Welcome to the second of three trailer posts for this week!
The first trailer post went live yesterday and the next one goes live tomorrow
Following on from yesterday’s anime-heavy entry, this instalment has a nice set of indies that features names that are familiar – Teppei Isobe, Kenichi Ugana, Umeno Uno, Kokoro Morita.
Also on my mind is taking pleasure in the change of seasons with the autumn starting and the chill air and subdued colours and darker evenings acting as a calming balm – and a good excuse to watch films!
What are the next batch of Japanese films released this week?
Love Song 
リゾートバイト 「Riso-to Baito」
Release Date: October 20th, 2023
Duration: 85 mins.
Director: Yoshihisa Kodama
Writer: Yasutoshi Murakawa, Hideki Shishido (Screenplay),
Starring: Yuka Masuda, Kenta Kiguchi, Daichi Yamaguchi, Kumiko Fujiyoshi, Hirotaro Honda,
This Yokohama-set hardboiled story stars Yuka Masuda, formerly of AKB48.
Synopsis: Hana is an unsuccessful singer whose manager and boyfriend, Takeru, uses her to hold on to yakuza drugs without her knowledge. In his last phone call, just before he is killed by gangsters, he lets her know the location. Hana decides to get revenge and so she ropes in Makoto, a childhood friend who used to pursue her dreams with her.
Kizuna no Monogatari Kokoro to Kokoro o Musubu mono 
絆のものがたり 心と心を結ぶもの 「Kizuna no Monogatari Kokoro to Kokoro o Musubu mono」
Release Date: October 20th, 2023
Duration: 80 mins.
Director: Hiroyuki Fukuda, Teppei Isobe, Kazutoshi Inudo, Minori Hamada, Taleshi Sone,
Writer: Hiroyuki Fukuda, Teppei Isobe, Kazuo Nagai, Yusuke Moriguchi, Yuko Ueda, Genki Nakamura (Screenplay),
Starring: Yuuya Matsuura, Sayaka Yamaguchi, Yumena Yanai, Aika Sonoda, Manami Hashimoto, Toko Narushima,
Synopsis: This five-story omnibus film has stories set in six prefectures in the Tohoku region. The stories are based on ones chosen from more than 14,000 submissions to the online community “Kizuna no Community.
The stories include one of a woman who returns home after failing to realise her dream of becoming a singer, one of a man who lost his wife and continues to live with her memory, one of the bond between two unsuccessful comedians, one of a young woman who is on the cusp of travelling to Tokyo and spends one last day with her childhood friend, and one of a woman disturbed by the Covid pandemic.
The Girls 
愚鈍の微笑み 「Gudon no Hohoemi」
Release Date: October 20th, 2023
Duration: 60 mins.
Director: Kenichi Ugana
Writer: Kenichi Ugana (Screenplay),
Starring: Momoko Tanabe, Kaoru Koide, Kokoro Morita,
Director Kenichi Ugana has been a star of the indie scene having emerged just under a decade ago with Ganguro Gal`s Riot and Goodbye Silence and going on to wow with Extraneous Matter – Complete Version and recently-released Love Will Tear Us Apart. He’s a constant festival presence and now he works with a stellar actor who has emerged in the same period, Kokoro Morita of Lonely Glory.
Synopsis: The film takes place in a forest where three young women, eat food, drink, listen to music, and generally live happily. However, the sound of a plane and the presence of a JSDF soldier upsets that peace. The story references the threat of viruses, natural disasters, and wars that are constantly taking place around the world at this very moment and how everyone is affected by conflict and turmoil, no matter where it is.
Taikutsuna End Roll 
退屈なエンドロール 「Taikutsuna Endo Ro-ru」
Release Date: October 20th, 2023
Duration: 75 mins.
Director: Tete Inoue
Writer: Tete Inoue (Screenplay),
Starring: Kazusa Okuyama, Megumu Nakazato, Yuuki Ohara, Daichi Yamaguchi, Kotoha Hiroyama, Nanase Iwai,
Synopsis: Kumika Kagami is watching the credits roll for her latest film and she notices that most of the audience has already left. Shocked, she visits a nearby taco shop which is where she meets an office worker named Shuji. This meeting changes her. How? Watch the film to find out!
Fumajime Tsuushin 
ふまじめ通信 「Fumajime Tsuushin」
Release Date: October 20th, 2023
Duration: 88 mins.
Director: Shingo Matsumura
Writer: Shingo Matsumura (Screenplay),
Starring: Umeno Uno, Sasha Ueda, 7A, Shogo Hama, Marin Nishimoto,
Umeno Uno was great in the film Melting Sounds and now she is bringing her talent to another film but this one is set in a port town in Wakayama Prefecture – nice place.
Synopsis: Kuniko Oyamada, a.k.a. Kuni-chan, was once a teacher in the city but she resigned after suffering from mental and physical illness due to stress caused by her overly serious nature. Kuniko takes over managing a house and tries to break her seriousness by embarking on games linked to her audio distribution program called “Fumajime Tsushin.”