pinto, Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Gekitotsu Part 2, Joshikosei ni Korosaretai, One Day You Will Reach the Sea, Odd Taxi Movie: In the Woods, Actors Short Film 2, Karma Cult, Eternity Passes By Japanese Film Trailers

Happy Weekend!

This is the first of a two-part trailer post covering the Japanese films released this weekend.

What are the first batch?

pinto   

Release Date: April 01st, 2022

Duration: 118 mins.

Director: Akihiko Yano

Writer: Akihiko Yano (Script) 

Starring: Zuru Onodera, Kazuki Ohashi, Erika Nagamine, Tomoki Kimura,

Website

Akihiko Yano of yes, yes, yes, which was released last weekend, has this feature from earlier in his career released in mini theatres.

Synopsis: Yukiko’s life has been stifled by her uninhibited mother who brings home different men every so often. The one man she considers her father was the first who was given that title. He gave her a camera and that has helped her approach the world differently.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Gekitotsu Part 2 

銀河英雄伝説 Die Neue These 激突　第二章　 「Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Die Neue Gekitotsu Dai Nishou」

Release Date: April 01st, 2022

Duration: 96 mins.

Director: Shunsuke Tada

Writer: Noboru Takagi (Series Composition), Yoshiki Tanaka (Novel)

Starring: Kenichi Suzumura (Yang Wen-li), Mamoru Miyano (Reinhard von Lohengramm), Yuichiro Umehara (Siegfried Kircheis), 

Animation Production: Production I.G.

Website ANN MAL

This is the first chapter of the third season of a new anime adaptation of Yoshiki Tanaka’s epic science fiction novel The Legend of the Galactic Heroes produced by Production I.G.

Synopsis: Two interstellar human states – the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance – are locked in a seemingly never-ending conflict and two leaders emerge, Reinhard von Lohengramm from the Galactic Empire and Yang Wen-li from the Free Planets Alliance. For Reinhard, a broken heart follows his ascent to the leadership position of the Galactic Empire as a close ally died in the process. Meanwhile, Yang Wen-li handling of a coup d’etat by the Military Council for Salvation has politicians growing wary of him. The key flashpoint here is the seemingly impregnable Iserlohn Fortress where a battle will take place.

Joshikosei ni Korosaretai     

女子高生に殺されたい 「Joshikosei ni Korosaretai」

Release Date: April 01st, 2022

Duration: 110 mins.

Director: Hideo Jojo

Writer: Hideo Jojo (Screenplay), Usamaru Furuya (Original Manga)

Starring: Kei Tanaka, Sara Minami, Yumi Kawai, Riko, Mizuki Kayashima, Yuko Oshima,

Website

Joshikosei ni Korosaretai translates into I Want to Be Killed By a High School Girl

Synopsis: HIGASHIYAMA Haruto (TANAKA Kei) is the new history teacher at Nitaka High School. His handsome looks and easygoing demeanour make him a hit with the female students (and probably some boys, too). However, he has a secret he cannot tell anyone… He became a high school teacher because he wanted to be killed by a beautiful high school girl. His bizarre desire has led him to secretly plan his death over a number of years and it is almost time for his death to be realised. All that remains is to find out which student will be the one to do the deed and so he approaches Maho (MINAMI Sara), Aoi (KAWAI Yuumi), Kyoko (Riko), and Aika (KAYASHIMA Mizuki), four beautiful girls with different personalities.

JOJO Hideo’s latest work is a slick yet delicate suspense film adapted from a manga by FURUYA Usamaru, famous for Litchi Hikari Club, so expect something truly eroguro and devilishly beautiful.

One Day, You Will Reach the Sea   

やがて海へと届く 「 Yagate Umi e to Todoku」

Release Date: April 01st, 2022

Duration: 126 mins.

Director: Ryutaro Nakagawa

Writer: Ryutaro Nakagawa, Eiji Umehara (Script) Maru Ayase (Original Novel),

Starring: Yukino Kishii, Minami Hamabe, Yosuke Sugino, Mayu Tsuruta, Ken Mitsuishi,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Mana was friends with Sumire for years before she went missing in the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami. Mana had always admired Sumire’s outgoing personality and even now, she leans on it as she cannot accept Sumire might be dead. One day, Sumire’s former lover Atsushi delivers a video camera containing precious memories shared by Mana and Sumire. Mana then heads for the last place that Sumire last travelled to.

Odd Taxi Movie: In the Woods   

映画　オッドタクシー　イン・ザ・ウッズ 「 Eiga Oddo Takushi- In Za Uzzu」

Release Date: March 18th, 2022

Duration: 128 mins

Director: Baku Kinoshita

Writer: N/A

Starring: Kenji Hamada (Dobu). Kappei Yamaguchi (Eiji Kakihana), Natsuki Hanae (Hiroshi Odokawa), Riho Iida (Miho Shirakawa), Ryohei Kimura (Ayumu Goriki),

Animation Production: OLM, P.I.C.S.

Website  ANN  MAL

Synopsis: The hit TV anime gets a movie. Our protagonist is Odokawa, a 41-year-old taxi driver with an eccentric personality and few friends and family. His most regular conversations are with his customers, all of whom give him pieces of a puzzle involving the  disappearance of a girl. Did I mention that all of the characters are animals?

Actors Short Film 2   

アクターズ・ショート・フィルム2 「 Akuta-zu Sho-to Firumu 2」

Release Date: April 01st, 2022

Duration: 104 mins.

Director: Sho Aoyagi, Tina Tamashiro, Yudai Chiba, Eita Nagayama, Atsuko Maeda,

Writer: Ai Yamasaki, Tina Tamashiro, Yudai Chiba, Eita Nagayama, Shuko Nmoto (Script) 

Starring: Koji Yakusho, Manami Hashimoto, Eeita Nagayama, Elisa Yanagi, Takahiro Miura, Atsuko Maeda, Shuichi Okita, YOU, Nijiro Murakami, Tina Tamashiro, Asuka Kurosawa,

Website

Synopsis:  “Actor’s Short Film” is a project that was launched by WOWOW to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the station. Five actors create a short film lasting up to 25 minutes with the same budget, shooting date, and other conditions. Tina Tamashiro already has a feature to her name but Atsuko Maeda is relatively untested. The results should be interesting.

Karma Cult   

カルマカルト 「Karuma Karuto」

Release Date: April 01st, 2022

Duration: 85 mins.

Director: Ryo Matsumoto

Writer: Ryo Matsumoto (Script) 

Starring: Keisuke Igarashi, Sena Horikoshi, Miyako Maikawa, Mariko Honjo, Root, Mayumi Shiraishi

Website

Synopsis: Daughters of Karma are a mysterious cult group located in mountains near Tokyo. High school students Hana and Yuki are caught when they spy on the group forcing a young woman to drink “red tears” as part of a ritual. The next morning, Yuki is found dead and Hana loses her sight. Azuma, Yuki’s older brother, abandons his job as a detective to avenge his sister’s death. For eight years he struggles but then he meets a former cult member… 

Eternity Passes By   

永遠が通り過ぎていく 「 Eien ga Tourisugite Iku」

Release Date: April 01st, 2022

Duration: 60 mins.

Director: Makoto Toda

Writer: Makoto Toda (Script) 

Starring: Yuuka Nakao, Momoko Takeuchi, Nagisa Nishino, Tatsuya Shirato, Aya Kunitake,

Website

Synopsis: An omnibus film featuring three autobiographical stories that were written and directed by Makoto Toda, an AV star, who produced and independently distributed them individually in 2019 as part of the “Makoto Toda Experimental Film Collection Project,” in which Toda attempted to re-tell her story in words and images based on what she saw as a major loss in her own life.