Happy weekend!
I’m totally late with this because I have been swamped with lots of writing and doing overtime at work. Not that I’m complaining, I took it all on. I’ll keep this trailer post brief. No films watched but I have started the new season of anime and I have a dozen or so films to write about. I posted two reviews for my splatter season this week: 6000: The Deep Sea of Madness and Hellevator: The Bottled Fools. I also finished my Summer 2015 Anime Preview but it has yet to go live on Anime UK News.
What’s released in Japan this weekend?
Blue Demon ver.2.0
Japanese: 青鬼 ver.2.0
Romaji: Ao Oni ver.2.0
Release Date: July 04th, 2015
Running Time: 70 mins.
Director: Hideaki Maegawa
Writer: Ami Inagawa (Screenplay), noprops (Original Game)
Starring: Yuna Taira, Shota Matsushima, Taishi Nakagawa, Ikumi Hisamatsu, Reo Kanshuji, Soran Tamoto,
The Ao Oni game has spawned two films and this one looks marginally better than the first.
Shun (Tamoto) has been missing from school for quite a while so his friends Hiroshi (Nakagawa) and Anna (Taira) set off to find him. On their way they encounter a mysterious butterfly and get drawn into a big house known as “Jail House” which is where strange creatures live…
Seven Days: Friday – Sunday
Japanese: セブンデイズ FRIDAY→SUNDAY
Romaji: Sebundeizu FRIDAY→SUNDAY
Release Date: July 04th, 2015
Running Time: 82 mins.
Director: Kenji Yokoi
Writer: Natsuko Takahashi (Screenplay), Benio Tachibana, Rihito Takrai (Original Manga),
Starring: Tomoki Hirose, James Takeshi Yamada, Hinako Tanaka, Yuki Hiyori, Yukihiro Takiguchi,
This is the second part of the Seven Days movie adaptation of the popular manga by Benio Tachibana and Rihito Takrai.
Toji Seryo is a popular first year high school student. It’s well known that Toji Seryo will date anyone that confesses their affection for him on a Monday, but he will break up with that person by Sunday.
Yuzuru Shino is a third year student at the same high school. He looks pretty, but all of his former girlfriends end up dumping him. Yuzuru Shino becomes curious about Toji Seryo. On a whim, half serious & half joking, Yuzuru Shino asks Toji Seryo to date.
Sinbad: A Flying Princess and a Secret Island
Japanese: シンドバッド 空とぶ姫と秘密の島
Romaji: Shindobaddo: Sora Tobu Hime to Himitsu no Shima
Release Date: July 04th, 2015
Running Time: N/A
Director: Shinpei Miyashita,
Writer: Hiroyuki Kawasaki (Series Composition), Kaeko Hayafune (Script)
Starring: Tomo Muranaka (Sinbad), Momoko Tanabe (Sana), Hiroko Yakushimaru (Latifa), Nao Nagasawa (Ali), Takeshi Kaga (Captain Razak),
This film comes from Nippon Animation, a production house celebrating their 40th anniversary. The studio has a long history producing a lot of anime based on literary classics like Anne of Green Gables, and The Dog of Flanders through their World Masterpiece Theatre strand. The staff working on this movie has some Ghibli collaborators and veterans. Character designer and animation director Yoshiharu Sato has worked on My Neighbour Totoro and Only Yesterday. The writer Hiroyuki Kawasaki worked on Ronja the Robber’s Daughter. This is the first in a three-part project. The second is released in December while the 03rd is released in March
Sinbad dreams of adventure and travelling the world but he and his pet monkey Mimi haven’t gotten very far from their home town. All of that changes when they encounter Sana, a girl riding a flying wooden horse….
Haikyu!! the Movie: Ending and Beginning
Japanese: 劇場版ハイキュー！！終わりと始まり
Romaji: Gekijouban Haikyu!!: Ending and Beginning
Release Date: July 03rd, 2015
Running Time: 89 mins.
Director: Susumu Mitsunaka
Writer: Taku Kishimoto (Series Composition), Haruichi Furudate (Original Creator),
Starring: Ayumu Murase (Shouyou Hinata), Kaito Ishikawa (Tobio Kageyama), Hiroshi Kamiya (Ittetsu Takeda), Kaori Nazuka (Kiyoko Shimizu), Kazunari Tanaka (Keishin Ukai), Kouki Uchiyama (Kei Tsukishima), Miyu Irino (Koushi Sugawara), Nobuhiko Okamoto (Yuu Nishinoya),
This is the first of a two-part movie adaptation/compilation of Haikyuu!!, an anime all about volleyball. It is Production I,G’s adaptation of Haruichi Furudate’s manga of the same name. The second film, Gekijouban Haikyu!! Shousha to Haisha (Haikyu!! the Movie: Winners and Losers), will get a theatrical release on September 18.
Here’s the synopsis from Anime News Network:
The story follows Shōyō Hinata (voiced by Ayumu Murase), who began playing volleyball after seeing the “Small Giant” who played the sport when he was in elementary school. He suffers a crushing defeat in his first and last tournament in middle school at the hands of his rival Tobio Kageyama (Kaito Ishikawa). So, Hinata joins Karasuno High School’s volleyball team, vowing revenge against Kageyama.
However, Kageyama is also on Karasuno’s team. The former rivals form a legendary combo with Hinata’s mobility and Kageyama’s precision ball-handling. Together, they take on the local tournaments and vow to meet Kurasuno’s fated rival school in the nationals.
Code Geass: Akito the Exiled 4 – From the Memories of Hatred
Japanese: コードギアス 亡国のアキト 第4章「憎しみの記憶から
Romaji: Code Geass: Boukoku no Akito 4 – Nikushimi no Kioku Kara
Release Date: July 04th, 2015 (Japan)
Running Time: 60 mins.
Director: Kazuki Akane
Writer: Yoshinari Asakawa (Screenplay), Ichiro Okouchi (Original Creator),
Starring: Miyu Irino (Akito Hyuuga), Maaya Sakamoto (Leila Malkal), Ai Kayano (Anna Clement), Takahiro Sakurai (Suzaku Kururugi),
The year is 2017 around the time Lelouch took on the alter-ego “Zero” and built up his “Black Knights” rebellion army to free Japan from The Holy Britannian Empire but the Akito series is a spin-off which takes place in Europe.
The Holy Britannian Empire has invaded the continent and is about to defeat the E.U and a young pilot named Akito Hyuuga leads a special team fighting to prevent what seems inevitable. Then Layla Malkal, a former Britannian Aristocrat comes to the E.U.’s aid, commanding the “Wyvern” Knightmare corps comprised of Japanese teenagers and t looks like they might be able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat but the risks involved in every battle are immense.
Let’s Go! Anpanman: Mija and the Magic Lamp
Japanese: それいけ！アンパンマン ミージャと魔法のランプ
Romaji: Soreike! Anpanman: Mija to Mahou no Rampu
Release Date: July 04th, 2015 (Japan)
Running Time: 46 mins.
Director: Hiroyuki Yano
Writer: Tomoko Konparo (Screenplay), Takashi Yanase (Original Creator),
Starring: Keiko Toda (Anpanman), Yuko Oshima (Mija),
Synopsis from ANN
Creampanda and Kokin find a mysterious lamp, but suddenly the magic-user Mija emerges from the lamp. The three use magic to enter inside the lamp, but because a magic bracelet is broken, they cannot return to the real world. Together they must find a magic spring in a far off place to fix the bracelet.
There is a 21 minute anime short that will screen during the film is titled “Rhythm de Utao! Anpanman Natsu Matsuri” (Let’s Sing With Rhythm! Anpanman Summer Festival). The staff are producing the short as a work that fans at the cinema can sing along to.
Brahman
Japanese: ブラフマン
Romaji: Burafuman
Release Date: July 04th, 2015
Running Time: 118 mins.
Director: Michihiko Yanai
Writer: N/A
Starring: BRAHMAN: Kohki, Makoto, Ronzi, Toshi-Low
The rock band Brahman are celebrating 20 years together and this documentary shows their tours overseas and the band in downtime and interviews.
Senkyo Fesu!
Japanese: 選挙フェス！
Romaji: Senkyo Fesu!
Release Date: July 04th, 2015
Running Time: 114 mins.
Director: Taiki Sugioka
Writer: N/A
Starring: Yohei Miyake
Musician Yohei Miyake ran for political office despite having zero experience in the world of politics. He was initially dismissed as a light-weight but through his musical skills he created the “election festival” which was a musical tour of 26 locations in 17 days and it saw him garner a lot of votes. This documentary covers the festivals.
“Kioku” to Ikiru
Japanese: “記憶”と生きる
Romaji: “Kioku” to Ikiru
Release Date: July 04th, 2015
Running Time: 215 mins.
Director: Toshikuni Doi
Writer: N/A
Starring: N/A
Toshikuni Doi has created many documentaries about Asia and Japan’s interactions with its near-neighbours but this one is dynamite in the sense that it deals with a very, very sensitive topic – Korean comfort women. Through interviews and tracking a group of survivors he aims to show what they suffered and the post-war lives they had.
Flightless Bird and Merry-go-round
Japanese: 飛べないコトリとメリーゴーランド
Romaji: Tobenai Kotori to Meri- go- Rando
Release Date: July 04th, 2015
Running Time: 73 mins.
Director: Yusuke Ichikawa
Writer: Yusuke Ichikawa, Waka Uchida (Screenplay)
Starring: Ryo Narita, Kazuya Kojima, Maya Okano, Yume Shimano, Sanshiro Inomata, Momo Matsunaga,
Fast and loose translation (as in I translated and wrote it in a rush): This one’s all about a college student in an internship who meets someone and falls in love but suffers other feelings such as jealousy. We see the expression of these emotions in the real world and a dream one.
Gunjou Iro no, Toori Michi
Japanese: 飛べないコトリとメリーゴーランド
Romaji: Gunjou Iro no, Toori Michi
Release Date: July 04th, 2015
Running Time: 105 mins.
Director: Kiyoshi Sasabe
Writer: Kiyoshi Sasabe, Yoshimitsu Hashimoto (Screenplay)
Starring: Ren Kiriyama, Kiki Sugino, Takeshi Masu, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Shinichiro Matsura, Keita Ninomiya, Jun Inoue, Mitsunori ISaki, Seia Yasuda,
This one stars Kiki Sugino, among others, and she’s an interesting emerging talent from the Japanese movie scene. It’s got special previews ahead of its general release next week.
A man named Mayama (Kiriyama) left his hometown and moved to Tokyo to become a musician. When he receives news of his father’s illness he visits his hometown for the first time in 10 years and is seized by a mixture of emotions. He sees the beautiful scenery and the kind people who support him such as his ever cheerful mother and his sister and a former school friend who became a music teacher.
Random music video – back to writing other things:
