Happy weekend, people. I hope everyone is doing well! I have been a bit quiet this week, working away on a video game and practising Japanese. I managed to put out two posts, one about the London International Animation Festival and the other about the films BAMY and Tokyo Vampire Hotel getting screened at the Torino Film Festival in Italy. I’ll get back on track with film reviews next week. Expect one about a documentary soon.
What’s released in Japan this weekend?
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters 
GODZILLA –怪獣惑星– 「Godzilla: Kaijuu Wakusei」
Running Time: 89 mins.
Release Date: November 17th, 2017
Director: Hiroyuki Seshita, Kobun Shizuno
Writer: Gen Urobuchi (Screenplay), Koi (Script/Original Creator)
Starring: Mamoru Miyano (Haruo Sakaki), Kana Hanazawa (Yuko Tani), Daisuke Ono (Eliott Leland), Junichi Suwabe (Mulu-Elu Dolu-do), Yuuki Kaji (Adam Bindewald), Tomokazu Sugita (Martin Lazzari), Kenyuu Horiuchi (Omberto Mori),
Animation Production: Polygon Pictures
The new Godzilla anime film trilogy, Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (Godzilla: Kaiju Wakusei) launches today on Netflix and, for a limited time in Japan, on the big screen. The directors are Kobun Shizuno (director of some Detective Conan movies) and Hiroyuki Seshita (Knights of Sidonia). 
Synopsis: The last summer of the 20th Century. That day, the human beings learn that they are not the only ruler of the planet Earth. Giant living creatures known as Kaiju appear and humanity is almost wiped out. Chief amongst these new creatures is Godzilla who reigns over everything. A select few people are chosen by an A.I. to escape the planet in the year 2048 and so they travel aboard the spaceship Aratrum to Tau Cetus e, a planet 11.9 light-years away. The new environment is tough and a selection of the emigrants want to return to Earth to fight the monsters. They are led by Haruo who saw his own parents killed by Godzilla. When they return to Earth, they find that the ecosystem has changed and that Godzilla still rules…
Tsumasaki no Uchuu 
爪先の宇宙 「Tsumasaki no Uchu」
Running Time: 67 mins.
Release Date: November 17th, 2017
Director: Akihisa Yachida
Writer: Shinichi Nomura (Screenplay), Manni (Original Manga)
Starring: Nodoka Kirishima, Ryo Kitamura, Mami Kamura, Reina Visa, Kaori Nazuka, Tomoki Hirose,
Synopsis: Aki (Nodoka Kirishima) was once a normal girl but an incident between her parents and her friends made her close her heart to others. Not a word is uttered as she has focussed on disconnecting herself from others. Things gradually begin to change after she begins a part-time job at a small karaoke bar and makes new friends.
Death Row Family
全員死刑 「Zenin Shikei」
Running Time: 98 mins.
Release Date: November 18th, 2017
Director: Yuki Kobayashi
Writer: Yuki Kobayashi (Screenplay), Tomohiko Suzuki (Original Novel)
Starring: Shotaro Mamiya, Katsuya Maiguma, Naomasa Musaka, Kanako Irie, Hazuki Shimizu, Motoki Ochiai, Kisetsu Fujiwara, Miyuki Torii,
Synopsis: This is based on a real-life case that happened in 2004 in Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture. The story is specifically based on the memoir of one of the sons. Four members of a family deep in debt decide to rob a wealthy family who run a loan-shark and tax evasion operation. The robbery goes wrong and someone dies. When it rains for these guys it really pours because eventually things escalate until they kill more people.
Lovely Nora / Itoshi no Nora: Shiawase no Meguriai 
愛しのノラ～幸せのめぐり逢い～ 「Kanashi no Nora: Shiawase no Meguriai」
Running Time: 82 mins.
Release Date: November 18th, 2017
Director: Yuji Tajiri
Writer: Futoshi Nakano, Ryota Kawasaki (Screenplay),
Starring: Shingo Mizusawa, Hako Oshima, Fumio Moriya, Miwako Kaji, Kyoko Hayami, Shoko Kudo,
Synopsis: Hyakken Uchida’s 1957 novel “Nora Ya” acted as inspiration for this film about a childless middle-aged couple, Sakumi (Shingo Mizusawa) and Hiyori (Hako Oshima), who accept a stray cat into their lives. The cat, which they name “Shiro” becomes a part of their family but it disappears one day. They are beside themselves with worry when something happens to Hiyori…
The next two films were at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival:
Shashin Koshien Summer in 0.5 Seconds 
写真甲子園 0.5秒の夏 「Shashin kôshien 0.5 byô no natsu」
Running Time: 117 mins.
Release Date: November 18th, 2017
Director: Hiroshi Sugawara
Writer: Hiroshi Sugawara (Screenplay),
Starring: Natsuki Kasa, Kaira Shirahase, Seina Nakata, Shoma Kai, Riku Hagiwara, Rika Nakagawa, Gamon Kaai Yuna Taira, Yoko Akino, Shinichi Chiba,
Synopsis: This is based on the true tale of school kids from 18 high schools competing for top honours in the Shashin Koshien, a national photography contest. A variety of characters head into the cities and the wilderness of Hokkaido to capture the beauty of Japan!
The Stand-In Thief 
泥棒役者 「Dorobou Yakusha」
Running Time: 114 mins.
Release Date: November 18th, 2017
Director: Masafumi Nishida
Writer: Masafumi Nishida (Screenplay),
Starring: Ryuhei Maruyama, Masachika Ichimura, Yusuke Santamaria, Anna Ishibashi, Daisuke Miyagawa, Mitsuki Takahata, Jin Katagiri, Rie Minemura,
Synopsis: Hajime seems like a mild-mannered guy. He has a welding job and a cute girlfriend but everyone has secrets. However, behind that polite exterior and charming smile is his mysterious past as a robber and it comes to haunt him when is compelled by a former associate to rob a mansion. He is caught red-handed by the owner but all is not lost because he is not recognized as a criminal, a mistake which he desperately tries to keep intact.
Koinowa: Konkatsu Cruising 
こいのわ 婚活クルージング 「Koinowa: Konkatsu Kuru-jingu」
Running Time: 105 mins.
Release Date: November 18th, 2017
Director: Shusuke Kaneko
Writer: Shusuke Kaneko (Screenplay),
Starring: Morio Kazama, Nana Katase, Tomoko Fujita, Megumi Kobashi, Keita Machida, Norito Yashima, Nao Oikawa, Anri Mihama, Shinobu Nakayama, Hana Ebise,
Synopsis: Seiichiro Kadowaki (Morio Kazama) is an inventor and owner of a company that created a popular electronic device that prevents collisions between people walking and using their smartphones. Despite all his smarts, he’s forced out of his position as CEO of his company and left with nothing to do. At the age of 65 and divorced, Seiichiro wants to start again and part of starting again is getting a new partner.
Enter Nagi Yamamoto (Nana Katase), a beautiful 35-year-old magazine editor introduced by a match-maker. As nice as she looks, Seiichiro and Nagi have an argument and split up after their first date. For some reason Nagi Yamamoto can’t stop thinking about Seiichiro (probably all that money, cynics might think). She better get her skates on and find Seiichiro because he has embarked on a love cruise where there are plenty of other prospective marriage candidates.
The cruise is the easy bit, it’s the forever after that’s hard. Forever is a long time, Nagi and Seiichiro so be sure before you utter the word love…
ばっかり
Nagura Team ga kaisan suru hi 
ナグラチームが解散する日 「Nagura Chi-mu ga kaisan suru hi」
Running Time: 112 mins.
Release Date: November 18th, 2017
Director: Keita Taguchi
Writer: Keita Taguchi (Screenplay),
Starring: Tomokazu Kida, Yuuna Takase, Daisuke Numata, Masaki Muramatsu, Mayumi Yamamoto, Wakana Kawai, Yusaku Miyama,
Synopsis: The leader of the creative group “Nagura Team” suddenly disappears, something which shocks the theatre world of Japan. The remaining members start working on an independent film production with the survival of the team as the goal but they soon fragment as a unit. Tomokazu Kida, a 30-year-old member, meets a girl named Natsumi and becomes obsessed with marrying her but she demands that he has s table job and brings home a salary of more than 6 million yen in annual income. Meanwhile, a woman who claims to be the wife of the leader of the Nagura Team shows up and drops off her daughter for Tomokazu to look after but when the daughter is kidnapped, the police start investigating…
全力 Full-power
Chisana Hashi de 
小さな橋で 「Chisana Hashi de」
Running Time: 95 mins.
Release Date: November 18th, 2017
Director: Shigemichi Sugita
Writer: Masahiro Kobayashi (Screenplay), Shuuhei Fujisawa (Original Novel)
Starring: Yasuko Matsuyuki, Yosuke Eguchi, Kanau Tanaka, Ryouko Fujino, Toshio Kakei, Takashi Sasano, Rena Matsui, Baijaku Nakamura,
No Trailer
Synopsis: Shigemichi Sugita adapts another of Shuhei Fujisawa’s novels for the big screen and this one is about a boy who lives with a mother and older sisters, one of whom runs off with a man who frequents a bar the mother works in. The mother is devastated and the reappearance of the father adds to the drama.
CAGE 
Running Time: 102 mins.
Release Date: November 18th, 2017
Director: Ysohikazu Sugiyama
Writer: Naomi Hirida (Screenplay),
Starring: Koichi Takamatsu, Toman, Keisuke Kaminaka, Kim Won-Sik, Ha Gong-Hee,
No Trailer
Synopsis: A story about people isolated in a prison because of the danger they pose to society. They are still people and their family-members look for them.
Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower 
機動戦士ガンダム サンダーボルト BANDIT FLOWER 「Kidou Senshi Gundamu Sanda-boruto: Bandit Flower」
Running Time: 80 mins.
Release Date: November 18th, 2017
Director: Kou Matsuo
Writer: Kou Matsuo (Screenplay), Yoshiyuki Tomino, Hajime Yatate (Original Creator)
Starring: Ryohei Kimura (Daryl Lorenz), Yuuichi Nakamura (Io Fleming), Yurina Furukawa (Bianca Carlisle), Ryota Ohsaka (Billy Hickham), Sayaka Ohara (Karla Mitchum), Sayuri Sadaoka (Monica Humphrey), Toa Yukinari (Claudia Peer),
Animation Production: Sunrise
Region-locked trailer (Japan-only):
Alternative trailer:
Synopsis from ANN: This film is a compilation of the second season of Gundam Thunderbolt. The first season’s story reads like this:
During the One Year War of U.C. 0079, the Earth Federation’s “Moore Brotherhood” and the Principality of Zeon’s “Living Dead Division” engage in a fierce battle at the “Thunderbolt Sector”, a shoal zone in the former Colony Side 4 “Moore”. After successfully infiltrating Zeon’s sniper field, ace Federation pilot and jazz enthusiast Io Fleming is given control of the latest Gundam prototype. To combat the new Federation threat, Zeon amputee pilot and ace sniper Daryl Lorenz sacrifices his humanity to directly interface with an experimental Zaku II unit.
Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight AXIS 
機動戦士ガンダム Twilight AXIS 赤き残影 「Kidou Senshi Gundam Twilight AXIS Akaki zan’ei」
Running Time: N/A
Release Date: November 18th, 2017
Director: Se Jun Kim
Writer: Se Jun Kim (Script), Ark Performance, Hajime Yatate, Koujirou Nakamura, Yoshiyuki Tomino (Original Creator)
Starring: Risa Shimizu (Arlette Armaju), Shuuhei Sakaguchi (Danton Haileg), Toshiki Masuda (Quentin Fermo), Daisuke Ono (Mehmet Merka),
Animation Production: Sunrise
This entry is a mash-up of synopses and trailers from the Gundam Twilight Axis strand of the story because locating a trailer for this exact film was hard since it was region-locked and without a decent alternative and the story is convoluted because Gundam.
Synopsis from MAL: Universal Century 0096. Several months have passed since the incident surrounding Laplace’s box also known as the Universal Century Charter. The Earth Federation Forces dispatches a group of investigators to the severed Axis which is drifting outside the Earth Sphere. Two civilians participate as members of the research group: Arlette Almage and Danton Hyleg. Both have pasts with government service to the Principality of Zeon and Neo Zeon as an engineer and test pilot. Having infiltrated Axis, the investigators come under attack inside a base where no one should be. Arlette and Dalton are confronted with an incident they never imagined.
Synopsis from ANN: Arlette Armaju is a former weapons developer for the Principality of Zeon and Danton Haireg is a former test pilot for the Principality of Zeon. They join a research team sent to investigate the shattered Axis outside the Earth’s orbit.
Genkinahito 