Happy Weekend
I hope you are well!
This is the first of a two-part trailer post.
What are the first batch of films released this weekend?
The Orbital Children 
地球外少年少女 前編「地球外からの使者」 「 Chikyuugai Shounen Shoujo」
Release Date: January 28th, 2022
Duration: 99 mins
Director: Mitsuo Iso
Writer: Mitsuo Iso (Screenplay/Original Creator)
Starring: Natsumi Fujiwara (Touya Sagami), Mariya Ise (Nasa Houston), Yumiko Kobayashi (Hiroshi Tanegashima), Kensho Ono (Taiyou Tsukuba), Azumi Waki (Konoha Б Nanase), Chinatsu Akasaki (Miina Misasa)
Animation Production: Production +h
Mitsuo Iso, the man behind Dennou Coil has a new six-episode anime out and it will be available to stream worldwide via Netflix on January 28th. The theatrical release is the first part of two.
Synopsis: It is the year 2045 and the Internet and artificial intelligence have spread into space following in the trail of astronauts and it has now become easier to ascend to the stars. We follow children who meet at the Japanese-built space station, “Anshin,” a place where kids, whether born on Earth or in space, can transition to the atmosphere’s of each other’s homes. Their future is put in peril after a comet strike leaves them stranded. Their only means for survival are AI, their smartphones, and each other as the kids band together, fight, and struggle to survive.
Noise 
ノイズ 「Noizu」
Release Date: January 28th, 2022
Duration: 128 mins.
Director: Ryuichi Hiroki
Writer: Sho Kataoka (Script), Tetsuya Tsutsui (Original Manga),
Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Kenichi Matsuyama, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Daichi Watanabe, Ayumi Ito, Kimiko Yo, Akira Emoto, Mayu Tsuruta, Susumu Terajima,
Synopsis: The remote island of Shishikari is on its last legs as industry fades and people leave but when Keita Izumi (Tatsuya Fujiwara) begins to produce black figs there, the island receives a boost in interest and news that there is the possibility of receiving a 5 billion yen grant from the government as part of a scheme to reinvigorate rural communities. These hopes are soon threatened with the appearance of Mutsuo Omisaka, a mystery figure who is implicated in the disappearance of Keita’s daughter. This drama pushes Keita and his friends Jun Tanabe, a hunter, and Shinichiro Moriya, a rookie policeman, to end up accidentally killing Mutsuo and hide the evidence. Police from the mainland arrive to investigate what happens which throws the island into chaos as the three men try to hide the murder while Mutsuo’s background as a deadly killer comes to light…
Pure Japanese 
ピュア ジャパニーズ 「Pyua Jyapani-zu」
Release Date: January 28th, 2022
Duration: 88 mins.
Director: Daishi Matsunaga
Writer: Tatsuo Kobayashi (Script),
Starring: Dean Fujioka, Aju Makita, Tetsuya Bessho, Tetsu Watanabe, Jun Murakami, Yukio Sakaguchi,
Synopsis: Dean Fujioka produced and acted in this film which… on the surface… sounds xenophobic? His character is Daisuke, a former action actor who quit the screen due to a traumatic incident while filming on set. Since then, he has led a lonely life devoted to Japanese culture as he tries to suppress the madness that boils within him. Said madness bursts out when he comes to the rescue of a high school student Ayumi who is being harassed by a Chinese broker and the yakuza because they want the land where she and her grandfather lives. Daisuke tries to protect Ayumi…
Prior Convictions 
前科者 「Zenkamono」
Release Date: January 28th, 2022
Duration: 133 mins.
Director: Yoshiyuki Kishi
Writer: Yoshiyuki Kishi (Script), Masahito Kagawa, Toji Tsukishima (Original Manga),
Starring: Kasumi Arimura, Go Morita, Tatsuya Wakaba, Shizuka Ishibasi, Hayato Isomura, Makita Sports, Lily Franky, Shohei Uno, Tae Kimura,
Yoshiyuki Kishi (Double Life) has directed the six-part Wowow TV series this is based on.
Synopsis: Kaya Agawa (Kasumi Arimura) has worked as a probation officer for three years. She has her reasons for helping keep ex-offenders on the straight and narrow and she finds her job rewarding but one model client, Makoto Kudo (Go Morita), an ex-murderer, suddenly disappears around the time that the police are investigating a series of murders committed by a mystery man in a hoodie. Kaya does her best to prove that Makoto is innocent but it isn’t so easy…
The Unnameable Dance
前科者 「Nazukyou no nai Odori」
Release Date: January 28th, 2022
Duration: 114 mins.
Director: Isshin Inudo
Writer: Isshin Inudo (Script),
Starring: Min Tanaka, Rin Ishihara, Tatsuya Nakamura, Yoshihide Otomo, Lajkow Felix, Seigow Matsuoka,
Synopsis: A documentary directed by Isshin Inudo (Maison de Himiko) that shows the life and dance of the legendary Min Tanaka, a personal friend. Tanaka is a familiar face from Japanese cinema (Twilight Samurai, Haruneko, Maison de Himiko) and still dancer even in his 70s. Since making his debut in 1978, he has tallied up over 3000 performances. The theme of Tanaka’s work on screen this time is to perform 90 dances in five countries and he did so over three years from 2017. The settings included alleys, beaches, theatres, bookstores, and galleries in places like Portugal, Paris, Yamanashi, Fukushima, and the energy of those spaces draws out the dance from Tanaka’s body to create something unique that cannot be repeated. The film captures other aspects of Tanaka Min’s life as a farmer and an actor. The film also features animation of Tanaka’s childhood by Koji Yamamura, known for his Academy Award nominated film Mt. Head.
Kamen Rider Saber: Trio of Deep Sin 
仮面ライダーセイバー 深罪の三重奏 「Kamen Raida- Seiba- Shinzai no Torio」
Release Date: January 28th, 2022
Duration: 62 mins.
Director: Kazuya Kamihoriuchi
Writer: Takuro Fukuda (Script), Shotaro Ishinomori (Original Creator),
Starring: Shuichiro Naito, Takaya Yamaguchi, Asuka Kawazu, Ryo Aoki, Yuki Ikushima, Eiji Togashi,
Synopsis: Following Touma saving the world from Storious, he and his friends care for a young 11-year-old boy named Riku who lost his parents but it is hard going as the boy is traumatised. Meanwhile, Kento is now a book translator and wants to pop the question to his girlfriend Yuina. Any trace of normality has to wait as members of the Sword of Logos are disappearing and Rintaro Shindo encounters a new Kamen Rider named Falchion who claims to be his long-forgotten father. Falchion attacks both Touma and Kento…
Love Someone 
きみは愛せ 「Kimi wa aise」
Release Date: January 28th, 2022
Duration: 103 mins.
Director: Hana Kosei
Writer: Hana Kosei (Script),
Starring: Gaku Hosokawa, Manami Usamaru, Haruki Takano, Noa Kawazo, Soichiro Tanaka, Kanon Hanakage,
Synopsis: Rin (played by Manami Usamaru of Sisterhood fame), a young woman who works at a snack bar, is the object of attention for Shinichi, a nice guy who works at a recycle store. Rin’s older brother is Tomoki and he works at a mahjong parlour and also happens to be Shinichi’s roommate. In this ensemble drama, a coming-of-age story takes place as an event pushes three people yearning for love to take a chance.