Welcome to the third and final post of the week.
You can find part one here and part two here.
I am continuing with my festival work and getting through films while also practicing Japanese. I really am improving and can go through whole chunks of films without subtitles. Having my friend teaching me, immersion, and using films really helps. That said, what I really want to improve is my ability to make sentences on the fly much more quickly. I still um and ah a lot.
Anyway…
This week, I posted about the Korean Independent Animation Festival, which launches in Osaka on October 26th in an event co-created with Osaka Asian Film Festival.
As for what I have watched…
Speak No Evil (2022/24), Tomie (1998), Alien: Romulus (2024), Time and Tide (2002)
What are the last of the films to be released this weekend?
Love is Outdated 
恋愛終婚（レンアイオワコン） 「The Break Sekai Ichi, makezugirai no Tenisu- Pureiya, Kamiji Yui. 」
Release Date: October 18th, 2024
Duration: 74 mins.
Director: Yusaku Okamoto
Writer: Yusaku Okamoto (Screenplay),
Starring: Mika Akizuki, Shogo Hama, Rie Kitahara, Tateto Serizawa, Yuzuki Akiyama,
Website Twitter: @Renai_owakon
After some sort films, Mika Akizuki makes a welcome return to the big screen in this film which asks if love is necessary for marriage and fills out a number of case studies with a whole host of truly talented players.
Synopsis: Haruka is about to turn 30 and is desperate to get married before it happens. When she runs into her cynical colleague Kazuki at a matchmaking party, she gets a different angle on marriage: an arranged marriage is the best since those based on love have a higher divorce rate and that when love enters enter a marriage, it ends it. After hearing this, Haruka and those around her try out finding happiness by giving up love. got tired of failing in love, decides to try marriage hunting…
Ken to Inori Hakamada Iwao no Shogai 
拳と祈り 袴田巖の生涯 「Ken to Inori Hakamada Iwao no Shogai 」
Release Date: October 19th, 2024
Duration: 159 mins.
Director: Chiaki Kasai
Writer: N/A
Starring: Iwao Hakamada, Hideko Hakamada
Website Twitter: @hakamadafilm
Iwao Hakamada has been the subject of documentaries in the past and this one is especially timely since he was cleared of a family murder just last month. You can read more here.
Synopsis: In 1968, Iwao Hakamada was sentenced to death for the murder of his boss at a miso factory, his boss’s family and arson of the family home. He spent nearly 47 years on death row until he was freed in 2014 when new evidence connected to the case was discovered and a retrial ordered. During all of that time, Hakamada protested his innocence and his sister campaigned for his release. In September 2024, a court found him not guilty of the murders. Hakamada’s epic story was captured by documentarian Chiaki Kasai, who has followed the saga for 22 years. She recorded the behind-the-scenes events, dramatic media coverage, and Iwao Hakamada and his sister Hideko, whose relationship was torn apart for nearly half a century. In so doing, she gives an insight into the mind of a man who is thought to have served the longest death row sentence ever.
Ame to Hikari 
雨とひかり 「Ame to Hikari 」
Release Date: October 19th, 2024
Duration: 91 mins.
Director: Tomonao Sakurayashiki
Writer: Tomonao Sakurayashiki (Screenplay),
Starring: Kyotaro Tamura, Ruka Ishikawa, Oto Takeuchi, Yuji Takeuchi, Mai Awatsu, Kaoru Iida, Konosuke Noda,
Website Twitter: @ametohikarifilm
After a career making corporate promotional videos, Tomonao Sakurayashiki makes his feature film debut and sets his work in his hometown of Shiraoka City, Saitama Prefecture, and the school he attended.
Synopsis: Kazuma is 25 and has a steady job and marriage, but when he gets a phone call from his former high school sweetheart, Mio, asking him to be present for the birth of her child. despite his initial confusion, the comfort he feels from hearing Mio’s voice makes Kazuma agree. On the way to the hospital where Mio is staying, Kazuma recalls his high school days and memories he had shelved.
The Cats of Gokogu Shrine 
五香宮の猫 「Gokogu no Neko」
Release Date: October 19th, 2024
Duration: 119 mins.
Director: Kazuhiro Soda
Writer: Akihito Izuhara, Ikuko Mizokamu (Screenplay),
Starring: N/A
Website Twitter: @soda_film_info IMDB
This one first emerged at Berlinale 2024 and later at the London Film Festival.
Synopsis: After Kazuhiro Soda and his wife Kiyoko Kashiwagi moved from New York to Ushimado, on the Seto Inland Sea, in Okayama Prefecture. Following the move, they encountered the local cat population that is centred on the Gokogu shrine and the people who surround the cats, some who care for them, others who dislike them. Soda shot this film over the course of about a year and his wife, Kiyoko, became a participant. Participant-observation documentary about the connections between humanity, cats, and nature!