I hope everyone had a Happy Easter and everything. Even though most of the nation has a break, I spent most of the holiday in my museum (who the heck opens a museum on Easter Sunday????). I also had this song going through my head while in work:
On Good Friday, I watched Rent-a-Cat, on Easter Sunday, I watched more Knights of Sidonia and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and so only one post this week and that was for Rent-a-Cat. I’m busy studying for a Japanese exam, an attended a press conference for a film festival (more on that on Monday) and watching films like Museum Hours, Cold Eyes and Monster. So a lot more film related stuff than usual.
Here are the trailers:
Thermae Romae II 
Japanese Title: テルマエ・ロマエII
Romaji: Terumai Romai II
Running Time: 113 mins.
Release Date: April 26th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Hideki Takeuchi
Writer: Hiroshi Hashimoto (Screenplay), Mari Yamazaki (Original Manga)
Starring: Hiroshi Abe, Aya Ueto, Riki Takeuchi, Masachika Ichimura, Takashi Sasano, Kai Shishido, Kazuki Kitamura
In between the last Thermae Romae (2012) and this new one, I have read Mari Yamazaki’s original manga and it looks like it adapts more of the stories, which is no bad thing because the manga was enjoyable. Parts of it memorable. In this film, Lucius (Abe) has used the techniques her learnt from Japanese onsen of the uture to create famous bathhouses in ancient Rome. Now he has to renovate the Colosseum during a time when Rome is at risk of splitting apart due to politics. He soon finds that he travels forward in time where he meets Mami (Ueto) who has become a successful writer for a bath magazine.
Naked Ring Finger 
Japanese: はだかのくすりゆび
Romaji: Hadaka no Kusuriyubi
Running Time: 92 minutes
Release Date: April 26th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Yuya Yamaguchi
Writer: Tadashi Shimizu (Screenplay), Tsuyatsuya (Original Manga)
Starring: Noriko Hamada, Keisuke Tarumi
Another manga adaptation. More hentai. Looks awful but then I haven’t read the manga or watched the film so I could be wrong. It’s about a woman named Midori who gets into an affair with her daughter, Maya’s fiancé in an arranged marriage.
A.F.O. (All For One) 
Japanese: A.F.O. (All For One)
Romaji: Hadaka no Kusuriyubi
Running Time: 105 minutes
Release Date: April 26th, 2014 (Japan)
General Director: Yukihiko Tsutsumi, Director: Yoshiaki Tago
Writer: Tadashi Shimizu (Screenplay), Tsuyatsuya (Original Manga)
Starring: Takuya Ishida, Azusa Okamoto, Ronaldo Santos
After the filth of the last film comes something more good-natured film which sees genius director Yukihiko Tsutsumi team up with students at the Aichi Institute of Technology to make a story about a poor football team who scent a chance of victory by trying to recruit a skilled footballer from Brazil. However, he says that he hates football and refuses to play…
Tamako Love Story 
Japanese: たまこラブストーリー
Romaji: Tamako Rabu Suto-ri-
Running Time: 83 minutes
Release Date: April 26th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Reiko Yoshida (Screenplay),
Starring: Yuri Yamashita (Shiori Asagiri) Aya Suzaki (Tamako Kitashirakawa), Atsushi Tamaru (Mochizou Ooji) Juri Nagatsuma (Kanna Makino),
Tamako Love Story continues as Mochizou and Tamako inch closer and closer together… I think. I haven’t watched the TV anime. Main cast and staff from the TV anime are returning and Kyoto Animation are doing the animating.
Sora no Otoshimono Final Eternal My Master 
Japanese: そらのおとしものFinal 永遠の私の鳥籠（エターナルマイマスター）
Romaji: Sora no Otoshimono Final: Eien no Watashi no Torikago (Eta-naru Mai Masuta)
Running Time: 49 minutes
Release Date: April 26th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Hisashi Saito
Writer: Jiyu Ogi (Screenplay), Suu Minazuki (Original Creator)
Starring: Saori Hayami (Ikaros) Souichiro Hoshi (Tomoki Sakurai), Aki Toyosaki (Chaos) Yoko Hikasa (Hiyori Kazane),
The Heaven’s Lost Property franchise gets a new film where a harem of busty angels get involved with the school boy Sakurai Tomoki, a super-pervert and one in particular, Ikaros, demands that he becomes her master…
Ride For Life The Eigo Sato Story 
Japanese: ライド・フォー・ライフ The Eigo Sato Story
Romaji: Raido Fo- Raifu The Eigo Sato Story
Running Time: 87 minutes
Release Date: April 26th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Reiko Yoshida (Screenplay),
Starring: Eigo Sato, Mike Metzger, Daisuke Suzuki,
This documentary is big news in the motocross world because Eigo Sato was a much respected freestyle motocross veteran of around a decade when he died last year in his home of Iwaki City. He was much respected by fellow competitors and that respect can be seen in a documentary directed by his friend Hitoshi Kajino.
Number 10 Blues/Goodbye Saigon 
Japanese Title: ナンバーテンブルース さらばサイゴン
Romaji: Namba- Ten Buru-su Saraba Saigon
Running Time: 99 mins.
Release Date: April 26th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Norio Osada
Writer: Norio Osada (Screenplay),
Starring: Yusuke Kawazu, Lan Thanh, Kenji Isomura, Eiichi Kikuchi
This one is a film rescued from obscurity and screened at last year’s Rotterdam International Film Festival. It is a road movie/Vietnam war film about a Japanese businessman naed Toshio Sugimoto who flees the country with his lover when the war goes south. This is a action film shot in Vietnam during the Vietnam war and it was to be the directorial debut of Norio Osada, a scriptwriter who had worked with Kinji Fukasaku (Battles Without Honour or Humanity, Battle Royale) but when funding dried up the film was never finished and sat in the National Film Centre of Japan. It was rediscovered recently and the film was completed.
Kuro 
Japanese Title: はなればなれに
Romaji: Hanare Banareni
Running Time: 86 mins.
Release Date: April 26th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Daisuke Shimote
Writer: Daisuke Shimote (Screenplay),
Starring: Airi Kido, Yu Saitoh, Hideo Nakaizumi, Wakana Matsumoto
This one screened at last year’s East End Film Festival where Alua saw it and found it enjoyable enough to give it 8 out of 10 in her review. It’s getting a limited screening in Tokyo.
Three people recently traumatised by life’s ups and downs meet up: Kuro once had dreams of being a baker until she was fired, Eito has recently broken up with his fiancé and Gou’s career as a theatre director is in imminent danger of dying when the lead actress of his own play goes missing. The three retreat from the world to a remote seaside hotel where a schoolgirl named Momo falls in with them and they all indulge in silly games.
Ueshima Jane Beyond 
Japanese: 上島ジェーンビヨンド
Romaji: Ueshima Je-no Biyondo
Running Time: 116 minutes
Release Date: April 26th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Maccoi Saito
Writer: Yayoi Fujitani (Screenplay),
Starring: Ryuhei Ueshima, Katsuhiro Higo, Kayoko Okubo, Hiroshi Shinagawa, Yumi Seimiya, Kayo Noro, Aika Ando, Aino Kishi
In 2009, popular entertainer Ryuhei Ueshima tried to learn how to surf and made a film about it. 5 years later and he’s back making a fool of himself as he enters a serious competition. While that’s happening he’s trying to avoid other complications like romance and the law.
Aibou: The Movie III 
Japanese: 相棒劇場版III 巨大密室！
Romaji: Aibou Gekijouban III Kyodai Misshitsu!
Running Time: 114 minutes
Release Date: April 26th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Seiji Izumi
Writer: Yasuhiro Koshimizu (Screenplay),
Starring: Hiroki Narimiya, Yutaka Mizutani, Mitsuhiro Oikawa, Koji Ishizaka, Yumiko Shaku, Toru Kazama, Tsuyoshi Ihara
A new year, a new Aibou movie! Ukyo Sugishita and Toru Kai are sent to a small island near Tokyo by their boss at the National Police Agency to investigate a mysterious death. The island is privately owned by a wealthy businessman and seems to be the site of a small community of former members of the Japanese Self-Defence Force. Could the mysterious death be linked to these guys? Ukyo and Toru find their investigation halted by these ex-soldiers!
Sayonara Cake and Mysterious Lamp 
Japanese: さよならケーキとふしぎなランプ
Romaji: Sayonara kēki to fushigina ranpu
Running Time: N/A
Release Date: April 26th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Junichi Kanai
Writer: Junichi Kanai, Bi-guru (Beagle?) Otsuka (Screenplay),
Starring: Kohei Dojima, Kaoru Hirata, Masahiko Sakata
Singer-songwriter Kohei Dojima stars as a guy making a cake and going through all sorts of family strife after fighting with his father. Okay, there’s more to it than that as he hooks up with a new collective of people at a café he finds work in.
Jingū Kirin Watashi no Kamisama 
Japanese: 神宮希林 わたしの神様
Romaji: Jingū Kirin Watashi no Kamisama
Running Time: 96 minutes
Release Date: April 26th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Takeshi Fushiwara
Writer: N/A
Starring: Kirin Kiki
The actress Kirin Kiki travelled to the Ise Grand Shrine in 2013 and a documentary of her journey was broadcast by Tokai TV. This is the re-edited version for theatres (hey, if trashy TV anime can do it, Kiki can too). We see her start from her home in Tokyo and the people she interacts with as she learns more about the shrine and what it means to other people.
