By the time you read this I’ll be in London enjoying the Terracotta far East Film Festival and 
meeting fellow cinephiles! The majority of posts on my blog covered a variety of festivals taking place in the UK such as the fact that Japanese director Atsushi Funahashi will be in London at the end of the month for a documentary festival, the announcement of the guests at the Terracotta Far East Film Festival and the Japanese films playing at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. I also posted my final First Impression from the Spring 2013 Anime Season with Red Data Girl. Next week I am going to be up to my elbows in reviews and previews for films and the Summer 2013 anime. Enough from me, here are all of the films getting a release this week!
HAL 
Japanese Title: ハル
Romaji: Haru
Release Date: June 08th, 2013
Running Time: 125 mins.
Director: Ryōtarō Makihara
Writer: Izumi Kizara (Screenplay),
Starring: Yōko Hikasa, Yoshimasa Hosoya
Ryōtarō Makihara makes his theatrical directorial debut with this near-future romance mixes souls and androids. Makihara has a lot of experience with TV anime like directing episodes of Tatami Galaxy, Monster, and Le Chevalier D’Eon. The seiyuu are lead by Yōko Hikasa (Occult Academy) and Yoshimasa Hosoya (Robotics;Notes.). The anime is produced by Wit Studio who are the guys behind the thrillingly dark and exciting Attack on Titan.
Kurumi (Hikasa) likes Haru (Hosoya) and the two seem happy life ends when a plane accident takes Haru from the mortal world. A robot version of Haru, Hal emerges as a substitute. As the two live together Kurumi gradually opens her memories and mind to him.
Blindly in Love (English Title) / Love of a Son who is in the Box (Literal Title)
Japanese Title: 箱入り 息子 の 恋 
Romaji: Hakoiri Musuko no Koi
Release Date: June 08th, 2013
Running Time: 117 mins.
Director: Masahide Ichii
Writer: Masahide Ichii, Takahiro Tamura (Screenplay),
Starring: Gen Hoshino, Kaho, Sei Hiraizumi, Ryoko Moriyama, Ren Osugi, Hitomi Kuroki, Shuntaro Yanagi, Honoka, Kanji Furutachi, Miyako Takeuchi
I saw the trailer for this a couple of months back. It’s blend of romance and drama looked interesting primarily because of the two leading characters, one who is an introvert and the other who is blind. Around all of the shouting and crying looked to be a story where and it has some great comedy moments as the trailer reveals. It stars Gen Hoshino (Why Don’t You Play in Hell), Kaho (Beautiful World), Ren Osugi (Exte), Hitomi Kuroki (Kaidan, Dark Water), and Kanji Furutachi (The Woodsman and the Rain, GFP Bunny).
Kentaro Amanoshizuka (Hoshino) is a 35-year-old with no friends and a modest job in city hall. His life seems stuck in a rut as he still lives with his parents and there are of signs of him getting a promotion in work or socialising with anyone. His parents (Hiraizumi and Moriyama) worry and so they go to a parental matchmaking event hoping to find a woman for their son. Only one couple approaches them. The husband is Akita Imai (Osugi), a man who runs a successful company and after exchanging profiles with Toshi Amanoshizuka he believes that Kentaro is not worthy of his daughter who is blind. Kentaro and Kaho still meet up one fateful day. Can they be together?
A Pale Woman 
Japanese Title: 蒼白者 A Pale Woman
Romaji: Souhaku-sha A Pale Woman
Release Date: June 08th, 2013
Running Time: 90 mins.
Director: Takuaki Tsunemoto
Writer: Norio Kida (Screenplay),
Starring: Kim Kkobbi, Shugo Oshinari Keisuke Kimura, Yoko Chousokabe, Aki Miyata, Anna Nakagawa,
This is the directorial debut of Takuaki Tsunemoto and it stars Korean actress Kim Kkobbi (City of Violence, King of Pigs) who is acting alongside a Japanese cast that has been in a diverse range of films like Shugo Oshinari (All About Lily Chou-Chou), Yoko Chousokabe (Noroi: The Curse, Retribution) and Anna Nakagawa (Cure). It actually looks like it could be a pretty good genre film since it has decent acting in the trailer and the visuals are different.
To save the man she loves Kim travels to Japan from Korea when she discovers that her mother has lured him into the criminal underworld. She devises a dangerous plan to rescue him.
Genkinahito 