Happy weekend, reader!
I hope everyone is still feeling awesome.
I write “still” because, if you read yesterday’s trailer post, you’ll know this is a two-parter because there was a lot released over this weekend. Yesterday was anime and dramas, today is politics, porn, and horror. More porn is getting released over the next week but I’ll round them up with next week’s trailer post. Uuuhhhh, right. I’m going to watch three films over the weekend and take a trip to the sea. I’m counting down the days to a London trip next week and also a sushi party with work colleagues. I’m also looking into a new writing style.
What else was released this weekend?
Only One Song 
たった一度の歌 「Tatta Ichido no Uta」
Running Time: 104 mins.
Release Date: August 24th, 2018
Director: Yui Miyatake (IMDB)
Writer: Yui Miyatake (Screenplay),
Starring: Kazuya Takahashi, Koki Okada, UEBO, Honami Kurashita, Takashi Tajima, Kanoko Sudo, Shogo Shimizu, Ayako Kobayashi,
Synopsis: Honjo in Saitama is pretty far away from Tokyo. Famous for its history and silkworm industry, it’s hardly the place for rock stars but it is here that Daisuke (Kazuya Takahashi) returns to and meets Hajime (Koki Okada), a former friend from school who works for the city council. They are preparing a concert with a youth choir for a cherry blossom festival.
The next bunch of films are showing as part of a horror film festival.
Hangman’s Knot
ハングマンズ・ノット 「Hangumanzu Notto」
Running Time: 87 mins.
Release Date: August 25th, 2018
Director: Yugo Sakamoto
Writer: Yugo Sakamoto, Kengo Yoshii (Screenplay),
Starring: Kengo Yoshii, Yuu Yasuda, Takuya Matsumoto, Takanori Murahara, Naoki Kimura, Naoki Ohashi, Kengo Yoshii,
This one was at last year’s Kanazawa Film Fest. It is being shown as part of a horror film festival along with another of the director’s works.
Synopsis: Violence breaks out between a mentally disturbed man named Shinata and two Yankee brothers. It escalates to suck in others.
Family Wars 
ファミリー☆ウォーズ 「Famiri- Wo-zu」
Running Time: 75 mins.
Release Date: August 25th, 2018
Director: Yugo Sakamoto
Writer: Yugo Sakamoto (Screenplay),
Starring: Mai Tsuchimoto, Rikiya Kaido, Haruka Tanaka, Shiori Ueno,
This one was at last year’s Kanazawa Film Fest. It is being shown as part of a horror film festival.
Synopsis: A Fukushima family consisting of a grandfather, father, mother, eldest daughter, second daughter, eldest son, and second son seem happy to outsiders but when the grandfather, Shinsuke, develops dementia and kills a child while driving, the facade falls away and violence ensues.
Kaidan shin mimi bukuro G men boken-hen zenpen
怪談新耳袋Gメン 冒険編 前編 「Kaidan shin mimi bukuro G men boken-hen zenpen」
Running Time: 85 mins.
Release Date: August 25th, 2018
Director: Amane Sato
Writer: N/A
Starring: Naoto Tanabe, Tsuyoshi Goto, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Yukihiko Yamaguchi,
Synopsis: A group of people, including director Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police, Helldriver, Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl, Mutant Girls Squad), go to haunted spots and look for ghosts. The haunted spots are ruins, mountains, and abandoned factories.
Shinrei Tsuazu
心霊ツアーズ 「Shinrei Tsuazu」
Running Time: 65 mins.
Release Date: August 25th, 2018
Director: Shoji Kubota
Writer: N/A
Starring: Ayaka Hara, Michelle Yang, Airi Ikejiri, Chihiro Matsukawa,
Synopsis: A group of people taking the form of gravure idols go into haunted areas and… Wait… There’s a choice between middle-aged men and sexy gravure idols wandering around haunted areas? They are competing to find an envelope that contains tasks that will give them points and… gravure idols… Sorry.
Lots of pink films from OP Pictures studio:
Zetsurin shanikusai
絶倫謝肉祭 「Zetsurin shanikusai」
Running Time: 70 mins.
Release Date: August 25th, 2018
Director: Hirohisa Sasaki
Writer: Hirohisa Sasaki (Screenplay),
Starring: Tomoki Kimura, Shijimi, Mizuki Sakura, Kurea Hasumi, Hotaru Kosaka, Yuki Kimura,
Synopsis: A woman cohabiting with her sister and brother-in-law finds strange incidents happen in her life.
Kaidan noroi no akajuban
怪談 呪いの赤襦袢 「Kaidan noroi no akajuban」
Running Time: N/A
Release Date: August 26th, 2018
Director: Hirohisa Sasaki
Writer: Hirohisa Sasaki (Screenplay),
Starring: Mao Hamasaki, Shijimi, Noa Eikawa, Eri Kato, Moe Sakura, Hotaru Kodaka, Hiroshi Noda,
Synopsis: Saeko (Mao Hamasaki) lives with her husband but has lost her memory. She suffers strange visions and phenomena that are connected to a curse Shinichi’s grandfather started when he did something at the end of the war…
Koi no Buta
恋の豚 「Koi no Buta」
Running Time: N/A
Release Date: August 25th, 2018
Director: Hideo Jojo
Writer: Hideo Jojo, Ai Suzuki (Screenplay),
Starring: Tomok0 Namiki, Yuri Hana, Umi Mitoma, Fumio Moriya, Kakumaru Yoshida, Sosuke Yamamoto, Keichan,
Synopsis: A woman cohabiting with her sister and brother-in-law finds strange incidents happen in her life.
Reunion Beach
再会の浜辺 「Saikai no Hamabe」
Running Time: 85 mins.
Release Date: August 26th, 2018
Director: Daisuke Yamauchi
Writer: Daisuke Yamauchi (Screenplay),
Starring: Ayane Suzukawa, Hotaru, Minako Kirishima, Yota Kawase, Yasushi Takemoto,
Synopsis: A former police officer named Yoshii (Yota Kawase) works to remove landmines on an island near Okinawa. He runs into a woman named Mikayo (Ayane Suzukawa) who is connected to him from due to a past incident.
Moon Road Serenade
ムーンロードセレナーデ 「Mu-n ro-do Serena-de」
Running Time: 85 mins.
Release Date: August 26th, 2018
Director: Tetsuya Takehora
Writer: Kosuke Komatsu (Screenplay),
Starring: Ayaka Tomoda, Tsubaki Kato, Shoko Kudo, Kenji Iwaya, Hirokio Ando,
Synopsis: Moon Road is a popular shopping street in Nakano distrit of Tokyo. The locals are warm people but they are about to be thrown out into the cold when a redevelopment plan threatens to change the entire area, including chopping down iconic cherry trees. The locals band together to stop it.
Magical Michiko
マジカル・ミチコ 「Majikaru Michiko」
Running Time: 85 mins.
Release Date: August 25th, 2018
Director: Junichi Yamamoto
Writer: Junichi Yamamoto, Koichi Ohata (Screenplay),
Starring: Nobuyuki Abe, Nozomi Azu, Rino, Rie Kawasaki, Rui Airi, Shinji Sonoda, Tadashi Mizuno,
Synopsis: A manga artist who looks like Osamu Tezuka has created a sexy devil girl manga character who he wishes it was real and then, what do you know, the devil girl pops out. She also turns him into a woman. Lesbian antics ensue.
Anti-War 2 Department
Two films from Kyuya Nakagawa about the legacy of World War II. He worked as an assistant director on Noriko’s Dinner Table (2005).
The Mantis Night
カマキリの夜 「Kamakiri no yoru」
Running Time: 22 mins.
Release Date: August 25th, 2018
Director: Kyuya Nakagawa
Writer: Shuya Nakagawa, Etsuro Hiratani (Screenplay),
Starring: Yoshihiro Nishimura, Mika Chiba, Jiro Kaneko,
Synopsis: Unexploded ordinance from World War II is discovered in Tokyo and a man (Nishimura) is hiding it. Local officials try to remove the man and the house he lives in to extend a road which causes him to feel great anger, which reaches its peak while Shinzo Abe is giving a talk in Akihabara. He takes it out on a local official.
America
アメリカ 「Amerika」
Running Time: 23 mins.
Release Date: August 25th, 2018
Director: Kyuya Nakagawa
Writer: Shuya Nakagawa (Screenplay),
Starring: Hiroki Jahana, Koji Tanaka, En Matayoshi, Iku, Ikoi Takenouchi,
Synopsis: Described as a spiritual art-house movie, this looks at the problems with life in Okinawa with the US bases.