Happy weekend, everyone!
I hope you are all safe and well.
This week I went to work. Lots of Covid-19 infection prevention material has been left, waiting to be installed. Other than that, I visited relative and did gardening.
I finished off the novel Battle Royale by Koushun Takami and watched a whole load of horror movies like Black Christmas, Silent Night, Deadly Night, Night Killer. I also re-watched Columbus and Frankenstein.
I posted the last of my reviews for Japan Cuts with Kinta and Ginji (2019) and The Day of Destruction (2020).
What is released this weekend?
Labyrinth of Cinema 
Labyrinth of Cinema＝海辺の映画館 キネマの玉手箱「Labyrinth of Cinema = umibe no eigakan kinema no tamatebako」
Release Date: July 31st, 2020
Duration: 179 mins.
Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
Writer: Nobuhiko Obayashi (Screenplay),
Starring: Takuro Atsuki, Takahito Hosoyamada, Yoshihiko Hosoda,
Nobuhiko Obayashi recently passed away but two films involving him are on the festival circuit. Both were at the Tokyo International Film Festival, the documentary hasn’t reached Europe yet, as far as I know, whereas this one has played at Rotterdam. Labyrinth of Cinema is an anti-war film that mixes in a love of cinema, a subject mix which Obayashi relished with so many of his projects.
Synopsis: Three young people at a soon-to-be-shuttered cinema are enjoying the final screening: a marathon of old war films. The three become so immersed in the action that they find themselves time-slipping through the screen to various historical events connected to cinema and war such as witnessing death during the Sengoku period and on a battlefront in China, being in Hiroshima just before the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bombing of the city. This was shot in Obayashi’s hometown in Onomichi and has an anti-war message.
Take Over Zone 
テイクオーバーゾーン 「Teiku O-ba- Zo-n」
Release Date: July 31st, 2020
Duration: 90 mins.
Director: Shinpei Yamasaki
Writer: Tomomi Iwashima (Screenplay),
Starring: Riku Yoshina, Chika Uchida, Yota Kawase, Masashi Gouda, Aki Moriyama, Nanaha Itose,
Originally screened at last year’s Tokyo International Film Festival.
Synopsis: A talented 14-year-old female sprinter named Sari lives in Nara with her slovenly father after her family breaks up. Her mother took her beloved brother to live elsewhere and Sari finds herself unable to take part in track and field activities because her father cannot afford to pay club fees. One day, Sari sees her brother and mother and another girl who sprints, Yukina, out as a family in a supermarket. Sari is shocked…
#HandballStrive 
＃ハンド全力「#handozenryoku」
Release Date: July 31st, 2020
Duration: 108 mins.
Director: Daigo Matsui
Writer: Daigo Matsui, Dai Sato (Script),
Starring: Seishiro Kato, Kotaro Daigo, Aju Makita, Haruka Imou, Himi Sato, Ryota Bando,
The director is Daigo Matsui of How Selfish I Am, Ice Cream and the Sound of Raindrops, and Japanese Girls Never Die. The writer is Dai Sato of anime fame like Eureka Seven, Ergo Proxy and Eden of the East.
Synopsis: High school boy Masao lives a lethargic life in Kumamoto but when he uploads a photo of himself playing handball with his best friend Taichi who had been separated from him due to the earthquake, in front of the temporary housing to SNS, he starts getting nice comments (hence the #handballstrive). He gets a little giddy with all the new attention from across Japan and as it increases, he loves the fame and keeps posting but it drags him into getting off his butt and helping to rebuild a men’s handball team…
The 12 Day Tale of the Monster that Died in 8’: Little beasts battle COVID-19 online 
8日で死んだ怪獣の12日の物語 劇場版「8-Nichi de shinda kaijuu no 12-nichi no monogatari gekijouban」
Release Date: July 31st, 2020
Duration: 88 mins.
Director: Shunji Iwai
Writer: Shunji Iwai (Script), Shinji Higuchi (Original Novel)
Starring: Takumi Saito, Non, Sou Takei, Moeka Hoshi, Shinji Higuchi,
Synopsis: Back in April, Shin Godzilla co-director Shinji Higuchi launched a project called Kaiju Defeat Covid, where people could post a video selfie with their favorite kaijuu which would take part in the fight to defeat Covid-19. It was a relay video that roped in the likes of Shinya Tsukamoto and even the director Shunji Iwai, all of whom would make a video like a relay.
Iwai has taken Higuchi’s idea and made it into a a 12-part series of short films titled The 12 Day Tale of the Monster that Died in 8 that has now been brought to the big screen. The series stars Takumi Saitoh as his real-life self in isolation after receiving three tiny “capsule kaijuu” by mail and raises them with the help of Higuchi to turn them into monster battlers.
My Name is Yours 
君が世界のはじまり「Kimi ga Sekai no Hajimari」
Release Date: July 31st, 2020
Duration: 115 mins.
Director: Momoko Fukuda
Writer: Kosuke Mukai (Script), Momoko Fukuda (Original Novel)
Starring: Honoka Matsumoto, Seina Nakata, Yuki Katayama, Daichi Kaneko, Shouma Kai, Noriko Eguchi, Natsuki Oku, Kanji Furutachi,
Director Momoko Fukuda (Slowly, My Father, the Bride) brings her novel to the screen with the help of prolific screenwriter Kosuke Mukai.
Synopsis: At midnight, in a residential area of Osaka, a high schooler is arrested for the murder of a middle aged man is murdered.
We are introduced to two sets of teens.
High school girl Yukari is a bright kid but she spends her time slumming it with the more wild friend Kotoko. When the two skip class, one day, they discover fellow student Narihira crying by himself. For Kotoko, it is love at first sight but he is more interested in Yukari
Meanwhile, their classmate Jun finds her family falling apart when her mother dumps her father and her. She tries to avoid the old man, who is beginning to act strange, by hanging out at the mall which is here she spies on a recent transfer student named Io getting a little too close with his stepmother. Jun and Io soon make their own connection and hang out…
Ike ike! Baka onna wagamichi o ike 
いけいけ！バカオンナ 我が道を行け「Ike ike! Baka onna wagamichi o ike」
Release Date: July 31st, 2020
Duration: 100 mins.
Director: Koto Nagata
Writer: Ayako Kitagawa (Script), Yumiko Suzuki (Original Manga)
Starring: Ayane, Nicole Ishida, Mao, Hayato Anozuka, Masato Hanazawa, Tomu Fujita,
Synopsis: A live-action film adaptation of an autobiographical comic by manga artist Yumiko Suzuki known for Kanna’s Big Success! aka 200 Pounds Beauty. The period setting is moved from the bubble era of the 80s to the present day, and comically depicts the struggles of women with various problems such as love, work, and friendship.
Do You Like Big Girls?
大きい女の子は好きですか？「Ookii Onnanoko wa Suki desu ka?」
Release Date: August 01st, 2020
Duration: 78 mins.
Director: Takashi Ohashi
Writer: Takeo Mataki, Toru Yanagisawa (Script), Goro Aizome (Original Manga)
Starring: Sena Natsuki, Rena Takei, Ken Aoyama, Aika Mizuka, Moa Hirabayashi,
Synopsis: Tachibana Souta, a multi-talented freeter, finds his lazy days spiked by some big girls when his older sister asks him to “serve” the college volleyball team she plays in. Suddenly, he is surrounded by 6 and 1/2 ft. tall Amozonesses and they kind of take a shine in Souta.
Ganbare iwa! ! Robokon Urara ~! Koisuru shiru nashi tantanmen! ! No maki 
がんばれいわ!!ロボコン ウララ～！恋する汁なしタンタンメン!!の巻「Ganbare iwa! ! Robokon Urara ~! Koisuru shiru nashi tantanmen! ! No Maki」
Release Date: July 31st, 2020
Duration: 100 mins.
Director: Hidenori Ishida
Writer: Yoshio Urasawa (Script), Shotaro Ishinomori (Original Manga)
Starring: Chiwa Saito, Kino Tsuchiya, Masashi Ebara, Kenichi Suzumura
The late manga creator and writer Shotaro Ishinomori is credited with creating the original concept of Robocon abd the franchise began with the live-action tokusatsu series Ganbare!! Robocon, which ran from 1974 to 1977 and was revivedwith the Moero!! Robocon series, which ran from 1999 to 2000.
Synopsis: Robocon, a helper robot from a robot school in a Chinese restaurant in the town, is out on a delivery to Auntie Tornado but the order gets a little mixed up and some ingredients go missing…
Jintai no Survival 
人体のサバイバル！「Jintai no Sabaibaru!」
Release Date: July 31st, 2020
Duration: 100 mins.
Director: Hidenori Ishida
Writer: Yoshio Urasawa (Script), Shotaro Ishinomori (Original Manga)
Starring: Akira Ishida (Kei), Megumi Han (Pipi), Satsumi Matsuda (Geo), Hiroshi Iwasaki (Dr. Brain), Hiroki Touchi (Narrator)
Animation Production: Toei Animation
Synopsis: A theatrical animation of the “Scientific Manga Survival” series. Dr. Geo and Dr. Know board the “Hippocrates,” a human body probe that can be reduced to the size of nanometers, and get swallowed by Pipi inadvertently. While desperately trying to avoid destruction, they aim to leave Phi’s body through the stomach to the intestines but it proves more difficult than thought.
Sprin’ Pan: Mae e Susumou! 
スプリンパン まえへすすもう！「Sprin’ Pan: Mae e Susumou!」
Release Date: July 31st, 2020
Duration: 5 mins.
Director: Jet Inoue
Writer: Jet Inoue (Script), Shotaro Ishinomori (Original Manga)
Starring: Kokoro Noda (Sprin Pan), Junya Yoshida (Yama-don), Ai Taniuchi (Ringo Leader, Mother, Snoomi Mei),
Animation Production: CGCG Studio
Synopsis: It is an adventure story about a 12-year-old girl who aspires to be Peter Pan and it will be told using 3DCG and motion capture to incorporate various performing art elements such as musicals, ballet, Irish dance, and gimmick stage, and is a short animation full of songs and dances throughout.
Joriku! 
じょりく！「Joriku!」
Release Date: July 31st, 2020
Duration: 66 mins.
Director: Takashi Ohashi
Writer: Makoto Yangaisawa (Script), Hideto Kakka (Original Manga)
Starring: Mizuki Saiba, Ryohei Kawano, Meiri, COCO, Umi Shinonome, Hotaro Komori, Erika Shidara,
Synopsis: Musashi Kaneda was once a hot prospect as an Olympic runner but now he will become the coach of the Tsukimi University Women’s Track and Field Club where he will try to overcome traditional training methods and his virgin horniness to train a bevy of beautiul athletes. This group contains Misaki Tono , a 100m ace there, who is faltering in her training because her breasts are becoming too big and she is a little embarrassed… With a competition with a rival school approaching, Musashi has the chance to coach them to success and grab the hearts of his female students!