Happy Weekend
This is the first of a two-part trailer post. Come back tomorrow for more trailers.
What are the first batch of films released this weekend?
YU-GEKI Eiga Kantoku Nakajima Sadao 
遊撃 映画監督 中島貞夫 「YU-GEKI Eiga Kantoki Nakajima Sadao 」
Release Date: January 27th, 2023
Duration: 88 mins.
Director: Tatsuya Matsubara
Writer: N/A
Starring: Sadao Nakajima,
I saw this one as part of last year’s Osaka Asian Film Festival.
Synopsis: A documentary that follows veteran writer/director 
NAKAJIMA Sadao as he returns to the director’s chair to bring the jidaigeki Love’s Twisting Path (2019) to the screen. We watch a master of the samurai and yakuza genres take on this job after a five year break following his last film, the documentary “Chambara: The Art of Japanese Swordplay” (OAFF 2016). At the time of shooting Love’s Twisting Path, he had reached the age of 83, however the energy and precision of an exacting and experienced director shines through in his off-the-cuff style and interactions with major movie figures like ARAKI Ichiro, MISHIMA Yuriko, KUMAKIRI Kazuyoshi, FUKUMOTO Seizo and KORA Kengo. Alongside the making-of footage are valuable testimonies from collaborators and also photographs and film excerpts from the career and life of NAKAJIMA to hammer home his place in the Japanese movie world.
Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom 
金の国 水の国 「Kin no Kuni Mizu no Kuni」
Release Date: January 27th, 2023
Duration: 117 mins
Director: Kotono Watanabe
Writer: Fumi Tsubota (Screenplay), Nao Iwamoto (Original Creator)
Starring: Kento Kaku (Naranbayar), Minami Hamabe (Sara), Miyuki Sawashiro (Lailala), Hiroshi Kamiya (Saladin), Keiko Toda (Leopoldine),
Animation Production: Madhouse
Synopsis: In a fairy tale land, a marriage of convenience is set up between two neighbouring countries. The Princess of the Land of Gold must marry a boisterous architect from the Land of Water at the behest of God to prevent their nations from going to war. The two fall in love without realising it and keep their feelings to themselves, their gentle lies influencing the future of their countries.
Lupin III vs. Cat’s Eye 
ルパン三世VSキャッツ・アイ 「Rupan Sansei vs Kyattsu Ai」
Release Date: January 27th, 2023
Duration: 54 mins
Director: Hiroyuki Seshita, Kobun Shizuno
Writer: Shuji Kuzuhara (Screenplay), Monkey Punch, Tsukasa Hojo (Original Creator)
Starring: Kanichi Kurita (Lupin III), Chika Sakamoto (Ai Kisugi), Keiko Toda (Hitomi Kisugi), Rica Fukami (Rui Kisugi), Akio Ohtsuka (Daisuke Jigen), Daisuke Namikawa (Goemon Ishikawa), Koichi Yamadera (Inspector Zenigata), Miyuki Sawashiro (Fujiko Mine),
Animation Production: TMS Entertainment
This anime has been created to celebrates both the 50th anniversary of the Lupin III anime, and the 40th anniversary of Tsukasa Hojo’s Cat’s Eye manga. This is due to launch worldwide on January 27th exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, so if you have the service you can watch it.
Synopsis: Tokyo, 1981. The Cat’s Eye sisters are a trio of beautiful women who run a café during the day and steal artworks during the night. Their target is “Three Paintings”, which were left behind by their father. Lupin III is also after the same trio of paintings. Each party steals one from the series of three. The whole set will reveal a hidden secret!
GINAGINA 
ぎなぎな 「GINAGINA」
Release Date: January 26th, 2023
Duration: 44 mins.
Direction: Yuya Takagawa
Writer: Yuya Takagawa (Screenplay),
Starring: Yuya Takagawa, Mayuno Yasukawa, Chiaki Nagatomi, Yoshiaki Tamura, Takuya Hashimoto,
Veteran actor Yuya Takagawa writes and directs his first film.
Synopsis: Makoto Kimura is a newly-minted actor whose work is threatened due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Using subsidies and grants, he tries to make an action film but an on-set injury forces the production to be called off and Kimura has to pay compensation to the actor. This just as his application for a living subsidy is denied and his daughter Asami announces that she is going to have a child. Kimura attends a junior high school reunion in his hometown which is where he is reunited with Yukino, a girl he idolised. She offers him a proposal…
The Legend and the Butterfly 
レジェンド＆バタフライ 「Rejendo & Batafurai」
Release Date: January 27th, 2023
Duration: 168 mins.
Direction: Keishi Ohtomo
Writer: Ryota Kosawa (Screenplay),
Starring: Takuya Kimura, Haruka Ayase, Hideaki Ito, Miki Nakatani, Hio Miyazawa, Takumi Saito,
Keishi Ohtomo, director of Rurouni Kenshin (2012) and Rurouni Kenshin Kyoto Inferno (2014), turns in another historical epic and it stars Takuya Kimura (Blade of the Immortal, Love and Honor) and Haruka Ayase (Our Little Sister, Ichi, Seirei no Moribtio). It was made to commemorate Toei’s 70th anniversary.
Synopsis: As a young man, Nobunaga Oda (Takuya Kimura) picked up the nickname of “The Fool of Owari” due to extravagant apperaance. When he is married to Princess Nohime (Haruka Ayase) of the neighbouring province of Mino, it is a relationship of politics and not choice. The two clash because she is not one to bow down to his arrogant attitude. However, love blossoms when a large army from Yoshimoto Imagawa invades Owari and Nobunaga has to rely on Nohime’s counsel and encourage
The Lump in My Heart 
あつい胸さわぎ 「Atsui Munasawagi」
Release Date: January 27th, 2023
Duration: 93 mins.
Direction: Shingo Matsumura
Writer: Izumi Takahashi (Screenplay),
Starring: Mizuki Yoshida, Takako Tokiwa, Daiken Okudaira, Atsuko Maeda, Himi Sato,
This film is an adaptation of a stageplay of the same name by playwright Takuya Yokoyama’s theatrical unit iaku, with a screenplay by Izumi Takahashi and directed by Shingo Matsumura (Love, Goodbye and Hawaii).
Synopsis: Chinatsu and her mother Akiko live in an old house in a port city. Chinatsu has been accepted to an art university and has to complete an essay about her first love. She is focussed on writing about Mitsuki, the boy who broke her heart in junior high, but events take a tremendous turn when Akiko finds a notice in her room asking Chinatsu to get retested for breast cancer. Akiko becomes very worried while Chinatsu seems to be in no mood to go to the hospital for the re-examination, but…
Coinlocker Catharsis 
コインランドリーカタルシス 「Koinrandori- Katarushisu」
Release Date: January 27th, 2023
Duration: 53 mins.
Direction: Yasushi Hasegawa
Writer: Yasushi Hasegawa (Screenplay), Gurimu Enomoto (Original Stageplay),
Starring: Yuya Kido, Rie Kitahara, Ryohei Abe, Rie Sugai, Reika Matsubara,
Synopsis: Boku (I), the main character, passes time in a launderette where memories of Kimi (You) linger. He often thinks about her and wonders if he will see her again if he remains there. Otoko (Man), is a mysterious presence while Onna (Woman) owns the launderette where the story takes place.
Genkinahito 
Lupin III vs. Cat’s Eye, the 27th?! It’s today! Thank you I didn’t know, I’ll watch it in a few days.
And I’m really disappointed by the cast of the new movie of Ohtomo Keishi…
My mother told me about Lupin III vs. Cat’s Eye so it’s good to see that word is spreading.
Nothing can be as bad as the anime Nobunaga the Fool.