The first of the double-trailer posts for 2014! There are a lot of Japanese films getting released this weekend but the releases started on January 09th with the continued Neo Ultra Q screenings. Today sees the release of Wake Up, Girls!, a movie created to tie in with a winter anime (and one of my picks) that premieres on today as well. There are some short animated films and a screening of a stage play released tomorrow but I have placed them here today so tomorrow won’t be overloaded. So if I had to pick a film out of this bunch it would be Wake Up Girls!
Neo Ultra Q Special Screening Part III 
Japanese: ネオ ウルトラQ 特別上映 part III
Romaji: Neo Urutorakyū Tokubetsu Jōei part III
Running Time: N/A
Release Date: January 09th, 2014
Director: Gakuryu Ishii, Yu Nakai, Yu Irie, Kiyotaka Taguchi
Writer: Kiyotaka Inagaki, Akari Yamamoto, Ayako Kato (Screenplay)
Starring: Rin Takanashi, Seiichi Tanabe, Hiroyuki Onoe, Masahiko Shimada, Miyuki Koizumi, Rina Ota, Toru Shinagawa
Neo Ultra Q is the latest series of adaptations of a sci-fi project created by Eiji Tsuburaya, special effects director on Godzilla, about three characters who investigated supernatural and alien phenomena. Apparently the show ran for 28 episodes from January to July in 1966, received a radio drama and movie edition. This latest one is a collection of 12 episodes from the TV sequel and features excellent actors like Rin Takanashi (Goth: Love of Death) and Shota Sometani (Himizu) and has the director Gakuryu Ishii (Isn’t Anyone Alive?). Yesterday was the 09th of January and on the 09th of every month is now known as “Q Day” which means that the latest three episodes of the TV show Visitor Q are rolled into one movie and screened for an appreciative audience. There are also additional treats for said audience at each screening such as a Q&A and old episodes. Sounds and looks fun. This screening comes with an old episode of Ultra Q called Challenge of 2020.
Three people: a psychologist doing research on the supernatural, a young beautiful journalist with an inquisitive mind and a bartender who has sympathy towards other forms of life. Together the trio set out to look into the paranormal and futuristic phenomena that confront our life and society.
Wake Up, Girls!
Japanese: Wake Up, Girls! 七人のアイドル
Romaji: Wake Up, Girls! Shichijin no Aidoru
Running Time: N/A
Release Date: January 10th, 2014
Director: Yutaka Yamamoto
Writer: Touko Machida (Screenplay)
Starring: Airi Nagano (Airi Hayashida), Kaya Okuno (Kaya Kikuma), Minami Tanaka (Minami Katayama), Mayu Yoshioka (Mayu Shimada), Miyu Okamoto (Miyu Takagi), Noriko Hidaka (Junko Tange)
As mentioned above, this anime is one of my winter 2014 picks because of the potential that the topic and setting involve. The topic is a bunch of idols located in Sendai in Japan’s Tohoku region which was one of the locations heavily affected by the Earthquake and Tsunami. I’m hoping that the TV anime is going to be a source of good drama. This film is part of a multimedia project orchestrated by Yutaka Yamamoto that involves an anime, movie and music. The animation is a co-production between Ordet and Tatsunoko Productions.
A small production agency in Sendai called The Green Leaves Entertainment is on the verge of bankruptcy following the flight of its roster of stars but the president has an idea – produce a new idol group! We follow seven girls who want to star in the “ideol sengoku jidai” Idol Warring States Period! of the modern day.
Golden Time 
Japanese: ゴールデンタイム
Romaji: Go-ruden Taimu
Running Time: 23 mins.
Release Date: January 10th, 2014
Director: Takuya Inaba
Writer: Takuya Inaba(Screenplay)
Starring: N/A
Golden Time is a short animation written, directed and animated by Takuya Inabe and it is the first part of the trailer. It’s set I the 1980s in a Japan entering its bubble economy moment when the economy really went into overdrive. The stuff at the junkyard are the products that have been abandoned including the TV which is from the 1960s.
Tap-kun 
Japanese: タップ君
Romaji: Tapu-kun
Running Time: 23 mins.
Release Date: January 10th, 2014
Director: An Masako
Writer: Tatsuya Shimamura (Screenplay)
Starring: N/A
This is another short film but it is set in Europe before and after World War II and we see a shoemaker named Mr Smith who repairs some tap dancing shoes which carry a history which is gradually revealed. Both films end with a Q&A with the directors.
Romaji: Meidjiza Korokke Tokubetsu Kōen Horafuki to Musashi Korokke mo no Mane Onsutēji 2013 gekijōban 
Japanese: 明治座コロッケ特別公演 ほら吹きと武蔵 コロッケものまねオンステージ2013 劇場編集版
Romaji: Meidjiza Korokke Tokubetsu Kōen Horafuki to Musashi Korokke mo no Mane Onsutēji 2013 gekijōban
Running Time: 130 mins
Release Date: January 10th, 2014
Director: Gakuryu Ishii, Yu Nakai, Yu Irie, Kiyotaka Taguchi
Writer: Kiyotaka Inagaki, Akari Yamamoto, Ayako Kato (Screenplay)
Starring: Croket
The Japanese comedian Croket/Croquette? Was at the Meijiza throughout the second half of 2013 where he took to the stage to play a man who is mistaken for the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. There’s singing and dancing, period costumes and setsm it looks like a fun night out. Head over to the website to see the trailer.
