This week was a bit of a transitional period, wrapping up the Republic of Thieves read-along, sating my desire to write about Samurai Flamenco and getting my reactions before and after episodes 7 and 8, and posting about the latest Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special. It’s all in preparation for a Christmas period when I up the ante and post lots of reviews for films. More on that next week. What did I watch in film terms? South Korean disaster flick Flu and that was it. I’m preparing the finishing touches to the latest winter anime guide which will be released by Anime UK News and my thoughts on the other titles from the autumn season.
Yesterday’s trailer post was about three films, all of which were totally different from each other but today’s post features lots of documentaries.
Flying Bodies – a Hiroyuki Nakano Nonfiction Film
Running Time: 78 mins.
Release Date: November 30th, 2013
Director: Hiroyuki Nakano
Bodies fly in coordination alongside some visual special effects as the all-male super-technological rhythmic gymnastic troupe of Aomori University led by Issey Miyake in a performance in Tokyo earlier this year. I’m not one for dancing but this looks kind of fun. You’ll have to go to the website for a trailer!
Travelling Projector 
Japanese Title: 旅 する 映写機
Romaji: Tabi Suru Eishaki
Running Time: 105 mins.
Release Date: November 30th, 2013
Director: Keiko Morita
Keiko Morita’s film is all about film projectors during a time when the digitisation of films is rapidly underway in Japan. Keiko heads to small town Urakawa, Hokkaido and explores the history of a cinema with the staff at the theatre who maintain it.
Save the Club Noon 
Running Time: 93 mins.
Release Date: November 30th, 2013
Director: Moriro Miyamoto
Starring: Hanaregumi, Seiko Ito, ILL-BOSSTINO, Yoshie Nakano, Nanao Tabito,
Moriro Miyamoto, director of Uzumasa Jacopetti, is here with a documentary recording the efforts over four days of artists to save a club called NOON. We get interviews and performances.
Ghost in the Shell: ARISE border:2 Ghost Whispers 
Japanese Title: 攻殻機動隊 ARISE border:2 Ghost Whispers
Romaji: Koukaku Kidoutai ARISE border:2 Ghost Whispers
Release Date: November 30th, 2013
Running Time: 56 mins.
Chief Director: Kazuchika Kise, Episode 2 Director: Atsushi Takeuchi
Writer: Tow Ubukata (Screenplay)
Starring: Maaya Sakamoto (Motoko Kusanagi), Kenichirou Matsuda (Batou), Tarusuke Shingaki (Togusa), Ikkyuu Nakai (Daisuke Aramaki)
The new adaptation of Shirow Masamune’s manga Ghost in the Shell continues. Character designs come courtesy of the series director Kazuchika Kise (Patlabor) and this episode is directed by Atsushi Takeuchi, a chap who has worked on the recent Captain Harlock film and Sky Crawlers. This is written by Tow Ubukata who has created fascinating works like Samurai Astronomer Tenchi, Mardock Scramble and Le Chevalier D’eon. Plus there is music by cool DJ Cornelius.
Maria Roaring Song 
Japanese: マリヤ 狂騒 曲
Romaji: Maria kyōsō kyoku
Running Time: 88 mins.
Release Date: November 30th, 2013
Director: Ido Kishu
Writer: Ryyta Kawasaki
Starring: Maki Mizui, Mutsuo Yoshioka,Yuko Hosoe, Naohiro Takeda, Atsushi Oda, Takuya Sakurai
Maki Mizui (Never Ending blue) and Mutsuo Yoshioka (There’s Nothing to be Afraid of) star in Ido Kishu’s latest film about a guy named Kohei (Yoshioka) who goes after the killer of his ex-girlfriend Futaba when her ghost shows up and asks for help. A mysterious girl named Maria (Mizui) helps him out. One of Kishu’s other films is called Lazarus
Gebaruto 
Japanese: ゲバルト
Romaji: Gebaruto
Running Time: 90 mins.
Release Date: November 30th, 2013
Director: Takayuki Yamaga
Writer: Takayuki Yamaga
Starring: Yuta Ozawa, Hidetoshi Kubota, Takashi Nagayama, Ren Ozawa, Maria Yoshikawa, Arihara Kanna
F*ck you desk! According to this trailer, being a male high school student is all about fixating on sex, formation dancing, violence and a cute idol (Arihara Kanna of the group C-ute) blasting you with a laser gun! That wasn’t my experience but this is the live-action adaptation of a manga called Yankee Kouno Kouji persuades me that it must be fun. The manga remains untranslated in the west.
Kotatsu, Orange, Murderous Intent and Meow 
Japanese Title: こたつと、みかんと、殺意と、ニャー。
Romaji: Kotatsu to Mikan to, Satsui to, Nya
Running Time: 60 mins.
Release Date: November 30th, 2013
Director: Ryutaro Kajino
Writer: Ryutaro Kajino (Screenplay)
Starring: Yui Minami, Ran Sakai, Noriko Kijima
I’m going to use the word lesbian in every sentence… Deep breath. Here I go! This is the sequel to a lesbian drama released back in March and like the last this stars gravure idols fondling and kissing each other only this one has more murder and less fondling. These films are directed by Ryutari Kajino who has made one other major film called Sea Food Girl Maiko which was another lesbian drama! Again, a relatively unknown cast acting out male fantasies of lesbians is led by the more experienced Noriko Kijima who has appeared in Yuriko’s Aroma, The Machine Girl and Shyness Machine Girl. Blue is the Warmest Colour this ain’t but it has lesbians. As much as I like looking at beautiful women this doesn’t interest me much at all… er… lesbians.
Cinema Kabuki Harukyon Mirror Lion 
Japanese: シネマ歌舞伎 春興鏡獅子
Romaji: Shinema kabuki Shunkyōkagamijishi
Running Time: 70 mins.
Release Date: November 30th, 2013
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
Starring: Kanzaburo Nakamura,
The Cinema Kabuki series continues with this tale of the Mirror Lion which is apparently a famous dance.
Senpuku 
Japanese: 潜伏
Romaji: Senpuku
Running Time: 96 mins.
Release Date: November 30th, 2013
Director: Nobuhiko Hosaka
Writer: Yuko Watanabe, Michiko Oishi,
Starring: Takako Tsuchiya, Takeshi Nadagi, Mayuko, Masumi Amakawa, Yumi Fukuda, Ako, Kanichi Hiraga, Yuya Miyashita, Rika Satsuki
This is drama based on a true story about a woman who was once in a cult that took part in an ‘incident’ (not described) but escaped and flees her past life and now experiences latent emotions blossoming. Nobuhiko Hosaka has been directing films for quite a while but this is his first internationally recognised credit since 1986!
Tobidase Shinsengumi 
Japanese: とびだせ新選組！
Romaji: Tobidase Shinsengumi
Running Time: 83 mins.
Release Date: November 30th, 2013
Director: Sho Nobushi
Writer: Sho Nobushi
Starring: Risa Aragaki, Toshiya Nagasawa, Atsushi Miyauchi, Ryuji Shomi, Tomohiro Arakawa, Sasaki Minami
Risa Aragaki stars as an actress who is taking part in a historical play about the Shinsengumi (the Shogun’s secret police) only for a group of those dudes to appear from 149 years ago and make friends with her. Awesome.
Negative: Nothing – Step by Step for Japan
Japanese: ネガティブ：ナッシング 全てはその一歩から
Romaji: Negatibu: Nasshingu Subete wa Sono Ichi-po Kara
Running Time: 78 mins.
Release Date: November 30th, 2013
Director: Jan Knuesel, Stephan Knuesel
Writer: Jan Knuesel, Stephan Knuesel
Starring: Thomas Koehler, Andre Zimmermann, Hiroshi Mizohata, Kohei Isohata
Technically a Swiss film starring a Swiss man but it takes place in Japan and the man in question loves the country. The youtube page describes it thusly: March 11th marks a turning point in the life of Swiss travel agent Thomas Köhler. After the Tsunami and the nuclear disaster in Japan he loses all his customers, and eventually his job. Nevertheless, giving up is not an option. He decides to walk through Japan, 2900 kilometers from north to south, in order to show that not all of Japan is Fukushima. A trip of a lifetime starts through a country trying to cope with its biggest crisis since the end of World War II, but never losing hope for better days. The documentary film «negative: nothing» is a journey that changes the life of a travel agent forever and gives hope and strength to a nation. Even the longest journey starts with a single step
