The first of the two trailer posts for the weekend where Japan finally gets to experience 12 Years a Slave (congrats go to the filmmakers for winning big at the Oscars) there are lots of adaptations of feel-good books, anime and what not. In this first trailer post we have the live-action Silver Spoon and Doraemon but more interesting is The Court of Zeus from Gen Takahashi.
Silver Spoon 
Japanese: 銀の匙 Silver Spoon
Romaji: Gin no Saji Shiruba Supun
Running Time: 111 mins.
Release Date: March 07th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Keisuke Yoshida
Writer: Ryo Takada (Screenplay), Hiromu Arakawa (Manga)
Starring: Kento Nakajima, Alice Hirose, Tomohiro Ichikawa, Haru Kuroki, Kazue Fukiishi, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Sho Aikawa, Riki Takeuchi, Renji Ishibashi
Hiromu Arakawa is famous amongst anime and manga fans for Full Metal Alchemist but what some may not realise is that she has created other titles like Silver Spoon which has become a favourite amongst anibloggers. I’ve read that she grew up on a farm which explains why she created a farm story… Anyway, the movie adaptation has some great named in the cast like Haru Kuroki, Mitsuru Fukikoshi and Sho Aikawa.
Yugo Hachiken (Nakajima) is an ace at studying and believes that he can attend any school around the country and succeed. Then he heads to Ooejo agricultural high school and finds that he’s completely lost while his classmates, who are from farming families, are totally fine. They know what they want to do with their lives while Yugo flounders. To succeed, Yugo begins to get to know the other students and rural life. As he must studies harder and interacts with others more, he grows as a person.
The Court of Zeus 
Japanese Title: ゼウス の 法廷
Romaji: Zeus no Houtei
Running Time: 136 mins.
Release Date: March 08th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Gen Takahashi
Writer: Gen Takahashi (Screenplay),
Starring: Hijiri Kojima, Hironobu Nomura, Shun Shioya, Shigeru Sugimoto, Jun Kawamoto
Gen Takahashi’s latest film was at last year’s Raindance Film Festival. It was one of the few Japanese films I did not watch despite liking his coming-of-age slow murder mystery Goth. He’s now carving out a career as a director exposing the problems in the Japanese criminal justice system with titles like Confessions of a Dog which looked at problems in a police force and this which is about a merciless prosecutor facing a difficult trial.
Megumi is going to marry to Kano, a judge with an iron fist and favours the police and prosecutors over defendants. Megumi’s decision is a shock to her friends because she is a liberal and she soon finds living with him difficult. Her former lover Yamoaka likens Kano to the omnipotent Greek god Zeus. Tellingly, he also reasons that this makes her Themis – Zeus’ wife who is considered to be the embodiment of justice. In a dramatic chain of events, Megumi finds herself in the dock as Kano takes on the hardest trial of his life.
Kizuna Futatabi 
no Sora e Blue Impulse
Japanese: 絆 再びの空へ Blue Impulse
Romaji: Kizuna Futatabi no Sora e Blue Impulse
Running Time: 118 mins.
Release Date: March 08th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Masaaki Tezuka
Writer: N/A
Starring: N/A
Blue Impulse are the aerobatic team of the Japan Air Self-Defence Force and during the Great East Earthquake and Tsunami their airbase, Matsushima, was heavily damaged when Miyagi prefecture was hit. The results feature the heartbreak that the entire region suffered. Although their aircraft had been moved to another base to take part in the event, much worse was in store for some of the pilots who lost family members. The documentary tracks the recovery of the team from this disaster and we get to see some who took part in the rescue efforts and the way they bring delight to people at displays.
Zetsu ōkami Zero Black Blood Shiro no Fumi 
Japanese: 絶狼 ZERO BLACK BLOOD 白ノ章
Romaji: Zetsu ōkami Zero Black Blood Shiro no Fumi
Running Time: 72 mins.
Release Date: March 08th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Ryu Kaneda/ Keita Amemiya
Writer: Kenji Aoki (Screenplay),
Starring: Rei Fujita, Naoki Takeko,
I’m totally unfamiliar with the background details of this fantasy action film.
Shinema Toraberu Eigakan de Miru Seikaiisan no Tabi Machupichu Nasuka Ankōru Iseki-hen 
Japanese: シネマ・トラベル 映画館でみる世界遺産の旅 マチュピチュ・ナスカ・アンコール遺跡編
Romaji: Shinema Toraberu Eigakan de Miru Seikaiisan no Tabi Machupichu Nasuka Ankōru Iseki-hen
Running Time: 45 mins.
Release Date: March 08th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Hiroshina Yamazaki
Writer: N/A
Starring: Michio Hazama, Mika Doi
Cinema-goers get a high-def virtual tour of some world heritage sites like Angkor Wat Machu Piccu and Nazca. Alas, no trailer.
Go! Go! Kaden Danshi The Movie Afureko Panikku 
Japanese: Go!Go!家電男子 THE MOVIE アフレコパニック
Romaji: Go! Go! Kaden Danshi The Movie Afureko Panikku
Running Time: N/A
Release Date: March 08th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: ROKUGOU
Writer: Kenji Aoki (Screenplay),
Starring: Kenta Hamano, Kana Hanazawa, Daigo Matsui, Shigeki Hosokawa,
This film is about the live-action adaptation of the flash animation Go! Go! Consumer Electronics Boy and it features seiyuu like Kana Hanazawa, directors, producers and other staff as well as clips from the animation. See how the Japanese film industry mercilessly plunders even trashy ideas for live-action films… F*ck that, see Kana Hanazawa, my favourite seiyuu, in a film role!
Stand By Me Doraemon 
Japanese: 映画ドラえもん 新・のび太の大魔境 ペコと5人の探検隊
Romaji: Eiga Doraemon Shin Nobita no Dai makyō Peko to 5-ri no tanken-tai
Running Time: 109 mins.
Release Date: March 08th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Ryuichi Yagi, Takashi Yamazaki
Writer: Takashi Yamazaki (Screenplay), Fujiko F. Fujio – Hiroshi Fujimoto and Motoo Abiko (Original Creators)
Starring: Wasabi Mizuta (Doraemon) Megumi Oohara (Nobita), Subaru Kimura (Gian), Yumi Kakazu (Shizuka), Tomokazu Seki (Suneo)
The latest Doraemon film is the 34th in the movie series and is about the nuclear powered time-travelling cat taking Nobita and friends to an unexplored part of the word where they encounter a giant dog statue in a jungle. The directors are Takashi Yamazaki (Space Battleship Yamato and Returner) and Ryuichi Yagi.
New Directions in Japanese Cinema
The funding from the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs went to anime studios last week and now the live-action world gets a shot this week. The folks organising this year’s New Directions in Japanese cinema have released their latest batch of 30 minute shorts and there are five getting shown in a cinema in Tokyo.
Kaori and Machine Oil 
Japanese Title: カオリと機械油
Romaji: Kaori to Kikaiyu
Running Time: 30 mins.
Director: Obihiro (?) Kitagawa
Writer: Obihiro (?) Kitagawa
Starring: Yuka Hyodo, Yukari Horibe, Take Manabe, Nagisa Matsunaga, Shigeki Kato,
Something about a woman with strange body odour who works in a small machine shop has a quiet existence with her dull boyfriend until the business goes bust…
Fashionable Bangaichi 
Japanese Title: オシャレ番外地
Romaji: Oshare Bangaichi
Running Time: 30 mins.
Director: Kosuke Takaya
Writer: Kosuke Takaya (Screenplay)
Starring: Wataru Takara, Koshika Kobayashi, Rumi Hiragi, Satoshi Sakata
Naoto is hired to be the model of a fashion brand but the clothes are a strange selection.
Michizure 
Japanese Title: ミチずレ
Romaji: Michi Zushi
Running Time: 30 mins.
Director: Sungho Moon
Writer: Wataru Mimura (Screenplay)
Starring: Motoki Ochiai, Yuma Yamato, Sho Yakumaru, Ken Takagi,
Motoki Ochiai (The Kirishima Thing) gets caught up in a scam involving the delivery of luggage to some suspicious place.
The Iron Horse and the Wind 
Japanese Title: 鉄馬と風
Romaji: Tetsu Uma to Kaze
Running Time: 30 mins.
Director: Naoya Asanuma
Writer: Naoya Asanuma (Screenplay)
Starring: Keisuke Tarumi, Takaki Uda, Ai Kitaura, Kenji Kawahari
Naoya Asanuma, director of Heart Beat and second unit director of the recently released Ikeshima Ballad, takes the helm of a film about two young guys on a motorcycle. The bike is a pristine Harley-Davidson owned by a poor brother of one of the lads. How did he come by it and why did he own it?
Setagaya, 39-chome 
Japanese Title: 世田谷区，39丁目
Romaji: Setagaya, 39-chome
Running Time: 30 mins.
Director: Seiji Yamashita
Writer: Seiji Yamashita (Screenplay)
Starring: Shota Shimoda, Minami Hamabe, Hinako Saeki
In this short, a fifth-grader named Kou step into a bizarre world where people have violent personalities and meets a girl named Mio.
