Welcome to the second trailer post of the week.
You can find the first trailer post here.
Since the last trailer post, I published reviews for Kubi (2023), Blue Imagine (2024), and The Brush of the God (2024). These have been part of my coverage of Japan Cuts and the New York Asian Film Festival. I’ll continue to post reviews connected to these events. In the case of two films, it kinda wraps up coverage of Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024.
Time is pressing on and I need to move quickly on to other things for now! That includes increasing my Japanese study time.
What are the other films released this weekend?
Dirty Red 
ひどくくすんだ赤 「Hidoku kusunda aka」
Release Date: July 26th, 2024
Duration: 46 mins.
Director: Satoshi Tanaka
Writer: Kenji Kurata (Screenplay),
Starring: Hiroaki Matsuzawa, Koji Mitsumizo, Mayumi Kanetani, Reju Kojima, Airi Okazaki,
This film played at the Japanese Film Festival Hamburg.
Synopsis: Yoshida is 58 and works as a part-time traffic guide. This is far from the glorious life he once dreamed of living as part of “Lightning Squadron Thunder Five,” a group formed with friends with the goal of protecting Earth from monsters. One foolish action meant he failed his fantastical future and now Yoshida must make amends with his former comrades, a journey which will bring him face to face with the reason the Lightning Squadron Thunder Five team disbanded.
Soup 
すうぷ 「Suupu」
Release Date: July 26th, 2024
Duration: 45 mins.
Director: Hiroaki Yamaguchi
Writer: Hiroaki Yamaguchi, Daisuke Mannami (Screenplay),
Starring: Yoshinari Takahashi, Aki Toyonaga, Banjou, Kiwami Fukuzawa, Shotaro Kono,
Website Twitter: @Soup_movies
Most regions of Japan have particular spins on food. Tokyo’s ramen broth is darker than Osaka’s. This film, which is based on a true story, is all about how the cloudy broth of Kyushu’s tonkotsu ramen was created.
Synopsis: Back in the Showa period, Kyushu’s tonkotsu ramen broth was still clear but a man named Hirofumi, who works selling ballpoint pens for a company named Hayama Fountain Pen, mistakenly orders 20,000 ballpoint pens and must come up with a way to sell them or he will be fired. This is when he meets hatches a plan with Kyuzo, the owner of the ramen restaurant that Hirofumi goes to, to sell ramen that had been over-cooked so much that the clear broth had turned into a cloudy white one.
Ima boku wa uso o tsuite iru 
今、僕は嘘をついている 「Ima, boku wa uso o tsuite iru」
Release Date: July 27th, 2024
Duration: 60 mins.
Director: Takahito Urakawa
Writer: Takahito Urakawa (Screenplay),
Starring: Hiroto Sekiguchi, Mai Arai, Kiyoaki Nishiyama, Kaho Fujii, Shu Harada, Tenma Aida, Hidetaro Machida, Chitose Shimizu,
Synopsis: A film and TV actor named Hideharu Eto returns to a theatre company he was a member of in order to film a YouTube video at an inn which has a legend stretching back to the Edo period of there being a monster that eats guests lurking in the area. He goes from sceptical to scared when it turns out that the monster is real and nobody believes him…
Gekijouban Mononoke: Karakasa 
劇場版モノノ怪 唐傘 「Gekijouban Mononoke: Karakasa」
Release Date: July 26th, 2024
Duration: 89 mins
Director: Kenji Nakamura
Writer: Hiroko Fukuda (Screenplay/Series Composition), Cygames (Original Creator),
Starring: Hiroshi Kamiya (Medicine Seller), Aoi Yuki (Kame), Daisuke Hosomi (Sakashita), Haruka Tomatsu (Botan Otomo), Jun Fukuyama (Hiramoto), Kana Hanazawa (Kitagawa),
Animation Production: EOTA
Website Twitter: @anime_mononoke ANN MAL
This is a movie spin-off of the 2006/7 12-episode TV horror anime Mononoke and it follows the medicine seller from the “Bakeneko” arc.
Synopsis: It is the Edo period (1603-1867) and courtesans in the Ooku, the “women’s quarter” of Edo castle, are preparing for changes when a tragedy occurs. The medicine seller follows the monster into the heart of the inner chambers, and soon discovers the horrifying and sad truth that is hidden away there.
Shimbashi Tantei Monogatari 2 Bull Revolver Love 
新橋探偵物語 2 ブルリボルバーラヴ 「Shimbashi Tantei Monogatari 2 Buru Riboruba- Rabu」
Running Time: 92 mins.
Release Date: June 27th, 2024
Director: Shoichi Yokoyama
Writer: Yuta Okuyama (Screenplay), Shoichi Yokoyama (Original Story)
Starring: Nanami Kawakami, Kohei Nagano, Shinya Orikasa, June Lovejoy, Mitsuki Maya, Ayumi Kimito,
Website Twitter: @oppicturesplus
Synopsis: This is the third film in a series about a famous sex detective who operates in Shimbashi, Tokyo who takes on a mystery using the 48 techniques.