The Virgin Psychics 映画みんな！エスパーだよ Dir: Sion Sono (2015)

The Virgin Psychics    

映画みんな！エスパーだよ「Eiga Minna! Esupa- Dayo!」

Release Date: September 04^th, 2015

Duration: 114 mins.

Director: Sion Sono,

Writer: Sion Sono, Shinichi Tanaka (Screenplay), Kiminori Wakasugi (Original Manga),

Starring:  Shota Sometani, Elaiza Ikea, Erina Mano, Makita Sports, Anna Konno, Motoki Fukami, Ai Shinozaki, Tokio Emoto, Megumi Kagurazaka,

Website IMDB

This is directed by Sion Sono one of the world’s great contemporary directors who built a career on existential drama/horror like Suicide Circle, Strange Circus, and Noriko’s Dinner Table. 2015 saw the release of six of his films, three of which were froma  franchise including this one. This is based on a TV dorama that is based on a manga written by Kiminori Wakasugi, creator of the hilarious Detroit Metal City. After a first viewing I was tempted to write it off as an insincere cash-in on a smutty comic book and Tenga sex toys but I will be generous and say that the film is an unashamed celebration of raging hormones and naive love (as well as Tenga sex toys) wrapped up in a knowingly stupid story.

We’re not watching Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru, we’re watching the misadventures of Yoshiro “Yocchan” Kamogawa (Shota Sometani), ordinary (virgin) high school boy in Toyohashi. It is a city with more good-looking women than anywhere else in the world, apparently, but he can’t get laid because he’s a bit of a nerd. He finds his life literally changes overnight when he wakes up with the ability to read other people’s minds. Sounds awesome! But he cannot use it effectively since he is caught up in an obsession with the idea that a classmate named Sae (Erina Mano) is his destined girl. He has a dream that they formed a mental connection while their mothers sat next to each other in the hospital when they were both still in the womb. Destiny does seem to have a hand in their meeting because she is the daughter of a travelling scientist (Ken Yasuda) who is in town to discover psychics!

Japanese Films at the 2016 Edinburgh International Film Festival

The 2016 Edinburgh International Film Festival takes place in June and it runs from the 15^th to the 26^th. The programme was revealed today and there is an interesting line-up that mixes classic and contemporary films. Highlights include Satoko Yokohama’s latest, The Actor and indie crime film Ken and Kazu.

What’s on the programme:

The Virgin Psychics, Neko Samurai 2: A Tropical Adventure, Piece of Cake, Seishun Gunjyoiro no Natsu, Unfair: The End, Tokyo City Girl and other Japanese Film Trailers

Happy weekend people!

The autumn film festival season has launched and I am previewing the Japanese films at five different events. This week saw me cover the Raindance Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival which both have an interesting mix of titles. I’ve got the London Film Festival and Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival geared up for next week.

Earlier in the year I was rather negative about the quality of films being released in Japan this year but after looking at the different festivals, 2015 is shaping up to be solid with a flood of smaller interesting titles at the  Montreal film festival.

What’s released in Japan this week?