike and falls for a son of the family. 

Ganbare to ka Urusee / Don’t Say That Word   

ガンバレとかうるせぇ　 「Ganbare to ka Urusee」

Release Date: November 23rd, 2019

Duration: 70 mins.

Director: Takuma Sato

Writer: Takuma Sato (Screenplay), 

Starring: Haruna Hori, Gaku Hosokawa, Ryota Hosei, Myoungjoo, Kan Yaginuma, Ryosuke Ekuni, Shogo Yamashiro, Makiko Ishigami,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Natsu is a high school football team’s assistant and she sticks by them even after they are elimiated from a summer tournament and the best player retires and the team begins to fall apart. Despite these setbacks, Natsu believes that Go, the captain, will persevere.

Sticks and Stones   

歩けない僕らは　 「Arukenai Bokura wa」

Release Date: November 23rd, 2019

Duration: 37 mins.

Director: Takuma Sato

Writer: Takuma Sato (Screenplay), 

Starring: Haruna Hori, Gaku Hosokawa, Shunya Itabashi, Sodai Kadota, Motoki Ochiai, Sumie Sasaki, Narumi Uno, So Yamanaka,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Haruka is a trainee physical therapist at a hospital in Japan and she has her very first patient, Tsuge, who is paralysed on his left side from a stroke. This is a momentous change in her life as she has to support someone eager to reclaim his old life and it comes just as she has just been dumped by her boyfriend. Under the mentorship of the Department Chief, she begins to realise how rewarding the job can be and this changes her perspective on both Tsuge and her ex-boyfriend.

Hydra   

Release Date: November 23rd, 2019

Duration: 77 mins.

Director: Kensuke Sonomura

Writer: Jiro Kaneko (Screenplay),

Starring: Masanori Mimoto, MIU, Tasuku Nagase, Takaya Aoyagi, Takashi Nishina, Kaoru Gotou, Naohiro Kawamoto, Hironobu Nomura, BoBA, Tomorowo Taguchi,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: An assassin for a secret organisation named Takashi takes a job at a bar named “Hydra” which is run by a young woman named Rina. Takashi finds himself targeted by evil forces aiming to unleash an unstoppable criminal syndicate upon Japan.

If Cats Disappeared From the World 

世界から猫が消えたなら 「Sekai kara Neko ga Kieta nara」　

Release Date: May 14th, 2016

Duration: 118 mins.

Director: Akira Nagai

Writer: Ryoichi Okada (Screenplay), Genki Kawamura (Original Novel)

Starring: Takeru Satoh, Aoi Miyazaki, Mieko Harada, Eiji Okuda, Anna Ishii, Gaku Hamada, Eita Okuno

Website   IMDB

“If I were to disappear from this world, who would miss me?” Characters in movies usually think this while contemplating death. Of course, every person matters and our lives are connected with each other and the environment so something or someone disappearing has a big impact, but that is not always clear to people as we get swept up in dramatic circumstances and tumultuous emotions. There are tried and tested cinematic journeys used to lead a character to that epiphany of interconnection, either a path defined by hijinks or a contemplative trip down memory lane to show how important we all are, the latter of which happens in this gently powerful and moving film where the main character finds out he will die within days.

A good-natured Postman (Takeru Sato) who has recently moved away from his parent’s house after the passing of his mother learns that he doesn’t have much time left to live due to a terminal illness. After being informed by the doctor he only has a few days left, the Postman retreats home, quietly devastated, and laments his fate with his lovely and loyal cat, Cabbage. However, on this particular night, they are joined by a guest for, at the dinner table, is a doppelgänger who we can call Devil (also played by Takeru Sato). Devil offers to extend the Postman’s life by a day if he picks something in the world to disappear. It will be as if it never existed. At first, the postman selects phones and when the offer is extended again he chooses films but as these things fade from reality, so do the memories created by them because they helped connect the Postman to other people.

The director for this one is Akira Nagai and he made Judge! (2014), a bright, brash and brilliantly fun comedy about the art of advertising, something a million miles away from this, a serious drama with some simple yet profound philosophy. It is based on a book from the producer of Your Name (2016), Villain (2010), and Rage (2016), and that novel has been published with an English-language translation in the west. The story is easily accessible and really homes in on the universal truth that everything matters.

What happens is that we get various vignettes via flashback sequences that unspool the Postman’s entire life as he thinks about his relationships. Each memory he contemplates contain meet-cutes with people he cares about facilitated by the things he chooses to disappear. The more he thinks, the more he realises that these simple objects are important and helped create the greater moments of love and life shared with others and these memories colour in the present-day narrative and make the Postman appreciate how everything has a place in the world, including himself. Each vignette crescendoes in a series of heart-to-heart sequences that are heartbreaking thanks to the acting.

The film stars Takeru Satoh (Rurouni Kenshin and Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno) who is a great emotional core for the story as he plays good and bad. His performance as the Devil is smouldering and cool his Postman is withdrawn, someone only able to imagine acting out emotionally, but as the two grapple with death there are deluges of raw emotion. The most powerful come from when he is with his mother, played by Mieko Harada, that Takeru draws from a deeper depth of his character as he shows a profound sadness and fear in the scenes where he sees her illness and they say their goodbyes. That powerful bond is cemented through Harada’s gentleness as she offers guidance when he is at his most vulnerable and we see it keeps him afloat in a highly affecting mother-son story.

Aoi Miyazaki (The Great Passage, Eureka), as the ex-girlfriend, has the more opaque role as the vagaries of love and life split them apart – some people change after a moment they find profound and it is hard for the people left behind to fathom and she isn’t explored but offers good support. Gaku Hamada (See You Tomorrow, Everyone) as his best friend Tatsuya really impressed me with his interpretation of the movie mad character (who is also called Tsutaya as a reference to the DVD rental chain). Their friendship founded on film appreciation is funny thanks to the stiltedness of Hamada’s character. Through mannerism and facial expression, he gives off the air of someone dedicated to films but we know it is an affectation as he is someone who probably feels loneliness. The moment he realises his best friend is about to die and the words they exchange is really gut-wrenching because he drops the act and allows some true sorrow to emerge.

With each parting in the story and with each affirmation of love, the Postman realises he had his place and he will be missed.

The film is full of some really beautifully composed shots with a cold sheen to many scenes which makes the stronger colours such as red standout in scenes where passions are explored. The fancier locations, such as Argentina and the Iguazo Falls which are seen in the Wong Kar-Wai film Happy Together, are eye-catching, but it is the setting of Hakodate, it’s distinctive hill that slopes down to the harbour with the ship, which moves the heart. The homes of each character and the tranquillity and just general niceness of the place really comes through the screen. The world the Postman and his circle of friends and family live in is an ideal place.

Some films exhort their audiences to appreciate life by showing grand romances and journeys, this one reminds audiences that the things we take for granted, including ourselves, are very important and that every life matters in some way.

Here’s a music video with one of those soft renditions of The Pixies song “Where Is My Mind”:

“I’m glad I like movies because movies have sent my best friend to me.”

When I Get Home, My Wife Always Pretends to Be Dead.    

家に帰ると妻が必ず死んだふりをしています。 「Ie ni Kaeru to Tsuma ga Kanarazu Shinda Furi wo Shite Imasu」

Release Date: June 08th, 2018

Duration: 115 mins.

Director:  Toshio Lee

Writer: Fumi Tsubota (Screenplay), K. Kajunsky Ichida (Original Story)

Starring: Ken Yasuda, Nana Eikura, Ryohei Otani, Sumika Nono,

Website    IMDB

Ken Yasuda and Nana Eikura make an odd couple in this rom-com that comes with shades of sentimentality and darkness to give a lesson on how some people express a need for love and support.

Based on a series of Yahoo! Answers messages that were novelised, this is the tale of an average salaryman named Jun (Ken Yasuda) who gets a shock whenever he returns home from work: his wife Chie (Nana Eikura) is dead every time. She isn’t really dead. It’s nothing supernatural or nefarious, she just likes to set up a scene complete with elaborate props and costumes for her husband to walk in on. Whether she is as a victim of a wild animal attack, shot through the head with an arrow or worse, Chie likes to surprise her husband. Only he doesn’t like what he sees as strange behaviour and seeks advice from work colleagues as he hopes to curb her performances. There is a deeper motivation to what Chie does and Jun will have to start looking past the theatre and at take his wife’s emotional needs seriously to understand her. Could her cryptic use of the phrase, “The moon is so blue tonight” be the key to making him realise?

The path to reconciliation for the two is easy to understand as their journey considers the strain and desire involved in keeping a relationship going in the face of an uncertain future and also how we express ourselves to a significant other. This is the underlying and serious message covered by Chie’s antics, most of which, along with the varying levels of reciprocation that Jun gives to her acting, fills the film with light comedy that provides a deceptively fluffy facade.

Audiences will experience amusing “death scenes” because of the lengths Chie goes to, which are, quite frankly, astounding, in order to make her husband communicate to her. It is delightful as whole sets are crafted based on history and movies. Want to see a rendition of Romeo and Juliet? Chie has you covered. Ever wondered what it would be like if Nobunaga was dying in your front room? The girl has a decent reconstruction. More into sci-fi? Chie can teleport from the future. It’s fun and Jun either resists or gets into the swing of things as he alternately plays along and tries to quell his wife’s growing creativity. Audiences will clearly see that Jun is more concerned with maintaining a “normal” relationship where she acts like a conventional wife which shows how he takes her for granted.

Which takes us back to her like of blue moons. The Japanese novelist Natsume Soseki is claimed to have said the ideal Japanese translation for “I love you” is “Tsuki ga tottemo aoi naa” (The moon is so blue tonight). It works on a couple of levels. Saying love is too direct for people who are reserved so the phrase acts as a stand-in and it also means if a couple can admire see the same thing together then it shows they have become one. Chie adheres to this school of thought and it shows her faith in Jun that she sticks around in the hopes that he responds with his love even as her reality becomes a little darker.

Why she doesn’t speak her mind? She shouldn’t need to.

Why she acts the way she does is revealed late in the narrative through flashbacks to root her behaviour in some simple psychology sparked by family tragedy that will repeat and a desire for reassurance and support. It feeds into the overall message of the film: listen to and look carefully at the people around you. Empathise and understand. At least, that is what I read, and when Chie and Jun have their dialogue-less heart-to-heart moment, I was moved by what I saw.

In terms of writing, the script is simple but filled with enough incidents and characters that demonstrate various examples of married life, particularly Jun’s co-worker Soma (Ryohei Otani) and his wife Yuriko (Sumika Nono) who seem to have a nice marriage but are struggling with family issues, and Jun’s boss Kanbara (Kazuyuki Asano) who seems to have a stale marriage but defies expectations.

This is a very televisual style of film and it doesn’t feature much in way of visual invention but it does everything cleanly. Chie’s creativity is fantastic and the scenes are always set in such a way to milk maximum comedic impact from the bizarre situations and Ken Yasuda’s exaggerated reaction shots. He provides a stable centre to Nana Eikura’s eccentric Chie, a cute character who has an even cuter edge considering the height difference with her co-star. When he joins in with her acts it becomes sweet. External locations are well shot so Shizuoka looks and feels like Shizuoka which is where Chie comes from and we can understand her background in a matter of moments while some of the nightlife of Tokyo is captured as well as the staid day-time routines which Chie’s odd behaviour disrupts. The neighbourhood and apartment that Jun and Chie live-in feel fleshed out enough and the side characters have lives of their own that there is depth to the film.

Overall, this is a well-told story that really works because of the performances of the actors and audience members should be able to understand and learn from seeing the amusing misadventures that Chie ropes Jun into.

Happy weekend!

I hope everyone is well.

This post has been delayed because I’ve been busier than normal this week doing courses on top of my regular job and it’s been fun doing something outside of work with new people. I released some reviews I wrote earlier in the year, If Cats Disappeared From the World and When I Get Home, My Wife Always Pretends to be Dead. I’ll be gearing up for next year’s festival season so December is going to be busy as well.

What is released this weekend?

Human Lost 

人間失格　 「Ningen Shikkaku」

Duration: 116 mins.

Release Date: November 29th, 2019

Director: Katsuyuki Motohiro

Writer: Tow Ubukata (Screenplay), Osamu Dazai (Original Creator), 

Starring: Mamoru Miyano (Yozo Oba), Haruka Chisuga (Tsuneko), Jun Fukuyama (Takeichi), Kana Hanazawa (Yoshiko Hiiragi), Miyuki Sawashiro (Madam),

Animation Production: Polygon Pictures

Website ANN MAL

Synopsis: Tokyo, 2036, and society is deeply divided between the rich and poor. It is only the rich who can access a revolutionary medical discovery involving the use of nanomachines to prolong human life to 120 years and remove the possibility of illness. A poor man by the name of Yozo has no hope of accessing this. However when he joins a friend’s biker gang he finds himself drawn into a conspiracy that unlocks new parts of him…

Love and Murder of Sheep and Wolf   

羊とオオカミの恋と殺人　 「Hitsuji to Ookami no Koi to Satsujin」

Release Date: November 29th, 2020

Duration: 103 mins.

Director: Kayoko Asakura

Writer: Izumi Takahashi (Screenplay), Rahson (Manga)

Starring: Yusuke Sugino, Haruka Fukhara, Noriko Eguchi, Manami Enosawa, Sho Kasamatsu, Naoya Shimizu, Wataru Ichinose,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Etsuro Kurosu (Yosuke Sugino) tries to commit suicide because he’s failed to get into university but he even fails in killing himself and leaves a hole in the wall separating his apartment from that of his cute neighbour, Rio Miyaichi (Haruka Fukuhara). He begins peaking through like a peeping tom and discovers that she is a murderer. Etsuro screams and is caught by her but just before she can add him to her kill list Etsuro pulls of the slickest of moves and confesses that he loves her and they start to date. Can his newfound happiness last?

The Sower     

種をまく人  「Tane o maku hito」

Running Time: 117 mins.

Release Date: November 29th, 2019

Director: Yosuke Takeuchi

Writer: Yosuke Takeuchi (Screenplay)

Starring: Kentaro Kishi, Suzuno Takenaka, Tomomitsu Adachi, Arisa Nakajima, Ichika Takeuchi,

Website    IMDB

I had the pleasure of watching this as part of the Osaka Asian Film Festival last year (review) where I also met its director, Yosuke Takeuchi (interview). It’s a fine film, one of the best I have seen in recent years. Its genesis comes from the personal life of the director and also the life of Vincent van Gogh and how the artist lived a humble and naive existence to the full despite the treatment he faced from society and it looks at how guilt and atonement can shape a person in a harrowing story told from the perspective of a child and an adult.

Synopsis: Mitsuo was one of those brave souls who answered the call for volunteers to clear out the debris left behind by the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. The strain of the task proved to be too much and he spent three years in psychiatric care. Upon his release, Mitsuo finds solace in reuniting with his brother and his nieces Chie and Itsuki. But a tragic accident soon disrupts the newly found happiness when the two girls are left in his care and Itsuki is killed. Though he had no direct involvement in the incident, Mitsuo is blamed and this causes him and the people around him to deal with the burden of guilt and the struggle for atonement.

Manriki   

Release Date: November 29th, 2020

Duration: 88 mins.

Director: Yasuhiko Shimizu

Writer: Yasuhiko Shimizu, Nagano (Screenplay), 

Starring: Takumi Saito, Nagano, Nobuaki Kaneko Shuhei Nogae, Misuzu Kanno,

Website

Synopsis: A woman who aspires to be a model finds that she cannot crack the market and so works as a cashier in a supermarket. She blames her lack of success on her face, which she feels is too big. How to change, how to change…

Plastic surgery…

She heads to the Manriki Beauty Clinic where a strange and sinister savant of a surgeon seeks to achieve the highest standards of beauty through dubious methods and hideous tools. She becomes yet another of his “patients” and as she finds herself on the operating table, he is revealed online for his methods and has to go on the run…

Out Zone   

Release Date: November 29th, 2020

Duration: 115 mins.

Director: Hiroshi Kanno

Writer: Mari Takanashi (Screenplay/Original Work),

Starring: Minami Matsunaka, Masato Oki, Mari Hayashida, Gen Kuwayama, Yuusuke Ueda, Yuusuke Sugiyama,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: The film follows a number of people like Chinatsu, a kindergarten teacher, who have fallen prey to mental health problems due to the constant stress of everyday life and tragedies. Child murder, impostor syndrome and other delusions are featured in this story.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Chapter 3   

銀河英雄伝説 Die Neue These 星乱　第三章　 「Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Die Neue These Seiran Dai Sanshou」

Release Date: November 29th, 2019

Duration: 93 mins.

Director: Shunsuke Tada

Writer: Noboru Takagi (Series Composition), Yoshiki Tanaka (Novel)

Starring: Kenichi Suzumura (Yang Wen-li), Mamoru Miyano (Reinhard von Lohengramm), Yuichiro Umehara (Siegfried Kircheis), Kana Hanazawa (Hildegard von Mariendorf),

Animation Production: Production I.G.

Website ANN MAL

This is the third instalment of episodes that cover the second season of the TV anime.

Synopsis: Two interstellar human states – the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance – are locked in a seemingly never-ending conflict and two leaders emerge, Reinhard von Lohengramm from the Galactic Empire and Yang Wen-li from the Free Planets Alliance. They will become Galactic Heroes.

Gundam: G no Reconguista Movie Go! Core Fighter   

劇場版 Gのレコンギスタ I 行け！コア・ファイター　 「Gekijouban G no Rekongisuta I Ike! Koa Faita-」

Release Date: November 29th, 2019

Duration: 93 mins.

Director: Yoshiyuki Tomino

Writer: Yoshiyuki Tomino (Series Composition), Yoshiyuki Tomino, Hajime Yatate (Original Creator)

Starring: Mark Ishii (Bellri Zenam), Yu Shimamura (Aida Surugan), Akio Hirose (Cumpa Rusita), Atsuko Tanaka (Wilmit Zenam) Atsuki Tani (Lorucca Biskes), Chihiro Suzuki (Happa),

Animation Production: Sunrise

Website ANN MAL

Synopsis: Bellri Zenam has been recruited to protect a tower which brings resources to Earth and he gets caught up in a space pirate attack where a girl named Aida is captured. She has the power to activate her high-performance mobile suit that she calls “G-Self” and she joins Bellri in an adventure.

Tetsuya Kumagawa K Ballet Company “The Nutcracker” in Cinema     

熊川哲也 Kバレエ カンパニー 「くるみ割り人形」 in Cinema 「Kumakawa tetsuya K barē kanpanī `Kurumi wari Ningyo’ in Cinema」

Running Time: 92 mins.

Release Date: November 29th, 2019

Director: Tetsuya Kumakawa

Writer: N/A

Starring: Shoko Nakamura, Yusuke Osozawa. Mina Kobayashi, Ren Kuriyama, Saya Narita, Yuya Takahashi,  Mayuka Asano, Masaya Yamamoto,

Website

Synopsis:  This is the tenth in a series of films that bring the performances of the Kumagawa Tetsuya K Ballet Company to the cinema screen. The story of The Nutcracker is a seasonal treat and brought to life by this talented company.

The next two films I watched nearly a decade ago. They have been re-released with new footage and voice actors.

Coluboccoro   

コルボッコロ　 「Corubokkoro」

Release Date: November 29th, 2019

Duration: N/A

Director: Kenji Itoso

Writer: Kenji Itoso (Script/Original Creator)

Starring: Nanase Nishino (Suzu), Nichika Omori (Coluboccoro), Chiaki Omigawa (Tutor), Natsuko Hara (Suika) Atsuki Tani (Lorucca Biskes), Chihiro Suzuki (Happa),

Animation Production: Kenji Studio

Website ANN MAL

Synopsis: A 14-year-old girl named Suzu is the descendant of a distinguished shaman who saved people from catastrophe in the past. Suzu sets out on a journey, along with the spirit of nature, Coluboccoro, to bring back peace and nature to ruined villages.　

Santa Company: The Secret of Christmas   

サンタ・カンパニー　クリスマスの秘密　 「Santa Kanpani – : Kurisumasu no Himitsu」

Release Date: November 29th, 2019

Duration: N/A

Director: Kenji Itoso

Writer: Kenji Itoso, Ondayu (Script)

Starring: Kana Hanazawa (Noel White), Yuuki Kaji (Crystal Bell), Haruka Tomatsu (Mint Rondo), Rie Kugimiya (Thomas Dow). Yusuke Kondo (Nicholas White),

Animation Production: Kenji Studio

Website ANN MAL

The new version is commemorating 100 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and Finland.

Synopsis: Noel is a 12-year-old girl who lives with her father. She despises Christmas because her father is never there and she cannot play with her friends from school. One lonely Christmas Eve, Noel takes her usual apartment complex elevator ride to her home, but when the doors open, she finds herself lost in a humongous factory — owned by Santa Claus and his business is called Santa Company. Nobody knows except Noel now and she will spread some magic and make some deliveries when she and some new friends they take off in a sled to deliver presents.

Me and Him   

ぼくと、彼と、　 「Boku to, Kare to,」

Release Date: November 29th, 2019

Duration: 75 mins.

Director: 4 Seas Brothers

Writer:

Starring:

Website

Synopsis: A documentary that tracks the daily life and wedding of a young Vietnamese refugee and his Japanese husband who is living with his mother who needs care.

The Manga Master   

漫画誕生　 「Manga Tanjo」

Release Date: November 30th, 2019

Duration: 118 mins.

Director: Moe Oki

Writer: Moe Oki, Kousuke Wakaki (Script) Taro Arai (Original Work)

Starring: Issey Ogata, Tomoe Shinohara, Takuo Inari, Mika Akizuki, Gouichi Mine, Sakura Enomoto, Manaka Kinoshita,

Website

Synopsis: Rakuten Kitazawa(Issey Ogata) is considered the first professional manga artist of the modern era. He won great acclaim for his comic strips which ran in magazines and newspapers like ‘Tokyo Puck’ from the late Meiji period through the early Showa period. This film dramatises his career.

Enjiya reDESIGN   

演じ屋 reDESIGN　 「Enjiya reDESIGN」

Release Date: November 30th, 2019

Duration: 118 mins.

Director: Teruo Noguchi

Writer: Teruo Noguchi (Script) 

Starring: Nao, Kosuke Imai, Shinji Kasahara, Sara Yamashiro, Ichiro Tsukamoto, Chieri Ajioka,

Website

Synopsis: Tokio, the store manager of a clothes repair shop, falls for Kiyoka, a part-timer at the story and becomes depressed when he spots her with a guy named Matsuda. He then discovers that Matsuda is a married man and proceeds to stick his oar in their relationship. So I guess it’s okay…?

Horse Beings   

馬ありて　 「Uma Arite」

Release Date: November 30th, 2019

Duration: 88 mins.

Director: Ryohei Sasatani

Writer: Teruo Noguchi (Script) Taro Arai (Original Work)

Starring: Nao, Kosuke Imai, Shinji Kasahara, Sara Yamashiro, Ichiro Tsukamoto, Chieri Ajioka,

Website

Synopsis: A documentary that follows the lives of horses and humans in Hokkaido and Iwate where they take part in the Banei Horse Racing circuit (information), a race inspired by what horses did in the late 1800s in Hokkaido where they pulled sleds loaded with timber harvested in the mountains. The relationship between horses and human beings, both past and present, is shown in this film in monochrome.

Haruka no Sue 

ハルカの陶　 「Haruka no Sue」

Release Date: November 30th, 2019

Duration: 119 mins.

Director: Naruhito Suetsugu

Writer: Naruhito Suetsugu (Script) Disk Furai, Taisei Nishizaki (Original Work)

Starring: Nao, Hiroyuki Hirayama, Jun Murakami, Takashi Sasano, Maki Murakami,

Website

This live-action movie is based on a comic of the same name that won the 13th Okayama Art and Culture Award for Achievement.

Synopsis: Haruka Koyama is an office worker from Tokyo and her days are stable but she decides to throw caution to the wind when she sees some Bizen-ware in a department store exhibition and is inspired by the craftsmanship to visit Bizen City in Okayama Prefecture and see the creator. She is so inspired she even goes as far as to become his disciple and discovers some of the drama in his life.

M Toru Muranishi Furious Days Full Version   

M 村西とおる狂熱の日々　完全版　 「M Muranishi Toru Kyonetsu no Hibi Kanzenhan」

Release Date: November 30th, 2019

Duration: 109 mins.

Director: Ikki Katashima

Writer: N/A

Starring: Toru Muranishi, Nobuhiro Motohashi, Sujitaro Tamabukuro, Rieko Saibara,

Website

Synopsis: A documentary of Toru Muranishi, the subject of the Netflix film ‘The Naked Director’. He is the man who revolutionised the AV industry and starred in a number of his own productions. This doc looks at a shoot he went into when he was heavily in debt to gangsters to the tune of 5 billion yen. He went off to Hokkaido for a shoot which was intense and full of drama…

Presented as part the 2019 Aperture: Asia and Pacific Film Festival, “POETIC VOICES: A Trip Through the Taiwanese Avant-garde of the 1960s” is a collection of four short films that were recently researched and restored by a partnership consisting of the people involved in the making of the original films, the Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival curatorial team and the Digital Restoration Department of the Taiwan Film Institute. These films are all fragments of a wider body of experimental works created by artists who were influenced by Western avant-garde movements and eager to make adventurous films of their own whilst living under the control of an authoritarian government. What each of the films do is catch a snapshot of the country and its people during the “Taiwan Miracle”, a period of rapid industrialisation that made the country an economic giant in Asia, just behind Japan. Each film has a unique feel and touches on different aspects of Taiwanese culture and society thus bringing a lost world back to life.

The first film, The Mountain (1966), directed by Richard Yao-Chi Chen, is the only film with sound and the film in the best condition after being restored from 16mm film. The director follows three art college students as they travel from Formosa to Five Finger Mountain. The journey is broken up by interviews with the students where they give their views on the Vietnam War and politics at home where political affiliation affects job and education prospects. More obliquely commented on is the shared history between China and Taiwan as it turns out that two of the students are immigrants from Shangtung. More important to these three is art and their ideas of it as they give their views and we find these are three dreamers perturbed by the strictures given by society. The song ‘California Dreamin’ plays during their journey as they go through small villages and up a mist-wreathed mountain to a temple in the rain and we encounter a basic lifestyle, complete chickens in the courtyard and enjoy being back in nature.

A Morning in Taipei (1964), directed by Pai Ching-jui, was restored from 35mm film and presents scenes from the city as it wakes up. People sweep their stoops, go to school, markets and clock into factories, operate telephone exchanges and drive public transport. There is a deliberate theatrical air to everything as each scene layers into each other to show interlocking lives working in synchronicity to make the city run.

This title plays something like the 1942 propaganda film Listen to Britain, in as much as it presents a patchwork of scenes of ordinary life as experienced on all levels of society. These visions have moments where there is a sense of spontaneity to give the footage a cinema verite style. The relentlessly positive imagery is propagandistic and scenes of marching bands and soldiers suggests unity in purpose, the repeated motifs pointing to technology being a bridge to the future. One could imagine some nationalistic song extolling the virtues of progress playing but some of the most interesting scene feature the influences of various immigrant groups, from Japanese morning exercise routines with group callisthenics, shots inside churches and mosques and practice for Chinese opera plays.

Modern Poetry Exhibition (1966), directed by Chang Chao-tang was restored from 8mm film and, of the four films, this is the one that feels the most spontaneous and lively as we see random scenes of students enjoying spending time together as evinced by the smiles and relaxed postures. There is a moment when the footage is reversed so people walk and jump backwards which adds to the aura of playfulness. Often times the people on screen will speak directly to the camera and the person holding it and one wonders what they are saying but without any audio one will have to guess. The film stock for this one is grainy and features scratches and blemishes, material and appearance creating a sense of nostalgia.

Life Continued (1966), directed by Chuang Ling, was restored from 16mm film and proves to be more dreamlike of the selection. It follows a day in the life of an unnamed woman. Her elderly parents practice Tai Chi while she does chores around the house before going to work at a fertility clinic and to the market. Scenes take place in an unnamed city with low rise buildings and in fields. It’s beautiful and languid and relaxing, ultimately becoming dreamlike as we slip into and out of the woman’s life.

The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there, as the saying goes, and it applies to this film as we see a world that has been replaced with the hyper-modern Taiwan of today. Each film presents a rich historical record of a nascent nation’s new confidence in its own identity whilst also tracing the colonial history and fractious politics that the country is founded upon.

With only one of the four films featuring sound and dialogue, there is an air of mystery to some of the imagery as sequences go by with little explanation. Nature abhors a vacuum and, having watched the screeners at home, a desire to hear and understand fills this gap which made me want to be at the festival where the films would benefit from an accompanying music soundtrack and introductions to the shorts programme by film academics which is what Aperture provides. This shows how film festivals are important. Regardless, what is seen is enigmatic and fascinating as Taiwan is brought to life in a variety of different styles.

My review was first published at VCinema back in June.

Bulbul Can Sing   

Release Date: 2018

Duration: 95 mins.

Director: Rima Das

Writer: Rima Das (Screenplay),

Starring: Arnali Das, Manoranjoan Das, Manabendra Das, Bonita Thakuriya, Pakija Begam

IMDB

Rima Das is a self-taught film-maker from India’s Assam state who typically writes, shoots, and edits her own films (and more) and works with non-professional actors. Her award-winning films have been shot in her home state where she details village life of youngsters in contemporary rural India. Bulbul Can Sing continues this trajectory as she sets a coming-of-age story in her home town where three friends explore their identities but, when faced with the boundaries of their community’s strict social mores, face conflict.

Bulbul (Arnali Das) is teenager who lives with her mother, father and younger brother in Chaygaon, a rural town in Assam. Her closest friends are Bonny (Banita Thakuriya), whose mother runs a cafe, and Sumu (Manoranjan Das), a teenage boy who doesn’t conform to the traditional masculine behaviour as expected by their community. The relationship between the three is chain that keeps the film moving as their lives are sketched out through school and home life, the secrets they share and games they play and also the way they support each other as they try to self-actualize personalities while those around them try to mould their characters.

These three teens, on the verge of becoming adults, are experiencing the first sweet pangs of love and the bitterness of otherness. Bonny has a boyfriend and Sumu is bullied for being gay. Bulbul herself feels the glimmers of attraction for a guy who has fallen head over heels in love with her. The love lives of the girls is sweet and tender, all clumsy embraces and poetry, goofy smiles and whispered sweet nothings that adults watching the film will grin or wince at as they remember their own romantic fumbles. Suman’s ostracisation by others is heart-rending to see as he laments the way people mock him for being gay. He is mercilessly bullied by people who mockingly call him “ladies” but the girls provide a balm for him and the audience with their dedicated protection and loyalty which marks the first half of the film, giving it a lovely sheen of friendship, and makes the tragedy that emerges in the second half sadder.

The three live in a town which is definitely traditional as seen in how it is a place where age-old festivals hold sway, farming is the dominant way of life and the older generations sing songs about the gods and keep kids in check with supernatural tales and philosophies about love being spiritual. The kids lean away from this into their own likes and dislikes and, as they give in, slightly, to passion they find themselves at odds with the social mores and moral codes of their village. They remain blithely unaware of the world around them and the audience will have a sneaking suspicion of where things are going to head to as the moralising of those around them goes from being pretty insidious to violent. It first emerges from parents and teachers urging Bulbul to sing songs they want, to learn the things they recommend and act as an ideal young woman should until violence and shame becomes a factor in policing how people should behave as seen in a harrowing scene which splits the film in two and we are left with the messy aftermath.

The narrative itself is nothing new and the plot limited and familiar but the way it is filmed gives the story its impact.

Rima Das can be unsentimental in the way that she shoots scenes but has a way of catching poetic visuals that sweep audiences away in the emotions. The camera watches Bulbul’s sulky face as she listlessly goes about her school-work and she resists her father’s entreaties to sing and through these images we feel her uncertainty. Her face lights up in moments of friendship when the kids play together and talk about love in a carefree manner which is unleashed in the scenic countryside around their homes and it is easy to get wrapped up in the fun. These moments of boredom and sadness, love and loss create a patchwork of tones that colour adolescence but the visuals that really stand out are the long shots where characters stand out against a cloud-scape and scenes where characters play in a river and in rainfall. They are piercingly beautiful and create a sense of time flowing and Bulbul floating along because she is often framed against these visuals all the way through to the end. She survives and gains vital life experience.

Bulbul and her friends are caught up in the vicissitudes of life but life carries on and as the film ends on an open note we understand that Bulbul has grown and will probably find her own voice and sing with a stronger voice after experiencing travails.

This played as part of the London Indian Film Festival and I reviewed it back in June for VCinema

Happy weekend, everyone!

It’s December and if you’re reading this, you’ve almost made it to the end of another year.

This week I published reviews for POETIC VOICES A Trip Through the Taiwanese Avant-garde of the 1960s and Bulbul Can Sing.

What is released this weekend?

I Was A Secret Bitch   

“隠れビッチ”やってました　 「“Kakure Bicchi” Yattemashita」

Release Date: December 06th, 2019

Duration: 112 mins.

Director: Koichiro Miki

Writer: Koichiro Miki (Screenplay), Piroyo Arai (Manga)

Starring: Yui Sakuma, Nijiro Murakami, Suzuka Ohgo, Tomoya Maeno, Ken Mitsuishi, Makiko Watanabe, Mirai Moriyama,

Website IMDB

This was one of the films shown at the recent Tokyo International Film Festival.

Synopsis: Hiromi (Yui Sakuma) is a 26-year-old who is popular with guys because of her cutesy and innocent ways which she uses as a flirtation strategy. In reality, she can be quite cruel because she will lead guys on and then dump them when it suits her. Her housemate Akira (Nijiro Murakami) and her friend Aya (Suzuka Ohgo) call her “Kakure Bitch” (a type of women who uses innocence to flirt with men) and she enjoys being one until she meets a man named Tsuyoshi (Yuta Koseki) and she realises she genuinely does like him…

Magical Boy Wild Virgin   

魔法少年☆ワイルドバージン　 「Mahou Shounen Wairudo Ba-jin」

Release Date: December 06th, 2019

Duration: 103 mins.

Director: Kenichi Ugana

Writer: Kenichi Ugana, Kentaro Imada, Ryuji Imamura (Script) 

Starring: Tomoya Maeno, Hinako Sano, Tateto Serizawa, Makoto Tanaka, Takayuki Hamatsu, Takumi Saito, Shiatomi Mizui

Website IMDB

Synopsis: A romantic comedy fantasy based on an urban legend which says “You can become a witch or a wizard if you are still a virgin when you hit your 30th birthday”. One such person with “magical” potential is 29-year-old virgin, Mikio Hoshimura, a sales rep with a poor record. His colleagues call him “the wizard” but a cute woman named Akiyama doesn’t because she’s new to the company. She is serious and gentle and a big fan of the superhero “Wild Virginia”, a character Hoshimura has loved since childhood. Hoshimura has a crush on her but before he can win her heart he’ll have to be a hero himself because on the day when Akiyama’s welcome party was held, Hoshino witnessed Akiyama receiving sexual harassment from his boss. Will he stand up for her and will he get any aid from his coworkers? Possibly a magical one instead of someone in Human Resources or a union…?

Ghost Master 

ゴーストマスター　 「Go-suto Masuta-」

Release Date: December 06th, 2019

Duration: 90 mins.

Director: Paul Young

Writer: Ichiro Kusuno (Script) 

Starring: Riko Narumi, Takahiro Miura, Mizuki Itagaki, Mariya Nagao, Motohisa Harashima, Hisayuki Teranaka, Yota Kawase, Yuki Shibamoto,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: A no-talent assistant director named Akira Kurosawa is working on a low-budget romance story in an abandoned school. He hopes of turning his script of “Ghostmaster” into a movie directed by him but one rejection too many sees him fly into a rage that transfers evil energy into his script which takes over the romantic film he was just working on. Also possessed is the lead actress of the romance Yuya who initiates a bloodbath by killing cast and crew one by one…

The Initiation   

幸福な囚人　 「Koufukuna Shuujin」

Release Date: December 06th, 2019

Duration: 108 mins.

Director: Tomojiro Amano

Writer: Tomojiro Amano (Script) 

Starring: Arata Yamanaka, Takuro Kodama, Noriko Kohara, Sayuri, Ryo Ikeda, Minosuke, Yuki Tayama, Madoka Tomosaki,

Website

This is the commercial film debut by Yujiro Amano who has worked on indie films such as Until the Day of Freedom which was at the Kanazawa Film Festival and looked so freaking stylish in a gory and gruesome way due to its setting in a medical school.

Synopsis: Sawada is a lumpen office done with a marriage that has hit the skids ever since his wife became depressed over her infertility and tried to kill herself. When not working away he takes care of his wife but the arrival of a new co-worker from abroad shakes things up as a man named Kishimoto unleashes his confident personality and dangerous behaviour that causes all sorts of disruption in the office and Sawada’s life…

Lupin III The First   

ルパン三世 THE FIRST　 「Rupan Sansei The First」

Release Date: December 06th, 2019

Duration: 93 mins.

Director: Takashi Yamazaki

Writer: Takasshi Yamazaki (Script), Monkey Punch (Original Creator), Maurice Leblanc (Original Concept)

Starring: Kanichi Kurita (Lupin III), Kiyoshi Kobayashi (Daisuke Jigen), Daisuke Namikawa (Goemon Ishikawa XIII), Miyuki Sawashiro (Fujiko Mine), Koichi Yamadera (Koichi Zenigata),

Animation Production: TMS Entertainment, Marza Animation Planet

Website ANN MAL

Synopsis: There is a special treasure known as the “Bresson Diary”, something which can lead to riches beyond a person’s wildest dreams. It has been the target of many different types of people from fortune seekers to Nazi’s. During the Second World War, famous thief Lupin I tried to steal it but failed. Flashfoward to his grandson, Lupin III who teams up with a mysterious woman named Leticia to retrieve the diary…

Good People   

Release Date: June 20th, 2015

Duration: N/A

Director: Yasu Shibuya

Writer: Yasu Shibuya, Simon Sato (Script), Rin Mikimoto (Original Work)

Starring: Jai West, Asami Imajuku, Dante Carver, Sei Ashina, Mai Nishida, Yuri Nakamura, Yoshinori Okada, Tetsuji Tamayama,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Three foreigners in Japan with different nationalities and genders all seek love. There is Billy who has given up his dream of becoming a chef and has become lethargic, Miki who lacked the confidence to pursue her own dream, and Caleb who is a lovelorn chap searching for his ideal girlfriend. These people are put together by fate with others…

Crickets   

こおろぎ　 「Korogi」

Release Date: June 20th, 2006

Duration: 101 mins.

Director: Shinji Aoyama

Writer: Shinji Aoyama, Ryo Iwamatsu (Script), Motohiro Hatanaka (Original Work)

Starring: Kyoka Suzuki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Masanobu Ando, Ayumi Ito, Shuji Yamamoto, Naoko Yamazaki,

Website IMDB

This is one of Shinji (Eureka) Aoyama’s rarely screened film that will be in cinemas ahead of its DVD release next year.

Synopsis: Kaoru is a thirty-something woman who is married to an older, blind man (Yamazaki), whom she takes care of in a coastal town on the Izu Peninsula. Ostensibly a couple, their relationship is defined by a dependency she cultivates but when he begins acting strange and wandering around by himself, Kaoru is forced out of her routine. It is at this time that she meets a young couple who further her changes.

Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight   

午前0時、キスしに来てよ　 「Gozen 0 ji, Kisu shi ni kite yo」

Release Date: December 06th, 2019

Duration: 115 mins.

Director: Takehiko Shinjo

Writer: Haruka Okita (Script), Rin Mikimoto (Original Work)

Starring: Ryota Katayose, Kanna Hashimoto, Gordon Maeda, Arisa Yagi, Sae Okazaki, Katsuhiro Suzuki, Wakana Sakai, Kenichi Endo,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Hinana is a smart high school student who daydreams about romance. She gets caught up in a love triangle with her childhood friend Akira and  a handsome star named Kaede who has come to Hinana’s high school to shoot a film.

Army Maebashi Airfield Our Village Was Also a Battlefield   

陸軍前橋飛行場　私たちの村も戦場だった　 「Rikugun Maebashi hikōjō watashitachi no mura mo senjōdatta」

Release Date: December 07th, 2019

Duration: 69 mins.

Director: Toshio Iizuka

Writer: N/A

Starring: N/A

Website

Synopsis: A documentary that follows the record and testimony of those affected by Maebashi Airfield which was built in Gunma Town (currently Takasaki City), Gunma Prefecture, at the end of the Pacific War.

Okinawa: The Afterburn   

沖縄　うりずんの雨　改訂版　 「Okinawa uri zun no Ame Kaichouban」

Release Date: June 20th, 2015

Duration: 148 mins.

Director: John Junkerman

Writer: Koji Kobayashi (Script), 

Starring: Eiko Asato, Eriko Ikeda, Masaki Ishikawa, Masa Inafuka, Masahide Oota,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: ‘Okinawa: The Afterburn’ is a re-release of the 2015 documentary film which charts the issue of the US military presence on the island and the various reactions of Okinawans to the occupation. With interviews with survivors from the battle of Okinawa, activists and soldiers who discuss the American occupation, the handover of the island’s back to Japan, and the crimes perpetrated by some US service personnel on Okinawans in the years that followed, the film covers a lot of ground. The review over at the Japan Times website explained more and gives it a good rating.