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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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
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
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
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,
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
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,
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
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,
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,
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…