Happy weekend, people.
I hope everyone is having a great holiday period.
I got a lot of cool gifts connected to exercise and, Yakuza Kiwami and some video game clothes so I was pretty pleased but, more importantly, I received a lot of friendship in the form of messages and cards and I had a good time with my family with lots of food and drink consumed. To my friends and family, thank you for so much. To the people who visit my site, thank you as well.
This week, I posted a review for the fabulous film about a fantastic artist, A Room of Her Own – Rei Naito and Light (2016) and the comedy Emi-Abi (2016). What a way to see out the year.
What’s released in Japan this weekend? Well, two anime and some documentaries midweek so there are two of the first titles to be released in cinemas in Japan!
Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card 
劇場版 カードキャプターさくら 封印されたカード 「Gekijouban Cardcaptor Sakura: Fuuin Sareta Card」
Running Time: 82 mins.
Release Date: December 29th, 2017
Original Release Date: July 15th, 2000
Director: Morio Asaka
Writer: Nanase Ohkawa (Screenplay), CLAMP (Original Creator)
Starring: Sakura Tange (Sakura Kinomoto), Motoko Kumai (Shaoran Li), Maaya Sakamoto (Nothing Card), Aya Hisakawa (Kerberos), Yukana Nogami (Meilin Li),
Animation Production: MADHOUSE
Cardcaptor Sakura is a property from the 90s which is getting a revival next year. This is one of two films made nearly a decade ago but it’s getting a theatrical release in preparation for a new TV anime airing in January.
Synopsis from ANN: All of the Clow Cards have been captured, and Sakura Kinomoto, the new Master of the Cards, is preparing to play the lead in the play for the town festival. However, a new evil force is causing mysterious events all over Tomoeda, including the disappearance of Sakura’s cards. With Syaoran’s help, Sakura must figure out the cause of these events, and save her town.
The Dragon Dentist Special Edition 
龍の歯医者 特別版 「Ryuu no Haisha Tokubetsuhan」
Running Time: 82 mins.
Release Date: December 29th, 2017
Director: Kazuya Tsurumaki
Writer: Otaro Maijo, Yoji Enokido (Screenplay), Otaro Maijo (Original Creator)
Starring: Fumika Shimizu (Nonoko Kishii), Nobuhiko Okamoto (Bernard “Bell” Octavius), Megumi Hayashibara (Shibana NAtsume), Kaori Nazuka (Kanne Arisugawa), Takahiro Sakurai (Ozawa),
Animation Production: Khara
It looks like this is the two episodes from the Japan Animator Expo are getting screened just as the last of the manga is released. There’s a feature-length version expected next February.
Synopsis from ANN: Dragons are strong enough to turn the tide in wars among nations, but they have a single weakness: their teeth. If a dragon’s tooth is plagued by strong enough cavities, the dragon cannot fight, hence why there are dragon dentists that are in charge of keeping dragon’s teeth healthy and free of any additional debris (usually random objects both big and small found between teeth). One day, a fallen soldier is found among the debris by a dentist, Nonoko, and his very existence is a foretelling of disastrous events. So of course the now-revived soldier becomes a dentist-in-training as well, with the help of Nonoko and the other dentists, amidst a war at its climax, and hidden agendas that they are not even aware of it.
Umi no ubuya Ogatsu houinkagura 
海の産屋 雄勝法印神楽 「Umi no ubuya Ogatsu houinkagura」
Running Time: 75 mins.
Release Date: January 02nd, 2018
Director: Minao Kitamura, Kengo Totani
Writer: N/A
Starring: N/A
Synopsis: Ogakutei Kagaku Kagura is a traditional performance done by the people in a small village named Tachihama near Ishinomaki city, Miyagi prefecture. They sustained damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake with only one out of 46 houses surviving. A small group of people remained in the village to rebuild a stage and keep alive their rituals and the festival which has a history stretching back 600 years.
Zen for Nothing 
ZEN FOR NOTHING 何でもない禅 「Zen for Nothing nan demonai zen」
Running Time: 100 mins.
Release Date: January 02nd, 2018
Director: Werner Penzel
Writer: Werner Penzel, Ayako Mogi, Sabine Timoteo
Starring: Sabine Timoteo, Muho Noike,
Synopsis from IMDB: ZEN FOR NOTHING tells of the experiences of Sabine Timoteo from Switzerland, as a “Zen novice” in Antaiji in Autumn, Winter and Spring.
Sabine is not the first European to enter the temple. The current Abbot is a German chap. I wonder what Sabine wanted to discover… Here’s more from the Antaiji temple website.
It’s almost the new year! Have fun!
Genkinahito 