Greetings from the still United Kingdom! I hope everyone is having a good weekend!
This week I posted about the Japanese films playing at the Vancouver International Film Festival and the release of Lesson of Evil from Third Window Films. I hope to tackle the films playing at the East Winds Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival. Maybe the London Korean Film Festival will get a mention.
With the onset of Autumn comes festival season. Plotting my trips to London for Raindance and the LFF involves visiting art galleries to see exhibitions. I’m hoping to catch The Wallace Collection. Autumn also means new anime and I announce my anime picks next week and you can read two previews here and here.
It’s a busy weekend with a few diamonds like Bon Lin!
Bon Lin 
Japanese: ぼんとリンちゃん
Romaji: Bon to Lin chan
Release Date: September 20th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 91 mins.
Director: Keiichi Kobayashi
Writer: Keiichi Kobayashi (Screenplay),
Starring: Ema Sakura, Mahiro Takasugi, Hakushu Togetsuan, Rino Higa, Kaho Tsukioka, Takayuki Suzuki,
The writer/director of About a Pink Sky (2012) is back with another youth picture which will play at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival. I should get around to watching About a Pink Sky!
Natsuko Yotsuya (Sakura) is a teenage girl who is also known as Bon and she has a friend named Miyu. Bon is from a small town but Miyu lives in Tokyo with her boyfriend. When Natsuko finds out that Miyu is being abused by her partner, she heads to the big city to bring her homes. Tagging along is her childhood friend Rintaro Tomoda (Takasugi) who is also known as Lin. They meet a series of Otaku who help guide them through the streets of Tokyo to find Miyu.
Gajimaru Shokudo no Koi 
Japanese: がじまる 食堂の恋
Romaji: Gajimaru Shokudo no Koi
Release Date: September 20th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 98 mins.
Director: Keiichi Kobayashi
Writer: Keiichi Kobayashi (Screenplay),
Starring: Haru, Yu Koyanagi, Seika Taketomi, Dori Sakurada,
Four men and women in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, fall in love. Mizuho (Haru) runs a restaurant established by her grandmother and a customer, Hayato (Koyanagi) visits just to see her. Shota (Sakurada), is Mizuho’s childhood friend and a girl from Tokyo named Riko (Taketomi) is in love with him.
Goose Bumps The Movie 2 
Japanese: トリハダ 劇場版 2
Romaji: Torihada Gekijouban 2
Release Date: September 20th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 94 mins.
Director: Koichiro Miki
Writer: Koichiro Miki, Tetsuya Matsumoto, (Screenplay),
Starring: Anna Ishibashi, Rika Adachi, Aimi Satsukawa, Goki Maeda, Mari Iriki, Mai Oshima, Mio Yuki, Shunya Shiraishi,
This is an omnibus film full of creepy tales that stars Anna Ishibashi (Pet Peeve), Aimi Satsukawa (The Story of Yonosuke), Mari Iriki (Cult – review coming soon) and Mio Yuki (As the Gods Will).
Shiori (Ishibashi) is working late at an office when she finds two mysterious letters addressed to a woman named Reiko Miura. In a fit of curiosity she opens them…
The first letter has the message, “I want to meet you. I love you.” The second letter states, “Today I will go and meet you. It has been a while.” Shiori looks up Reiko on the internet and discovers she was the victim of a stalker/murderer and she may be targeted next…
Zakurozaka no Adauchi 
Japanese: 柘榴坂の仇討
Romaji: Zakurozaka no Adauchi
Release Date: September 20th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 119 mins.
Director: Setsuro Wakamatsu
Writer: Yasuo Hasegawa, Kenzaburo Iida, Hironobu Takamatsu (Screenplay), Jiro Asada (Original Novel),
Starring: Hiroshi Abe, Kiichi Nakai, Ryoko Hirosue, Kichiemon Nakamura, Masahiro Takashima, Sei Matobu, Eisaku Yoshida, Tatsuya Fuji,
It is 1860 and the end of the Edo period. The Meiji government is trying to reform Japan and part of their efforts is curbing samurai culture. When Kingo Shimura (Nakai) is forced to avenge his lord after a brutal murder, he must break the law on revenge and search for a mysterious samurai named Jyubei Sahashi (Abe) and take him down!
Karaage USA 
Japanese: カラアゲ★USA
Romaji: Karaage USA
Release Date: September 20th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 98 mins.
Director: Naoki Segi
Writer: Kota Yamada (Screenplay),
Starring: Ai Takahashi, Ken Kaito, Miyoko Asada, Nahana, Dante Carver, Princess Apuraku, Kenjiro Ishimaru, Yuji Nakamura, Misako Watanabe,
A Japanese girl is leading a black girl on a journey and fried chicken is involved. Japanese fried chicken is better than American fried chicken? Why is there a black person involved? Does this add fried chicken authenticity? The poster and tagline could be interpreted as pretty racist! Dave Chapelle has something to say about this stereotype:
A great excuse to show Dave Chapelle! Back to the film:
Ayane (Takahashi) works at a karaage store where food is fried in hot oil. She hates karaage and leaves home. When she comes back five years later she brings a girl named Shirley (Apuraku) who is the step-daughter of an ex-husband. Her family are furious but all that changes when Ayane takes part in a fried food festival called “Karaage Carnival” and proves to be a hit who can save her family’s store…
Yoju Mameshiba Bokyo hen 
Japanese: 幼獣マメシバ 望郷篇
Romaji: Yoju Mameshiba Bokyo hen
Release Date: September 20th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 95 mins.
Director: Toru Kamei
Writer: Yuji Nagamori (Screenplay),
Starring: Jiro Sato, Kai Shishido, You Takahashi, Seika Taketomi, Dakichi Sugawara,
Jiro (Sato) leaves home to escape his mother’s control and, with his pet dog Mameshiba Ichiro, moves to a seaside village.
Inagawa Ghost Story 
Japanese: 柘榴坂の仇討
Romaji: Gekijouban Inagawa Kaidan Katari be
Release Date: September 20th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 79 mins.
Director: Hajme Ohata,
Writer: N/A
Starring: Junji Inagawa, Mahiru Kurumizawa, Nobu Morioto, Takashi Omoto,
This looks a lot like POV: A Cursed Film (2012)… Takashi Shimizu is one of the proucers.
Junji Inagawa is famous for telling ghost stories and so he is paired up with group of young ladies to re-enact a ghost story but weird things start happening on set…
Mister Home 
Japanese: ミスターホーム
Romaji: Misuta- Ho-mu
Release Date: September 20th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 70 mins.
Directors: Chihiro Ikeda, Takakazu Nagatomo, Ayumu Hasegawa, Wataru Kudo, Konpon Muneko,
Writer: Chihiro Ikeda, Takakazu Nagatomo, Ayumu Hasegawa, Wataru Kudo, Konpon Muneko,
Starring: Akane Higo, Shirori Sugioka, Gen Ogawa, Hideki Tasaa, Satoshi Kasajia Kumi Funakoshi, Yasuku Mori,
This is an ENBU cinema gig where new actors/staff work/train with directors already in the industry.
In this omnibus film, the inhabitants of a house in a small town are focussed on. These residents include a poet, a religious guru and a landlord who wants them all out of the house because it might fall apart.
Boku-ra wa Doubutsu Tanken-tai Fuji Safari Paaku de dai Bou ken 
Japanese: ぼくらは動物探検隊 富士サファリパークで大冒険
Romaji: Boku-ra wa Doubutsu Tanken-tai Fuji Safari Paaku de dai Bou ken
Release Date: September 20th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 55 mins.
Director: Kentaro Yamagishi
Writer: N/A
Starring: Daisuke Suzuki, Nyoko Mizuki
A parent and child cinema screening that takes the audience to Fuji Safari Park which allows people to view the animals that exist in the foothills of Mount Fuji. Like lions and tigers! Whoa.
Strike Witches: Operation Victory Arrow Vol. 1 
Japanese: ストライクウィッチーズ Operation Victory Arrow Vol 1サン・トロンの雷鳴
Romaji: Sutoraiku Uicchi-zu Operation Victory Arrow Vol 1San toron no raimei
Release Date: September 20th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 55 mins.
Director: Kazuhiro Takamura
Original Creator: Huikane Shimada
Starring: Kaori Nazuka as Lynette Bishop, Saori Seto as Mio Sakamoto, Ami Koshimizu as Charlotte E Yaeger, Misato Fukuen as Yoshika Miyafuji, Chiwa Saito as Francesca Lucchini,
This is an OVA released this autumn and it depicts the lives of the Strike Witches as they returned home after te end of Operation Mars in the second series (according to Anime News Network).
Yowamushi Pedal Re:RIDE 
Japanese: 弱虫ペダル Re:RIDE
Romaji: Yowamushi Pedaru Re;RIDE
Release Date: September 19th, 2014 (Japan)
Running Time: 55 mins.
Director: Osamu Nabeshima
Original Creator: Wataru Watanabe
Starring: Daisuke Kishio as Junta Teshima, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Hajime Aoyagi, Ayaka Suwa as Miki Kanzaki, Junichi Suwabe as Toji Kanzaki, Megumi Han as Aya Tachibana,
Yowamushi Pedal Re:RIDE is a compilation film which goes through the first half of the Inter High arc from the TV anime.
