I watched fewer movies this week… well, only one, Library Wars (2013). A review is inbound for the week after next week alongside one for Godzilla (2014). The reason for the few movies watched is because of the new season of anime! Barakamon, Zankyou no Terror, Space Dandy Season 2, Aldnoah.Zero, and Tokyo Ghoul all had tremendous opening episodes and I will have to write first impressions of them for next week as well as a series review for Knights of Sidonia.
Movie reviews dominated the blog this week with Belle (2013) and Fuan no Tane (2013) both getting published and both films really impressing me.
What Japanese films are released today?
Say “I Love You” 
Japanese Title: 好きっていいなよ
Romaji: Sukitte ii nayo
Release Date: July 12th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 103 mins.
Director: Asako Hyuga
Writer: Kanae Hazuki (Original Manga), Asako Hyuga (Screenplay),
Starring: Haruna Kawaguchi, Sota Fukushi, Tomohiro Ichikawa, Rika Adachi, Tasuku Nagase, Rima Nishizak, Ryosuke Yamamoto, Arisa Yagi
High school student Mei Tachibana (Kawaguchi) suffered a traumatic incident as a child and has cut herself off from other people. When she injures the most popular male student in school, Yamato Kurosawa, she attracts his attention and tries to win her over but she’ll have none of it until he saves her from a stalker with a kiss…
Uzumasa Limelight 
Japanese Title:太秦ライムライト
Romaji: Uzumasa Laimulaito
Release Date: July 12th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 104 mins
Director: Ken Ochiai
Writer: Hiroyuki Ono (Screenplay),
Starring: Seizo Fukumoto, Chihiro Yamamoto, Hiroki Matsukata, Masashi Goda, Hirotaro Honda, Hisako Manda.
A moving, nostalgic portrait of the men behind the golden age of chanbara (sword-fighting dramas and films), Uzumasa Limelight goes behind the scenes of the distinctive film genre for which Japan is famous. A professional extra named Kamiyama (real-life kirare-yaku Seizo Fukumoto) has devoted 50 years of his life as a kirare-yaku in sword-fighting movies produced at Kyoto’s Uzumasa Studios. A master of the art, he lives to die–or more exactly “to be cut”–and show a beautiful, spectacular death on screen. Now an elderly man, Kamiyama lives very modestly but has earned immense respect from his peers, some of them movie stars. When the studio where he works decides to discontinue its chanbara productions, Kamiyama finds himself at a loss. Hope arrives in the form of a young girl named Satsuki, who soon becomes Kamiyama’s disciple. Will the art of dying by the sword live on?
The Next Generation Patlabor Chapter 3 
Japanese: THE NEXT GENERATION ‐パトレイバー第3章
Romaji: THE NEXT GENERATION ‐PatlaborーDai 3 Shou
Release Date: July 12th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: N/A
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Writer: Mamoru Oshii, Kei Yamamura (Screenplay), Masami Yuki (Original Novel)
Starring: Erina Mano, Toshio Kakei, Seiji Fukushi, Rina Ohta, Shigeru Chiba, Yoshinori Horimoto, Yoshikatsu Fujiki, Hinako Saeki, Daisuke Takashi,
This is the third in a seven-part series of films that act as a continuation of the Patlabor series with a brand new set of characters. Kenji Kawai is returning to the franchise to compose the music. There’s a lot of humour as the original anime/manga stories are re-worked for the live-action title. In this one, terrorists hold members of the Special Vehicle Division hostage. Noake Izumi will have to rescue the guys. The next episode loos like the thir Patlabor movie with a water-based monster.
Gift 
Japanese Title: ギフト
Romaji: Gifuto
Running Time: 01 mins
Release Date: July 12th, 2014 (Japan)
Director: Taro Miyaoka
Writer: Yukari Nakamura (Screenplay),
Starring: Kenichi Endo, Rena Matsui, Yuko Nishimaru
Zenzo Shinozaki (Endo) is retiring from his role as a company president but there’s nobody waiting for him since his bad temper alienated his wife and daughter. He wants to go on a journey but has a bad leg and so he recruits Saori Yaane (Matsui) who is a hostess who killed her mother to protect a sibling. Zenzo pays Saori 100 million yen for 100 hours of her time for a journey they take together…
K: Missing Kings 
Japanese Title: 好きっていいなよ
Romaji: Sukitte ii nayo
Release Date: July 12th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: N/A
Director: Shingo Suzuki
Writer: GoRA x GoHands (Original Manga/Screenplay),
Starring: Daisuke Namikawa (Yashiro Isana), Daisuke Ono (Kuroh Yatogami), Kenjiro Tsuda (Mikoto Suoh, Mikako Komatsu (Neko) Tomokazu Sugita (Reisi Munakata), Jun Fukuyama (Misaki Yata), Yui Horie (Anna Kushia), Satomi Satou (Kukuri Yukizome)
K: Missing Kings is the continuation of the franchise which has grown in popularity so much that it will be getting/has got international premieres in France and the US. The synopsis reveals spoilers for the story so highlight the text:
The “Academy Island Incident” in which all four “kings” cross paths… Since then, Silver Clansmen Kuroh Yatogami and Neko have been searching for their master, Shiro. Without finding any clues to Shiro’s whereabouts, the two became disheartened. However, one day, they see HOMRA members Rikio Kamamoto and Anna Kushina being chased by someone.
Cinema Kabuki classic temple solicitation book / Benkei Ship / Mikawa Zen Meditation 
Japanese: シネマ歌舞伎 クラシック 勧進帳 / 船弁慶 /身替座禅
Romaji: Shinema kabuki kurashikku kanshinchō / Funa Benkei / Mikawa Zazen
Running Time: 80 mins. / 70 mins. / 60 mins.
Release Date: July 12th, 2014
Three entries in the Cinema Kabuki series get released today and the trailer reveals little about them so here’s a slice from Kanshinchou, the first of the three so you can get an idea:
Southern Winds 
Japanese Title: 南風
Romaji: Minami kaze
Release Date: July 12th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 93 mins.
Director: Koji Hagiuda
Writer: Mika Ogita (Screenplay),
Starring: Teresa Daley, Mei Kurokawa, Eisei Shu, He Huang, Gayu Kou, Daisuke Sasaki
This is directed by Koji Hagiuda, the man who helmed the wonderful adaptation of Akira Saso’s novel Shindo. The story is markedly different in the sense that it’s a road trip that two girls, one Japanese and one Taiwanese, go on. It looks a bit like a tourist ad for Taiwan and Japan and stars Mei Kurokawa as a 26-year-old magazine editor who has recently been dumped and has to visit Taipei for an article. While there she meets a sixteen-uear-old Taiwanese girl who dreams of becoming a model The girl senses this as her big opportunity and lies her way into Aiko’s company by pretending to be older and a guide. The two gradually overcome their differences on their journey and connect as they cycle together.
Mayonaka kimi wa kiba o muku 
Japanese Title: 真夜中きみはキバをむく
Romaji: Mayonaka kimi wa kiba o muku
Release Date: July 12th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 60 mins.
Director: Yumi Yoshiyuki
Writer: Yumi Yoshiyuki (Screenplay),
Starring: Yugo Mikawa,Koichi Tamura,Ryuhei Kawasaki
Yumi Yoshiyuki brings yaoi vampires to the Meguro Cinema to celebrate t’s 60th anniversary. It’s about a man named Saeki who frequents the cinema and meets a beautiful college student known only as the midnight companion. When everybody had left the cinema, the two would stay behind but this suddenly stopped when the midnight companion disappeared. Three years later, he has returned but a darkness inhabits him. Their love is rekindled but…
Naniwa Kinyuudo 
Japanese Title: ナニワ銭道
Romaji: Naniwa Kinyuudo
Release Date: July 12th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: N/A
Director: Sadaaki Haginawa
Writer: Ko Oikawa (Screenplay), Yuuji Aoki (Original Manga)
Starring: Masataka Kubota, Koji Matoba, Taro Suruga, Ryoji Morimoto, Ren Osugi, Mizuki Tanimura,
Yuuji Aoki was a manga artist famous Naniwa Kinyudo (The way of Osaka financing) which won numerous awards. The film seems to adapt the manga. The story is about a bo who moves from Osaka to Kanto with dreams of becoming a cartoonist. He gets work at a cabaret club and finds help from a hostess who has connections to the yakuza. Those connections could come in useful.
