This week I posted a Gif version of the trailer for Why Don’t You Play in Hell? because the trailer was so damn awesome. I also posted a review of A Woman Called Abe Sada which was so damn erotic. I needed a break from work and took it which meant that my hours were spent day-tripping, watching films and anime and writing (and trying to complete Etrian Odyssey/Sigma Harmonics before I start going through my PSP games next month). I watched a whole range of films like The Conjuring and The Lone Ranger as well as plenty of Japanese titles. I’m almost finished writing up my Autumn 2013 Anime Guide for Anime UK News which was an epic undertaking that left me numb and disillusioned… Only joking.
What’s released this week in Japan? Lots of Korean films but there are also some films about World War II because last week was the anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Osorubeki Isan Hadaki no Kage 
Japanese Title: 恐るべき 遺産 裸 の 影
Romaji: Osorubeki Isan Hadaki no Kage
Release Date: August 15th, 2013
Running Time: 84 mins.
Director: Koji Wakamatsu
Writer: N/A
Starring: Mitsuko Miura, Hananomoto Kotobuki, Fumiko Sakakibara, Noriko Okayama, Aiko Watanabe
The week starts off with a Koji Wakamatsu film about victims of Hiroshima called Osorubeki isan Hadaka no Kage. Finding information on this one was a bit of a hunt because the IMDB listing is Hadaka no Kage but part of the reason why it was so hard to find is becayse it was only recently rediscovered! This is a long lost film! Along the way I found this cool Japanese film website which makes my wild ramblings look really inept and its article about Koji Wakamatsu was really insightful. The film is about a girl named Noriko who lost her parents to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and was exposed to radiation.
Joker Game Escape 
Japanese Title: ジョーカーゲーム 脱出
Romaji: Jo-ka- Ge-mu Dasshutsu
Release Date: August 17th, 2013
Running Time: 80 mins.
Director: Shintaro Ashzuka
Writer: Ai Yamazaki (Screenplay)
Starring: Hirono Suzuki, Rina Matsuno Mio Miyatake, Fuina Hara, Madoka Yoshida, Kyouka, Sara Takatsuki, Mila Aina, Yuzuki Sato, Shingo Mizusawa, Jyo Hyuga
This is a direct sequel to last year’s Joker Game film. It’s actually set seven days after the story of the last one ended and it follows seven girls who lost the previous game and are locked up in a correctional facility where they must participate in “Escape Game of Death”. They are locked in a room and have to cooperate with one another to find a way to escape but judging from the trailer it doesn’t quite go smoothly.
This is one of those death game films packed to the rafters with idols and fresh new faces although some of these girls have worked in v-cinema J-horror before like Rina Matsuno (Apartment 1303) and Fumina Hara (The Locker 1 and 2). Mio Miyatake also starred in Tajomaru. Rather interestingly, Sara Takatsuki will be seen in the live-action adaptation of I Don’t Have Many Friends, a trashy light-novel/anime I kind of enjoyed.
Genkinahito 