Happy Weekend!
This is the first of a two-part trailer post covering the Japanese films released this weekend.
What are the first batch?
Bubble 
バブル 「 Baburu」
Release Date: May 13th, 2022
Duration: 100 mins
Director: Tetsuro Araki
Writer: Gen Urobuchi (Screenplay)
Starring: Jun Shison (Hibiki), Mamoru Miyano, Yuki Kaji, Alice Hirose, Marina Inoue, 
Animation Production: Wit Studio
Bubble has previously been screened at Berlinale. This is its Japanese theatrical release and it comes off the back of a Netflix release. I’ve heard that it is already available and despite the presence of Gen “Urobutcher” Urobuchi, it is very tame.
Synopsis: Following Tokyo’s destruction under a rain of bubbles, the residents that remain have to fight for food and most of the fights take the form of parkour battles that involve jumping off bubbles. One group, Team Blue Blaze (not the fighting game), is centred around the secretive Hibiki and it is he who meets Uta, a mysterious being who seems to be connected with the bubbles…
Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Gekitotsu Part 3 
銀河英雄伝説 Die Neue These 激突 第三章 「Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Die Neue Gekitotsu Dai Nishou」
Release Date: May 13th, 2022
Duration: 93 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.
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.
Shin Ultraman 
シン・ウルトラマン 「Shin Urutoraman」
Release Date: May 13th, 2022
Duration: 112 mins.
Director: Shinji Higuchi
Writer: Hideaki Anno (Script),
Starring: Takumi Saito, Masami Nagasawa, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Soko Wada, Daiki Arioka, Akari Hayami,
Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi reunite after their work on Shin Godzilla to bring a new, more modern take on Ultraman.
Synopsis: When Kaiju start attacking Japan on the regular (just one is bad enough) and conventional weapons aren’t, the government gathers specialists and establishes the “Kaiju Special Countermeasures Office Task Force” led by Kimio Tamura (Hidetoshi Nishijima), Hiroko Asami (Masami Nagasawa), and Shinji Kaminaga (Takumi Saitoh), a man who can transform into a hero the size of a giant.
The Wandering Moon 
流浪の月 「Rurou no Tsuki」
Release Date: May 13th, 2022
Duration: 150 mins.
Director: Sang-il Lee
Writer: Sang-il Lee (Script), Yuu Nagira (Original Novel),
Starring: Suzu Hirose, Tori Matsuzaka, Ryusei Yokohama, Mikako Tabe, Akira Emoto,
Sang-il Lee of Villain and Rage fame returns with this weighty and long drama.
Synopsis: When Fumi Saeki finds a 9-year-old girl named Sarasa Kanai alone in a park in the rain, he gives her shelter after she says she is separated from her parents and living with an aunt but doesn’t want to go back. After two month’s together (and not calling the police!), Fumi is arrested for kidnapping and Sarasa is returned to her family. 15 years later, Sarasa Kanai (Suzu Hirose) and Fumi Saeki (Tori Matsuzaka) happen to meet each other again.
Gekijouban School Meals Time Graduation 
劇場版 おいしい給食 卒業 「Gekijouban Oishii Kyuushoku Sotsugyou」
Release Date: May 13th, 2022
Duration: 104 mins.
Directors: Shinya Ayabe
Writers: Yuuji Nagamori (Script),
Starring: Hayato Ichihara, Kaho Tsuchimura, Maiko Ito, Taishi Sato, Yuhi,
Synopsis: A second movie version of the TV show set in the 1980s where a teacher named Yukio Amarida (Hayato Ichihara) who loves the school lunch and can’t tolerate a student named Gou (Taishi Sato) who brings lunch from home. Amarida turns it into a battle even with important exams and a graduation coming. Things heat up when a new school menu is floated.