Welcome to the first of three trailer posts
Come back tomorrow and the day after for more trailers
I am nearing the end of my current Castlevania game and have to say that the gameplay and art continue to hit the sweet spot and the fact that the play time is a few hours also helps. It features a decent castle to run through and the puzzles and use of the Nintendo DS touch screen are fun but, as much as the snow village at the start is cool, it doesn’t have stages or music as memorable as Symphony of the Night or Portrait of Ruin in terms of my tastes.
Still, it is a great game and one I’d recommend for anyone interested in Castlevania!
The fact that the franchise petered out on the DS is a shame. The fact that a lot of games coming out now are knock-offs of the franchise and certain games are often replayed shows there is a lot of interest and Konami would do well to resurrect it.
What are the first batch of films released this weekend?
Teasing Master Takagi-san Movie 
映画 からかい上手の高木さん 「Eiga Karakai Jouzu no Takakagi-san」
Release Date: May 31st, 2024
Duration: 119 mins.
Director: Rikiya Imaizumi
Writer: Tomoki Kanazawa, Jun Hagimori, Rikiya Imaizumi (Screenplay), Soichiro Yamamoto (Original Manga),
Starring: Mei Nagano, Fumiya Takahashi , Jin Suzuki, Yuna Taira, Oshiro Maeda, Sara Shida, Yosuke Eguchi
Website Twitter: @takagi3_2024 IMDB
Do you love the original manga? Did you like the anime? Have you tried the live-action series? This is a Netflix release so check your service to see if it is available. It follows on from the live-action TV show and features the same creative team behind the camera but new actors playing the characters due to a time skip in the story.
Synopsis: It has been ten years since Takagi graduated from Momomi Middle School on Shodoshima and she has returned as a trainee teacher. This is how she comes back into connection with Nishikata, who used to be her classmate and the boy she teased mercilessly. He is now a P.E. teacher and isn’t doing so well, which means that their relationship based on teasing begins anew…
Confession 
告白 コンフェッション「Kokuhaku Konfesshon」
Release Date: May 31st, 2024
Duration: 74 mins.
Director: Nobuhiro Yamashita
Writer: Shuji Yuki Ryo Takada (Screenplay), Nobuyuki Fukumoto, Kaiji Kawaguchi (Original Manga),
Starring: Toma Ikuta, Yang Ik-June, Nao
Website Twitter: @gagamovie IMDB
Nobuhiro Yamashita is having quite a year with three films on release so far – Ghost Cat Anzu (just screened at Cannes) and Swimming in a Sand Pool.
Synopsis: Keisuke and Ji-Yong are good friends who were members of the same university mountain climbing club. To commemorate the anniversary of the death of a fellow member who was thought to have died in an accident, the two meet up and begin climbing. This is a blizzard strikes and swallows the two up. After Ji-Yong gets injured, he figures it’s all over for him and makes a shocking confession. But it isn’t over. The two find a mountain hut in which they can take shelter…
Tonoban: Musician Kazuhiko Kato and His Era 
トノバン 音楽家 加藤和彦とその時代「Tonoban Ongakuka Kato Kazuhiko to Sono Jidai」
Release Date: May 31st, 2024
Duration: 118 mins.
Director: Hiromi Aihara
Writer: N/A
Starring: Osamu Kitayama, Takeshi Matsuyama, Mitsuko Takanashi, Ichiro Asatsuma, Konosuke Sakazaki,
Website Twitter: @tonoban_movie
Synopsis: This is a documentary dedicated to Kazuhiko Kato, a musician nicknamed “Tonoban,” who had an enormous influence on Japanese popular music as well as making award-winning works. It began with his time with The Folk Crusaders and their million-selling records and extended to the internationally famous Sadistic Mika Band and his work with a multitude of other musicians who he helped produce and inspire. Rare archive footage, BTS footage, and interviews are interwoven in this story, as is a new recording of a popular song he made. Through this film, viewers will understand Kato’s long influence.
Oshukatsu Sai Haru! Jinsei Rhapsody 
お終活 再春！人生ラプソディ「Oshuukatsu saiharu! Jinsei Rapusodi」
Release Date: May 31st, 2024
Duration: 118 mins.
Director: Hideyuki Katsuki
Writer: Hideyuki Katsuki (Screenplay), Nobuyuki Fukumoto, Kaiji Kawaguchi (Original Manga),
Starring: Atsuko Takahata, Masaru Mizuno, Ayame Gouriki, Isao Hashizume, Yuki Matsushita,
Website Twitter: @oshukatsu_eiga
This is a follow-up to the film End of Life Concierge – which was released in 2021 – and sees the return of the cast and director.
Synopsis: Chikako and Shinichi Ohara are still together and celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Meanwhile, their daughter, Aya, a nutrionist, is about to marry Ryota Kanno, the funeral director who came to the aid of the women in the first film. Chikako is even pursuing dreams of becoming a singer. However, Shinichi becomes the cause for concern again when it is suspected that he of has developed dementia and Chikako’s big concert debut may be cancelled…