HAPPY WEEKEND, PEOPLE!
I hope everyone is having a great week!
I’ve been putting out more articles than ever before. Not just here but over on other sites. That doesn’t even include all of the stuff I do in my day job. What have I published here? A review of the Sion Sono documentary which is included as a double-feature with The Whispering Star, a preview of the Japanese films at the East Winds Film Festival, and my annual look at the Japanese Films at the Annecy International Animation Festival 2018. I also posted about the anime weekender at the BFI Southbank. I’ve also gone about updating some synopses and links that needed to be changed. BUSY BUSY!
I’m going to start publishing the reviews and interviews I have done for another site on here soon so brace yourself for a wave of indie movie information.
What is released in Japan this weekend?
Marmalade Boy 
ママレード・ボーイ 「Mamare-do Bo-i」
Running Time: 127 mins.
Release Date: April 27th, 2018
Director: Ryuichi Hiroki
Writer: Taeko Asano (Screenplay), Wataru Yoshizumi (Original Manga)
Starring: Hinako Sakurai, Ryo Yoshizawa, Nina Endo, Miho Nakayama, Rei Dan, Shosuke Tanihara,
Synopsis: Miki (Hinako Sakurai) gets the shock of her life when her parents tell her that they are divorcing and marrying the partners of another marriage. The shocks keep coming when she finds out they will all live in the same house together and her new step-brother is Yuu, a handsome and kind boy she goes to school with. Soon, she starts to fall in love with him…
My Little Monster / The Monster Sitting Beside Me (Literal Title) 
となりの怪物くん 「Tonari no Kaibutsukun」
Running Time: 105 mins.
Release Date: April 27th, 2018
Director: Sho Tsukikawa
Writer: Arisa Kaneko (Screenplay), Robico (Original Manga)
Starring: Masaki Suda, Tao Tsuchiya, Yuki Furukawa, Yuki Yamada, Minami Hamabe, Elaiza Ikeda, Shiro Sano,
Synopsis: High school girl Shizuku Mizutani (Tao Tsuchiya) is a loner. Bright as she is in terms of intelligence, her personality is cold. Sat next to her is Haru Yoshida (Masaki Suda), a boy considered to be a troublemaker. One day, he confesses he has feelings for her and a bond develops.
Oh Lucy! 
Running Time: 95 mins
Release Date: April 28th, 2018
Director: Atsuko Hirayanagi
Writer: Atsuko Hirayanagi, Boris Frumin (Screenplay),
Starring: Shinobu Terajima, Josh Hartnett, Kaho Minami, Koji Yakusho, Reiko Aylesworth, Casey J. Adler, Megan Mullally, Calvin C. Winbush, Kayano, Kimie Tanaka, Leni Ito,
Director Atsuko Hirayanagi attended NYU Tisch School of Arts in Asia and holds a black belt in karate. How’s that for awesome. She made a number of short films including the award-winning short Oh Lucy! (2014) which was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and was developed into this feature-length title that was screened at the Cannes Film Festival last year and was the opener for last year’s Raindance International Film Festival You can read more here about the making of the film. It’s an inspiring story and the resulting film looks great.
Synopsis: Setsuko Kawashima (Terajima) is a lonely, chain-smoking office lady in Tokyo who is past her prime and watching colleagues get retired. When her neice gives her the chance to take an English class, she meets a charismatic American instructor named John (Hartnett) who gives her a new lease of life through a new identity in her American alter ego, ‘Lucy’. Just as Satsuko falls in love, John suddenly disappears with her niece and Setsuko sets out on a quest to find him, eventually leading her to the outskirts of Southern California.
It was really there! Cursed Video BEST10 
ほんとにあった！呪いのビデオ BEST10 「Honto ni atta! Noroi no bideo BEST 10」
Running Time: 81 mins.
Release Date: April 28th, 2018
Director: Hiroki Iwasawa, Kazuyuki Sakamoto, Masahide Kikuchi, Yohei Fukuda, Kazuto Kodama,
Writer: N/A
Starring: N/A
Synopsis: The best clips from 18 years of this series have been compiled in this film.
Utopia 
ユートピア 「Yu-topia」
Running Time: 104 mins.
Release Date: April 28th, 2018
Director: Shunta Ito
Writer: Shunta Ito (Screenplay),
Starring: Yuka Matsunaga, Miki Clark, Yuki Mori, Shinichi Yoshida, Manbei Takagi,
Synopsis: Shunta Ito, the chap who orchestrated Seven Colour Rocket (released a couple of weeks ago) is back with another unique SF tale about a girl named Mami (Yuka Matsunaga) who lives in Tokyo. One summer’s day, it snows, and on that day, things like water and electricity are disrupted. She encounters a mysterious girl (Miki Clarke) who has stumbled in from another world and speaks a different language and discovers that this girl was one of the 130 children who were taken away by the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Not so coincidentally, children in Tokyo start to disappear…
This one looks really good. Original and colourful and a fun adventure which could have been turned into an anime but was done as a live-action film! I also recognise some of the locations.