Happy Weekend, people!
I hope you are all well.
This is the second weekend of the decade and we’re all still here. I have been playing Resident Evil 2: Remake, a Christmas present from my mother and sister, and I’ve been having a blast. I got past Mr. X without dying – although he did punch me as I walked through a door to evade a licker. It’s very cinematic thanks to the moody lighting and brilliant level design and character animation. After getting to the sewer, I’ve shelved it for now because I have films to do. I watched the film Erica 38 and reviewed it for V-Cinema. I also wrote about the films playing at this year’s Rotterdam International Film Festival and 10 films I hope to pick up in Japan this year.
What is released this weekend?
Stare 
シライサン 「Saiki Kusuo no Sainan」
Release Date: January 10th, 2020
Duration: 97 mins.
Director: Otsuichi/Hirotaka Adachi
Writer: Otsuichi/Hirotaka Adachi (Screenplay),
Starring: Marie Iitoyo, Yu Inaba, Shota Sometani, Mitsuki Tanimura, Shuugo Oshinari, Manami Enosawa,
Synopsis: Mizuki and Haruo are two students who find themselves sucked into a horrific string of deaths after the death of a friend and a brother respectively. The deaths all involve a heart attack visibly provoked by extreme fear and the victim’s eyes literally explode. They search for clues as to what is going on but when one potential source dies, all they have to work on is the name Shirai-san. Mamiya, a journalist, is also investigating and joins the two as they get sucked into a gory horror story.
Kaiji: The Final Game 
カイジ ファイナルゲーム 「Kaiji Fainaru Ge-mu」
Release Date: January 10th, 2020
Duration: 128 mins.
Director: Toya Sato,
Writer: Nobuyuki Fukumoto, (Script/Original Manga)
Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Sota Fukushi, Nagisa Sekimizu, Yuki Amami, Katsuhisa Namase, Kotaro Yoshida, Mackenyu Arata,
Synopsis: The year is 2020 and the place is Japan but not as we know it for, after hosting the Tokyo Olympic games, the economy implodes and people’s living standards plummet and inflation soars. The government ratchets up the pressure on an already over-taxed and overworked citizenry by transforming the nation into a labour camp where a few parasitic oligarchs have all the money while the workers, the ones that produce value for companies, are exploited.
Okay, not too dissimilar from our current capitalist hellscape.
Kaiji, the ultimate gambler, finds himself in the underclass struggling to get by on a pittance and he is gradually filling with rage. When he discovers that his former underground labour camp boss, Otsuki, a fellow veteran in the illegal gambling realm, is the President of the powerful Teiai conglomerate, he is recruited to take part in new gambling activities which the oligarchs blow their money on. Can Kaiji turn his life around and wipe the smiles off the old men as he wipes the value from them? Let’s hope so! Eat the rich!
On-Gaku: Our Sound 
音楽 「Ongaku」
Release Date: January 11th, 2020
Duration: 68 mins.
Director: Kenji Iwaisawa
Writer: Hiroyuki Ohashi (Screenplay),
Starring: Kami Hiraiwa (Morita), Shintaro Sakamoto (Kenji), Ren Komai (Aya), Naoto Takenaka (Oba), Tateto Serizawa (Asakura), Tomoya Meno (Ota),
Animation Production: N/A
This anime is based on the manga by Hiroyuki Ohashi and the write up makes it sound good as “the film’s animation technique evolves as the story does, culminating in a rock ‘n’ roll spectacle for the ears and the eyes”.
The film won Best Feature Film at the Ottawa International Animation Festival and a review over at the Japan Times has given it 5 out of 5!.
Synopsis: One summer’s day, three outsider high school students who haven’t touched an instrument in their lives decide to form a band to express their teenage angst and impress girls. Does it matter that Kenji and his friends have never played an instrument before? Of course not – he’s got a guitar at home and his friends have a bass and drums in theirs so in the true spirit of punk, with blind confidence and absolutely minimal effort they start to make friends and influence people.
King of Prism All Stars: Prism Show Best 10 
KING OF PRISM ALL STARS プリズムショー☆ベストテン 「King of Prism All Stars: Purizumu Sho- Besuto Ten 」
Release Date: January 10th, 2020
Duration: 60 mins.
Director: Masakazu Hishida
Writer: Jou Aoba (Screenplay), Mai Matsuura (Original Concept)
Starring: Junta Terashima (Shin Ichijo), Soma Saito (Yukinojo Tachibana), Shouta Aoi (Louis Kisaragi), Tomokazu Sugita (Joji Takadanobaba)
Animation Production: Tatsunoko Production
Synopsis: A compilation movie based on the anime series where handsome boys train to be Prism Stars which involves singing, dancing and figure skating. Fans were asked to vote for the ten best moments from the show and these ten have been compiled and everything turned into a movie.
Ashita, Kimi no inai sekai de 
明日、キミのいない世界で 「Ashita, Kimi no inai sekai de」
Release Date: January 10th, 2020
Duration: 105 mins.
Director: HiROKi
Writer: Takashi Yoshizaki, (Script),
Starring: Natsume Mito, Sorachi, Tetsuya, Mariko Kobayashi, Yoko Yamazaki, Ryoko Takizawa,
This is a youth story made by popular YouTubers based in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture. HiROKi is a YouTuber himself.
Synopsis: Masato is a high schooler in a small rural town. He lives with his mother and little sister at their family-run store. Shinpei is his childhood friend anda bit of a dreamer but he senses that a girl named Haruka likes Masato. Just as romance seems to be blossoming, a woman named Mizuki appears in town…
The Island of Giant Insects 
巨蟲列島 「Kyochu Retto」
Release Date: January 10th, 2020
Duration: 75 mins.
Director: Takeo Takahashi
Writer: Shigeru Morita (Screenplay), RED ICE, Shu Hirose, Yasutaka Fujimi (Original Creator)
Starring: M.A.O. (Musumi Oribe), Chiaki Takahashi (Misuzu Jinno), Misato Fukuen (Ayumi Matsuoka), Momo Asakura (Mami Miura), Rika Tachibana (Chitose Naruse), Yuriko Kubo (Ai Ino), Takuya Eguchi (Kazuhiko Kai), Marina Inoue (Inaho Enoki),
Animation Production: Passione
Synopsis: Mutsumi Oribe and her classmates are in a plane on a school field trip but it crashes. The survivors drift onto an island dominated where there are giant insects. Once the humans set foot on shore, it’s “dinner time” for the bugs and it;s only Mutsumi’s knowledge of insects that can stop them all from being devoured…
Gekijouban ressha daikoushin 2020 dokidoki sugoro ku tsua 
劇場版 れっしゃだいこうしん2020 ドキドキすごろくツア 「Gekijouban ressha daikoushin 2020 dokidoki sugoro ku tsua」
Release Date: January 10th, 2020
Duration: 35 mins.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
Starring: Yukitoshi Nagabuchi (Dr Tetsudo), Chika (Kenta-kun), Atsuko Aoki (Sumika-chan)
Animation Production: N/A
Synopsis: This is a movie version of a popular series for kids which introduces trains from all over Japan. Everything is orchestrated by Dr. Tetsudo, who has a machine which allows you to see railroads all over the country just by rolling dice. Two children, Kenta-kun and Sumika-chan, will compete to determine which one can finish first. Kenta-kun goes to Tokyo and Sumika-chan goes to Kyushu to see a variety of trains from local limited express services to Shinkansen.
The Donkey Man 
ロバマン 「Robaman」
Release Date: January 10th, 2020
Duration: 68 mins.
Director: Minoru Kawasaki
Writer: Minoru Kawasaki, Akihiko Kikawa (Script), Agasa Okada (Original Work)
Starring: Terumi Yoshida, Minami Koike, Yumi Karahashi, Mami Kumagai, Tsuroku Shofukutei,
Synopsis: A lonely old man is given psychic powers from a donkey alien and decides to be a hero of justice.
SEAMO 15th Anniversary Movie moshimo ano toki “if”
SEAMO 15th Anniversary Movie「もしもあの時 “if”」 「SEAMO 15th Anniversary Movie moshimo ano toki “if”」
Release Date: January 11th, 2020
Duration: 95 mins.
Director: Keisuke Fujita aka fkparty
Writer: N/A
Starring: SEAMO, Itokin, KLUTCH, BUCCI, Senkou, BOOBY,
Synopsis: A documentary made to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the rapper SEAMO’s debut (wikipedia info). His career has featured some highs and lows and he goes into them in interviews…
Beyond the Blue 
あの群青の向こうへ 「Ano gunjou no mukou e」
Release Date: January 11th, 2020
Duration: 89 mins.
Director: Kenichiro Hiro
Writer: Kenichiro Hiro, (Script),
Starring: Haruka Imou, Jun Kiyama, Kaho Seto, Yukari Saito, Hitomi-chan,
Synopsis: Yuki has run away from home to head for Tokyo with a guy named Kagari. She has the ability to receive letters that come from the future but do they contain good news or bad news?
Apparel Designer 
アパレル・デザイナー 「Apareru Dezaina-」
Release Date: January 10th, 2020
Duration: 97 mins.
Director: Ryo Nakajima
Writer: Kiyoto Kawaguchi, Sahoko Yamazaki (Script),
Starring: Masanobu Takahashi, Akane Hotta, Miyu Nishimura, Hiroki Iijima, Marin Matoba,
Synopsis: This film is about a veteran clothes designer named Yuji who couldn’t keep up with changing trends and he returns to his hometown where he rediscovers his passion for making clothes.