Hello dear readers!
I finally got back into reviewing films for the summer of splatter films (I know it’s autumn) and it was with the trashy Attack Girls’ Swim Team vs. the Undead which got a pretty low final score. Zombie Self-Defence Force and High School Girl Rika – Zombie Hunter are due next week to complete the set then I’ll go back and cover Noboru Iguchi films and more low-budget films. Much more productive and informative was my news piece about the London International Animation Festival. I wrote a story for Anime UK News and then expanded it for my preview after doing more research.
We won, darlin’
What’s released this weekend in Japan?
Ghost Theatre
劇場霊「Gekijourei」
Release Date: November 21st, 2015
Running Time: 99 mins.
Director: Hideo Nakata
Writer: Junya Kato, Ryuta Miyake (Screenplay)
Starring: Haruka Shimazaki, Rika Adachi, Riho Takada, Keita Machida, Mantaro Koichi,
I previewed this one when it played at the London Film Festival. Here’s what I wrote:
Hideo Nakata has directed three truly brilliant works – Ringu, Dark Water, and Ghost Actressor, Don’t Look Up, as it is also called. Ghost Actress lasts just over an hour and is a slow-build but the tension and gradual horror is superbly executed. It seems like Ghost Theatre is inspired by that last film and the festival site describes Nakata’s latest as “a deliciously unhinged piece of work, arguably his most satisfying since the acclaimed Dark Water.” This sounds like a return to form to me! A note of caution for fans of his more serious work, the festival page for the film also notes Nakata takes a “a more playful, even slightly tongue in cheek approach” and he has hired an AKB48 idol for the lead role. Is this more fun like POV: A Cursed Film than chills like Ghost Actress?
Synopsis: Sara (Haruka Shimazaki) is an actor at a theatre troupe under the direction of Gota Nishikino (Mantaro Koichi). When the lead actors in the play retire due to strange accidents, Sara is thrust into the spotlight and given the lead role. Sara soon realises that amidst all of the jealousy is a supernatural threat that is haunting the play…
Girlz und Panzer der Film
ガールズ＆パンツァー 劇場版「Ga-ruzu & Pansha- Gekijouban」
Release Date: November 21st, 2015
Running Time: 119 mins.
Director: Tsutomu Mizushima
Writer: Reiko Yoshida (Screenplay),
Starring: Ai Kayano (Saori Takebe), Mai Fuchigami (Miho Nishizumi), Ikumu Nakagami (Yukari Akiyama), Mami Ozaki (Hana Isuzu), Yuka Iguchi (Mako Reizei),
This is a continuation of the TV anime. An OVA was released last year.
Synopsis from Anime News Network: The story centers around high school girls who drive tanks that exist in real life, as they compete in teams.
Digimon Adventure tri. 1: Saikai
デジモンアドベンチャー tri. 第1章「再会」「Dejimon adobenchā tri. Dai 1-sho `saikai’」
Release Date: November 21st, 2015
Running Time: 78 mins.
Director: Keitaro Motonaga
Writer: Yuuko Kakihara (Series Composition), Akiyoshi Hongo (Original Creator),
Voice Actors for the Human Characters: Natsuki Hanae (Taichi Yagami), Yoshimasa Hosoya (Yamato Ishida), Suzuko Mimori (Sora Takenouchi), Junya Ikeda (Jo Kido), Junya Enoki (Takeru Takaishi), MAO (Hikari Yagami), Mutsumi Tamura (Koshiro Izumi), Hitomi Yoshida (Mimi Tachikawa),
Voice Actors for the Digimon: Kinoko Yamada (Palmon), Chika Sakamoto (Agumon), Miwa Matsumoto (Patamon), Mayumi Yamaguchi (Gabumon), Junko Takeuchi (Gomamon),
This long-awaited sequel to the television series was due to air in the spring and many thought it would be a television series but it has turned into a number of films instead. Digimon is viewed with a lot of affection by many in the western anime community and they will be pleased to see the return of characters and their monster friends. I was a Pokemon guy so the story makes little sense to me.
Synopsis from My Anime List:
It’s been six years since that summer adventure when Taichi Yagami and the rest of the DigiDestined crossed over to the Digital World. And nearly three years have passed since the final battle between Hikari Yagami’s group and BelialVamdemon. As the peaceful days passed by, at some point the gate to the Digital World closed. Not even the DigiDestined know what caused this, and time alone continues to pass.
On one such day, a Kuwagamon suddenly appears in Odaiba. Its rampage leaves the town in ruins, and the people there in turmoil. Taichi happens to catch sight of the Kuwagamon, and he chases after it all by himself in an effort to halt its rampage. But there’s nothing he can do against a Kuwagamon.
“It’s no use… I can’t do anything about this alone…”
Just as the Kuwagamon roars and attacks Taichi, his Digivice begins to emit a bright light…
“Taichi, look how big you’ve grown!”
With the sound of that nostalgic voice, the story once again begins to move in a big way.
Taichi Yagami, age 17; high school student.
The adventure now evolves once again.
Hitsuji wo Kazoeru
羊をかぞえる。「Hitsuji wo Kazoeru」
Release Date: November 21st, 2015
Running Time: 88 mins.
Director: Naoyoshi Kawamatsu
Writer: Naoyoshi Kawamtsu (Screenplay),
Starring: Toshiyuki Somey, Tomoru Akazawa, Kurara Miyai, Masaaki Nakano, Tomoki Hirose, Taishi Sugie,
This looks so much like an anime, one that would be laden with ikemen and gags and aimed at a female audience.
Synopsis: Osamu (Toshiyuki Someya) and Tsuyoshi (Tomoru Akazawa) are two friends who vow to help a girl named Kanna (Kurara Miyai) and a guy named Hiroyuki (Tomoki Hirose) escape from creditors but it won’t be easy since they engage in many hairbrained schemes.
Eiga kodan nanihasenki sanada yukimura
映画 講談・難波戦記 真田幸村 紅蓮の猛将 「Eiga kodan nanihasenki sanada yukimura」
Release Date: November 21st, 2015
Running Time: 96 mins.
Director: Katsuro Yoshimasa
Writer: N/A
Starring: Gyokudo Nanko
Synopsis: The movie is a recording of an oral performance of the story of Yukimura Sanada, a hero during the warring states period and a name synonymous with The Fall of Osaka Castle (Namba senki). The performance is part of the rakugo tradition and done in such a way that Gyokudo Nanko recites it extremely fast and aggressively.
Sayonara
さよなら「Sayonara」
Release Date: November 21st, 2015
Running Time: 112 mins.
Director: Koji Fukada
Writer: Koji Fukada, Oriza Hirata (Screenplay),
Starring: Bryerly Long, Hirofumi Arai, Geminoid F, Makiko Murata, Yuko Kibiki, Nijiro Murakami,
The first ever movie with an android in it? It was at the Tokyo International Film Festival and it looks fascinating but not exciting or entertaining if these reviews from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are anything to go by but the write-up in the Japan Times makes it sound a fair bit more interesting and pretty tragic as we watch the final days in the life of a dying woman who is supported by an android. It is a collaboration between Japanese playwright Oriza Hirata and the leading robotics scientist Hiroshi Ishiguro who works at Osaka University and the film was directed by Koji Fukada (Hospitalité, Au revoir l’été).
Synopsis: The population of Japan is being evacuated due to radioactive contamination. Tanya (Bryerly Long) is a foreign refugee with an illness so she will be among the last to leave while healthier Japanese escape. She has an android named Reona (Geminoid F) who supports her in her final days as everyone around her leaves.
Tsugaku Tochu
通学シリーズ 通学途中「Tsugaku shiri-zu Tsugaku Tochu」
Release Date: November 21st, 2015
Running Time: 80 mins.
Director: Koji Kawano
Writer: Juri Takeda (Screenplay), Miyu (Original Novel)
Starring: Taishi Nakagawa, Aoi Morikawa, Izumi Fujimoto, Yudai Chiba, Airi Matsui, Nanami Abe,
I reviewed one of director Koji Kawano’s films earlier this week. It was Attack Girls’ Swim Team vs. the Undead, a garbage pink film with zombies. His early career spent toiling away in movie purgatory making soulless films has paid off since now he is making soulless adaptations of manga. Where next?
Synopsis: Yuki (Aoi Morikawa) is a shy girl who is in love with a guy who already has a girl. Will she remain alone? Not if her fellow art club member Kou (Taishi Nakagawa) has anything to say about things since he loves Yuki!
The next poster is exactly the same as the last and there’s probably one film released a month which uses the same design…
Raintree no Kuni
レインツリーの国「Reinshri- no Kuni」
Release Date: November 21st, 2015
Running Time: 108 mins.
Director: Yoshishige Miyake
Writer: Chihiro Watanabe (Screenplay), Hiro Arikawa (Original Novel)
Starring: Yuta Tamamori, Mariya Nishiuchi, Kanna Mori, Joji Abe, Yumi Asou, Ren Osugi,
Meeting someone through a blog is a big thing but I have done it and it turned out to be the best thing I could have one since I made good friends. Could it ever lead to romance? Finding somebody who has a compatible personality is possible especially with
Synopsis: Nobuyuki Sakisaka (Yuta Tamamori) has been haunted by the light novel “Fairy Game” ever since he read it in middle school. He reads the blog Rein Tsuri no Kuni amd gets in touch with the author Rika Hitomi (Mariya Nishiuchi) who wrote a post about the same book. They soon start emailing each other but Rika refuses to meet Nobuyuki in real life because of a secret…
Yume no Hotori ninshisho guru-pu ho-mu Fukujusoi
ゆめのほとり 認知症グループホーム 福寿荘 「Yume no Hotori ninshisho guru-pu ho-mu Fukujusoi」
Release Date: November 21st, 2015
Running Time: 108 mins.
Director: Shinichi Ise
Writer: N/A
Starring: N/A
Synopsis: With a rapidly ageing population it is no surprise that there are many documentary works about the elderly and this one records the everyday life of a dementia group home in Sapporo.
Yoko Sakura YOKO THE CHERRY BLOSSOM
陽光桜 YOKO THE CHERRY BLOSSOM「Yoko Sakura YOKO THE CHERRY BLOSSOM」
Release Date: November 21st, 2015
Running Time: 114 mins.
Director: Gen Takahashi
Writer: Gen Takahashi (Screenplay/Original Work)
Starring: Takashi Sasano, Maki Miyamoto, Maiko Kawakami, Masahiko Tsugawa, Shota Sasano,
Gen Takahashi made Goth (2008), a crime film about teenagers exploring their existential boundaries as a serial killer stalks town. That made me a fan of his so this new title looks intriguing but totally different, a biopic about a guy who grew a new type of cherry blossom tree!
Synopsis from IMDB: The inspiring true story of Masaaki Takaoka, a public school teacher in rural Japan in 1940, who, despite his deep and personal objections to the War, was forced to send his beloved students off to battle, with the promise that they would all meet again, upon victory, under the cherry tree on the school grounds.
When only one of his students comes back, maimed and full of shame, with the news that his classmates had all perished in far- away lands, Massaki is overcome by an all-compassing sense of shame and guilt. To fulfill the promise that he made them, he goes on a lifelong quest to artificially create the first-ever cherry blossom that could bloom anywhere in the world, in any climate, so that the spirits of the young men who lost their lives would all finally have a place to meet again. To date, over 30,000 of Masaaki’s YOKO Cherry Blossoms bloom in over 20 countries around the world, as symbols of world peace and harmony.
Hoshasen o abita X nengo 2
放射線を浴びたX年後2「Hoshasen o abita X nengo 2」
Release Date: November 21st, 2015
Running Time: 86 mins.
Director: Hideaki Ito
Writer: N/A
Starring: Misa Kawaguchi, Kunikazu Noguchi,
Synopsis: In this documentary the director looks at the impact of American hydrogen bomb experiments carried out after the end of the Second World War from 1946 through to 1962 and he investigates the damage to Japanese fishing boats caused by the nuclear tests carried out more than 100 times in the Pacific Ocean as well as the spread of sea pollution and radioactive substances. This was all coered up by top-secret deals between the United States and Japan. All of this is exposed in a series of interviews and research which brings the truth to the screen.
Areno
アレノ「Areno」
Release Date: November 21st, 2015
Running Time: 79 mins.
Director: Michio Koshikawa
Writer: Michio Koshikawa, Yuki Sato (Screenplay), Emile Zola (Original Novel),
Starring: Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Junko Uchida, Maho Yamada, Taro Suwa, Yuya Shintaro, Satoru Kawaguchi,
Synopsis from Tokyo International Film Festival: “We have to kill him”, the wife and her lover thought. When three childhood friends reunite, it doesn’t take long before two of them feel the woman’s husband is in their way. They push him into a lake, but the boat capsizes and all three are thrown into the water. The lovers reach the shore, but the husband is nowhere. Has he drowned? They decide to wait at a lakeside hotel for his body to be found. Based on Emile Zola’s masterpiece “Therese Raquin”, mismatched emotions of women and men are conveyed via 16mm film. Coarse sensuality.
Before a Falling Star Fades Away
流れ星が消えないうちに「Nagareboshi ga kienai uchi ni」
Release Date: November 21st, 2015
Running Time: 124 mins.
Director: Kenji Shibayama
Writer: Kenji Shibayama (Screenplay), Tsumugu Hashimoto (Original Novel)
Starring: Haru, Jingi Irie, Shono Hayama, Eri Ishida, Kanji Furutachi, Saori Watanabe, Yuina Kuroshima, Mantaro Koichi,
Synopsis: Naoko Motoyama (Haru) is a university student who lost her boyfriend in a sudden accident. She can’t get over him, but when she meets a man named Takumi (Jingi Irie) she discovers somebody with a similar background to her and begins to find solace in his company.
Japanese Movie Box Office Results for this Week:
Gekijouban Mozu (2015/11/07)
Grasshopper (2015/11/07)
Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015/11/14)
Everest 3D (2015/11/06)
Ore Monogatari!! (2015/10/31)
Eiga Go! Princess Precure Go! Go!! Gōka 3-bon Date!!! (2015/10/31)
Galaxy Turnpike (2015/10/24)
Pan (2015/10/31)
The Intern (2015/10/10)
Library Wars – The Last Mission (2015/10/10)
