There are enough film released this week to warrant a double-trailer post. Rain has poured forth from the heavens and a fierce wind gusts about outside so the poor weather is a great excuse to stay inside and write about films. I also got the chance to write about an interesting Kickstarter project concerning a wonderful anime I highly recommend.
The UK anime distributor All the Anime launched a Kickstarter for an English language release of Mai Mai Miracle. The initial goal was US$30,000 and it was reached within less than a day. The campaign to raise money continues with a stretch-goal of $60,000 being added to provide an English language dub. Although the focus of the funding is on creating a High Definition Master for the Blu-Ray and DVD version, supporters have the chance to dictate just what will be released including extras. Backers can get their hands on a selection of goodies access a downloadable wallpaper. I’ve already pledged and wrote about the project on Anime UK News because I really took to the film and I hope others can experience its magic. Judging by the overwhelming response I think others feel the same.
Anyway, on to the trailers:
Tiger 
and Bunny: The Rising
Japanese: 劇場版Tiger & Bunny The Rising
Romaji: Gekijouban Tiger & Bunny The Rising
Running Time: 100 mins.
Release Date: February o8th, 2014
Director: Yoshitomo Yonetani
Writer: Masafumi Nishida (Screenplay), Hajime Yatate (Original Creator)
Starring: Hiroaki Hirata (Kotetsu T. Kaburagi/Wild Tiger), Masakazu Morita (Barnaby Brooks, Jr.), Mariya Ise (Pao-Ling Huang/Dragon Kid), Minako Kotobuki (Karina Lyle/Blue Rose), Rina Hidaka (Kaede Kaburagi)
This is the second Tiger and Bunny film and it’s getting a release in the west as well as Japan. I must admit that I’ve missed this one and there are all sorts of things going on like new characters being added. The film will apparently revolve around a mystery that happens on the day of the “Justice Day” festival that celebrates Sternbild’s legendary goddess. It is written by the chap behind the TV series scripts and directed by Yoshitomo Yonetani, an anime vet who has directed episodes of Nadia – The Secret of Blue Water, Brigadoon and Amuri in Star Ocean.
Yukihiko Nishino’s Love and Adventure 
Japanese: ニシノユキヒコの恋と冒険
Romaji: Nishino Yukihiko no Koi to Boken
Running Time: 122 mins.
Release Date: February o8th, 2014
Director: Nami Iguchi
Writer: Nami Iguchi (Screenplay), Hiromi Kawakami (Original Novel)
Starring: Yutaka Takenouchi, Machiko Ono, Riko Narumi, kumiko Aso, Fumino Kimura, Tsubasa Honda, Sawako Agawa, Yurika Nakamura, Yoji Tanaka.
Yukihiko Nishino (Takenouchi) is super popular with the ladies but he always ends up getting dumped. Yukihiko yearns for true love. The ladies falling in love with Nishino include work colleagues, housewives and more! The director of this film is Nami Iguchi and one of her previous works was Don’t Laugh at my Romance.
Tears of the Vampire
Japanese: ヴァンパイアの泪
Romaji: Vampaia no Namida
Running Time: N/A
Release Date: February o8th, 2014
Director: Kazuo Yamamoto
Writer: Chiba Misuzu (Screenplay),
Starring: Reina Fujie, Miina, Kanon
A short film starring Reina Fujie of AKB48 where she portrays a young fashion designer named Nao Tachibana who is in a creative slump. She ventures into a European-style building where a famous designer is meant to be residing and encounters the mysterious sisters Kana and Naomi. One of them is a vampire…
Buddha 2 
Japanese: BUDDHA2 手塚治虫のブッダ-終わりなき旅-
Romaji: Buddha 2: Tezuka Osamu no Buddha: Owarinaki Tabi
Running Time: 85 mins.
Release Date: February o8th, 2014
Director: Toshiaki Komura
Writer: Reiko Yoshida (Screenplay), Osamu Tezuka (Original Manga)
Starring: Hidetaka Yoshioka (Siddhartha), Sayuri Yoshinaga (Queen Maya), Yoko Maki (Prince Ruri), Kenichi Matsuyama (Tatta), Nana Mizuki (Migera)
This is the second part of a series of film adaptations of Osamu Tezuka’s seminal manga and it follows on from the first instalment released in 2011. There are some big names in the seiyuu department including Yoko Maki and Kenichi Matsuyama.
The place is India and the time is some 2500 years ago. We follow Siddhartha, a prince of the Shakya clan who has renounced his place at the royal court and embarked on a journey around the world. What he sees is the suffering of others but he also falls in with strange and interesting people including Assaji, a boy who can predict a future and Depa, a monk with one eye. As he tavels Prince Ruri of Kosara attacks the Shakya clan!
Kami-sama to no yakuso ku tainai kioku o kataru kodomo-tachi 
Japanese: かみさまとのやくそく 胎内記憶を語る子どもたち
Romaji: Kami-sama to no yakuso ku tainai kioku o kataru kodomo-tachi
Running Time: 114 mins.
Release Date: February o8th, 2014
Director: Norio Ogikubo
Writer: N/A
Starring: Akira Ikegawa, Masayuki Daimon, Yumiko Hitani, Chikako Kagami
The title for this documentary translates as something like, Promise to God Children Talk About Memories of the Womb. I think, and my translation may be off, in this film we see children speak of their experiences in their mother’s womb.
