Saint Young Men, Home, Prefecture Government’s Hospitality Division, Phone Call to the Bar 2, Peach Film Festival Films Trailers and the Japanese Movie Box Office Chart

What did I do this week? Well I’ll tell you whether you’re interested or not. A post for the release of For Love’s Sake and a Competition to go to Hong Kong thanks to the lovely folks at the Terracotta Far East Film Festival. I took part in an interview with fellow cineblogger Lost in the Miso and I watched a lot of anime (more first impressions next week). No films. I am gearing up for the Terracotta Far East Film Festival with four films (three Japanese and one Korean) on the cards. I need to write a preview for this festival. I still need to write to reviews from the last film festival I attended. There are a lot of things I need to do and all of that will have to wait until I pass my Japanese exam next week.

What does the Japanese Movie Box Office Chart look like for the weekend May 04^th-05^th.

1. Detective Conan Private Eye in the Distant Sea
2. Iron Man 3
3. Library Wars
4. Shield of Straw
5. Crayon Shin Chan! Gourmet Food Survival
6. Kamen Rider X Super Sentai X Space Sheriff: Super Hero Taisen Z
7. Dragon Ball Z Battle of the Gods
8. Lincoln
9. Wreck-It Ralph
10. The Great Passage

No new entries in the top ten but it is encouraging to see The Great Passage hanging in the top ten. Detective Conan retains the top spot for the third week in a row, Library Wars and Shield of Straw round out the top five in their second week out.

What is released this week? A lot more than the paltry two titles of last week!

Saint Young Men                          

Japanese Title: 聖☆おにいさん

Romaji: Sei  聖☆Onīsan

Release Date: May 10^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: N/A

Director: Noriko Takao

Writer: Rika Nezu

Starring: Mirai Moriyama, Gen Hoshino, Reiko Suzuki, Ryoko Kinomiya

Imagine if Buddha and Jesus shared an apartment in the Tachikawa area of Tokyo and experienced life as humans in Japan. This is the concept of Hikaru Nakamura’s manga and it sounds amusing enough and it now has an anime film. The staff are experienced. Noriko Takao has worked as an episode director on gag anime K-ON! And Lucky Star. The screenplay comes from Rika Nezu who wrote for the live-action Kimi ni Todoke. There are great actors fulfilling the roles of seiyuu. Mirai Moriyama (The Drudgery Train) voices Jesus and Gen Hoshino (Why Don’t You Play in Hell?) voices Buddha. The animation is very gorgeous and detailed and the character designs are great, check out the trailer.

Home                               

Japanese Title: 家

Romaji: Ie

Release Date: May 11^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 80 mins.

Director: Masatoshi Akihara

Writer: Shimizaki Fujimura (Original Novel)

Starring: Tomomi Nishimura, Yoji Matsuda, Anri Ban, Yuki Kimoto, Takuya Nakayama, Mitsuho Otani, Ichiro Ogura

Masatoshi Akihara, director of the rather amusing looking Lupin no Kiganjo (2011) is directing an adaptation of Shimizaki Fujimura’s novel of the same name which charts the fortunes of members of two families in the Kiso area of Nagano prefecture, one of which runs a brewery which will pass to a daughter and the other which is more humble and consists of teachers. It stars Tomomi Matsuda (Life on the Longboard), Yoji Matsuda (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, The Hidden Blade), and Anri Ban (Go, Tokyo Rhapsody). To be quite honest the trailer didn’t interest me in the least but I am thankful I did the research because that Lupin film (ルパンの奇巌城) looks very amusing!

Prefecture Government’s Hospitality Division    

Japanese Title: 県庁おもてなし課

Romaji: Kenchou Omotenashi Ka

Release Date: May 11^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: N/A

Director: Yoshinage Miyake,

Writer: Hiro Arikawa (Original Light Novel), Yoshikazu Okada (Screenplay)

Starring: Kengo Kora, Ryo Nishikido, Mari Horikita, Eiichiro Funakoshi, Megumi Seki, Masahiro Komoto, Satoru Matsuo

Anime fans will know that prefectures in Japan are falling over themselves to use anime to promote their regions. Well here’s an example of a film doing it. The film trailer looks dull, like an advertisement for the locations (it was shot mostly in Koichi prefecture) with some light drama thrown in and so I was eager to get to the end of it and watch something else. Script comes courtesy of Yoshikazu Okada who wrote Space Travelers. The cast looks pretty, the ones of note for me are Mari Horikita who was one of the brighter aspects in the J-horror films The Locker 1 and 2 and One Missed Call Final, Kengo Kora who was in Norwegian Wood, The Woodsman & the Rain and The Drudgery Train and Megumi Seki (The Foreign Duck, Christmas in August). It’s nice to see Horikita moving on to better films with bigger bugets.

Koichi prefecture needs to promote itself for tourism purposes so who are they gonna call? The hospitality division, that’s who.

Or so you might think but there’s a strict rule banning advertisements so a popular writer from Koichi named Kyosuke Yoshikado (Kora) is appointed as the special envoy for tourism in the area and has the help of hospitality division employees Fumitaka (Nishikido) and Taki (Horikita).

So what’s the plan? Well Kyosuke is pointed in the direction of Seien, a former employee of Koichi Prefecture who was fired when his plan to import pandas fell apart. When Fumitaka and Taki visit Seien they get a frosty welcome (more like a bucket of water thrown at them) from Seien’s daughter Sawa (Seki). Can this group work together?

 

Phone Call to the Bar 2                    

Japanese Title: 探偵はBARにいる2

Romaji: Tantei wa Bar ni Iru 2

Release Date: May 11^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 119 mins.

Director: Hajime Hashimoto,

Writer: Naomi Azuma (Original Novel), Ryota Kosawa (Screenplay)

Starring: Yo Oizumi, Ryuhei Matsuda, Machiko Ono, Atsuro Watabe, Gori, Tomorowo Taguchi, Eisuke Sasai, Kazuki Namioka, Koen Kondo, Mariko Tsutsui, Yutaka MAtsushige, Kenichi Yajima

The sequel to the popular and, according to a friend who saw it on a flight from Japan, rather entertaining Phone Call to the Bar! This is based on Naomi Azuma’s 2001 novel and it has quite the cast. Yo Oizumi, Ratman in the Gegege no Kitaro films, the impossibly handsome Ryuhei Matsuda, star of The Foreign Duck and Nightmare Detective, Yutaka Matsushige, the scary killer in The Guard from the Underground, Mariko Tsutsui who was in One Missed Call, Atsuro Watabe who looked effortlessly cool in Heat After Dark, Machiko Ono who was in Eureka and Tomorowo Taguchi who was the eponymous protag in Shinya Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man. This trailer looks pretty damn awesome actually wth Ryuhei Matsuda mixing it up in the action department and Atsuro Watabe looking like a political slickster. Some pretty good humour emerges as well. Trailer of the week.

Masako (Gori) is a magician at a Japanese pub and s friends with a Private Detective (Oizumi). When Masako dies at a magic show convention, private detective and Takada (Matsuda) begins investigating and find that Gori may have been involved with political figures. As this rumbles on, a woman who has been following the private detective consults him with a mystery of her own.

En. Live Document of Clammbon                                

Japanese Title: えんLive Document of Clammbon

Romaji: En. Live Document of Clammbon

Release Date: May 11^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 126 mins.

Director: Kōji Ōta

Starring: Harada Ikuko, Daisuke Ito, Mito

Photographer and director Koji Ota brings us a documentary on the trio Clammbon which was filmed at various events. We get an insight into the band’s rehearsal process and performances. I’ve never heard of Clammbon but I’m definitely listening now because I like the music! Here’s an English language fan page for the group.

 

Resshi ~ Yadaikoushin za ☆ Mu-bi- Shinkansen to Tanoshii Densha Tachi

Japanese Title: れっしゃだいこうしん　ザ☆ムービー　しんかんせんとたのしいでんしゃたち

Romaji: Resshi ~ Yadaikoushin za ☆ Mu-bi- Shinkansen to Tanoshii Densha Tachi

Release Date: May 11^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 45 mins.

Director: N/A

Writer: N/A

Starring: Yukitoshi Nagafuchi, Reiko Tokunaga, Ai Nonaka

I’m not even going to attempt translating the title for this anime quiz aimed at train otaku both young and old. It features info on a new bullet train called Hayabusa and Maglev networks.

Watch Rakugo on the Cinema Screen: “Master Storytellers of the Showa Period”                                          

Japanese Title: スクリーンで観る高座　シネマ落語「落語研究会　昭和の名人　五」

Romaji: Sukuri-n de Miru Kōza Shinema Rakugo ‘Rakugo Kenkyūkai Shōwa no Meijin Go’

Release Date: May 11^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 102 mins.

Director: N/A

Writer: N/A

Starring: Yanagiya Kosan, Kokontei Shinshō, Katsura Bunraku

Here’s an interesting film with a sketchily translated title. Rakugo is a form of verbal entertainment where a lone storyteller sits on a stage and depicts a long and complicated comical story with nothing but a paper fan and a small cloth for props and a change in pitch and tone in voice to provide life to different characters. The film shows us three such entertainers: Yanagiya Kosan, Kokontei Shinshō and Katsura Bunraku. This isn’t the trailer but I figure it will give you a flavour of what is involved.

Peach Festival Films

Female filmmakers have been on the rise in Japan as well regarded films like Dreams for Sale, End of Puberty and Just Pretended to Hear reveal. To get a better taste of what other young female directors are doing we get a whole festival dedicated to showing the freshest works coming from them. The theme for this year is ‘Tears’. Here are three short films that will be on the big screen (more get released next week). Here’s the website for the festival (in Japanese).

Peach Festival Presents Tears “Magma”

Japanese Title: 桃まつり presents なみだ “Magma”

Romaji: Momo Matsuri Presents Namida “Magma

Release Date: May 11^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 31 mins.

Director: Ai Watanabe

Writer: Keisuke Tominaga(Screenplay)

Starring: Reiko Igarashi, Ikki Funaki, Shoko Nakahara, Yoko Chosokabe

This entry comes from Ai Watanabe and Keisuke Tominaga who both worked on the grisly sounding Let’s Make the Teacher Have a Miscarriage Club. The film played at Fantasia Film Festival and Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival last year.  The film stars Reiko Igarashi who appeared in Girl in the Sunset (2008).

Lisa is at a training camp practicing for a marathon when she is overtaken by a mysterious woman. Lisa is left in emotional turmoil just from the sight of the woman. Meanwhile a former student who trained for marathons appears and steals the attention of Lisa’s coach. Her name is Yoko and she makes a major impact on Lisa.

 

Peach Festival Presents Tears “Rainy Day Shiori-Chan House”

Japanese Title: 桃まつり presents なみだ “雨の日はしおりちゃん家”

Romaji: Momo Matsuri Presents Namida “Ame no Hi wa Shiori-chan Ie”

Release Date: May 11^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 25 mins.

Director: Aki Morita

Writer: N/A

Starring: Aki Morita, Aki Miyata, Miki Kawamura, Haruna Sakai, Aoi Koka, Takashi Shigematsu, Akiyoshi Shibata, Mariko Sumiyoshi,

Not sure about my translation for the title (again, sorry!). Aki Morita has quite a little filmography going as an actress. The only film that she worked on (as an actress) that I recognise is Henge which will screen in London next month as part of the Terracotta Far East Festival Terror-cotta strand. This is her directorial debut and it looks like a relationship drama without any body-horror. She takes the lead role.

Yukiko is a theatre director who is reunited with a childhood friend. Whatever differences they had in the past are gone and the two begin to feel out a new type of relationship.

 

Peach Festival Presents Tears “Thorns of Love”

Japanese Title: 桃まつり presents なみだ 愛のイバラ

Romaji: Momo Matsuri Presents Namida “Ai no Ibara”

Release Date: May 11^th, 2013 (Japan)

Running Time: 24 mins.

Director: Yōko Oguchi

Writer: Yōko Oguchi (Screenplay)

Starring: Hozo Shimano, Fumiko Abe, Kazunori Sakurai

Well I’m interested in this one because Yōko Oguchi worked on Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s film Barren Illusion. This was a film that involved a student cast and crew from the Film School of Tokyo. This one is a bit of a love story involving different couples, some of whom get sick of each other.