I started off this week with a review of a sub-standard J-horror and then posted some major news in the form of the Berserk anime movie trilogy getting an international release. I then posted more trailers for up-coming films that have caught my eye – especially Rent-a-Cat and The Life of Guskou Budori – but did I review any more films? Alas no. Instead of watching Japanese films over the weekend I ended up watching western ones and beta testing software. I’m undecided as to what I should watch tonight – possibly Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-On: The Grudge or Akira Kurosawa’s Drunken Angel… The picture above has no connection to any of this beyond there being a cat in it and the trailers and Ju-On have lots of cats. The Japanese box-office charts has also been dominated by one (albeit a nuclear powered time travelling robot one) up until this week.
01. SPEC: The Movie
02. We Were There: Part 1
03. Doraemon – Animal Adventure
04. Titanic 3D
05. Sherlock Holmes
The top ten is looking rather interesting with The Artist entering number 7, Titanic 3D entering at 4 and SPEC: The Movie taking the number one spot (the only movie released last week to enter the charts). I may just start watching the television original Keizoku 2: SPEC.
What’s released today?
Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi o Yobu! Ora to Uchu no Princess
Release Date: 14th April 2012 (Japan)
Running Time: N/A
Director: Soichi Masui
Writer: Yoshito Usui, Kyoko Kogure
Starring: Akiko Yajima, Miki Narahashi, Keiji Fujiwara, Satomi Korogi, Shozo Endo
The film celebrates the 20th anniversary of Yoshito Usui’s Crayon Shin-chan franchise which began life as a manga in Weekly Manga Action magazine all the way back in 1992. Its anime debuted in the same year and has even been shown around the world. To date there are over 800 episodes. Tragically Usui died in a hiking accident but the show continues. I must admit to having never been fond of the anime when I watched it on British television because I found the American dub irritating.
One day, Shin-chan (Yajima) and his sister Himawari (Narahashi) are fighting over pudding when two mysterious men appear. Shin-chan signs a paper that is presented to him by the two men and then finds himself and his family abducted by a UFO and taken to the Himawari star.
Toilet and Women 
Japanese Title: どんずまり 便器
Romaji: Donzumari Benki
Release Date: 14th April 2012 (Japan)
Running Time: 81 mins.
Director: Haruhi Oguri
Writer: Haruhi Oguri
Starring: Nahana, Kuniaki Nakamra, Keiko Sugawara, Shun Sugata, Shohei Uno, Yuko Genkaku,
This film has an odd title and an intriguing trailer. This little indie film is the debut of Haruhi Oguri and it has quite a few stars like Nahana who made her debut in Suicide Club and recently appeared in River, Yuko Genkaku who has been in notable titles like Instant Swamp and Love Exposure. The biggest name in the cast is Shun Sugata who has appeared in the gore-filled Tokyo Gore Police as the chief inspector as well as Takashi Shimizu’s Marebito. Most notable (for me) is his work with Kiyoshi Kurosawa as he has appeared in Pulse, License to Live and Eyes of the Spider.
Narumi (Nahana) is an aggressive person who served a jail term for stabbing someone. Upon her release she heads back to her home town to stay at her younger brother Kei’s (Nakamura) house. The two only had each other when they were growing up due to their parents dying in an accident and so Narumi does not take to kindly to seeing Kei’s girlfriend Kana (Sugawara) being a part of their lives. Narumi wants Kei for herself and so she reveals a dark secret to Kana.
Genkinahito 