明けましておめでとうございます
Hello 2025!
Welcome to the first trailer post of 2025.
There will be one more tomorrow to cover the new releases.
I had a quiet New Year’s Eve and start to New Year’s Day by continuing with my Fire Emblem: Awakening playthrough since I decided to grind the game to get my characters as many abilities as possible.
Although there is a lot of replayability in the game in terms of establishing character relationships and that smooth, smooth combat, I’m aiming for that one perfect run that leaves me satisfied and able to put the Nintendo 3DS safely in storage. It has been a great console and I regret not getting more games – or one of my own since the 3DS I am using is my sister’s!
I’ve got a Polish film from the 1970s and an upcoming Japanese release to start my year off with and some reviews to edit before they start going live from next week.
What are the first batch of films released this weekend?
Guardians of the Harvest / Shika no kuni 
鹿の国 「Shika no kuni」
Release Date: January 02nd, 2024
Duration: 98 mins.
Director: Riko Hiro
Writer: N/A
Starring: Remon Nakanishi, Akira Yoshimatsu, Mamiko Noto, Seiko Ito (Narration)
Website Twitter: @shikanokuni_vf
Synopsis: This documentary follows the four seasonal festivals of Suwa-taisha Shrine in Nagano Prefecture.
This shrine complex is one of the oldest in Japan and spread out amongst four main shrines in total and they are located near lake Suwa and in various cities. Its founding can be traced back to the it’s presence in the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters), a record of myths, genealogies, and customs linked to the foundation of Japan and Shintoism. Thus, the festivals shown in the film are linked to the origins of Japan and they recreate the myths of the nation.
The film was produced by Minao Kitamura, a filmmaker and visual ethnographer who has been exploring Suwa’s ancient history for many years, and was shot over a period of three years. Director Riko Hiro has previously made documentaries on the life and death cultures of Nepal and Tibet.
Bokura no Fushidara 
ぼくらのふしだら 「Bokura no Fushidara」
Release Date: January 03rd, 2024
Duration: 74 mins.
Director: Daisuke Kobayashi
Writer: Daisuke Kobayashi (Screenplay), Takeshi Omi (Original Manga),
Starring: Yuka Tano, Kareshichan, Sota Uemura, Hazuki Kimura, Karen Ishikawa, Ryoji Nakamura, Yuri Mori,
Website Twitter: @fushidara_0103
This is an erotic horror film based on Takeshi Omi’s same-named manga. Its lead actress is Yuka Tano, a former member of AKB48, and she is joined by Kareshichan, a cosplayer and gravure model.
Synopsis: Yuki Minami is a high school girl who lacks self-confidence and has a major inferiority complex, a situation made worse by her alcoholic father. She sees her only escape as being able to get away from home by going to a university of her choice. What she needs to do this is to study and build relationships with people. To do this, what she needs is time. This is when an inhuman being named “Sasayaki” appears in front of her and gives Minami the ability to stop time. The catch? She will have a sexual appetite that will grow every time she stops time and she needs to sate that appetite. At first she masturbates and recruits her childhood friend Shinichi but she requires more as she keeps using her time-stopping ability and her mind becomes corrupted…
Ryuichi Sakamoto | Playing the Orchestra 2014 
Release Date: January 03rd, 2024
Duration: 119 mins.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
Starring: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Website Twitter: @wowowfilms @ryuichisakamoto
Synopsis: This is a concert film showing Ryuichi Sakamoto conducting the the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in a 2014 concert. It was the first time in 16 years that he had conducted a full orchestra and he also played the piano, too. The music covered includes Yellow Magic Orchestra works and his compositions for films such as Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence and The Last Emperor.
Cinema Kabuki Jii-san Baa-san 
シネマ歌舞伎 ぢいさんばあさん Shinema Kabuki Jii-san Baa-san」
Release Date: January 03rd, 2024
Duration: 75 mins.
Director: N/A
Writer: Nobuo Uno (Screenplay), Ogai Mori (Original Work),
Starring: Nizaemon Kataoka, Tamasaburo Bando, Shikan Nakamura, Takataro Kataoka, Shucho Bando,
Synopsis: This is a recording of a Kabuki stageplay written and directed by playwright Nobuo Uno and based on a short story by the great writer Ogai Mori. It is about a couple’s life, from their days as a young couple to their days as an older couple.