Happy Weekend!
I hope you are well.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are live and it’s a case of so far so… alright? The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic disaster, IOC corruption, bigots in the organising committee and a conservative government cynically using “cool Japan” schtick aside, Google launched a cool JRPG to celebrate and there’s an anime which is listed below.
This week I’ve been marathoning the X-Files, watching six episodes a day. The show leaves Amazon Prime next week Friday, so I have my work cut out. I also have to watch a LOT of films because I will be covering the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) via this blog and Heroic Purgatory!
This week, I posted the preview of Japanese films at NYAFF 2021 and also my review of Reiwa Uprising, a hopeful film which shows a world of better politics is possible if we can mobilise around core progressive values and engage with different communities.
What is released this weekend?
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop 
サイダーのように言葉が湧き上がる 「Saida- no You ni Kotoba ga Wakiagaru」
Release Date: July 22nd 2021
Duration: 87 mins.
Director: Kyohei Ishiguro
Writer: Dai Sato (Screenplay),
Starring: Hana Sugisaki (Cherry), Somegoro ICHIKAWA VIII (Cherry), Kikuko Inoue (Tsubasa Fujiyama), Koichi Yamadera (Mr. Fujiyama), Natsuki Hanae (Japan),
Animation Production: Signal.MD, Sublimation,
This was at the Tokyo International Film Festival last year and reviews paint a good film. Here’s an Anime News Network review and a TIFF Festival Report
Synopsis from ANN: Words and music bridge the gap between Cherry, a boy who is terrible at communicating with other people, and Smile, a girl who hides behind a mask. They meet in a mundane suburban shopping mall in a provincial city. Cherry always wears headphones and puts the feelings he cannot utter into his hobby, Japanese haiku poems. Smile always wears a mask to conceal her large front teeth, for which she has dental braces. As a popular video star, she streams a video about seeking “cuteness.”
Gundam: G no Reconguista Movie III – Uchuu kara no Isan 
劇場版 Gのレコンギスタ III 宇宙からの遺産 「Gekijouban G no Rekongisuta III – Uchuu kara no Isan」
Release Date: July 22nd 2021
Duration: 104 mins.
Director: Yoshiyuki Tomino
Writer: Yoshiyuki Tomino (Series Composition), Yoshiyuki Tomino, Hajime Yatate (Original Creator)
Starring: Mark Ishii (Bellri Zenam), Yu Shimamura (Aida Surugan), Akio Hirose (Cumpa Rusita), Atsuko Tanaka (Wilmit Zenam) Atsuki Tani (Lorucca Biskes), Chihiro Suzuki (Happa),
Animation Production: Sunrise
This is the third part of a five-part feature film adaptation of the TV series Gundam: G no Reconguista, which was directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino and broadcast from 2014 to 2015.
Synopsis: In the far future, a space war has devastated Earth and its colonies. Tensions continue between different forces. Main protag Bellri Zenam has been recruited to protect a the Capital Tower, a structure which brings resources to Earth and he gets caught up in a space pirate attack where a girl named Aida is captured. She has the power to activate her high-performance mobile suit that she calls “G-Self” and she joins Bellri in an adventure where the two discover more about themselves and their backgrounds.
Inubu 
犬部！ 「Inubu!」
Release Date: July 22nd 2021
Duration: 114 mins.
Director: Tetsuo Shinohara
Writer: Akane Yamada (Script), Yuka Katano (Non-fictional Novel)
Starring: Kento Hayashi, Taishi Nakagawa, Sakurako Ohara, Momoko Tanabe, Ryota Bando, Tamae Ando, Harumi Syuhama, Rena Tanaka, Kodai Asaka,
Synopsis: Sota Hanai (Kento Hayashi) is studying veterinary medicine at university due to his love of animals. He is personally dedicated to caring for every creature he meets. One of those animals is a dog that he rescues from being used in experiments. To save more animals, he sets up the “Inubu” club with his friends and fellow students. Many years later, a report comes out about Sota Hanai. It seems he has been arrested…
Tobidase! Narase! Pui Pui Molcar 
とびだせ！ならせ！ PUI PUI モルカー 「Tobidase! Narase! Pui Pui Molcar」
Release Date: July 22nd 2021
Duration: 34 mins.
Director: Tomoki Misato
Writer: Tomoki Misato (Script/Original Creator)
Starring: N/A
Animation Production: Japan Green Hearts, Shin-Ei Animation
Synopsis: This is a compilation film combining all 12 3-minute episodes of the stop-motion animation Pui Pui Molcar which has been given the MX4D. It is set in a world where guinea pigs have become cars – as depicted via wool felt models. This animation seems like has caught the hearts of millions around the world and has been streamed by Netflix.
Tomorrow’s Leaves 
Release Date: July 23rd 2021
Duration: 08 mins.
Director: Yoshiyuki Momose
Writer: Yoshiaki Nishimura (Script)
Starring: N/A
Animation Production: Studio Ponoc
Synopsis: This is an anime made to celebrate the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. It was made in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee and will be streamed online. The creatives include former Ghibli names and they worked at Studio Ponoc (Mary and the Witch’s Flower).
Kaba 
かば 「Kaba」
Release Date: July 22nd 2021
Duration: 135 mins.
Director: Takahiro Kawamoto
Writer: Takahiro Kawamoto (Script/Original Novel)
Starring: Arata Yamanaka, Maho Orime, Rina Kondo, Tomoki Kimura, Kokoro Takami,
Synopsis: In this slice of social drama, we are taken to Nishinari in Osaka. In the summer of 1985, it was a chaotic place where minorities who face discrimination, such as the Buraku community and ethnic Koreans, were living. Mr. Kato is a new teacher but he loses confidence in himself because he is not accepted by the students. However, he joins forces with the other teachers to help the students and uses different techniques from tough love to baseball. Among the students are kids from broken families, each of whom faces a tough situation.
Kamen Rider Saber ＋ Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger: Superhero Senki 
セイバー＋ゼンカイジャー スーパーヒーロー戦記 「Seiba- + Kikai Sentai Zenkaija-: Su-pa- hi-ro- Senki」
Release Date: July 22nd 2021
Duration: 98 mins.
Director: Ryuta Tasaki
Writer: Nobuhiro Mouri (Script), Shotaro Ishinomori, Saburo Yatsude (Original Creator)
Starring: Shuichiro Naito, Takaya Yamaguchi, Asuka Kawazu, Ryo Aoki, Yuuki Ikushima,
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kamen Rider and the 45th anniversary of Super Sentai, we have this epic crossover movie involving two of Toei’s major tokusatsu series.
Synopsis: The main characters of Kamen Rider Saber and Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger, as well as previous generations of riders and squadrons, will switch worlds and fight against Asmodeus, a man who wishes to eliminate heroes and will do so with something called the “Forbidden Book.” A teenage artist holds the key to the story.