Happy Weekend
This is the second part of a two-part trailer post. You can find the first part here.
As mentioned yesterday, this year’s edition of the New York Asian Film Festival is currently underway and I have published a bunch of reviews:
I’ve got more set to be published in the coming weeks. So I have been investing my time in that. No time for video games or books. I hope you guys take a look at my reviews and let me know what you think. I can say with certainty that Egoist and Okiku and the World are in my top ten films of the year and will probably last all the way.
What other Japanese films are hitting mini theatres and big cinemas in Japan?
The Ransom 
ランサム 「Ransamu」
Release Date: July 21st, 2023
Duration: 84 mins.
Director: Atsushi Muraga
Writer: Atsushi Muraga, Shunya Okunishi, Satoru Nishizawa (Screenplay),
Starring: Yoon Sung-Mo, Rei Yoshida, Hitoshi Ozawa, Yuichi Nakamura, Hisayuki Teranaka,
Former pop idol Yoon Sung-Mo, of the group Supernova, takes a lead role in this action film that also features V-Cinema star Hitoshi Ozawa. It was directed by Atsushi Muroga (Score, Junk – I remember thinking long and hard about whether to import the DVD when it was first released).
Synopsis: Five men, including one Korean, kidnap a 19-year-old college student named Yumi. She is the daughter of a tycoon who controls the Japanese underworld. With 100 million yen on the line, the kidnappers fall out…
12 Months of Kai 
12ヶ月のカイ 「12-Kagetsu no Kai」
Release Date: July 22nd, 2023
Duration: 83 mins.
Director: Mutsuki Kameyama
Writer: Mutsuki Kameyama (Screenplay),
Starring: Ran Imai, Kosei Kudo, Ayaka Nakagochi, Kikka Oiwa, Jin Okada, Shino Natsume,
Synopsis: In this sci-fi tale, a web designer named Kyoka who lives in Tokyo comes to fall in love with her “personal care humanoid (PCH)” Kai as the two grow close in conversations. Eventually, a new life is created in Kyoka and she seeks advice from others before deciding what to do.
Ten Stories 
テン・ストーリーズ 「Ten Suto-ri-zu」
Release Date: July 22nd, 2023
Duration: 132 mins.
Director: Daisuke Miyazaki, Tatsuya Yamanishi, Kanshi Iwasaki
Writer: Daisuke Miyazaki, Tatsuya Yamanishi, Kanshi Iwasaki (Screenplay),
Starring: Ri Taun, Akiyoshi Yasuda, Yuriko Tanaka, Miki Mayuka, Manami Nagisa,
Synopsis: A nine-story omnibus film produced under the supervision of Daisuke Miyazaki. It has its origins in a joint workshop project of the YouTube distribution program “Katsuben Cinema Club” and the film support community “DOKUSO Eiga-kan.” All of the cast members were selected through workshops conducted by each director.
Osomatsu-san: Tamashii no Takoyaki Party to Densetsu no Otomarikai 
おそ松さん 魂のたこ焼きパーティーと伝説のお泊り会 「Osomatsu-san: Tamashii no Takoyaki Pa-ti- to Densetsu no Otomarikai」
Release Date: July 21st, 2023
Duration: 59 mins.
Director: Hikaru Yamaguchi
Writer: Shuu Matsubara (Screenplay), Fujio Akatsuka (Original Creator)
Starring: Jun Fukuyama (Ichimatsu), Daisuke Ono (Jushimatsu), Hiroshi Kamiya (Choromatsu), Miyu Irino (Todomatsu), Takahiro Sakurai (Osomatsu), Yuichi Nakamura (Karamatsu), Aya Endo (Totoko),
Animation Production: Pierrot
Another anime movie to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Osomatsu-san TV anime.
Synopsis: Misadventures for the Matsuno family occur when a takoyaki party evolves into a sleepover involving Totoko and other girls who decide to stay over.
Hypnosis Mic Division Rap Battle Rule the Stage Fling Posse VS MAD TRIGGER CREW Cinema Edit 
「ヒプノシスマイク Division Rap Battle」Rule the Stage《Fling Posse VS MAD TRIGGER CREW》 Cinema Edit 「Hipunoshisu Maiku Division Rap Battle Rule the Stage Fling Posse VS MAD TRIGGER CREW 」
Release Date: July 21st, 2023
Duration: 120 mins.
Staging: Go Ueki
Writer: Shinjiro Kameda (Screenplay), Evil Line Records (Original Creator),
Starring: Kentaro Yasui, Ryuichiro Sakata, Ryo Takizawa, Aran Abe, Kenta Mizue, Yuuki Byrnes,
Hypnosis Microphone is a project featuring eighteen Japanese voice actors who make up teams of three emcees, each representing a famous district in Japan. These teams battle each other with rap battle albums, division songs, and occasional drama CDs. This film is a 2.5D stage version.
If you want to find out more about the anime/drama/game it is based on, head to this site.
Synopsis: This is the third film adaptation of one of the stageplays and it features Fling Posse, a team from Shibuya, and MAD TRIGGER CREW, from Yokohama. This was performed in March 2023.