'To the Ends of the Earth': Tough times for travel reporting
Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Atsuko Maeda make an odd couple: The former is best known abroad as a master of horror, starting with his 1997 international breakthrough "Cure," while the latter was a star of idol-pop group AKB48, but has since gone on to a ...
'We Are Little Zombies': Cynical tweens on an 8-bit escapade
The kids aren't quite alright. After watching his late parents go up in smoke at a crematorium, all Hikari (Keita Ninomiya) can think about is how their ashes look like the Parmesan cheese he sprinkles over his spaghetti. On meeting fellow orphans Ikuko (Sena Nakajima), ...
'Erica 38': The rise and fall of a true con artist
Con artists in movies are typically likeable rogues who prey on the deserving. The title character of Yuichi Hibi's "Erica 38," who is neither "Erica" nor "38," is closer to the unlikable reality: A woman who dupes others with no discernible guilt or remorse, ...
'A Long Goodbye': Taking a lighter look at Alzheimer's
Japanese films about dementia are by now many and, given demographic trends here, interest in the subject is both natural and necessary. But as seen in "A Long Goodbye," Ryota Nakano's drama about a family dealing with the dementia of its once-proud patriarch, dementia has ...
'Lupin the IIIrd: Fujiko Mine's Lie': A classic anime franchise goes back to basics
Last month, Japan lost a cultural giant. April 11 saw the passing of Kazuhiko Kato — better known by the pen name Monkey Punch — the creator of "Lupin the Third." The manga, about a playboy thief descended from fictional French gentleman thief Arsene ...
'Jesus': Our father, who art in the Japanese mountains
Christianity has never really taken hold in Japan, despite hundreds of years of proselytizing (with a long Edo Period interruption for persecution). In his novel, "Silence," Catholic author Shusaku Endo famously described the country as a "swamp" where the sapling of the Christian faith ...
'Farewell Song': Guitars without rock 'n' roll excess
Of all the many breeds of musician out there, few are as stubbornly uncinematic as acoustic singer-songwriters. Forget flamboyance, creative excess, clashing egos and all the other qualities that tend to attract filmmakers to the music industry in the first place. The average singer-songwriter ...
'Only The Cat Knows': The dying days of a 50-year marriage
The husband who gets home late and says nothing to his wife but "furo" ("bath"), "meshi" ("food") and "neru" ("sleep") is a cliche about Japanese married life that is often not far from the truth. The macho ideal has traditionally been the quiet type ...
'Promare': A burning need for rage control
Ever been so angry you felt like you were going to explode? In "Promare," the new anime film from studios Trigger and Xflag, that's no metaphor. The story goes that when the members of a certain segment of the population get mad enough, flames ...
'Kakegurui': A high-stakes high school battle
Japanese films set in high schools are now about as common as cherry trees in Tokyo. This makes box-office sense: Japanese teens read a lot of manga about kids their own age and the more popular become fodder for films. In manga anything goes — ...
'Cheer Boys!!': Cheerleading, but not much to cheer for
Most athletes live in fear of the fateful injury that derails their career, but when university freshman Haruki (Ryusei Yokohama) damages his shoulder during judo training, he seems relieved. Despite growing up in a family of judoka, he's never taken to the sport with ...
'Jeux de plage': A romantic roundelay by the beach
Japanese film companies mostly make local films for the local market. Often the films may as well have "not for export" written in the credits. Launched in 2008 by Kiki Sugino and Kosuke Ono, Wa Entertainment has set its sights beyond Japan in everything from ...
