I hope everyone is having a nice summer holiday. I’ve had a few days off work and spent time in Bristol and Somerset walking long distances and I had this song in my head the whole time.
My word, that last episode of Space Dandy was good, wasn’t it? I’ve watched and rewatched it multiple times since Sunday. I’m desperate to see what Shinichiro Watanabe will orchestrate for tomorrow’s episode!
Anyway, I saw two films this week. On Tuesday I watched The Purge: Anarchy and on Wednesday I watched the Koji Shiraishi film, CULT. The former was a decent action film, the latter a funny J-horror. I also played episode four of The Walking Dead: Season 2 and after the experience all I could think of was how it wasn’t as gripping as the first season. It’s down to the sense that none of the decisions I make have the long-lasting ramifications they did with the first season and the characters who pop up and disappear quickly.
This blog has been pretty busy with a review for Behind the Camera (2013), an amusing warm-hearted and star-packed Korean meta-comedy about a film shoot directed from over the internet. I also reviewed the Japanese action film, Wild 7 (2011) which was a lot of fun when it was pure action. I then posted about Kickstarter campaign that aims to get the indie film Plastic Love Story screened at international film festivals. I also wrote about Tokyo Ghoul for AUKN. This week’s episode was pretty awesome!
There are a lot of indie films released this weekend as you can now read (babble is over):
Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno 
Japanese Title: るろうに剣心 京都大火編
Romaji: Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika Hen
Release Date: August 01st, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 139 mins.
Director: Keishi Ohtomo
Writer: Watsuki Nobuhrio (Original Manga), Kiyomi Fujii, Keishi Ohtomo (Screenplay)
Starring: Takeru Sato, Emi Takei, Munetaka Aoki, Yu Aoi, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Yosuke Eguchi, Kaito Oyagi, Yosuke Eguchi, Yusuke Iseya, Tao Tsuchiya, Maryjun Takahashi,
Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno is the much-anticipated follow-up to 2012’s Rurouni Kenshin film and the cast return for what looks set to be another entertaining chanbara picture full of beautiful people having exciting fights. A lot of the cast like Takeru Sato (Real), Emi Takei (Ai to Makoto) and Yu Aoi (Hana and Alice) return.
In the sequel, Kenshin Himura (Sato) must fight Makoto Shishio (Fujiwara) and his gang, all of whom wish to see the newly formed Meiji government come tumbling down. With the fate of Japan in peril, Kenshin was take up his sword once again.
Drive in Gamo 
Japanese Title: ドライブイン蒲生
Romaji: Doraibu in Gamo
Release Date: August 02nd, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 89 mins.
Director: Masaki Tamura
Writer: Takami Ito (Original Novel), Michiko Oshi (Screenplay)
Starring: Shota Sometani, Mei Kurokawa, Masatoshi Nagase, Nao Nekota, Daisuke Kuroda, Ai Tamura, Yukichi Kobayashi,
Saki (Kurokawa) and Toshi (Sometani) were born and raised by their ex-yakuza father Saki (Nagase) at the scruffy “Drive in Gamo” on a deserted highway. Due to their father’s crime background and subsequent booting out from the gang they are ostracised by others and are known as being part of an “idiot family”. Toshi grew sick of being made fun of and so, after getting pregnant, upped sticks and left. However, after being beaten by her husband, she soon comes back and hooks up with her father Saki and her brother Toshi.
Lost After School 
Japanese Title: 放課後ロスト
Romaji: Houkago Rosuto
Release Date: August 02nd, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 102 mins.
Director: Chihiro Amano, Ai Nagura, Akiko Ohku
Writer: Ran Igarashi (Original Manga),
Starring: Honoka Miki, Kaho Takashima, Mayu Matsuoka, Sumire Sato, Erina Nakayama, Yuma Oishi, Aoi Koizumi
Three female directors created this omnibus film based on Ran Igarashi’s rather stylish looking manga of the same name. It’s one of those, depicting the ambiguous feelings of girls doing cute and silly things in school/at the cultural festival/during summer break but since there are women adapting the stories I am not sensing the creep factor that you get with some other films/anime when a guy directs that sort of thing.
Blue Eyes in HARBOR TALE 
Japanese Title: Blue Eyes in HARBOR TALE
Romaji: Blue Eyes in HARBOR TALE
Release Date: August 02nd, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 8 mins.
Director: Yuichi Ito
Writer: Yuichi Ito (Screenplay),
Starring: Maria Kawamura, Machiko Godai
I think that this is the first in a series of animated shorts about a piece of brick who comes to life and meets a doll that lives in a boat house nearby a canal and gets into adventures. It was animated using CG, stop motion and was aired on NHK’s educational channel.
What a delightfully quaint looking short… until that old woman with the white hair showed up after our hero was snatched! Creepy! She’s played by Machiko Godai who appeared in last year’s superb indie Remiges (2013) – review and interview will appear soon – and the live-action Death Note (2006) films.
Shimotsukare Girl 
Japanese Title: しもつかれガール
Romaji: Shimotsukare Ga-ru
Release Date: August 02nd, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 40 mins.
Director: Koji Toyama
Writer: Koji Toyama (Screenplay),
Starring: Mitsuki Tanimura, Eri Tokunaga, Daisuke Kurata, Takahito Hosoyamada, Ryo Ono
Aiko Kizaki (Tanimura) lives in Tochigi city and meets a woman from Tokyo named Satoe (Tokunaga) and her friend Tetsuo (Kurata). They try out regional cuisie at a tavern and experience romance…
Shelly 
Japanese Title: シェリー
Romaji: Sheri-
Release Date: August 02nd, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 111 mins.
Director: Masao Kasahara
Writer: Masao Kasahara, Junya Yamazaki (Screenplay),
Starring: Riko Fukuyama, Bito Kiyoshi, Win Morisaki, Tamao Sato, Misa Shimizu, Kimie Shingyoji
This is a 2012 film about the singer Yutaka Ozaki who died at the age of 26 back in 1992 and it’s about his decision to quite college, ignore his nagging mother and write songs. The only person who believes in him is his elementary school classmate Tomoko. The two are drawn together as he aims to make it as a singer…
Yutaka Ozaki seems to be a big deal since his songs have been translated into Spanish and Korean. Here’s Sherry.
Prototype of Love 
Japanese Title: 愛のプロトタイプ
Romaji: Ai no Purototaipu
Release Date: August 02nd, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 87 mins.
Director: Kimihiko Nakamura
Writer: Kimihiko Nakamura (Screenplay),
Starring: Takuya Sakurai, Yuuna Hoshizaki, Junya Abe, Yuri Hori, Ai Sugihara, Yusuke Harada,
There’s this trend in Japan of guys falling for 2D girls – characters from manga, video games and anime – and marrying them. Having played a few dating sim games and gone on a few disastrous dates I can see why. 2D girls are easier to manage than 3D girls (I ignore the fact that I lack charisma and I’m dull). Anyway the film is about a hapless freeter named Shinpei who falls for a girl on a dating simulator named Aoi. The game is called Love: Prototype and it’s on the 3DS. The Graphics are stunning (better than Fire Emblem) because the girls look real and so Shinpei becomes obsessed to an unhealthy degree but it affects his relationships with his nerd friends and even a girl…
Ittsu ―THE MOVIE 
Japanese Title: いっツ ―THE MOVIE
Romaji: Ittsuuu ―THE MOVIE
Release Date: August 02nd, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 73 mins.
Director: Hideo Jojo
Writer: Kazuto Okada (Original Manga), Hideo Jojo (Screenplay),
Starring: Misaki Soejima, Tatsuya Nakayama,
Kazuto Okada, author of the erotic manga Sundome, started a new one last year called Ittsuuu and that’s what the film is based on. The story is all about a shy boy named Sagami who falls in love with an upperclassman and takes some photos of her. When she finds out, the two start a weird relationship. Watch gravure idols play junior high school girls and flash their pantsu… There’s even a sequel already made and planned for release…
Ryugu no Tsukai School Girl’s Gestation 
Japanese Title: 愛のプロトタイプ
Romaji: Ai no Purototaipu
Release Date: August 02nd, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 60 mins.
Director: Atsushi Ueda
Writer: Atsushi Ueda (Screenplay),
Starring: Moeki Tsuruoka, Rina Takeda, Ryo Sato, Asuka Hinoi, Natsui Ishizaki, Mizuki Sugawara, Yuki Morinaga, NAHANA, Kanji Furutachi,
Inspired by a real life incident that took place in the US, Ryugu no Tsukai is all about a group of high school girls who decide to get pregnant at the same time. This scandalous behaviour puts their small fishing village on the map as news crews from Tokyo descend upon the place and interview the girls. Behind the sensational headlines is a town divided between traditional fishermen and property developers who threaten their way of life.
The film was at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival this year where it won an award.
