Remake of Pang Ho-Cheung's 2004 movie “Beyond Our Ken”, “Thorns of Beauty” is a story about an unlikely erotic triangle, which has been adapted in a Japanese setting by Hideo Jojo, who is in charge of both the direction and the script (along Kaori Sawai). The movie opened in Japan in January and now finds its place in Nippon Connection.
Thorns of Beauty is screening at Nippon Connection
24-year-old Momo is a timid young woman who works in a public library. She was recently dumped by her fashion photographer boyfriend Kentaro, but is still worried about some explicit photos he took of her and never returned. One day, she has a chance encounter with his new girlfriend Riko, and decides to approach her and ask her help to delete the photos. Riko, an aspiring dancer who doubles as a barwoman, is initially suspicious of the “nerdy” girl that essentially stalked her,...
Thorns of Beauty is screening at Nippon Connection
24-year-old Momo is a timid young woman who works in a public library. She was recently dumped by her fashion photographer boyfriend Kentaro, but is still worried about some explicit photos he took of her and never returned. One day, she has a chance encounter with his new girlfriend Riko, and decides to approach her and ask her help to delete the photos. Riko, an aspiring dancer who doubles as a barwoman, is initially suspicious of the “nerdy” girl that essentially stalked her,...
- 6/11/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The Japan Academy Film Prize Association held the 46th edition of its awards ceremony on March 10, 2023. The nominees are selected by industry professionals from the pool of film releases between January 1 and December 31, 2022 which must have screened in Tokyo cinemas. Award categories are modelled after Hollywood's Academy Awards®.
Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards, and leading with 13 nominations in 12 categories, Kei Ishikawa's “A Man” walks away with 8 Japan Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. The full list of winners is described below.
Picture of the Year
A Man
Shin Ultraman
Phases of the Moon
Anime Supremacy!
Wandering
Team from A Man Animation of the Year
Inu-Oh
Lonely Castle in the Mirror
Suzume
One Piece Film Red
The First Slam Dunk
Director of the Year
Kei Ishikawa – A Man
Takashi Koizumi – The Pass: Last...
Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards, and leading with 13 nominations in 12 categories, Kei Ishikawa's “A Man” walks away with 8 Japan Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. The full list of winners is described below.
Picture of the Year
A Man
Shin Ultraman
Phases of the Moon
Anime Supremacy!
Wandering
Team from A Man Animation of the Year
Inu-Oh
Lonely Castle in the Mirror
Suzume
One Piece Film Red
The First Slam Dunk
Director of the Year
Kei Ishikawa – A Man
Takashi Koizumi – The Pass: Last...
- 3/15/2023
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Music as a mirror of internal mayhem has been explored in a myriad of ways in films. In “Musicophilia”, music is given the chance, however, to reflect the convoluted protection that the society gives to men for the sake of their so-called genius, even and especially at the expense of women. This bequeaths the film, which made its global premiere at the 2022 Asian Pop-Up Cinema, another layer of depth, one that makes it more memorable aside from the inner demons conjured by family melodrama.
“Musicophilia” is screening at Asian Pop-up Cinema
Based on the webcomic of the same name, the movie introduces us to Saku Urushibara, an art student in Kyoto who, even if he wants to, just could not escape the world of music. He is literally drawn to it by his newfound friends, members of the music club in his university who pull him in to their own...
“Musicophilia” is screening at Asian Pop-up Cinema
Based on the webcomic of the same name, the movie introduces us to Saku Urushibara, an art student in Kyoto who, even if he wants to, just could not escape the world of music. He is literally drawn to it by his newfound friends, members of the music club in his university who pull him in to their own...
- 4/5/2022
- by Purple Romero
- AsianMoviePulse
Apart from a director, Momoko Fukuda is also a very successful novelist, having won the Subaru Literally Prize. In “My Name is Yours”, she combines these two capacities, adapting two of her novellas in a film that tells the story of five, rather complicated highschool students.
My Name is Yours is screening at Camera Japan
Yukari, who almost everyone calls En, is a smart and humorous young girl, who is also at the top of her class. However, her favorite time is the one she spends with childhood friend Kotoko, an eccentric girl whose tendencies of fighting with (and being chased by) teachers, having a series of boyfriends, and not studying at all, lean towards delinquency. The two of them spend a lot of time in an abandoned school basement smoking, where one day, they stumble upon Narihira, a classmate who is crying, with Kotoko immediately falling madly in love with him.
My Name is Yours is screening at Camera Japan
Yukari, who almost everyone calls En, is a smart and humorous young girl, who is also at the top of her class. However, her favorite time is the one she spends with childhood friend Kotoko, an eccentric girl whose tendencies of fighting with (and being chased by) teachers, having a series of boyfriends, and not studying at all, lean towards delinquency. The two of them spend a lot of time in an abandoned school basement smoking, where one day, they stumble upon Narihira, a classmate who is crying, with Kotoko immediately falling madly in love with him.
- 9/23/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
There’s nothing I love more than a film about food. I love almost everything about them. The mouth-watering shots. The ever-present nostalgia. The way they so easily lend themselves to philosophical ideas. It’s almost always a joy, even when the movie itself is mediocre. So, when I read the premise of Haruki Kadokawa final feature, “Mio’s Cookbook”, I had high hopes. A food film/period drama by a legendary producer and highly respected veteran director? On paper, it’s a perfect hybrid. Perhaps due to the fact that it was Kadokawa’s first big directorial effort since 1990 (“Heaven and Hell”), but against all odds, though, this adaptation of the popular series of novels by Kaoru Takada failed to stir the same feelings in me that so many other food films I’ve seen, and after an overlong runtime of two hours, whimpers its way to an unimpactful stop.
- 6/12/2021
- by Luke Georgiades
- AsianMoviePulse
“A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad’s an Alcoholic” casts a damning eye on the pernicious role alcohol plays in the working careers and social lives of Japanese men. Narrated by the innermost thoughts of a daughter during the 25 years she spends watching her father drink himself to death, With achingly honest things to say about misplaced female guilt, and uplifting messages about female strength, “A Life” deserves to be on the radar of streaming platforms looking for high quality, universally accessible foreign-language fare.
The source material is Mariko Kikuchi’s autobiographical online manga, the title of which translates literally as “My father, who becomes a monster when he’s drunk, causes me pain.” When the manga first appeared in April 2017, overwhelming demand caused the publisher’s server to crash. At the heart of Kikuchi’s story, and faithfully maintained in the screenplay by Katagiri (“Room Laundering”) and fellow male writer Ayumu Kyuma,...
The source material is Mariko Kikuchi’s autobiographical online manga, the title of which translates literally as “My father, who becomes a monster when he’s drunk, causes me pain.” When the manga first appeared in April 2017, overwhelming demand caused the publisher’s server to crash. At the heart of Kikuchi’s story, and faithfully maintained in the screenplay by Katagiri (“Room Laundering”) and fellow male writer Ayumu Kyuma,...
- 7/24/2020
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
Water, as a conduit for romance and spirituality, has been en vogue as of late in Japanese feature animation. Entries in this wet subgenre, where young characters grapple with torrential rain and oceans to dazzling effect, as well as life lessons submerged in nature-based metaphors, include Makoto Shinkai’s box office hit “Weathering With You,” Ayumu Watanabe’s upcoming “Children of the Sea,” and Masaaki Yuasa’s mermaid tale “Lu Over the Wall.”
Returning to that liquid magic, Yuasa, who produces films through his own company Science Saru, makes a new splash with his third feature in three years “Ride Your Wave,” written by Reiko Yoshida, who also penned recent anime standouts “Okko’s Inn,” “A Silent Voice,” and “Liz and the Blue Bird.” Notwithstanding the saturation of H2O-fueled teen movies, the director-screenwriter pair filter a love story through an oddball premise addressing heroism and perseverance with robust notes of graphic originality.
Returning to that liquid magic, Yuasa, who produces films through his own company Science Saru, makes a new splash with his third feature in three years “Ride Your Wave,” written by Reiko Yoshida, who also penned recent anime standouts “Okko’s Inn,” “A Silent Voice,” and “Liz and the Blue Bird.” Notwithstanding the saturation of H2O-fueled teen movies, the director-screenwriter pair filter a love story through an oddball premise addressing heroism and perseverance with robust notes of graphic originality.
- 2/21/2020
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
"If you stay with your head underwater, you'll never learn to ride the waves." GKids has released the first official Us trailer for the latest anime from beloved Japanese filmmaker Masaaki Yuasa, of the films The Night Is Short Walk on Girl and Lu Over the Wall previously. This already premiered in Japan last summer, and is playing for only one night in the Us in theaters before arriving on VOD. This cute romance is about a surfer and firefighter that meet and fall in love. The Japanese title translates to When Riding a Wave, With You, and the film is described as "a deeply emotional new film that applies his trademark visual ingenuity to a tale of romance, grief and self-discovery." It looks spunky and adorable. Featuring the voices of Ryôta Katayose, Rina Kawaei, Honoka Matsumoto, & Kentarô Itô. Reviews say it's "a charming & heartfelt story about loss and clinging to life.
- 1/21/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Japanese director Kenji Katagiri (“Room Laundering“) second feature length film “A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad’s an Alcoholic” is set for release on March 6th, 2020. The film that chronicles a young daughters struggles within a fragmented family is based on the autobiographical web comic “You to Bakemono ni Naru Chichi ga Tsurai” by Mariko Kikuchi.
“A Life Turned Upside Down” previously screened at Camera Japan 2019, you can read our review here, and check out the new trailer below.
Synopsis
Saki’s (Honoka Matsumoto) father (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) is an alcoholic and her mother is a follower of a new religion. She sees her father’s strange behavior and her mother’s loneliness. Her family is collapsing, but Saki struggles to look for her future. (Asianwiki)...
“A Life Turned Upside Down” previously screened at Camera Japan 2019, you can read our review here, and check out the new trailer below.
Synopsis
Saki’s (Honoka Matsumoto) father (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) is an alcoholic and her mother is a follower of a new religion. She sees her father’s strange behavior and her mother’s loneliness. Her family is collapsing, but Saki struggles to look for her future. (Asianwiki)...
- 1/15/2020
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
“My Father, the Bride” by Momoko Fukuda has its roots in the 2016 short film “Dad’s Wedding”. It shows its Lgbtq hues proudly at the 14th Camera Japan (25-29 September 2019 – Rotterdam/3-6 October 2019 – Amsterdam). Is there a reason to be proud? Let`s have a look.
“My Father, the Bride” is screening at Camera Japan 2019
It has been three years since Tohka’s (Honoka Matsumoto) mother passed away. Now, she is returning home, to a small island, to attend the memorial service. To her shock, not only she learns her father (Itsuji Itao) is about to remarry, but also that he is remarrying to a man. Moreover, being the local school director, he wears her mother’s dress to….everywhere. Somehow, virtually no one, not even her younger brother Midori (Sho Kasamatsu) finds it strange.
“My Father, the Bride” presents its narrative as a feel-good family film. It even presents...
“My Father, the Bride” is screening at Camera Japan 2019
It has been three years since Tohka’s (Honoka Matsumoto) mother passed away. Now, she is returning home, to a small island, to attend the memorial service. To her shock, not only she learns her father (Itsuji Itao) is about to remarry, but also that he is remarrying to a man. Moreover, being the local school director, he wears her mother’s dress to….everywhere. Somehow, virtually no one, not even her younger brother Midori (Sho Kasamatsu) finds it strange.
“My Father, the Bride” presents its narrative as a feel-good family film. It even presents...
- 9/30/2019
- by Anomalilly
- AsianMoviePulse
A loser salary man escapes in alcohol causing everything around him to collapse. Kenji Katagiri’s second feature film surpasses his theatrical debut “Room Laundering” (2018).
“A Life Turned Upside Down” is screening at Camera Japan 2019
In the middle of the chaos stands Saki, played by 22-year-old actress Honoka Matsumoto. She wants to be a Manga artist and her identity crisis is portrayed with fitting speech bubbles that share her inner monologue with the audience. The sad fairy tail is comedy and drama at the same time. Narrated by Saki, the story may appear simple, but is well elaborated. Heavy subjects like alcoholism, suicide, and existential fear are presented light-hearted, but not in a naive way. Unlike Katagiri’s debut “Room Laundering” (2018), “A Life Turned Upside Down” manages to hit the right tones and keeps the balance between the mix of genres.
Besides the story elements, the stylistic approach also contributes a lot to the movie.
“A Life Turned Upside Down” is screening at Camera Japan 2019
In the middle of the chaos stands Saki, played by 22-year-old actress Honoka Matsumoto. She wants to be a Manga artist and her identity crisis is portrayed with fitting speech bubbles that share her inner monologue with the audience. The sad fairy tail is comedy and drama at the same time. Narrated by Saki, the story may appear simple, but is well elaborated. Heavy subjects like alcoholism, suicide, and existential fear are presented light-hearted, but not in a naive way. Unlike Katagiri’s debut “Room Laundering” (2018), “A Life Turned Upside Down” manages to hit the right tones and keeps the balance between the mix of genres.
Besides the story elements, the stylistic approach also contributes a lot to the movie.
- 9/29/2019
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.