Happy weekend, people!
This is my first trailer post since being in Japan, travelling to Himeji and other cities in Hyogo Prefecture as well as places like Nara and Kyoto, working at the Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) and then travelling to Kamakura, Tokyo and places in central Japan that I will probably never visit again because I like Tokyo and Kansai more and time is always short.
Apologies for the radio silence in terms of trailers but I have cranked out reviews from OAFF and I’m still working on interviews with a friend. When it’s all done, it will come to 24 or 25 pieces, which isn’t bad. I’m most pleased that I will be able to get everything released by mid-May. Most of it came out during the festival period back in March. It has been quick. I can see where further improvements can be made so if I get another shot at this, it’ll be better.
You can see the current reviews and one interview over at V-Cinema by clicking on this link.
For this blog, I have posted:
A preview article, Nunchaku and Soul, Randen, Sisterhood, Hana, The CrossingStill Human, The Eternity Between Seconds, and Wild Tour.
As well as OAFF, I posted about the Japanese Film Festival Ireland , The Korea Independent Animation Festival, and Udine Far East Film Festival and, over at Anime UK News, an article for Kickstarter for a cool stop-motion animation that tells a supernatural tale called The Depth of Yagen. I’ll post more information on here at some point.
Rambling over. You’re here for the trailers for films released this week. Here they are:
Just Only Love 
愛がなんだ 「Ai ga Nanda」
Running Time: 123 mins.
Release Date: April 19th, 2019
Director: Rikiya Imaizumi
Writer: Rikiya Imaizumi, Kaori Sawai (Screenplay), Mitsuyo Kakuta (Original Novel)
Starring: Yukino Kishii, Ryo Narita, Mai Fukagawa, Ryuya Wakaba, Mariko Tsutsui, Ayumu Nakajima, Noriko Eguchi,
Synopsis:Love makes people lose perspective. Take, for example, Teruko (Yukino Kishii), a 28-year-old office lady helplessly in love with Mamoru (Ryo Narita). When we join her, she is in a downward spiral as she neglects her work and friends and chases after his affection. It’s a shame he takes her for granted…
Kingdom 
キングダム 「Kingdom」
Running Time: 134 mins.
Release Date: April 19th, 2019
Director: Shinsuke Sato
Writer: Shinsuke Sato, Tsutomu Kuroiwa (Screenplay), Yasuhisa Hara (Manga/Screenplay)
Starring: Kento Yamazaki, Ryo Yoshizawa, Masami Nagasawa, Kanna Hashimoto, Kanata Hongo, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Jun Kaname, Takao Osawa, Shinnosuke Abe, Tak Sakaguchi, Jun Hashimoto,
Synopsis: Shinsuke Sato is an action movie director who you may have heard of thanks to live-action versions of multiple manga like Gantz, I Am a Hero, and Inuyashiki. He tackles a historical epic with Kingdom which is set in Qin Dynasty China during the warring states period. Where the central protag, Shin (Kento Yamazaki), a war orphan, meets a young king named Eisei (Ryo Yoshizawa) and gets involved with the man’s plan to unify all of China.
Naminori Office e Yokoso 
波乗りオフィスへようこそ 「Naminori Office e Yokoso」
Running Time: 108 mins.
Release Date: April 19th, 2019
Director: Tomoyuki Akaishi
Writer: Tomoyuki Akaishi (Screenplay),
Starring: Tomohiro Sekiguchi, Ryudo Uzaki, Yui Ueda, Yuu Mashima, Shuji Kashiwabara, Koutaro Tanaka, Yuki Ito, Sachi Ishimaru,
Synopsis: Gentle dramedy where Kenshi Tokunaga (Tomohiro Sekiguchi) moves his IT company from Tokyo, where competition for workers is fierce, to his hometown of Minami in Tokushima Prefecture.
Crayon Shin-chan Movie 27: Shinkon Ryokou Hurricane – Ushinawareta Hiroshi 
映画クレヨンしんちゃん 新婚旅行ハリケーン ~失われたひろし~ 「Eiga Kureyon Shin chan Shinkon Ryokou Harike-n – Ushinawareta Hiroshi」
Running Time: 100 mins.
Release Date: April 19th, 2019
Director: Masakazu Hashimoto
Writer: Kimiko Ueno, Munenori Mizuno (Screenplay), Yoshito Usui (Original Creator)
Starring: Yumiko Kobayashi (Shinnosuke Nohara), Miki Narahashi (Misae Nohara), Satomi Koorogi (Himawari Nohara), Toshiyuki Morikawa (Hiroshi)
Synopsis: This is movie 27 in the franchise and it is set in Australia. The Nohara family are on an inexpensive and family-friendly honeymoon trip that goes sideways as a treasure hunter kidnaps Hiroshi in order to get her hands on a fortune. Obviously the family go to rescue him.
Hibike! Euphonium Movie 3: Chikai no Finale 
劇場版 響け！ユーフォニアム～誓いのフィナーレ～ 「Gekijouban Hibike! Yu-foniamu – Chikai no Fina-re-」
Running Time: 100 mins.
Release Date: April 19th, 2019
Director: Tatsuya Ishihara
Writer: Jukki Hanada (Screenplay), Akito Matsuda (Original Creator)
Starring: Ayaka Asai (Hazuki Kato), Tomoyo Kurosawa (Kumiko Omae), Yuri Yamaoka (Yuko Yoshikawa), Ayaka Nanase (Mirei Suzuki), Chika Anzai (Reina Kosaka),
Synopsis from Anime News Network: Kumiko is now a second year and one of the senior players of the euphonium section. With new underclassmen joining the concert band, Kumiko will have to learn new things in order to deal with awkward and difficult underclassmen. She and third-year trumpeter Tomoe Kabe have been chosen to lead the new underclassmen members. Among the new members to Kumiko’s bass section are euphonist Kanade Hisaishi, whose appearances are deceiving; tuba player Mirei Suzuki, who cannot adapt to her new environment; tuba player Satsuki Suzuki, who wants to get along with Mirei; and double bassist Motomu Tsukinaga, who cannot talk about himself. Between the Sunrise Festival, chair placement auditions, and the competition, a number of problems quickly begin to arise.
Itsuka kagayaite ita kanojo wa 
いつか輝いていた彼女は 「Itsuka kagayaite ita kanojo wa」
Running Time: 35 mins.
Release Date: April 19th, 2019
Director: Seira Maeda
Writer: Seira Maeda (Screenplay),
Starring: Ao Ogura, mahocato, Nanami Hidaka, Rina Satouchi,
Synopsis: Newbie director Seira Maeda and rock band “MINT mate box” are paired thanks to MOOSIC Lab 2018 to make a story about the bonds between classmates in high school. Ao Ogura, “Miss iD 2018”, plays the protagonist while the band take support roles. Then there’s Nanami Hidaka who turned in a good performance in Sayounara, another MOOSIC Lab collab, and was absolutely unpleasant.
Chronos Jaunter 
クロノス・ジョウンターの伝説 「Kuronosu Jounta- no Densetsu」
Running Time: 87 mins.
Release Date: April 19th, 2019
Director: Kentaro Hachisuka
Writer: Kentaro Hachisuka, Ryoma Ota (Screenplay), Shinji Kajio (Original Creator)
Starring: Hiro Shimono, Hiroe Igeta, Uso Ozaki, Hidetoshi Iwato, Kento Igarashi, Maki Teraura,
Synopsis: The last time I wrote about director Kentaro Hachisuka was 2014 for Alice in Dreamland which was a stop-motion animation. This one is based on a science fiction novel written by Shinji Kajio, a popular author. Main protag Kazuhiko Fukihara, a researcher who falls in love with flower shop worker named Kumiko Fuki, uses his time-travel device to head to the past to save her life after she dies in a sudden accident. What he doesn’t anticipate is that the device has a hidden drawback…
Godot of the Emotos 
柄本家のゴドー 「Emoto-ke no Godo-」
Running Time: 64 mins.
Release Date: April 20th, 2019
Production: Yutaka Yamazaki
Writer: N/A
Starring: Akira Emoto, Tasuku Emoto, Tokio Emoto,
Synopsis: A documentary that follows the Emoto family who tackle the Samuel Beckett play “Wait for Godot”. Yutaka Yamazaki, put a camera in the rehearsal space and shows how a father and his two sons develop the play and the bonds between them as they pursue art.
Centre line 
センターライン 「Senta-rain」
Running Time: 67 mins.
Release Date: April 20th, 2019
Director: Takuo Geko
Writer: Takuo Geko (Screenplay),
Starring: Marina Yoshimi, Yutaka Hoshino, Takeshi Kurahashi, Meiri Mochizuki,
Synopsis: This near-future court suspense drama shows a world where self-driving cars are common but a fatal accident leads to a court case where the prosecutors try to prove the AI killed the occupants of the car deliberately. The writer/director is a software engineer in real life.