The Sleeping Insect   

眠る虫「Nemuru Mushi」

Release Date: September 05th, 2020

Duration: 62 mins.

Director: Yurina Kaneko

Writer: Yurina Kaneko (Script), 

Starring: Ryo Matsuura, Takeo Gozu, Kaoru Mizuki, Yura Sato, Hirobumi Watanabe,

Website

This is the feature film debut by director Yurina Kaneko. She received attention for her 2019 Pia Film Festival Award winning short Walking Plants, which screened at Nippon Connection last year, and also for her part in the omnibus film 21st Century Girl (2018). Sleeping Insect won the 2019 MOOSIC LAB Grand Prix. Like other MOOSIC LAB films released that year, it features the ghosts as the main character as Kaneko has her go on a Lynchian adventure where the border between normality and the supernatural dissolves. 

The film takes place during the summer and our lead character is Kanako Seri (Ryo Matsuura), the front-woman of a three-piece band. As well as strumming the guitar, she has a heightened, maybe preternatural ability to hear sounds. During a break in practice they discuss how ghosts feel and this is the lead-in for the strange day that follows for Kanako.

The very next day, armed with a tape recorder and carrying her guitar in its case, Kanako heads out into the morning sun and off to band practice. As is her habit, she is staying alert for new sounds she can record and when she boards a packed bus she becomes fascinated by a melody being hummed by a fellow passenger, an elderly woman with a wide-brimmed sun hat. Perhaps from a trace memory or instinct for sound, when the bus reaches Kanako’s stop, she doesn’t get off but, instead, she travels further on the route with the woman and becomes something of a voyeur as she tries to capture the song.

The bus ride sequence is long but offers various everyday sights and sounds to draw the viewer into the atmosphere of the journey – passengers perform a sit-down-stand-up ballet as they get on and off the bus and we, alongside Kanako, eavesdrop on them as they talk to friends, look out the window, and zone out on their phone. It’s a nice slice of reality that lulls is into the film’s languid pacing and it makes the spikes of weirdness noticeable. One character, played in a cameo by the director Hirobumi Watanabe, is both funny but also strange in his behaviour as he seeks to prevent Kanako from sitting in a specific seat he is holding for someone “absent”.

As the journey continues, the number of passengers on the bus gradually decreases until the bus eventually reaches its final stop. When Kanako gets off, dusk has fallen. This is traditionally a time when the boundary between the world of humans and spirits begins to melt and at her journeys end, she enters a kind of hinterland, a dusk version of her city, where the bright and sunny summertime atmosphere of the early parts of the film has been replaced by darker and eerier atmospherics. Kanako finds streets devoid of people save a convenience store with a mysterious clerk and an elderly man out for a walk with his dog who leads her to his house where his wife and grandson show up. Absence is deeply felt here but like a dreamer, Kanako accepts everything she sees in this new realm as logical and continues to indulge in her passion for sounds. When she has questions about her surroundings or people around her, she is reassured that they are simply asleep.

It becomes apparent that the bus journey and the walk through the streets serve as transitional moments for Kanako who was led by her search for sound to the film’s ghostly and surreal conclusion which shows the secret of the elderly woman and her melody. Throughout it all, there is a good sense of framing of this district to capture the eeriness of its liminal spaces where life is absent and the family home where life seems to be in stasis. A gentle paranormal atmosphere takes over as the story indulges in its true purpose, a remembrance of those who have passed away through the traces that they leave behind.

In this story, film, music, photographs, and other, more surreal things allow the dead to come back and show that their presence will always exist in some shape. It becomes quite an affecting climax that we are naturally guided to by Ryo Matsuura’s cool-as-a-morning-mist performance as she essays a woman with heightened skills in sound that allows her to enter a heightened sense of being. That and the dreamlike music from Tokiyo, a songwriter and the lead guitarist of And Summer Club, makes another perfect collab between musician and filmmakers as is the mission of the MOOSIC LAB films.

Soul Music   

ソウル・ミュージック 「Souru Myu-jikku」

Release Date: N/A

Duration: 30 mins.

Director: Masaki Soejima

Writer: Masaki Soejima (Script),

Starring: Teruyuki Oshima, Kazuaki Koyama, Yoshio Otani, Miki Aoyagi,

Website

Director Masaki Soejima is both a psychiatrist and filmmaker who combines the two to make a funny mockumentary in which a duo of bumbling middle-aged men make a supernatural song recording.

“Can you write a song with a ghost?” This is a request sent into a late-night radio show by an elementary schoolgirl. What she is doing up late at night listening to Teruyuki Oshima and Kazuaki Koyama, two musicians with laidback radio personalities is anyone’s guess but in the middle of a ratings slump, their producer sees her challenge as a chance to get a bump in listeners and so he sends his reluctant charges out into a haunted forest with a small crew to make music with a ghost.

Their trip, as absurd as it sounds, is done with maximum seriousness as the deep tones of the narrator informs us of the progress of their psychic explorations and cues up lots of documentary-style clips and talking head interviews involving scientists and a psychiatrist (played by Soejima himself) detailing aspects about supernatural phenomenon. There are also clips of (what appear to be) real-world ghost hunting shows to set the tone and the milieu (if you’ve watched Ghost Adventures and Most Haunted, you know will know exactly what I mean). While some of these may seem like fictional inserts they are packed full of information and technology that is based on the latest ghost research and introduce equipment such as EMF readers and a ghost box, the device that will record the ghost’s voice based on a design by Frank Sumption.

Subverting the seriousness of everything and bringing the chuckles are Teruyuki Oshima and Kazuaki Koyama, a lackadaisical pair of lumpen middle-aged guys hilariously unprepared for traipsing in a haunted forest. They are like a manzai duo with the slightly smarter one berating the duller one every time something silly comes out of his mouth and so, when they meet a ghost they ask absurd things such as, “Do you like Justin Bieber?” Not forgetting this is partially a horror film, the ghosts do have an edge and like to scare our Scooby duo and their ability to haunt the guys leads to a nice twist at the end but, as with other MOOSIC Lab films, the focus is ultimately on making music and movies combine and SPOILER ALERT they do get some material to make a cool song (which you can hear below).

Overall this is a fun film to watch and one of my favourites of the MOOSIC Lab films released last year.

Happy weekend, everyone.

I hope you are all well.

I’m leading in with politics because… After the crazy events of the last week at the US Capitol (and numerous state houses across America), I am not sure what to write other than this was the inevitable escalation of right-wing thought which is dominated by racism and a severe ignorance of history. None of this is new. People knew it was going to happen but nobody stopped it. Indeed, politicians encouraged it. And let’s not think that countries in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere are better or immune to this madness. I hope that we hold the leaders and commentators accountable and part of this is moderate conservatives need to own what has happened and stop this culture war/grievance culture BS they have initiated. This needs to lead to a paradigm shift in how we engage with politics and people and we see people inspired to organise against hatred and poverty otherwise this will escalate.

Society is only as strong as the measure of everyone’s engagement with it and for too long many people have been checked out or convinced that only certain people belong which leads to division. We need unity. I recommend watching Majority Report videos to get more perspective.

This week I reviewed the films Soul Music and The Sleeping Insect.

What is released this weekend? Lucky Chan-sil, one of the best films I saw in 2020!

Angry Rice Wives   

大コメ騒動 「Dai Kome Sodo」

Release Date: January 08th, 2021

Duration: 106 mins.

Director: Katsuhide Motoki

Writer: Kaori Tanimoto (Script), Hiroki Terai (Original Novel)

Starring: Mao Inoue, Takahiro Miura, Mari Natsuki, Shinosuke Tatekawa, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Renji Ishibashi, Rie Shibata,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Set in Toyoma Prefecture in 1918, we follow Ito Matsuura (Mao Inoue), a farmer’s daughter who married a fisherman (Takahiro Miura) and is now the mother of three children. When her husband and the other men in the village head out to fish off the coast of Hokkaido, she, like other women in the village, is left to support herself and her children on a small wage earned from carrying heavy bales of rice to ships. When the price of rice starts to soar, she and the other women try to stop the rice from leaving which leads to a “riot” which attracts the attention of all of Japan…

Adult’s Situation   

おとなの事情　スマホをのぞいたら 「Otona no Jijou: Smartphone wo Nozoitara」

Release Date: January 08th, 2021

Duration: 101 mins.

Director: Michio Mitsuno

Writer: Yoshikazu Okada (Script), 

Starring: Noriyuki Higashiyama, Honami Suzuki, Takako Tokiwa, Toru Matsuoka, Hiromasa Taguchi, Haruka Kinami, Yasushi Fuchikami,

Website

This is the Japanese version of the Italian comedy movie Perfect Strangers which has already been remade in 18 countries around the world.

Synopsis: A single man – Sanpei (Noriyuki Higashiyama) – and three married couples – Takashi (Toru Masuoka) & Eri (Honami Suzuki), a celebrity couple in their 50s, Reiji (Hiromasa Taguchi) & Kaoru (Takako Tokiwa), a couple in their 40s who are going through a dip, and Koji (Yasushi Fuchikami) & An (Haruka Kinami), a newlywed couple in their 30s – gather together for a dinner party once a year in the wake of a certain event. It was supposed to be a good time but when they decide to play a game, it all goes haywire. The rules are simple but invite disaster. To wit: they must all reveal the emails and phone calls that reach their smartphones to everyone in the room and since everyone has a secret that they want to hide, every incoming call spells chaos…

Gintama: The Final   

銀魂 THE FINAL 「Gintama: The Final」

Release Date: January 08th, 2021

Duration: 104 mins.

Director: Chizuru Miyawaki

Writer: Chizuru Miyawaki (Script), Hideaki Sorachi (Original Creator),

Starring: Tomokazu Sugita (Gitoki Sakata), Rie Kugimiya (Kagura), Daisuke Sakaguchi (Shinpachi Shimura), Akira Ishida (Katsura Kotarou), Kenichi Suzumura (Sogo Okita)

Animation Production: Bandai Namco Pictures

Website ANN MAL

This is the third movie version of the anime Gintama and its story is based on the last part of the original comic, the Silver Soul Arc from chapter 687 – 704 along with some new material added. The manga reached its finale in June 2019.

Synopsis: As the countdown to the destruction of Earth (and the universe) approaches, former allies Gintoki, Takasugi, and Katsura struggle with their thoughts but their friends and a figure from the past will help them rally together.

Gekijouban Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Eternal 2   

劇場版　美少女戦士セーラームーンEternal 前編 「Gekijouban Bishoujo Senshi Se-ra- Mu-n Eternal Zenpen」

Release Date: January 08th, 2021

Duration: 80 mins.

Director: Chiaki Kon

Writer: Kazuyuki Fudeyasu (Script), Naoko Takeuchi (Original Creator/Supervision),

Starring: Kotono Mitsuishi (Usagi Tsukino/SailorMoon), Ai Maeda (Setsuna Meioh/Sailor Pluton), Ami Koshimizu (Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter), Hisako Kanemoto (Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury), Rina Satou (Rei Hino/Sailor Mars), Sayaka Ohara (Michiru Kaioh/Sailor Neptune),

Animation Production: Studio DEEN, Toei Animation,

Website ANN MAL

The first of a two-part movie continuation of the fourth season of the TV anime Sailor Moon Crystal. It is directed by Chiaki Kon and was made under the supervision of the original author, Naoko Takeuchi.

Synopsis: During a solar eclipse, Tsukino Usagi and Chibiusa meet a Pegasus named Helios in a dream and Helios is looking for two “maidens” to break the seal of the Golden Crystal. At the same time, a mysterious group called Dead Moon Circus appears in Juban city with the goal of scattering nightmare incarnations called Lemures across the world and obtaining the Legendary Silver Crystal so they can rule the Earth and Moon, and later the universe, something which the Sailor crew fight against.

Gekijouban Iwago Mitsuaki no Sekai Neko Aruki Aru ga Mama ni, Mizu to Daichi no Neko Kazoku   

劇場版　岩合光昭の世界ネコ歩き　あるがままに、水と大地のネコ家族 「Gekijouban Iwago Mitsuaki no Sekai Neko Aruki Aru ga Mama ni, Mizu to Daichi no Neko Kazoku」

Release Date: January 08th, 2021

Duration: 98 mins.

Director: Mitsuaki Iwago

Writer: N/A

Starring: Mitsuaki Iwago, Narration: Tomoya Nakamura

Website

Synopsis: This is the second film version of the NHK BS Premium programme “Mitsuaki Iwago’s World Cat Walk”, in which animal photographer Mitsuaki Iwago shoots cats on the streets of the world from the perspective of a cat. Set in two lands, Myanmar and Hokkaido, it depicts the families of cats running during the flow of seasons.

Epok no Atorie Sugaya Shinichi ga Tsukuru Record Jacket 

エポックのアトリエ　菅谷晋一がつくるレコードジャケット 「Epokku no Atorie Sugaya Shinichi ga Tsukuru Reko-do Jakketto」

Release Date: January 08th, 2021

Duration: 96 mins.

Director: Michitoshi Nanbu

Writer: N/A

Starring: Shinichi Sugaya, Hiroto Komoto, Masatoshi Mashima, Katsuya Kobayashi, Katsuji Kirita,

Website

Synopsis: A documentary in a similar vein to book-paper-scissors insofar as it captures the work of a person who does the covers of something. The subject of the film is Shinichi Sugaya, a designer who works on record jackets such as The Cro-Magnons and OKAMOTO’S. Sugaya’s background as a designer and his production process are documented with interviews and commentary from him and people involved in making the music for which he designs covers, and those who assist in creating his unique visions.

Otenmon no Hen     

応天門の変 「Otenmon no Hen」

Release Date: January 09th, 2021

Duration: 69 mins.

Director: Hokuin Akihara

Writer: Yukie Ochiai (Script),

Starring: Shingo Yanagisawa, Sakura, Kyoya Kimura, Hibiki Emoto, Motoya Izumi,

Website

The “Otenmon no Hen” or Otenmon Incident is given a lively cinematic depiction via a mystery/historical drama fantasy comedy that comes from director Masatoshi Akihara who picked up the picture scroll called Ban Dainagon Ekotoba (The Picture-narrative of Great Minister Ban) which depicts the event that took place during the Heian period (866 to be exact) and features a mystery character that nobody can identify. 

Synopsis: The destruction of the main gate (Ōtenmon) of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto is pinned on Minamoto no Makoto by his political rival Tomo no Yoshio but in various twists and turns it is Tomo no Yoshio who ends up getting the blame but there is a mystery figure in the scroll, a man wearing black who might be involved...

Musubi no Shima 

結びの島 「Musubi no Shima」

Release Date: January 09th, 2021

Duration: 108 mins.

Director: Masayuki Mizobuchi

Writer: N/A

Starring: Hitoshi Okahara,

Website

Synopsis: A documentary that follows Hitoshi Okahara, a doctor who runs a clinic and a long-term care facility in Suooshima, Yamaguchi Prefecture, where one in two people in its population of 17,000 is elderly. The documentary offers insights into how to deal with an ageing population through looking at Okahara’s work.

Tailwind   

追い風 「Oikaze」

Release Date: August 07th, 2020

Duration: 71 mins.

Director: Ryo Anraku

Writer: Ryo Katayama, Ryo Anraku (Script), 

Starring: DEG, Ryo Katayama, Ryo Anraku, Hyoma Shibata, Hiroki Sato, Ritsu Ootomu, Mebuki Yoshida,

Website

Winner of the Best Actor and Musician Award in the feature film category of MOOSIC LAB 2019, Tailwind was shot in just three months by up-and-coming indie film makers Ryo Katayama and Ryo Anraku. Their story is based upon shared real-life experience with their friend DEG, a hip-hop artist whose friendly persona and musical performance fits perfectly into both this youth drama and the MOOSIC LAB mantra of combining filmmakers and artists.

28-year-old Tokyo-based rapper DEG is struggling with his career and feeling frustrated. A decent rhyme-smith, his songs lack fire since the lyrics are inoffensive (and maybe even a little bland) to win listeners over and so he isn’t making any progress beyond friend’s parties and izakaya gigs. His affability on the mic is reflected off the stage as he masks his frustrations and disappointments behind his smile. Any inconvenience, insult, or disagreement from someone is met with a big grin and a laugh and so he is suffering on the inside while others advance their lives and move on without him, sometimes at his expense. However, with his frustrations mounting DEG’s smile begins to fade and his inner voice beings to emerge. When he is invited to a friend’s wedding which Hikari, the love of his life, will attend, he decides to use the event as the catalyst for him to realign his personal and professional personas and make his own tailwind and seize his own happiness. 

Last year I reviewed the film Flower and Rain, another based-on-reality tale of a young man seeking to establish his identity and doing it through hip-hop (after lengthy digressions in crime), and, despite that film’s bigger budget and ambition, I found that Tailwind is actually a more moving story as the main character is much more relatable and we get a better view of how his personal life informs his artistic struggle and vice versa.

DEG’s inner emotional turmoil and his self-perception is easy to relate to as it comes out in his lyrics and via interactions with those in his web of relationships. This is a cast of characters such as friends and family, fellow musicians, music video directors and dancers, all of whom are advancing or struggling in their own careers, all of whom are more honest with their emotions, and all of whom offer direct advice to DEG that helps to inform his character arc. They all have the feeling of being drawn from real life with the naturalistic acting of the cast – that some people on the screen are already friends probably informs this – and there is the sense that each character is given just enough depth to feel like they live independent lives while they also add useful behavioural and career contrasts to DEG’s character.

The direction and editing are good – clean and efficient, smooth flowing. Not a moment is wasted and the choice of using a lot of close ups really puts the focus on DEG who is skilfully able to channel great depths of his emotions. We see his concentration as he is writing lyrics and understand his dedication. The false smile that lights up his face and falters at times of difficulty is highlighted and so the stark contrast when he drops the smile powerfully shows the difference between the façade he presents and what he truly feels. Probably the most electric moment is when he teams up with a guitarist named Fujimoto and does a four-minute freestyle that flows powerfully, the lyrics relating to what we have seen him experience. It feels like his character is finally coming out of his shell and also the rawest moment of self-expression from DEG after seeing him cover his emotions up for so long. It hits harder because it is done in close-ups so we see the emotions on his face as he rides the beats and tears fall down his face. It adds to the building sense of drama that becomes attached to his performance at the wedding at the end where the film reaches its climax and he displays his most honest performance in front of friends and family. DEG definitely deserved that acting award.

One aspect of this that did feel heavy handed was the use of a child to personify DEG’s inner feelings (or maybe a sense of betrayal of childhood ideals) – it’s a mental projection that looks on sadly and apologises while DEG laughs. It felt like a gimmick and excessive when placed against the well-written script, the acting, and direction, all of which are strong enough already.

Overall, the film is moving. The most important thing the film imparts is DEG as a person and performer. We see how his life informs his lyrics and how, as he evolves, they become a guide for character development as well as the urgent words of a man with a sense of his own worth. The eventual catharsis of seeing him overcome his inner turmoil at the wedding is well earned. The open ending leaves a bittersweet and realistic sense that his journey is ongoing.

My Lovely Days

ゆかちゃんの愛した時代 「Yuka-chan no Aishita Jidai」

Release Date: July 11th, 2020

Duration: 30 mins.

Director: Yun Hayama

Writer: Yun Hayama, Nishio Hiroshi (Script),

Starring: Yun Hayama, Keita Yamashina, Sayu Higashi, Marc Panther, Shiho Tanaka,

With the retirement of Emperor Akihito and the ascension of Crown Prince Naruhito to the Chrysanthemum throne, the transition from the Heisei era to the Reiwa era¹ sparked a lot of nostalgia in Japanese who looked back over the cultural shifts felt during the 80s and 90s. Yun Hayama indulges in the same thing and is clearly writing from experience with this film which is a flashback to the fun of the 90s.

It is April 30th, 2019, and the Heisei era will end in an hour. At one coffee shop in Osaka, Yuka Yukawa, a local talent born in 1989 (the first year of the Heisei era) is having a meeting with her manager Masao (Keita Yamashina). While Masao is pressuring her to do work (including, quite cynically, a film with an erotic scene), Yuka is more interested in talking about her memories of the Heisei era and as she talks her sweet and infectious desire for the Heisei era begins to overflow into the conversation.

It is said that the things we listen to and watch as children and teens are what we continue to like well into adulthood and this film shows how as, during their talk, we get flashbacks to Yuka’s childhood, the trends (like the Nostradamus prophecy and hairclips) that were popular on the school playground and the TV shows and music that inspired her to become a talent. The aesthetic of late 90s pop feels accurately captured in these flashbacks that have a variety of made-up programmes and pop groups like Happening Girls who, with their dance moves and costumes, are a perfect homage of Morning Musume (I immediately thought of their song Love Revolution) since that was the one I first heard/saw when I was in school.

We watch the effect all of these things have on inspiring young people like Yuka and her friends and this inspiration is effectively conveyed through cute child actors who are bursting with enthusiasm and feel believable in their DIY attempts to recreate idols. They are then contrasted with the more mature and uncertain adults Yuka and Masao who we meet in the present tense narrative and the contrast allows us to see that they have lost sight of what inspired them. However, by the end of the conversation and the examination of memories, that innocent enthusiasm comes back.

The backbone of the film is the conversation between Yuka and Masao. Their personalities are well defined: he is dressed for work, on his phone making deals, and relentless about talking business and rather direct in his speech (even suggesting nude scenes), while she is more innocent, wears bright clothes and goes on digressions and flights of fancy. Even what they order at the coffee shop tells you something about them, he gets a bitter iced coffee while she has a sugary deluxe parfait. They seem like chalk and cheese at first but as we fish through their various memories and their business conversation they become something of a manzai duo and the infectious, sometimes silly enthusiasm of Yuka’s boke is met with the tsukommi style of Masao in what turns out to be a well-practiced routine.

While retreating into nostalgia suggests nothing but good things, the narrative is very much aware of time and people that have passed and Yuka’s lamentation of that loss as well as changes in culture has the ring of truth since, as we get older, we miss our youth. Also haunting both her and Masao is the idea that they are in their 30s and have to grow up but the film ends on a lovely note that shows reclaiming youthful hopes and maintaining them can lead to a positive mindset that offers hope in the future and this is felt in the way the camera becomes more dynamic as the actors become gradually excited by their memories as their rather innocent and hopeful proclamations of recapturing their dreams spills out, the camera swirling around them, multiple cuts showing their smiling faces.

In making this crowd-funded short film, Yun Hayama brought together Kansai creatives like director Nishio Hiroshi (Soul Flower Train) and others to perfectly captures that sense of nostalgia from a local perspective. She brings it all together through good direction that is snappy, allows the art design to show 90s aesthetic and brings out the performances of the cast who are all strong in their roles. It makes a charming film full of infectious nostalgia for pop ephemera that captures its inspirational value.

¹ Each era is named after the reign of the emperor

For some reason, I felt that Benten-cho in Osaka was the location.

Happy weekend!

I hope everyone is doing well.

I hope you are all staying safe and looking for ways to make a positive change in the world. I’ve taken to studying Japanese for a couple of hours as soon as I get up in the morning (05:00) and in the evening (17:00) and I am feeling a little better about myself. I hope to unlock more of my potential.

This week I posted reviews for Tailwind and My Lovely Days. The director of Tailwind kindly commented and retweeted my review on Twitter so I was happy to see my words have a positive effect! It’s a good drama, so check it out. I also posted a preview of the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021 over at Anime UK News. Expect a preview here next week.

What is released this weekend in Japan?

Etsunen: Lovers   

越年 Lovers 「Etsunen: Lovers」

Release Date: January 15th, 2021

Duration: 108 mins.

Director: Ti Kuo Chen

Writer: Guo Chendi (Script), Kanoko Okamoto (Original Short Stories)

Starring: Manami Hashimoto, Kazunobu Mineta, Nahana, Yao Pipi, Oscar Chu, Kazuaki Yoshimura,

Website

Synopsis: A film partly shot in Taiwan, Malaysia, and Japan, it follows a selection of people experiencing drama such as Taiwanese lady Xiaolan (Yao Pipi) who, when she is about to leave her office, is suddenly slapped by a man, Kanichi (Kazunobu Mineta) who reunites with his childhood friend Ao (Manami Hashimoto) in Yamagata.

Koi no Haka   

恋の墓 「Koi no Haka」

Release Date: January 15th, 2021

Duration: 117 mins.

Director: Kiyoto Naruse

Writer: Kiyoto Naruse (Script), 

Starring: Yuna Ogura, Kohei Nagano, Hidenobu Abera, Yukihiro Haruzono, Hito:michan, Yuya Ishikawa, Yura Kano, Naoto Kawashima, Chihiro Matsukawa,

Website IMDB

A romantic comedy directed by Kiyoto Naruse who received a special jury prize at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival 2018 for Night of the Dead Geisha.

Synopsis: A romantic comedy about the perverted son of a temple priest who becomes obsessed with a nursing student whose name he doesn’t know but who passes in front of his temple every day as she meets men via dating apps. Getting her picture becomes a must for him but he becomes jealous when he finds her kissing another man and so he decides to get the same app and pursue her. Meanwhile, his childhood friend Yuka reunites with him…

Raika Rorin Suton IDOL AUDiTiON   

らいか ろりん すとん IDOL AUDiTiON 「Raika Rorin Suton IDOL AUDiTiON 」

Release Date: January 15th, 2021

Duration: 82 mins.

Director: Elizabeth Miyaji, Hiroki Iwabuchi, Baksheesh Yamashita,

Writer: N/A

Starring: Cent Chihiro Chicchi, Toggy, MiDORiKO EMPiRE, Yui Ga Dockson, Usagi Tsukino, Kila May,

Website

Synopsis: A new documentary about a training camp run by the record label WACK where female idol groups such as BiSH, BiS and Paradises send their members to be tortured, I mean trained. The suffering took place from March 22-28, 2020 (just before I escaped Japan!!!), before the state of emergency was issued to prevent the spread of Covid-19. This was streamed 24 hours a day on Nico Nico Live and attracted approximately 2.7 million viewers. Watch the tears on a big screen.

Natsume Yuujinchou: Ishi Okoshi to Ayashiki Raihousha   

夏目友人帳　石起こしと怪しき来訪者 「Natsume Yuujinchou: Ishi Okoshi to Ayashiki Raihousha」

Release Date: January 16th, 2021

Duration: 51 mins.

Director: Takahiro Oomori, Hideki Ito,

Writer: Kazuyuki Fudeyasu (Script), Yuki Midorikawa (Original Creator),

Starring: Hiroshi Kamiya (Takashi Natsume), Kazuhiko Inoue (Madara), Kazuma Horie (Kaname Tanuma), Akemi Okamura (Hinoe), Takaya Kuroda (Misuzu),

Animation Production: Shuka

Website ANN MAL

The franchise follows Natsume, a teen who can see ghosts and that makes him strange for many people and so he becomes a bit of a loner. However, when he inherits a book about them from his grandmother, he begins to make friends!

Synopsis from Anime News Network: The film consists of two stories: “Ishi Okoshi” and “Ayashiki Raihousha.” In “Ishi Okoshi,” Natsume meets a small youkai called Mitsumi in a forest. Mitsumi is entrusted to wake up the divine youkai “Iwatetsu” from its deep slumber. Mitsumi weighs on Natsume’s mind, so he sets out to help Mitsumi with his task.

In “Ayashiki Raihousha,” a mysterious visitor appears in front of Tanuma. Nearly every day, the visitor visits Tanuma, talks to him a little, and then leaves. Natsume, who knows the visitor is a youkai, worries for Tanuma, but Tanuma enjoys these exchanges with the youkai. The youkai means no harm, but Tanuma’s health slowly starts to deteriorate.

Totsuzen shitsurei itashimasu!   

突然失礼致します！ 「Totsuzen shitsurei itashimasu!」

Release Date: January 16th, 2021

Duration: 90 mins.

General Manager: Hiroaki Kumagai, Director: 180 directors

Writer: N/A

Starring: N/A 

Website

Synopsis: In 2020, during the spread of Covid-19, students from 100 universities across Japan pooled videos together to make an omnibus work. The films are done using various techniques, from live-action to CG, animation and media art. Each work is one minute long. It was pre-screened online for a limited period of two months from September 2020, and the total number of views exceeded 25,000. From January 2021, a special edition of 66 segments carefully selected from the 180 works will be released in theatres (the full version of 194 minutes will be screened in some locations).

Nezura 1964   

ネズラ1964 「Nezura 1964」

Release Date: January 16th, 2021

Duration: 90 mins.

Director: Hiroto Yokokawa

Writer: Hiroto Yokokawa, Kensaku Sakai (Script),

Starring: Yukijiro Hotaru, Masanori Kikuzawa, Kazuma Yoneyama, Himawari Ono, Mai Saito, Norman England, Shiro Sano,

Website IMDB Wikizilla

Nezura 1964 is a crowdfunded tokusatsu kaiju biopic film that is based on a project Daiei’s scrapped due to difficulties in filming. Called Giant Horde Beast Nezura , this was the precursor to Gamera. The film will feature several cast members from the Gamera franchise. Director Hiroto Yokokawa has been doing a few films where he takes to crowdfunding to revive fallen titles, such as The Great Buddha Arrival.

Synopsis: A movie about the struggle to get Grand Beast Nezura off the ground. It follows Daiei’s struggles after they start production and filming. Difficulties included using live mice in a miniature city. Sounds great for making them look like giant monsters but these mice had fleas and ticks which broke out on the scene and caused health problems. Local government officials even stepped in at one point due to complaints from neighbouring residents, and shooting was cancelled. Only a few images remain of this phantom project which form the basis of this film. 

Dong Teng Town   

ドンテンタウン 「Donten Taun」

Release Date: July 17th, 2020

Duration: 61 mins.

Director: Kouhei Inoue

Writer: Kouhei Inoue (Script),

Starring: Ryo Sato, Sho Kasamatsu, Ai Yamamoto, Ryui Ushio, Saki Iwasaki, Gantsu Morita, Ryo Anraku,

Website

Director Kohei Inoue’s Dong Teng Town netted the Actor Award for Sho Kasamatsu’s performance, and was the runner up for the MOOSIC LAB Grand Prix prize, which ultimately went to Sleeping Insect. His work is, nonetheless, strong, as it gives a dreamlike tale with lead performances full of poignancy that rises above a confused narrative of two lost souls communicating through time and space through cassette tapes as themes of absence and meetings, common in all of the MOOSIC LAB films, are played out quite nicely.

The main story follows a singer-songwriter named Sora (Ryo Sato) who has left her family home and moved into a danchi (public housing complex). The apartment she rents comes with the previous owner’s furniture and a nice view of a neatly manicured park and a playground. To pay the rent she is working at a café rather than making music because she is struggling with her creativity and finding the situation becoming unbearable thanks to her pushy producer (a cameo from Tailwind director Ryo Anraku). As her uncertainty pushes her to a feeling of melancholy she discovers a box of cassette tapes and a tape player left by Tokio (Sho Kasamatsu), the apartment’s previous tenant, and someone who loves Aloha shirts. Intrigued, she starts to listen and becomes absorbed by what he recorded.

The narrative then gets its second voice, one recorded a year earlier by Tokio who relates his own struggles as a forger specialising in paintings. He is also a son engaged in a toxic relationship with his mother and her lover. Ostensibly the polar opposite to Sora in his situation, the tapes reveal that they share a lot more in common than just the apartment. From sharing the same birthday to a sense of isolation and distance from others, as Sora listens to Tokio, their shared parallel lives begin to offer her comfort and soon their narratives begin to weave together until the characters are interacting like a couple who are dating and she wants to support Tokio in his troubles. 

Up until this point, Inoue clearly has Sora as an observer of everything with her character listening to tapes and the scenes transitioning from her present reality to Tokio’s past travails with a simple dolly/panning shot across a location. However, as they interact the narrative becomes cloudy. Add to that two subplots involving café patrons influenced by Tokio, a hypnosis-mad junior high school boy looking to date a girl and a scriptwriter talking about a crime story, and the film’s plotting becomes rather unstuck and feels distracted. There is even a post-credits stinger at the end that undoes every perception of what has gone on before. Mileage may vary depending upon the viewer as to whether these subplots are worth the extra running time in the film but as a viewer, I simply chose to focus on the narrative that I liked the most, that of the interaction between Sora and Tokio who both play out something of a ghostly romance that offered them comfort at a time of loneliness (this reading can be combined with the scriptwriter’s story for maximum tragedy).

Despite this, what holds across the entirety of the film is the beautiful scenery and the good performances from the leads. Shot in Yokohama, director Inoue uses the artificial suburban locations and liminal spaces to create a sense of displacement and also uses geometry and his camera/actor’s blocking to create visually interesting compositions. Sora strumming a guitar in a tunnel with a curved roof that stretches out to infinity, Sora walking along a sea wall and Tokio on a road as the dusk light shines through a cloudbank, Sora sprawled out on tatami and a sofa, her body making a perfect diagonal line. It’s always visually beautiful, probably one of the best of the MOOSIC LAB offerings.

The actors have roles that demand a range of emotions and they essay them admirably. Ryo Sato is cute as a carefree girl and so the contrast when she becomes melancholy and absorbed in the cassettes was notable and felt believable and it leads to a sad song at the end. Sho Kasamatsu, lead actor in Flowers and Rain (2019) puts in an affecting performance with nuances and violent flareups as he moves through frustrations that goes against his gentle nature. The supporting cast are also good and match the atmosphere perfectly.

曇天街, the kanji used in the film’s title, translates as cloudy street and is quite appropriate as it’s never quite clear what is going on and one is left grasping onto nebulous storylines. In adopting different plots, timelines and an ambiguous narrative, it flows cloudily, never quite clear but the film still has its grip and when it comes to the musical moment of this MOOSIC LAB project, the lyrics and beautiful melody do hit home as two floundering people connect.

Terrarium Locker   

テラリウムロッカー　 「Terariumu Rokka-」

Release Date: 2019

Duration: 30 mins.

Director: Rika Aoi

Writer: Rika Aoi (Screenplay),

Starring: Kanako Miyashita, Osuke Tokunaga, Takashi Okado, Anju Oda,

Website     Twitter

Rika Aoi’s Terrarium Locker was first picked up for the Kanazawa Film Festival 2019 before it was re-edited for the MOOSIC LAB 2019 programme. She made it while also working as a manga editor and did so with a main staff made up of women in their 20s (source). The film is a quiet and quirky small-scale human drama about a young woman finding her place in the world.

“Is there anything in this world that only I can do?”

This is the question Momo Okamoto (Kanako Miyashita) often asks herself. She is an earnest and timid 26-year-old office lady working in a third-rate trading company. Her working day unfolds like this:

• Arrive early and set everything up,
• Make photocopies,
• Try to be as anonymous as possible when others are there,
• Close up shop once people are gone.

This is delivered to us via a montage of her rather mechanical actions which is accompanied by her narration which explains how her behaviour is a defence mechanism.

It’s all false masks and inauthenticity for Momo. On the surface she is bland because that helps her avoid the judgement of others and also the sexual predations of office lothario Segawa (Takashi Okado) but she has a secret pleasure: maintaining a terrarium in her locker. She secretly persists in growing its plant away from the eyes of others instead of on her desk because, while she loves to see it due to the healing effect it has on her heart, she is afraid of what others will say. At times, she states that she regards it as her true self, thus making explicit how the terrarium stands as a metaphor for her in her own sealed world at the office. And so she continues her lonely and bland life.

Things change when, while eating a lonely lunch, she meets a mysterious gardener (Osuke Tokunaga) with a strange aura and a strong belief in how to cultivate something beautiful. His advice on growing plants encourages Momo. Specifically, it is that a living thing needs to be out in the open to see the sunlight to fully grow and so the metaphor and the subject find perfect synergy as this inspires Momo to make a change in her own behaviour which has an impact on the world around her. Momo who, through adopting a false mask and avoiding authentic behaviour, existed in her own little sealed little world, now decides to break out of it with behaviour that is genuine to her.

It’s a simple drama with Momo’s paradoxical desire to not stand out but also do something unique acting as the drive for change and it is easy to relate to her desire since it is something we all feel. Also easy to relate to is her adopting such a bland persona to make the workplace bearable by reducing conflict and it is shown with the simple set up and the convincing behaviour of the cast which is given to us through clean and concise direction and editing. Her dealings with Segawa, the co-worker who won’t take no for an answer, heads to places that might feel somewhat contrived but the sense of having others dominate Momo does provide tension needed for conflict. Ultimately it is easy relate to Momo as a character, especially her reluctance to reveal something important to co-workers, and so seeing her break out of her shell and show her true self was really gratifying and an important lesson to be brave and try to shine rather than hide or let others define you.

Happy weekend, everyone.

I hope you are all safe and well.

This week I reviewed the films Dong Teng Town and Terrarium Locker and I’m helping prep a film festival. I watched a lot of films recently such as Widows, The Never-ending Story, and lots of Universal horror movies like Frankenstein and Dracula.

What is released this weekend?

Gekijouban hontou ni atta kowai hanashi jiko bukken geinin   

劇場版 ほんとうにあった怖い話 事故物件芸人 「Gekijouban hontou ni atta kowai hanashi jiko bukken geinin」

Release Date: January 22nd, 2021

Duration: 75 mins.

Director: Hiromitsu Amano

Writer: Hiromitsu Amano (Script),

Starring: Hiromasa Yashiki, Ami Maeshima, Kazuya Shimasa, Michio, SUNNY, Keisuke Nomura,

Website

The latest instalment in the popular omnibus horror series that visualises episodes carefully selected from the psychic and horror experiences submitted by people on the internet.

Synopsis: A horror with the theme of “black property“, a place where a death happened that is then declared as possibly haunted by the spirit of the dead person. This is one based on three episodes of an actual haunted property. In one, a struggling comedian named Koji is offered a job by a TV program producer to stay in a haunted property and this sounds a lot like a recent Hideo Nakata film called Stigmatized Properties…

The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window   

さんかく窓の外側は夜 「Sankaku Mado no Sotogawa wa Yoru」

Release Date: January 22nd, 2021

Duration: 102 mins.

Director: Yukihiro Morigaki

Writer: Tomoko Aizawa (Script), Tomoko Yamashita (Original Manga)

Starring: Masaki Okada, Jun Shison, Yurina Hirate, Kenichi Takuto, Yuki Sakurai, Makita Sports, Keiko Kitagawa,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Kosuke Mikado (Jun Shison) is a bookseller who can see ghosts and, because of this, he struggles with normality. One day, he meets a mysterious man named Rihito Hiyakawa (Masaki Okada) who is an exorcist and offers Kosuke the chance to take part in exorcisms. The two then get asked to help a serial murder case involving a cursed dead body.

Tetsuya Kumagawa K Ballet Company “Corsaire” in Cinema      

熊川哲也 Kバレエ カンパニー 「海賊」 in Cinema 「Kumakawa tetsuya K bare- kanpani- ‘Kaizoku’ in Cinema」

Running Time: 54 mins.

Release Date: January 22nd, 2021

Director: Tetsuya Kumakawa

Writer: N/A

Starring: Saya Narita, Shohei Horiuchi, Masaya Yamamoto, Mina Kobayashi, Shoya Ishibashi, Naoya Nishiguchi,

Website

The 11th instalment of the Tetsuya Kumakawa K-Ballet Company in Cinema series, is a recording of a performance staged at Bunkamura Orchard Hall from October 15th to 18th, 2020.

Synopsis: A pirate ship sailing in the Ionian Sea captained by Conrad and crewed by his minions like Bilbant, and Ali, attacks a merchant ship and makes off with a lot of treasure. The crew get drunk in celebration which leaves them vulnerable to a storm that seems them wrecked on a Greek beach. The Medora and Grunara sisters, who discovered the pirates, take good care of them, and Conrad falls in love with the beauty of Medora. However, a Turkish slave trader appears and captures the sisters. Conrad and his crew rise up to take back the sisters.

Coming Out Chugoku LGBT no Sakebi   

出櫃（カミングアウト）　中国 LGBTの叫び 「De hitsu (kaminguauto) Chuugoku LGBT no sakebi」

Release Date: January 23rd, 2021

Duration: 54 mins.

Director: Ho Man-man

Writer: N/A

Starring: N/A

Website

Director Ho Man-man comes from China but travelled to Japan where she now lives and works.

Synopsis: A documentary following two out of about 70 million people regarded as sexual minorities in China. A 24-year-old gay man named Gu-chau and a 32-year-old lesbian named An-an who face their parents and ask for acceptance themselves as they are. Gu-chao comes out while he is preparing for a teacher qualification exam in Jiangsu Province, China. Meanwhile, An-an came out before, when she was 19, to her mother who raised her single-handedly. This did not go well. She now lives in Shanghai and hopes that with the aid of a charity, An-an and her partner can make peace with her mother. Homosexuality was once regarded as a “crime” in China, where the conventional wisdom is still a deep-rooted reverence of the family. We get a glimpse of another side to this. 

Kyoto Saga Art University graduate Ujicha is a talented artist who uses hand-made and painted paper cut-outs for models and moves them by hand like marionettes to tell horror stories. He has dubbed it “Geki-mation” and he directs, writes, draws, edits, his own work and it is clear to see his skill is undeniable. Third Window Films are going to release a set of his works entitled UJICHA: Violence Voyager / Burning Buddha Man on January 25th on blu-ray & digital. 

Here are the details!

2 DISC LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY CONTENTS    

Disc 1: Violence Voyager

Uncut original Japanese language version
Audio commentary from director Ujicha and producer Reo Anzai
Interview with director Ujicha (20min)
Short Film: Tempura (4min)
Storyboards
Teaser of Ujicha’s latest film
Original Trailer

Disc 2: The Burning Buddha Man 

Short Film: The Retnepac2 (16min)   
Short Film: Space Yokai War (9min)
Original Trailer

Reversible sleeve artwork
Slipcase
Region B

Here are the trailers and synopses and a little extra info that I wrote when each film came out:

Burning Buddha Human            

燃える仏像人間   「Moeru Butsuzō Ningen」

Release Date: May 18^th, 2013

Running Time: 80 mins.

Director: Uji Cha

Writer: Uji Cha (Screenplay)

Starring: Yuka Iguchi, Minori Terada, Ryuki Kitaoka

David Lynch makes scary movies. The other sort of movie nightmare I fear look sort of like this. Seriously, this is the scariest and most brilliantly inventive thing I watched in 2013. The simple but highly detailed paper cuts outs and the bloody, visceral and creepy character designs created genuinely unsettling feelings in me. It is directed by Ujicha, a creative from Kyoto who wrote, drew and directed the images in this film. It stars the voice of the talented Yuka Iguchi who is a familiar voice actress who can be heard in anime like Bakemonogatari/Nisemonogatari as Tsukihi and in Haganai. She is joined by Minori Terada who voiced Musuka in Laputa Castle in the Sky.

Synopsis (rewrite based on TWF): The story begins with the theft of Buddha statues from temples in Kyoto. Schoolgirl Beniko (Yuka Iguchi) gets the Buddha statue at her family’s temple stolen and has her parents killed at the same time. She needs to know what caused the death of a parents and dreams of revenge. She goes on a fantastical journey to ultimately face the demon.

Violence Voyager   

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

Release Date: May 24th, 2019

Running Time: 81 mins.

Director: Ujicha

Writer: Ujicha (Screenplay)

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

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

Whenever the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme rolls around, I end up doing posts on Anime UK News (AUKN) and my blog. Earlier this month, I published a preview on AUKN and now it’s time for my blog!

Here are the headlines:

• This year’s programme is totally online and totally FREE to view for people in the UK,
• There are 18 films (one anime, no documentaries or shorts),
• Screening dates have been announced (keep checking the Japan Foundation’s SNS to get info on screening links),
• So far, no word on guests.

Here is the preview but with my own data format for the films.

Happy Weekend, everyone.

I hope you are all well.

This week, I posted news on the blu-ray/digital release of gekimation films from Ujicha – Violence Voyager and Buddha Burning Man so expect a review soon. I also posted details about the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021 which has 18 features that people in the UK can stream for free.

The website for the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021 has been released and I am involved with the fest again so expect coverage of as many films as I can do! It’s a physical event and also a digital one for this year. Stay tuned for more details.

Here is part one of my trailer post about what is released this weekend:

The End of the Tiny World   

名も無き世界のエンドロール 「Na mo Naki Sekai no Endo Ro-ru」

Release Date: January 29th, 2021

Duration: 101 mins.

Director: Yuichi Sato

Writer: Mitsutoshi Saijo (Script), Kaoru Yukinari (Original Novel)

Starring: Takanori Iwata, Mackenyu Arata, Anna Yamada, Anne Nakamura, Akira Emoto,

Website

A film from Yuichi Sato, director of Poison Berry in My Brain (2015).

Synopsis: Kida (Takanori Iwata) and Makoto (Mackenyu Arata) are two orphan boys and friends since childhood. When they meet a have been friends since they were children. When they meet a transfer student named Yocchi (Anna Yamada), a fellow orphan, they begin to spend their days together and their friendship seems like it will last forever but when they hit their 20s, their friendship fragments as Yocchi disappears, Kida chases after a woman and Makoto works in the criminal world…

Yakuza and The Family   

ヤクザと家族 The Family 「Yakuza to Kazoku The Family」

Release Date: January 29th, 2021

Duration: 136 mins.

Director: Michihito Fujii

Writer: Michihito Fujii (Script),

Starring: Gou Ayano, Hiroshi Tachi, Machiko Ono, Shun Sugata, Shinobu Terajima, Ryutaro Ninomiya,

Website IMDB

Michihito Fujii, director of The Journalist and Day and Night (both 2019), brings in Gou Ayano for a drama that takes place over the decades – Ayano has pedigree doing that with Beneath the Shadow (2020) and Twisted Justice (2016). His best role is still The Light Shines Only There (2014).

Synopsis: Taking place from 1999 to 2019, the story follows Kenji Yamamoto (Gou Ayano) who, when we first meet him, is a punk whose father has died from using drugs. His wild ways attract the attention of a paternal figure, Hiroshi Shibasaki (Hiroshi Tachi) the boss of the Shibasaki gang. Kenji joins up and enters a yakuza war with a rival gang, makes friends in the underworld and falls in love with a hostess named Yuka Kudo (Machiko Ono). Over the years, these relationships change and whither…

I Fell in Love Like A Flower Bouquet   

花束みたいな恋をした 「Hanataba mitaina koi o shita」

Release Date: January 29th, 2021

Duration: 124 mins.

Director: Nobuhiro Doi

Writer: Yuji Sakamoto (Script),

Starring: Masaki Suda, Kasumi Arimura, Joe Odagiri, Keiko Toda, Ryo Iwamatsu, Kaoru Kobayashi, Kaya Kiyohara, Mamoru Oshii,

Website IMDB

Nobuhiro Doi, director of Flying Colours (2015) works with the writer Yuji Sakamoto, famous for the Mirai Moriyama tearjerkers Crying Out Love in the Center of the World (2004) to bring a millennial romance to the screen starring Kasumi Arimura from I Am a Hero (2016), Masaki Suda of The Light Shines Only There (2014).

Synopsis: It is 2015 and university students Mugi Yamane (Masaki Suda) and Kinu Yatani (Kasumi Arimura) both meet by chance because they missed the last train at Meidaimae Station on the Tokyo Keio Line. It’s the start of a magical night where they find out that they share similar tastes in music, movies, and more. We watch them over the next five years as their relationship features ups and downs as adult commitments to each other seriously begin… 

Omoide Shashin   

おもいで写眞 「Omoide Shashin」

Release Date: January 29th, 2021

Duration: 110 mins.

Director: Naoto Kumazawa

Writer: Naoto Kumazawa (Script/Original Novel), Yukiko Manabe (Script),

Starring: Mai Fukagawa, Kengo Kora, Karina, Arata Iura, Kazuko Yoshiyuki,

Website

Naoto Kumazawa, director of Oto-na-ri (2009) The Anthem of the Heart (live-action – 2017), adapts his own novel and former Nogizaka46 member Mai Fukagawa takes the lead role. She has good support in Kengo Kora – A Story of Yonosuke (2013), Being Good (2015) Fish Story (2009).

Synopsis: Yuko (Mai Fukagawa) had hoped to be a make-up artist in Tokyo but her stubborn personality caused her to get fired and so she returns to her hometown in Toyama prefecture to work as a photographer at a photo studio left by her late grandmother, the woman who was effectively her mother. Yuko is appalled at the funeral photograph of the lady and this sentiment coalesces into an idea when she meets her childhood friend Ichiro (Kengo Kora), who works at a government office, to shoot photographic portraits of the elderly citizens in town. It’s tough work at first but Yuko begins to make progress as  she starts taking “Omoide Photographs” that capture more than a portrait, but a memory of those who are soon to be deceased…

Happy weekend, everyone.

Welcome to part two of the trailer post.

I forgot to mention in part one of my trailer post that my review for Keita Yamashina’s fun metatextual drama Body Remember is up at V-Cinema. It plays at the San Francisco Indie Fest next month. Also, I’m still working on festival stuff which launches in February/March!

What else was released this weekend?

Woman of the Photographs   

写真の女「Shashin no Onna」

Release Date: January 30th, 2021

Duration: 89 mins.

Director: Takeshi Kushida

Writer: Takeshi Kushida (Script),

Starring: Hideki Nagai, Itsuki Otaki, Toshiaki Inomata, Toki Koinuma, Takaaki Kikuchi, Keiko Katsukura, Ryo Tsuchida,

OAFF Website   IMDB

Writer/director Takeshi Kushida makes his feature debut with Woman of the Photographs has been wowing people across the world with its pristine and inventive visuals and solid story of love in a time of social media madness.

Here’s my interview with the director and my review of the film.

Synopsis: Middle-aged photographer Kai (Hideki Nagai) is committed to living a bachelor’s life due to his gynaphobia but when an Instagram model named Kyoko (Itsuki Otani) crashes into his life, an offbeat meet-cute turns into a psycho-romance as her search for social media success draws him into helping her.

Aru Youmuin   

ある用務員 「Aru Youmuin」

Release Date: January 29th, 2021

Duration: 86 mins.

Director: Yugo Sakamoto

Writer: Shozen Matsudaira (Script), 

Starring: Seiji Fukushi, Haruka Imou, Tomoya Maeno, Hannya, Yutaka Shimizu,

Website

Yugo Sakamoto, co-director, along with Nagiko Tsuji, of the hilarious short Pan (2017), has turned to making crime dramas and this is his latest, one which brings to mind Tak Sakaguchi’s Re:born.

Synopsis: Fukami (Seiji Fukushi) is a high school janitor who moonlights as an assassin since he comes from a crime family. He watches over his cousin Yui Majima (Haruka Imou), who is attending the school. When her father father is murdered in a gang war, Yui is targeted next and so Fukami devotes himself to protecting her assassins descend on the school…

To Heal Wounds of Heart Theatrical Version   

心の傷を癒すということ　劇場版 「Kokoro no kizu o iyasu to iu koto gekijouban」

Release Date: January 29th, 2021

Duration: 116 mins.

Director: Mojiri Adachi

Writer: Ryoko Kuwahara (Script), Katsumasa An (Original Non-fiction Novel)

Starring: Tasuku Emoto, Machiko Ono, Ryo Ishibashi, Gaku Hamada, Naotaro Moriyama, Kurumi Shimizu, Mari Hamada,

Website

Tasuko Emoto, actor in Dynamite Graffiti (2018) and It Feels So Good (2019) portrays Kazutaka, a real-life psychiatrist who worked at Kobe University Hospital during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in this movie adaptation of an NHK drama. Four episodes that were broadcast in January 2020 have been re-edited for the silver screen.

Synopsis: Kazutaka An is a doctor who enjoys playing jazz and reading books. When he learns that his family have roots in Korea, he begins to question his identity. This sparks an interest in psychology and, despite opposition from his father, he moves into the field. Life seems smooth as he also marries his childhood sweetheart and they have kids together but then a devastating earthquake strikes Kobe and Kazutaka uses his skills to give treatment to the victims by listening to their stories and feeling their pain.

Smoky & Bitter   

スモーキー・アンド・ビター 「Sumo-ki- ando bita-」

Release Date: January 30th, 2021

Duration: 103 mins.

Director: Kyoji Kamui

Writer: Kyoji Kamui (Script), 

Starring: Shunsaku Kudo, Chiaki Hiratsuka, Sayoko Hagiwara, Hiroyuki Hagita, Mitsunari Sakamoto,

Website

Kyoji Kamui, an actor who also appeared in the GANTZ live-action adaptations, makes his sophomore feature here as he takes on direction, screenwriting, production, shooting, editing, and more. 

Synopsis: Amnesiac hitman Moroboshi wanders into a remote town and is taken in by Satomi, a beautiful married woman who works for “Walmono Production”, a criminal group that hires out hitmen… like Moroboshi who encounters co-workers… The film consists of two episodes, “side A”, which is shot like a western drama, and “side B”, which is shot in a Japanese movie style.

Stay   

Release Date: September 05th, 2020

Duration: 38 mins.

Director: Naoya Fujita

Writer: Suzuyuki Kaneko (Script), 

Starring: Keita Yamashina, Ruka Ishikawa, Takaki Uda, Yumi Endo, Kenta Yamagishi, Kohei Nagano, Suzuyuki Kaneko,

Stay, by director Naoya Fujita, has been screened at the Tama New Wave Festival, Skip City D-Festival and the Osaka Asian Film Festival which is where I saw it as part of the package of films supported by the Housen Cultural Foundation, an organisation which provides financial backing to students in graduate schools across Japan. The inspiration for the story comes from the time when Fujita encountered a traditional Japanese-style home and was immediately taken with it, imagining what it would be like for a community to form around it and this idea evolving into one asking the question of what constitutes a family.

We enter Fujita’s house through Yajima (Keita Yamashina), a meek and clumsy village official who has shown up at the old place with orders to convince the occupants to move into social housing or simply evict them. What he discovers is a community of strangers who, despite having no ties to the house, have all gathered there and pitch in when it comes to doing chores. 

Initially we wonder about these people who are effectively squatters and their motivation. This is one of any number of abandoned homes in Japan which one can surmise is the result of depopulation. What of the former owners? Are the current ones right to revive it by staying there illegally if nobody has come to claim it? Yajima is torn by this question and struggles to perform his job and so mild comedy ensues as he ventures around the place and makes some social faux-pas while trying to ingratiate himself with others.

Throughout the time we observe these people, director Fujita and his cast depict the subtle relationship dynamics between the occupants. Even though their backgrounds remain opaque and disparate, they have fallen into a “family relationship” and within this their behaviour carries menacing hints of their mentalities. Alongside a couple of guys who seem to be friends or brothers, there is a perky young woman named Maki (Ruka Ishikawa) who acts as a cheerleader binding people together. She shows Yajima around and ropes him into collecting food. There is a kind 30-something woman named Saeko (Yumi Endo) who has taken on the “mother of the house” role and provides a steadying hand to Yajima through guidance on how to get along with others. Then there is the “master of the house”, a confident hands-on man named Suzuyama (Takaki Uda) who is remodelling the place to his own tastes even though nobody has asked him to. 

Suzuyama’s sweeping confidence and joviality papers over his controlling nature as shown by the way he issues orders to the other housemates and he remodels the house the way he likes it. That Saeko picks up on this masculine control and flees from it is quite telling. Maki is someone who might be described as a genki girl at first but we see her character deflate and become vulnerable when people start to exit the house. It is as if she is empty inside and has become dependent on others. Indeed, it feels as if they are all dependent upon the presence of someone else for their own happiness including the house itself.

The setting of the house is really evocative and a character in its own right. Its large tatami-covered rooms partitioned by shoji encourages people to be together. When people are together, there is a liveliness to the space. It is all shown via a couple of exterior and interior shots relayed by precise camera placement and a few sweeping pans and meaningful zooms from which we get a perfect view of the location and its occupants. The actors move their way through the environment with perfect synchronicity as they act out their story and come and go. The contrast between the scenes of communal living, as shown when the group dine together on nabe, and seeing the house devoid of people after so much activity is disquieting, as if we have seen the dissolution of a family and the soul of the house in the short duration of the film. It serves to reinforce the idea that spaces and people need others for life.

By the end of the film I was considering the word “Stay”. It has different emotions attached to it. One is a sense of security, as in a nice place to stay. Friends, family, a familiarity and safety that makes staying comfortable. Another emotion is a sense of abandonment. When others go, you are left behind. The film cycles through these things and even suggests that staying somewhere can be constricting and it is a natural inevitability that people will want to leave. Being human is to be subject to these constrasting emotions. It’s all subtly told over 38 minutes and worth a watch, the desolate feeling at the end being quite profound.

The last time I reviewed Housen films was in 2017 and while each year presents new and interesting titles, the 2020 batch had a couple of enthralling ones done in a minimalist style that caught my attention. Stay was one of them. The selection for 2021 offers more.

From February 01st – 07th and June 2nd – 06th 2020, the 50th edition of the Rotterdam International Film Festival will screen their films online. It’s going to be an online experience available to people in Holland, however, some of the screen talks will be available worldwide. These are all available to view over a certain number of days via the festival’s own streaming platform.

Check out this page for more details.

There are three films programmed. One of the films here was at the Tokyo International Film Festival last year, one looks relatively brand new while the other comes from France and they are all in the Big Screen Competition.

Here are the Japanese movies:

Aristocrats   

あのこは貴族 「Ano ko wa Kizoku」

Release Date: February 26th, 2021

Duration: 124 mins.

Director: Yukiko Sode

Writer: Yukiko Sode (Script), Mariko Yamauchi (Original Novel)

Starring: Mugi Kadowaki, Kiko Mizuhara, Kengo Kora, Shizuka Ishibashi, Rio Yamashita, Yukiko Shinohara, Kei Ishibashi,

Website IMDB

Available from Tuesday 02nd February 13:30 to Friday 05th February 13:30

Based on Mariko Yamauchi’s novel of the same name, it follows two women with different lives who live in Tokyo.

Synopsis: Hanako Haibara (Mugi Kadowaki) is in her late twenties and is from a well-to-do background (perhaps cloistered) in Tokyo and is looking for a man to marry. After getting dumped by her boyfriend Koichiro (Kengo Kora), she hits the dating scene but she questions her path in life. Meanwhile, Miki Tokioka (Kiko Mizuhara) is from a less affluent background having come from Toyama prefecture but studied and worked hard to get to into a prestigious university and, after tough times where she questioned the meaning of everything, she now works at an IT company but is also uncertain about life. They are introduced through an intermediary man. Due to a man, Hanako Haibara and Miki Tokioka meet each other and contrast their lives.

Sexual Drive    

セクシャルドライブ 「Sekusharu Doraibu」

Release Date: January 29th, 2021

Duration: 70 mins.

Director: Kota Yoshida

Writer: Kota Yoshida (Script), 

Starring: Akira Matsumoto, Tateto Serizawa, Manami Hashimoto, Ryo Ikeda, Honami Sato, Mukau Nakamura, Rina Takeda, Shogen,

Twitter IMDB

Available from Thursday 04th February 16:45 to Sunday 07th February 16:45

Synopsis: A triptych about sex seen through the lens of aphrodisiac foods natto, mapo tofu and ramen with extra fat. In the natto episode, a suspicious man named Kurita (Tateto Serizawa) visits a designer named Enatsu (Ryo Ikeda) and declares he is having an affair with the latter’s wife Masumi (Manami Hashimoto). Kurita appears again in the Mapo Tofu episode as he asks Akane (Honami Sato), the woman who used to bully him, to hit him with her car. The Ramen episode is about an adulterous affair between married Ikeyama (Shogen) and Momoka (Rina Takeda).

Les Sorcières de l’Orient   

Release Date: N/A

Duration: 100 mins.

Director: Julien Faraut

Writer: N/A

Starring: N/A

IMDB

Available from Friday 05th February 16:45 to Monday 08th February 16:45

Synopsis from the festival: They are known as the ‘The Witches of the Orient’: the Japanese women’s volleyball team who won Olympic gold at the 1964 Games in Tokyo. They started out as the team of a textile factory, winning victory after victory, and their record of 258 successive wins remains unbeaten to this day. The team were so popular that a whole raft of manga characters, cartoons and anime series was based on them. Julien Faraut’s sparkling documentary makes use of fantastic manga and anime sequences, such as Attack no 1 (1968), with archival footage of blood-curdling matches and extreme training sessions, driven by rhythmic editing and great music from French musician K-Raw.

Faraut has previously dived deep into the world of sports, such as in L’Empire de la perfection, featuring 16mm footage of tennis player John McEnroe. This time he adds a smattering of pop culture references. When the women – now in their seventies – get together again after many years, they are playfully introduced like the heroines of a 1960s spy film. Volleyball like you’ve never seen it before.

Rotterdam 2012

Rotterdam 2013         Part One       /      Part Two

Rotterdam 2014

Rotterdam 2015

Rotterdam 2016

Rotterdam 2017

Rotterdam 2018

Rotterdam 2019

Rotterdam 2020

Happy weekend, everyone.

I hope you are all well.

This week I was in work for a few days as I helped set up an exhibition. I’ve also continued work on writing material for a film festival coming up in March. Expect more details soon.

This week I posted a review of the film Stay (2019) and a preview of the Japanese films at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. I’ll have another post later today but for now…

What is released this weekend? Look below in part one of a two-part trailer post!

Endless SHOCK   

Release Date: February 01st, 2021

Duration: 169 mins.

Director: Koichi Domoto

Writer: Koichi Domoto (Script), 

Starring: Koichi Domoto, Tatsuya Ueda, Ayaka Umeda, Yuuki Koshioka, Yusuke Matsuzaki,

Website

Endless SHOCK is a popular musical written, composed, directed and starring Koichi Domoto of the group KinKi Kids and this performance is a special one that was recorded in 2020 for its 20th Anniversary. A run of shows were scheduled at the Imperial Theater in Tokyo until Covid-19 forced its cancellation. So, instead of having a live audience, the organisers used 16 cameras, including 3 crane cameras and a drone, in the theatre to record a performance. 

Synopsis: Koichi is a young entertainer hoping to make it big in show business by conquering New York’s Broadway theatre world. His company start at small theatres Off-Broadway before the press notice them and they get promoted to the big leagues…

Jukai Village / Suicide Forest Village    

樹海村 「Jukai Mura」

Release Date: February 05th, 2021

Duration: 117 mins.

Director: Takashi Shimizu

Writer: Takashi Shimizu, Daisuke Hosaka (Script), 

Starring: Jun Kunimura, Yumi Adachi, Asuka Kurosawa, Anna Yamada, Haruka Kudo, Rio Yamashita, Yuki Kura,

Website IMDB

This is the follow-up to Takashi Shimizu’s last film, Howling Village, the latest instalment of the “Actual Record! Horror Village Series” that depicts real-life psychic spots. The Ju-On director has stayed true to his horror roots and while Howling Village wasn’t that scary, he’s still got some quality in him.

Synopsis: Around Mount Fuji is Aokigahara Forest, a deep and dense tangle also known as jukai (sea of trees). It is a place where people commit suicide. A mysterious box connected to the place is reputed to exist and it is said to cause madness in whoever holds it due to a curse. This rumour spreads on the internet and a girl named Hibiki (Anna Yamada) gets cursed by said box. Her older sister Mei (Mayu Yamaguchi), looking for a way to rid the world of this damned item has to search for the source of the box and travels to ‘Jukai Village’, a place hidden in Aokigahara forest and she learns the history of the place… 

The Cinderella Addiction   

哀愁しんでれら 「Aishu Shinderera」

Release Date: February 05th, 2021

Duration: 114 mins.

Director: Ryohei Watanabe

Writer: Ryohei Watanabe (Script), 

Starring: Tao Tsuchiya, Kei Tanaka, Coco, Anna Yamada, Miho Kanazawa, Ryo Ishibashi,

Website

Ryohei Watanabe, director of Shady (2018), is back with an original film.

Synopsis: Koharu Fukuura (Tao Tsuchiya) is a civil servant living an average life when, one night, her life falls apart. Her grandfather falls ill, her father is arrested for drunk driving, her house burns down, and she discovers that her boyfriend is having an affair with one of her colleagues. In the depth of despair, Koharu meets Doctor Daigo (Kei Tanaka), a rich and handsome man who raises his 8-year-old daughter Hikari alone and seems to fall in love with Koharu. He proposes to her and Koharu accepts and her life seems to change for the better until, one day, she commits a vicious crime.

Utsusemi no Mori   

空蝉の森 「Utsusemi no Mori」

Release Date: February 05th, 2021

Duration: 117 mins.

Director: Toru Kamei

Writer: Toru Kamei (Script), 

Starring: Noriko Sakai, Ayumu Saito, Kazuhiko Kanayama, Nao Nagasawa, Akira Emoto,

Website

Synopsis: Yuko (Noriko Sakai) is an ordinary woman but when she goes missing for 3 months, she comes back home different according to her husband Akihiko (Ayumu Saito). He soon becomes convinced that her doctor has something to do with it. Meanwhile, a police inspector (Akira Emoto) begins to investigate the married couple in connection with an inheritance case…

Gekijouban utsuhime obakamiko   

劇場版・打姫オバカミーコ「Gekijouban Utsuhime Obaka Miko」

Release Date: February 05th, 2021

Duration: 94 mins.

Director: Keita Matsuda

Writer: Keita Matsuda (Script), Masayuki Katayama (Original Manga)

Starring: Akari Suda, Masato Hagiwara, Sayuri, Asami Oda, Mikoto Hibi, Masayuki Katayama, Jun Amaki,

Website IMDB

The popular manga of the same name gets a live-action adaptation with Akari Suda of the popular idol group SKE48 in the lead role. The movie version of all 5 episodes that were pre-distributed exclusively for ABEMA Premium from September 2020, re-edited with cut scenes added in the distribution version.

Synopsis: Miiko is a professional Mahjong player but she isn’t very good at the game. When she runs into a former Top-Tier Mahjong Pro named Namidame in a parlour, she asks him to teach her and so the two work together to help Miiko work her way up to the top leagues.

The Organisers of the Osaka Asian Film Festival have announced details of the 2021 edition. The top headlines are:

It is going ahead in two forms, one physical and one digital

• On screen (OAFF 2021 programs in cinemas): March 5 – March 14
• Online (Selected films from previous OAFF programs): February 28 – March 20

The screen programs will consist of the Competition, Indie Forum, and other sections and special programs dedicated to emerging trends in Asian cinema.

The Online Programs will have a rich selection of works that have been screened at the Osaka Asian Film Festival in the past. These films will be available to rent for a limited time through VOD (video on demand) services via a streaming platform. The viewing period for these films is from February 28 to March 20 as “Osaka Asian Film Festival Online” and it will be available in Japan. The first title to bee announced for online screening is WHOLE, a drama about biracial people searching for their identity in Japan (here’s my review).

Due to the Coronavirus situation, there will be rules in place at cinemas to keep people safe and the festival’s program might change at short notice, so please keep an eye on the official site and also SNS: Twitter, Facebook etc.

Also announced were the OPENING and CLOSING films.

The opening film of the 16th Osaka Asian Film Festival will be Keep Rolling, an intimate documentary dedicated to Ann Hui, one of Hong Kong’s most iconic and idiosyncratic filmmakers. An informative, and fascinating work, this is the directorial debut of Man Lim-chung, a veteran art director and costume designer and one of Ann Hui’s frequent collaborators. It will have its Japanese Premiere on March 5 at Umeda Burg 7.

Keep Rolling 好好拍電影   

映画をつづける 「Eiga o tsuzukeru」

Release Date: 2020

Duration: 111 mins.

Director: Man Lim-chung

Writer: N/A

Starring: Ann Hui, Andy Lau, Tsui Hark, Sylvia Chang,

Ann Hui is an important filmmaker who has recently rose to prominence, probably because she doesn’t specialise in a genre like her male peers and yet her importance to Hong Kong film is undeniable once you understand a little. This documentary is a brilliant insight into her life that provides that understanding. Last year she was awarded an honorary Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, so this documentary comes at the perfect time.

Synopsis: Keep Rolling is a deeply personal portrait of the celebrated filmmaker Ann Hui. It spans seven decades of her life and features a wealth of archive footage, photos, and interviews with friends, family, and major players in the international film industry. Acting as our guide is Ann Hui herself, an effervescent presence who delivers humorous and honest looks at her background, career, and private life as she takes in all of her artistic and commercial highs as well as the crushing lows and personal sacrifices she has experienced as part of her unwavering dedication to cinema and her continual exploration of Hong Kong life. Keep Rolling was one of five films named as a Film of Merit at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards 2020.

The festival will then close with the World Premiere screening of The Asian Angel, Yuya Ishii’s latest work, on March 14.

The Asian Angel

アジアの天使 「Ajia no Tenshi」

Release Date: March 14th, 2021

Duration: 128 mins.

Director: Yuya Ishii

Writer: Yuya Ishii (Script), 

Starring: Sosuke Ikematsu, Moon Choi, Joe Odagiri, Kim Min-Jae,

The Asian Angel is an original film by writer/director Yuya Ishii, a young talent who rose to prominence on the back of indie films like Sawako Decides (2010) and Mitsuko Delivers (2011) before he was catapulted into the mainstream with his hit 2013 film The Great Passage, a title which netted him a number of Best Director accolades, including one at the 2013 Japanese Academy Awards which made him the youngest winner in the event’s history. His global reputation rose further with The Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue for which he was given Best Director at the 2018 Asian Film Awards. Last year, he returned to his indie roots with All the Things We Never Said, a fine drama.

The Asian Angel looks like a return to his trailblazing form and was a big leap for the director. This is Ishii’s first international production as it was shot entirely in Korea, from February to March last year, and 95% of cast and crew were Korean. Ishii has commented on how they were able to miraculously complete the shoot safely despite the issues presented by the Coronavirus pandemic. For the cast, he has a couple of familiar players and one newbie in the lead roles.

Taking the lead is Japanese actor Sosuke Ikematsu, a young talent who has worked with influential directors like Hirokazu Kore-eda (After the Storm), Shinya Tsukamoto (Killing). Ikematsu has appeared in a number of Ishii’s films including The Tokyo Night Sky is Always the Densest Shade of Blue. The lead female role was taken by Korean star Moon Choi, a popular actress who came to prominence for her award-winning performance in Anarchist from Colony (2017: OAFF 2018 Opening Work), and Our Body (2018: screened at OAFF 2019). They are joined by veteran actor Joe Odagiri who appeared in The Great Passage and who has collaborated with Korean filmmakers such as Kim Ki-duk and Kang Je-kyu (My Way). These actors play characters who face various difficulties and various divisions between themselves, but, once together, they can share their pain in a drama that is expected to create a new type of “Asian Family Movie” that will illuminate a new era.

Synopsis: Following the death of his wife, young novelist Takeshi Aoki (Sosuke Ikematsu) has been raising his eight-year-old son Manabu alone. He quits Japan with his boy and travels to Seoul hoping to stay with his estranged older brother Toru (Joe Odagiri) but what he discovers is that his brother’s life is nothing like he was told as the man struggles to make a living importing dubious cosmetics. In a foreign land and barely able to speak the language, when Toru’s business partner disappears on him, Takeshi must step up and help his brother in another scheme somewhere in the countryside.

Meanwhile, a struggling singer named Choi Seol (Moon Choi) is embroiled in a relationship with the controlling president of her talent agency. With no parents to call on and an older brother and younger sister to support, Seol submits to the pressure her label puts her under to perform what they tell her but when she is dropped by them and dumped by her lover she loses her purpose in life. Cast adrift, she heads to her family home in the countryside and this is when she fatefully meets Takeshi…

Happy weekend! Again!

I hope you are still feeling good.

This is part two of my trailer post (part one came out yesterday) because there were a lot of films to get through. I also posted information about the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021, how it will operate and the opening and closing films.

What else was released this weekend?

Murderous Intent’s Journey (Movie Version)   

劇場版　殺意の道程 「Gekijouban Satsui no Michinori」

Release Date: February 05th, 2021

Duration: 120 mins.

Director: Takeshi Sumida

Writer: Bakarythm (Script), 

Starring: Bakarhythm, Arata Iura, Mayu Hotta, Yui Sakuma, Shingo Tsurumi, Rin Asuka Yojin Hino, Gamon Kaai,

Website IMDB

A re-edited theatrical version of the WOWOW drama which ran for seven episodes. It was written by Bakarhythm, who is a popular comedian turning into a good writier.

Synopsis: When the owner of a small cardboard processing company kills himself due to bankruptcy, it leaves his son Kazuma (Arata Iura) and nephew Mitsuru (Bakarhythm) angry because he was driven to such a drastic action by debts caused by Yoshiyuki, the CEO of a company that ripped Takaki off. The two decide to take revenge on Yoshiyuki when the law doesn’t provide sufficient punishment, however, killing another person is not so easy. The two must decide where the location must be, the killing method, and the tools necessary for a perfect crime. We watch their struggle in planning their first murder…

Horimiya   

ホリミヤ 「Horimiya」

Release Date: February 05th, 2021

Duration: 87 mins.

Director: Hana Matsumoto

Writer: Yoshifumi Sakai (Script), HERO, Daisuke Hagiwara (Original Manga)

Starring: Oji Suzuka, Sayu Kubota, Jin Suzuki, Rion Okamoto, Akira Onodera,

Website IMDB

A live-action version of a popular web manga (details) that later went into print and was also made into a TV animation.

Synopsis: Izumi Miyamura, who is nerdy, sober, neat, and quiet, is the complete contrast to his classmate Kyoko Hori, a bright and popular honour student. The two opposites have something in common… they both have a secret side that no one knows about. In her private life, Hori is a homebody taking care of her younger brother Souta and doing chores while Miyamura dresses like a goth with nose rings and more! Their worlds collide when Miyamura helps Souta out after he has a nosebleed. They both agree to keep one another’s secret but this meeting forges their relationship as they get to know each other.

Light from There ~ From Me in the Future to Me ~   

そこからの光　未来の私から私へ 「Soko kara no Hikari Mirai no Watashi ara Watashi he」

Release Date: February 06th, 2021

Duration: 78 mins.

Director: Shigeru Yodogawa

Writer: Hiroyuki Takase, Shigeru Yodogawa (Script), 

Starring: Ayane Nagabuchi, Keiko Enoue, Aki Morita, Yuki Fujiki, Takashi Nishina, Shiro Namiki, Ayumi Oka, Minako Tanaka,

Website IMDB

This drama depicts how she is rehabilitated and the people who support her. It is based on real cases and made with the help of an NPO. 

Synopsis:  Shoko Nakamura (Ayane Nagabuchi) is an active and energetic college student but in the wake of a traffic accident a pain and numbness affects her body to the point that it becomes difficult to walk. An examination by doctors diagnoses “multiple sclerosis.” 

Moruerani no kiri no naka   

モルエラニの霧の中 「Moruerani no kiri no naka」

Release Date: February 06th, 2021

Duration: 214 mins.

Director: Takushi Tsubokawa

Writer: Takushi Tsubokawa (Script), HERO, Daisuke Hagiwara (Original Manga)

Starring: Ren Osugi, Koji Shimizu, Ryunosuke Kawai, Nene Ohtsuka,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: This is a film made with the help of the people of Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan. It depicts seven stories based on real events and people connected to the city. It has a collection of stories taking place at different times of the year, one, for example, being about the arrival of a passenger liner while another is about the demolition of a museum. One features a tree doctor and another a photographer (played by Ren Osugi – this looks like it might be the last new role that we see him in). Since this was shot over five years, it captures the history of the place, a history which would fade into obscurity.

Gekijouban Eguchi Takuya no Oretachi datte Iyasaretai! Osaka no Tabi 

劇場版　江口拓也の俺たちだって癒されたい！　大阪の旅「Gekijouban Eguchi Takuya no Oretachi datte Iyasaretai! Osaka no Tabi」

Release Date: February 05th, 2021

Duration: N/A

Director: N/A

Writer: N/A

Starring: Soma Saito (Narration), Takuya Eguchi, Kotarou Nishiyama, Shun Horie,

Website

Synopsis: This is the movie version of a popular voice actor travel program featuring Takuya Eguch and Koutaro Nishiyama (acting as an assistant) where Eguchi invites other voice actors as assistants to go on a journey with him. The theme of these journeys is healing. Shun Horie is the guest in this isntallment and the three travel to Osaka, Horie’s hometown, where they do touristic things like making original cup noodles at the Nissin factory, eating kushiage, and enjoying other activities. At the end of the trip, they visit an inn and are… healed in a yukata. Whatever that means. It’s a relaxing time. Anyway, this show has been running since 2016 and it looks like this was filmed in 2019, before Coronavirus…

The Glasgow Film Festival (February 24th – March 07th) will launch for its 17th edition this month and there is only one Japanese film in the line-up.

Here is what is on offer:

Dreams on Fire   

ドリームズ・オン・ファイア 「Dori-muzu on Faia」

Release Date: 2021

Duration: 123 mins.

Director: Philippe McKie

Writer: Philippe McKie (Script) 

Starring: Bambi Naka, Masahiro Takashima, Akaji Maro

Twitter IMDB

Streaming from March 6-9.

Philippe McKie is a Canadian-born filmmaker based in Japan. Calling Tokyo his home for nearly a decade, he has worked as a producer for a variety of corporate projects, including working with Apple, BBC, Channel 4, CNN, and Toyota. While doing this he has performed as a DJ and club organiser, through which he explored Tokyo’s underground dance, music, and fashion subcultures. He has made a grip of short films including Be My First, a tribute/deconstruction of pink films, and the cyberpunk thriller Breaker. ‘Dreams on Fire‘ is his debut work. You can read an interview (where I got most of the above info) with the filmmaker here.

The film stars Bambi Naka, a phenomenal dancer who, when shown in full flow, is astounding. The story and characters she meets are totally in service to her development but the depiction of the various dance clubs, music and styles feel spot-on as electronica, S&M clubs, and street dance styles are put up on colourful display. This would be great on the big screen.

Synopsis: Yume dreams of being a dancer, much to the opposition of her grandfather (Akaji Maro). She leaves home and heads to Tokyo where she stays in a tiny room and looks for work to support her dream of becoming a dancer. Her dedication to the cause requires a stint in Kabukicho which poses danger but eventually she starts to break into the dance industry as she studies various styles and subcultures. 

Here’s coverage of Glasgow from past years:

GIFF 2020

GIFF 2019

GIFF 2018

GIFF 2017

GIFF 2016

GIFF 2015

Body Remember

Release Date: N/A

Duration: 85 mins.

Director: Keita Yamashina

Writer: Ippei Miyake, Keita Yamashina (Script), 

Starring: Yume Tanaka, Yohei Okuda, Ryuta Furuya,
Takaya Shibata, Momoka Ayukawa, Keita Yamashina,

Website IMDB

A trend in recent Japanese indie films is the use of self-reflexive stories that prompt both the characters and the audience to constantly interrogate what is real. Body Remember, the directorial debut by actor Keita Yamashina, is one such example as it blurs the lines between dream, reality, and fantasy from start to finish in a playful adventure in interpretation as experienced by an artist and writer committing to the page a sultry woman’s murky past.

Told through a series of nested stories, Body Remember opens with a bang as we gaze upon the aftermath of a double-shooting which has resulted from a love triangle gone tragically wrong. We watch as the history of this compelling scene is recounted by a sexy woman named Yoko (Yume Tanaka) in an interview with her cousin, a young novelist named Haruhiko (Takaya Shibata), and his artist girlfriend Ririko (Momoka Ayukawa) at a café. This is the present-tense narrative from which flashbacks emerge. She relates a tale of friends who fell out over her, the details of which Yoko’s two listeners intend to turn into a novel. 

Three year’s previously Yoko was married to laconic bar owner Akira (Yohei Okuda). One night, Akira’s best friend, suave lawyer Jiro (Ryuta Furuya), re-enters their lives after a long absence. A long absence for Akira, that is. Yoko and Jiro had kept in touch and it is eventually revealed they had a relationship at one point. While the three friends initially seem excited to be reunited, a sense of tension soon emerges as the two men revisit their past, dredge up the darkness of their private lives, and circle around Yoko who feels trapped between the two and subject to their passions which seem to have led to the scandalous murder at the start of the film.

Their scintillating drama would provide prime material for an airport novel at the very least. However, the truth of what exactly happened is constantly in question. Almost immediately, any expectations of a simple recitation of a sordid history is made both complicated and intriguing because Yoko delivers her narrative in a dreamy manner that suggests she might be an unreliable narrator. More tellingly, we are also aware that what we view on screen in the flashbacks are moments taken from Haruhiko’s novel due to the opening scene of the shooting fading directly into the manuscript he is typing. As we watch the flashbacks, we see that his interpretation lends events a noir-like spin, enhanced by flashback mise-en-scene (shadows and moody lighting), score (shambling trumpets and shimmering cymbals) and in the performance as Yoko behaves a little like a femme fatale while the two men increasingly seem like jealous lovers fated to die.

The film’s blurring of perspectives continues as work on the novel progresses and others question the veracity of Yoko’s account, particularly Ririko. Her point of view begins to inform the film’s second half as difficulties in making the novel arise and she notices her partner falling under the influence of his glamorous cousin. All of this provides fertile ground for the cast who show their full range as they embrace multifaceted roles. Indeed, this demonstration of acting ability is the film’s raison d’etre.

The genesis of Body Remember occurred when Yamashina took to acting in theatre in between appearing in indie films like Swaying Mariko (2017), My Lovely Days (2018), and Stay (2019). He was so inspired by his fellow stage actors that he crowdfunded and then made this film, co-written with the playwright Ippei Miyake, with the intention of providing its cast with challenging roles to showcase their talent. Everyone shines here, particularly Okuda and Furuya. Their chemistry is so good that they feel like besties with a long history but also a broken bond, as brought out in energetic laughter-filled dialogue of college shenanigans that is undermined by subtle body language that suggests false bonhomie is barely covering the cracks in their relationship. They have a good physicality that includes sensuality and their characters’ sexuality comes into question (something Furuya playfully experimented with in the 2016 drama At the Terrace). Tanaka is the axis around which this story revolves and she has a smouldering presence which she occasionally allows to gutter out with moments of mystery and melancholy. Shibata and Ayukawa act as our entry into this story and are entirely sympathetic and interesting as they wrestle with the material. Rounding things off is Yamashina who adds another breach between reality and fiction.

Yamashina’s clear direction ensures that the camera catches the performers perfectly while concise editing keeps the story flowing along smoothly. Just as you think you are getting a hold on things, the perspectives and fine performances change but it never feels confused or contrived and so we can enjoy the atmospheric performances and getting to the bottom of the mystery presented in the creation of a novel from different perspectives.

Body Remember is streaming as part of SF IndieFest from February 4-21.

My review was first posted on V-Cinema on January 26th