Happy Weekend
This is the second part of a two-part trailer post. You can find the first part here.
This week, I posted reviews of A Little Girl’s Dream (2014) and Somebody’s Flowers (2022), both of which are playing as part of the Japan Film Festival+ free screenings. There are six films in total, also including On the Edge of their Seats, Shiver, What Can You Do About It.
In other film-related happenings, season four of Heroic Purgatory has started with an episode on the Jackie Chan x Michelle Yeoh film Police Story 3: Supercop. I also watched quite a few titles like the Ghibli films Ocean Waves, My Neighbors the Yamadas, From Up On Poppy Hill, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, and Whisper of the Heart the Hong Kong films Yes, Madam! and Royal Warriors, and the Krzysztof Kieślowski film The Double Life of Veronique. I also marathoned the Netflix series, Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre – a lot of fun.
What else was released this weekend?
Gekijouban Yasashii Supittzu a secret session in Obihiro 
劇場版 優しいスピッツ a secret session in Obihiro 「Gekijouban Yasashii Supittzu a secret session in Obihiro」
Release Date: June 02nd, 2023
Duration: 100 mins.
Director: Daigo Matsui
Writer: N/A
Starring: Masamune Kusano, Tetsuya Miwa, Akihiro Tamura, Tatsuo Takiyama, Hiroko Kuji (support musician)
Synopsis: The rock band Spitz gathered in Obihiro, Hokkaido, in 2021 and performed a live show. This is a theatrical version of a WOWOW broadcast from 2022 with making-of and post-performance footage added. It was directed by Daigo Matsui (How Selfish I Am!, Japanese Girls Never Die, and Ice cream and the Sound of Raindrops).
Spice Yori Ai wo Komete 
スパイスより愛を込めて。 「Supaisu Yori Ai wo Komete」
Release Date: June 02nd, 2023
Duration: 94 mins.
Director: Naoki Segi
Writer: Alan Smithee (Screenplay),
Starring: Tsubasa Nakagawa, Mizuki Kayashima, Ai Hayase, Alisa Sakamaki, Shodai Fukuyama, Naoki Tanaka (of GnT), Masato Hagiwara,
Synopsis: Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, has been ranked the number one prefectures with the most curry restaurants for three years running. When a virus causes a spice shortage, curry becomes a precious commodity. High schooler Ren meets a mysterious girl named Riku and the two seek out an answer to the mystery of the spice shortage.
Tomo ni Ikiru Shoka Kanazawa Shouko 
共に生きる 書家金澤翔子 「Tomo ni Ikiru Shoka Kanazawa Shouko」
Release Date: June 02nd, 2023
Duration: 79 mins.
Director: Masaaki Miyazawa
Writer: N/A
Starring: Shouko Kanazawa, Yasuko Kanazawa, Taizan Yanagida, Ryohei Miyata, Nakajin,
Synopsis: This documentary follows calligraphy artists Shoko Kanazawa and her mother Yasuko. Shoko was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome soon after birth. At the age of five, her mother introduces her to calligraphy. Since then, people have been amazed by the art that Shoko has made and she has exhibited her work around the world. The documentary shows the daily activities of Shoko and Yasuko and the bond between parent and child.
Binan Pekopan to Akuma 
美男ペコパンと悪魔 「Binan Pekopan to Akuma」
Release Date: June 02nd, 2023
Duration: 99 mins.
Director: Keita Matsuda
Writer: Keita Matsuda (Screenplay), Victor Hugo (Original Novel), Yuko Inoue (Translator)
Starring: Nichika Akutsu, Miu Shitao, Kenshin Endo, Masako Umemiya, Fumi Tachibana,
Apparently, this is an adaptation of the Victor Hugo work La Fin De Satan (The End of Satan).
Synopsis: High schoolers Hayato and Ami have a lover’s tiff which results in a car accident that leaves Hayato in a coma. Ami finds a book in his bag called “Pecopin and the Devil,” written by Victor Hugo. She begins to read it and audiences are taken from modern-day Tokyo to a medieval fantasy world where we see what happens in a relationship between a lord named Pecopin and Boldur, the beautiful daughter of the lord of Falkenburg Castle. They are betrothed but, just before the wedding, Pecopin goes on a journey around the world and fights monsters…
Covid vs Devotion 
コロナvs信心 「Korona vs Shinjin」
Release Date: June 03rd, 2023
Duration: 49 mins.
Director: Zenzo Sakai
Writer: N/A
Starring: Maki Nishiyama, Ayaka Kudo, Takashi Matsumoto, Takanori Kamachi, Hiroki Kono,
This medium-length film takes in religion and the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be screened with Zenzo Sakai’s previous short, The Counsellor.
Synopsis: During the COVID-19 pandemic, a self-help group called “Natural Network” recruits people by preaching the message “overcoming CORONA with the power of chi” and “no need for masks.” When people close by are suspected of carrying the virus…
7WAYS 
Release Date: June 03rd, 2023
Duration: 95 mins.
Director: Kyoji Kamui
Writer: Kyoji Kamui (Screenplay),
Starring: Miko Nakagawa, Mitsunari Sakamoto, Kazunari Moriwaki, Hiroyuki Hagita, Sayoko Hagiwara, Chiaki Hiratsuka,
Synopsis: A writer named Nao finds herself trapped at a motel on a remote island with a collection of characters including a couple, some prison escapees, a stage actor. A police detective named Kuroneko joins them at the behest of Nao’s sister, all while news of a jewellery store robbery is broadcast. It turns out that Nao had been accused of murder but beat the charge in court. Kuroneko looks into Nao and the others at the motel.
Tatazuma Monster 
佇むモンスター 「Tatazuma Monsuta-」
Release Date: June 03rd, 2023
Duration: 95 mins.
Director: Naotoshi Kitada
Writer: Naotoshi Kitada, Arthur Nance, Haruo Oharu (Screenplay), Naotoshi Kitada (Story)
Starring: Yusuke Yanai, AIRI, Gosho, Hitoshi Ikeda, Chika Nakata, Mizuki Namai,
Apparently inspired by a real-life incident where a mother pushed her 9-year-old child off the 23rd floor of a hotel in Kabukicho, in 2021. This film combines social commentary with horror.
Synopsis: A filmmaker named Kenji encounters a 9-year-old girl named Juria wandering around the streets of Tokyo. Suspecting abuse, he hands her a dog-shaped toy with a camera inside and tells her to use it when her mentally ill mother begins to abuse her. When he gets the camera back, what he sees shocks him…