This week I posted a review for 2 Days in New York and trailers for the forthcoming big screen anime adaptation of Asura and the latest Naruto movie.
What’s does the Japanese movie box-office chart look like this week?
- The Amazing Spider-Man
- Snow White and the Huntsman
- Rinjo
- Soreike! Anpanman Yomigaere Bananajima
- Man on a Ledge
- Hotaru: It’s Only a Little Light in my Life
- Guskou Budori no Denki
- Thermae Romae
- Men in Black III
- Go, Masao!
The Amazing Spider-Man, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Rinjo remain in the top three – Snow White is actually pretty decent even if I found the Princess Mononoke section awful. Two of last week’s releases, Soreike! Anpanman Yomigaere Bananajima and Guskou Budori enter at four and seven respectively. Thermae Romae spends yet another week in the top ten. It must be seriously funny!
What Japanese films are released today (and yesterday)? Well it’s pretty busy but we see Erika Sawajiri back on the big screen!
Helter Skelter 
Japanese Title: Heruta Sukeruta
Release Date: 14th November 2012 (Japan)
Running Time: N/A
Director: Mika Nanigawa
Writer: Arisa Kaneko (Script), Kyoko Okazaki (manga)
Starring: Erika Sawajiri, Nao Omori, Shinobu Terajima, Gou Ayano, Yosuke Kubozuka, Mieko Harada, Sho Aikawa, Junki Tozuka, Anne Suzuki, Hirofumi Arai
Lead actress Erika Sawajiri (Ghost Train) makes her movie comeback with Helter Skelter a stunning looking movie with a great cast. The director is Mika Ninagawa, an art/fashion photographer who made her directorial debut with Sakuran. The film adapts Kyoko Okazaki’s psychological manga which was originally released in 2003.
Ririko (Sawajiri) is a vision of perfect beauty. What the public does not know is that her beauty is derived from multiple cosmetic surgeries and a lot of medication. To maintain her beauty and position she needs to keep taking medication and getting surgery but when the clinic that performs her surgery comes under investigation for medical ethics from authorities led by Prosecutor Asada (Omori) Ririko finds her career on the brink of calamity. With pressure mounting, Ririko’s body begins to suffer and her emotions and career, and sanity begin to fall apart.
Umizaru 4: Brave Hearts 
Romaji: Brave Hearts Umizaru
Japanese Title: Brave Hearts 海猿
Release Date: 13th July 2012 (Japan)
Running Time: N/A
Director: Hasumi Eiichiro
Writer: N/A
Starring: Hideaki ito, Ai Kato, Riisa Naka, Ryuta Sato, Shohei Miura, Hiroyuki Hirayama, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Saburo Tokito
Another big-screen adaptation of a popular television series only this one focusses on the Japanese Coast Guard. Taking to the high seas are an interesting cast list including Hideaki Ito (Sukiyaki Western Django) and Riisa Naka (Mitsuko Delivers), Ai Kato (Another), and Tsuyoshi Ihara (13 Assassins, Retribution).
When a plane due to land at Haneda Airport begins to suffer engine failure, Sea Marshal Daisuke Senzaki (Hideaki Ito) is on the case. He better hurry because one of the flight attendants is Riisa Naka!
Drudgery Train 
Romaji: Kueki Ressha
Japanese Title: 苦役 列車
Release Date: 14th July 2012 (Japan)
Running Time: 112 mins.
Director: Nobuhiro Yamashita
Writer: Kenta Nishimura (Novel)
Starring: Mirai Moriyama, Kengo Kora, Atsuko Maeda
Drudgery Train comes from Nobuhiro Yamashita (Linda, Linda, Linda), and is based on Kenta Nishimura’s Akutagawa Prize-winning novel Kueki Ressha. This character-study stars Mirai Moriyama (Fish on Land, Fish Story), Kengo Kora (The Woodsman and the Rain, Norwegian Wood), and Atsuko Maeda (The Suicide Song), a member of Team A in AKB48 and has got some great reviews. This has to be my favourite trailer from today.
Kitamichi (Moriyama) is a 19-year-old junior high drop out with alcohol problems. He works as a labourer in a warehouse and he has no friends and wastes his days doing very little apart from reading mystery novels. Then he meets Kusakabe (Kora), a new hire at the warehouse. The two become friends and Kusakabe brings Kitamichi into his circle of friends which includes Yasuko (Maeda) who works in a book store. Kitamichi falls for her. The problem is that Kusakabe is also in love with Yasuko and Kitamichi gets jealous. Can his new-found friendships last?
Genkinahito 