News

Mayu Matsuoka and Riisa Naka will star in Plastic Beauty, a Japanese live-action drama series set in the world of plastic surgery.

The series comes from a screenplay by Junya Ikegami and is being directed by Yuki Saito (Unmet: A Neurosurgeon’s Diary). K2 Pictures is the producer and Harue Miyake and Katsuhito Motegi are the producers, with Shinichi Kudo the development producer.

The creative team is the same one that produced series about Japan’s adult film industry (The Naked Director) and real estate scams (Tokyo Swindlers) for Netflix.

Plastic Beauty is set in the glamorous and shadowy world of plastic surgery, and follows Matsuoka as Fumi Numata, a gifted surgeon whose circumstances push her to shift from general surgery to aesthetics. She finds herself at odds...

The official website for Fushigi no Kuni de Alice to -Dive in Wonderland- ("With Alice in Wonderland -Dive in Wonderland-"), an upcoming theatrical anime movie inspired by Lewis Carroll's classic fantasy novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland , has released 11 character trailers in its "Character & Cast" section . Each clip features the voices of the characters and scenes from the film in which they appear. Rise Azumino voiced by Nanoka Hara Alice voiced by Maika Pugh Queen of Hearts voiced by Mayu Matsuoka Mad Hatter voiced by Koji Yamamoto Humpty Dumpty voiced by Ryuichi Kosugi (comedy duo Black Mayonnaise member) March Hare voiced by Norito Yashima White Hare voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi Cheshire Cat voiced by Tomoyuki Morikawa Caterpillar voiced by Takahiro Yamamoto Tweedledum, Tweedledee voiced by Subaru Kimura, Ayumu Murase Trump Soldiers Related: Fushigi no Kuni de Alice to -Dive in Wonderland- Anime Movie Releases Main Trailer Featuring Sekai No Owari...

This summer, P.A. Works dives into the world of Lewis Carrol's classic novel with their own spin on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Today, a new main visual for Fushigi no Kuni de Alice to -Dive in Wonderland- shows us a bit more of the film's magical world, as well as its two heroines in action. Check out the new artwork, and see how many familiar faces from Wonderland you can spot: Fushigi no Kuni de Alice to -Dive in Wonderland- Main Visual Related: Fushigi no Kuni de Alice to -Dive in Wonderland- Anime Movie Releases Main Trailer Featuring Sekai No Owari Theme Song Fushigi no Kuni de Alice to -Dive in Wonderland- will open in Japan on August 29. This is the first theatrical anime movie in Japan inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland novel originally published in 1865. Toshiya Shinohara ( The aquatope on white sand ) serves as...

We can imagine a certain Korean manhwa writer named Clugong is sitting in his chair with a smug look on his face right now, as his creation Solo Leveling undeniably dominated this year’s Anime Awards, taking home eight of them. The ceremony was held from the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo, and in attendance were stars from both sides of the sea — singer Kacey Musgraves, Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo, anime collaborator J Balvin; Italian singer-songwriter Damiano David; musician and actor Rina Sawayama, Brazilian pop icon Pabllo Vittar, American snowboarder Chloe Kim, screenwriter Zak Penn, the comedy duo Chocolate Planet, Japanese actor and musician Dean Fujioka; Japanese actors Kanata Hongo, and Mayu Matsuoka, Japanese model Saya Ichikawa, global drag star Plastique Tiara, English professional boxer Ben Whittaker, American recording artist d4vd, American-Chilean singer Paloma Mami, Demon Queen VTuber Ironmouse, YouTube content creator Gigguk….and...

Crunchyroll, the global brand fueling anime fandom, revealed the winners of the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards during a star-studded live ceremony honoring the creators, musicians, and performers powering the global love of anime. The full list of honorees can be found on the Anime Awards Official Website and below.

The 9th annual Anime Awards was again hosted by renowned voice actress Sally Amaki and popular entertainer Jon Kabira, who returned for their third year in a row to celebrate anime’s biggest night. The winners were revealed by a global slate of celebrity anime fan presenters including GrammyⓇ award winning singer Kacey Musgraves; Canadian director, musician, and actor Finn Wolfhard and American actor Gaten Matarazzo, both from the hit series Stranger Things; global superstar and anime collaborator J Balvin; Italian singer-songwriter Damiano David; Musician and actor Rina Sawayama; Award winning Brazilian pop icon Pabllo Vittar; American snowboarder Chloe Kim; screenwriter Zak Penn...

Solo Leveling was the big winner Sunday night at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, taking home anime of the year, best action, best new series, and multiple performance and music honors in a starry ceremony that brought together anime’s most passionate global fans. Held at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo, the annual celebration honored the top talent in Japanese animation across 28 categories — drawing a record-breaking 51 million fan votes worldwide to decide the winners.

In the feature film category, Look Back, the emotional adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot manga, earned Film of the Year, while fan-favorite Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba added to its legacy with best continuing series and best animation. The genre-defying Dan Da Dan picked up several creative awards, including best opening sequence, best anime song, and best character design.

Hosted for the third year in a row by voice actress Sally Amaki and entertainer Jon Kabira,...

Over the last 70 years, we've seen many versions of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland on our screens. There are always new ways to experience a timeless classic, and Japan is bringing a different take on the story in anime form. Titled Dive in Wonderland, the new movie is set to debut this summer and, in order to tease it, P.A. Works decided to reveal a slate of character looks along with a promotional video. The anime movie is yet to get a release date on this side of the world.

The images reveal the character designs of Dive in Wonderland by artists Kosuke Kawazura and Mio Fujishina. In them, we can see some pretty iconic characters like the White Rabbit — albeit a lot more technological with a smartphone in hand, tablet and smartwatch — the purple (but not striped) Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, The Queen of Hearts and many others.

Once again, the Bam Smack Pow team is here to bring you the biggest anime news of the week that was. As the beginning of the Spring 2025 anime gets closer and closer, more announcements are helping us get a clearer picture of that season. Crunchyroll is also gearing up for the 2025 Anime Awards as fan voting for this year's winners opens.

Keep reading for the biggest anime news of the first week of April.

Hidive announces Spring 2025 dubs

Following last week's announcement of the slate of Spring 2025 subbed and dubbed anime premiering on the service, Hidive has announced several more dubs set to debut on the service for the upcoming season. A few of these series have streamed on Hidive in the past and are now returning, presumably thanks to Hidive's production studio Sentai Filmworks re-acquiring the licenses.

The dubs announced by Hidive include:

• deceptively scary horror-fantasy anime Made in Abyss...

We have the nominees for the ninth annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Dan Da Dan, Delicious in Dungeon, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Kaiju No. 8, Solo Leveling and The Apothecary Diaries will vie for the marquee Anime of the Year prize, which will be handed out during a May 25 ceremony in Tokyo.

Fans can vote on the winners through April 14 on the Anime Awards website.

“The Crunchyroll Anime Awards are one of the most important times of year for fans because we hear directly from them on what anime they love and get to honor the creative community behind that love,” Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini said.

A number of presenters also were revealed today, including Stranger Things actors Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo, along with Chocolate Planet (Shohei Osada and Shun Matsuo), Dean Fujioka, Kanata Hongo, Mayu Matsuoka, Saya Ichikawa, Ben Whittaker, Damiano David, Ironmouse, d4vd, Rina Sawayama, Chloe Kim,...

The 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards are coming!

The streaming platform just announced the nominees and celebrity-fan presenters for the ninth annual ceremony.

The ceremony will honor the best in Japanese animation of the past year on Sunday, May 25 at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo, Japan. The event will be livestreamed for global audiences.

The Anime Awards live ceremony will be hosted by voice actress Sally Amaki and popular entertainer Jon Kabira.

“The Crunchyroll Anime Awards are one of the most important times of year for fans because we hear directly from them on what anime they love and get to honor the creative community behind that love,” said Rahul Purini, President of Crunchyroll.

“Anime continues to deeply resonate emotionally with fans, and anime’s biggest night of the year is sure to invoke a lot of joy and pride amongst the anime community—fans and creators alike. This...

The 9th annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards are almost upon us! Crunchyroll revealed today that voting is officially live for anticipated event, with nominees revealed in the show's categories, including Anime of the Year. Fans can vote each day through April 14 for their favorite series, creators and more from last year! You can see the full list of nominees right here on Crunchyroll News. Related: Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025: Your Ultimate Guide Also revealed is the first wave of star-studded anime-fan presenters for the 2025 Anime Awards, with more to be announced soon for the May 25 event, live from Tokyo, Japan. Presenters will include: Finn Wolfhard - Canadian director, musician, and actor who plays Mike in Stranger Things Gaten Matarazzo - American actor best known for his role as Dustin in Stranger Things Chocolate Planet - Comedy duo made up of Shohei Osada and Shun Matsuo Dean Fujioka - Japanese actor, musician...

The official website for Fushigi no Kuni de Alice to -Dive in Wonderland- ("With Alice in Wonderland -Dive in Wonderland-"), an upcoming theatrical anime movie inspired by Lewis Carroll's classic fantasy novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland , revealed a teaser trailer, visual and nine additional voice cast members today. Fushigi no Kuni de Alice to -Dive in Wonderland- Teaser Trailer Teaser Visual In addition to the previously announced Nanoka Hara (Suzume Iwato in Suzume ) as the protagonist Rise and Maika Pugh (Platelet in the Cells at Work! live-action film) as Alice, the new voice actors announced include: Ko Urai (the butler) voiced by Shotaro Mamiya Fumiko Azumino (Rise's grandmother) voiced by Keiko Toda Queen of Hearts voiced by Mayu Matsuoka Mad Hatter voiced by Koji Yamamoto March Hare voiced by Norito Yashima Humpty Dumpty voiced by Ryuichi Kosugi (comedy duo Black Mayonnaise member) White Hare voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi Cheshire...

by Danica Pacardo

“Geeks” is a highly enjoyable slice-of-life women-led series with the perfect balance of comedy and crime/mystery. Produced by Fuji TV, it aired every Thursday at 10:00 pm during summer in Japan.

It follows the daily lives of the “energy-saving trio” Saijo-san (Mayu Matsuoka), Kira (Minami Tanaka), and Motoyama (Karen Takizawa), three single ladies who are working at the Takanashi Police Station. They are known to have a no-overtime policy, as they are efficient and they set clear boundaries between work and personal time. Each of them has a distinct geekiness which they are able to utilize as they help Serizawa (Aoi Nakamura), the police station’s detective, solve the series of cases in their area.

Check also this video

Matsuoka, Tanaka and Takizawa have great chemistry as they portray work buddies who unwind by dining out and drinking sake every Friday. Known as a versatile actress,...

The 66th edition of the Blue Ribbon Awards, presented by the Association of Tokyo Film Journalists, has announced its winners on January 24, 2024. The nominees are selected from movies released in 2023. The trifecta wins for “Godzilla Minus One” come as no surprise, sweeping the Best Film, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress categories. Yuya Ishii picks up the Best Director award for both his movies “The Moon” and “Masked Hearts”.

Best Film

Masked Hearts

Ichiko

Egoist

Monster

The Dry Spell

Godzilla Minus One

Mom, Is That You?!

(Ab)normal Desire

The Moon

One Last Bloom

Perfect Days

Bad Lands

September 1923

Do Unto Others

As Long as We Both Shall Live

Best Director

Yuya Ishii – The Moon, Masked Hearts

Hirokazu Koreeda – Monster

Daishi Matsunaga – Egoist

Takashi Yamazaki – Godzilla Minus One

Yoji Yamada – Mom, Is That You?!

Best Actor

Goro Inagaki – (Ab)normal Desire

Ryunosuke Kamiki – Godzilla Minus One, We're Broke, My Lord!

It's not the first time that internationally acclaimed maestro Hirokazu Koreeda put his effort on a serial drama. In 2019 he directed the first episode and coordinated the collective show “A Day-Off of Kasumi Arimura” and before that, in 2012, he directed the lovely (a personal favourite) “Going My Home”, starring Hiroshi Abe as a clumsy father struggling with his roles as son and as father too. However, his recent “The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House” has been propelled to global audience by the intervention of giant platform Netflix. The show is co-written, co-produced and co-directed by Koreeda, alongside a handful of Japanese filmmakers and is based on a famous manga of the same title that has sold more than 1.8 million copies in Japan.

Click the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix

After seeing maiko (apprentice geishas) walking the street of Kyoto on a school trip, 16-year-old inseparable best...

Akiko Ooku was born in 1968 in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. She graduated from Meiji University. In 1999, Ms Ooku made her directorial debut with “Igai to Shinanai”, followed by her internationally renowned works “Tokyo Serendipity” (2007) and “Tokyo Nameless Girl's Story” (2012). “Tremble All You Want” is her third time working with actress Matsuoka Mayu (松岡茉優).

During the 19th Jeonju International Film Festival, we had the opportunity to interview filmmaker Akiko Ooku (大九明子) about her latest film “Tremble All You Want” (2017) and her future projects.

Akiko Ooku's “Tremble All You Want” is streaming on Sakka Films

“Tremble All You Want” is based on the novel by Risa Wataya. How and when did you decide to start working on a film adaptation of the novel, and how close did you stay to the original?

Yuna Shiraishi, the producer I worked with on “Fantastic Girls (Deeree Girls)” three years ago, brought me this novel. I...

Yoshika is a young hard working woman with an obsession for extinct animals. Pouring so much passion into her job and interests, her love life has remained stagnant throughout her life. This does not stop her from injecting romance into her daily life as she relieves and tells stories of a school crush to everyone she meets in her life. Determined that she will eventually be reunited with “Ichi” through a romantic fate, Yoshika is able to live a rather carefree existence that allows her to indulge in her own eccentricities. Yoshika's comfortable existence begins to change when one of her co-workers begins to openly court her.

“Tremble All You Want” is streaming on Sakka Films

With the possibility of having her first boyfriend, the memories of her high school crush, whom she views as the ideal partner, begins to escalate, culminating in her planning a school reunion to see him again.

Adapted from the ongoing manga novel series published in 2020 written by Akio Fukamachi and illustrated by Iizuka Keita, this live-action version stars former member of the Japanese boy band,V6, Junichi Okada. Known for his support acting role as Omura in “The Last Samurai” (2003), Harada also directed Okada in two historical films “Sekigahara” (2017) and “Baragak: Broken Samurai” (2021). Furthermore, Okada was in “The Fable” (2019) and its sequel “The Fable: the Killer Who Doesn't Kill” (2021).

The plot of “Hell Dogs” centers around Goro Idejuki (Junichi Okada), a young rookie cop. Devastated and traumatized after the brutal killing of the supermarket girl he loves during a robbery, he turns rogue and with only vengeance planted on his mind, he seeks the murderers out one by one and kills them. A killing spree which took him over ten years to complete. After turning himself in to the police, Chief Anai of the Metropolitan Criminal...

The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (Maiko-san Chino makanai-san) is a Japanese series created by Hirokazu Koreeda starring Mayu Matsuoka, Ai Hashimoto, Nana Mori and Keiko Matsuzaka. Based on the manga by Aiko Koyama.

The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House, is a tender Japanese story about art, friendship, youth, time… and, what can merge all these concepts in a single one? Food as an art form and an expression of ephemerality and at the same time, eternity, serves this series to achieve a portrayal of youth that is charming, consoling and above all, very, very tender.

About the Series The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House

A small delicacy for those that love the most traditional aspects of Japanese culture. The lives of these two kitchen apprentices will lead us, almost apologetically, to view a kind of Kyoto in which time goes by almost unnoticed, like those first...

Hell Dogs is a Japanese action movie adaptation of the 2017 manga novel of same title by Akio Fukamachi. The film is written and directed by Masato Harada, starring Junichi Okada, Kentaro Sakaguchi and Mayu Matsuoka.

Premise

The police officer Shogo Kanetaka, suffers from trauma when his loved one was murdered. All Shogo has on his his mind now is revenge. He then receives an order to go undercover as a yakuza member. The police instructs Shogo to pick a fight with yakuza member Hideki Murooka as a stepping stone to gain entrance into the organization. The police have data that shows Shogo is matched with Hideki 98. Meanwhile, Hideki is the son of a death-row convict. He has a physical condition, where is he always hungry and constantly eating. Also, neither her nor the yakuza can control his emotions.

Director

Masato Harada

Cast

Junichi Okada / Shogo Kanetaka

Kentaro Sakaguchi / Hideki Murooka...

For its subject matter, “Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction” is a magnificent story, featuring several accomplished and intriguing actors, and using these to bring life to the world of magazine editing. Director Daihachi Yoshida does so with a mix of drama and comedy, making for a surprisingly fun film.

“The Fangs of Fiction” is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival

One of the many films delayed due to Covid-19, “Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction” details the story of a Japanese magazine in current times, where many of them, including this one, are on the brink of collapse. Teruya Hayami (Yo Oizumi) is tasked to work on one magazine, Trinity, to keep it afloat and make it flourish once again. By using innovating tactics, some of which highly risky, he, with the help of young and passionate Megumi Takano (Mayu Matsuoka), tries to do everything in his capacity to make sure...

Shoplifters director Hirokazu Kore-eda is to adapt popular comic Maiko in Kyoto: From the Maiko House into an eight-part Netflix TV series, his first for the streamer. The prolific Kore-eda teased a TV and film project for Netflix late last year and these are the first details to emerge.

Airing later this year, The Makanai: Cooking For The Maiko House from Story Inc and Bun-Buku Inc is set in the geisha district of Kyoto, as protagonist Kiyo becomes a Makanai (person who cooks meals) at a house where Maiko (apprentice geishas) live together. The story depicts the everyday life of Kiyo maiko Sumire, her childhood friend who came with her from Aomori to Kyoto, amid a vibrant world of geisha and maiko courtesans.

Kore-eda, who won the Palme d’Or in 2018 for Shoplifters, his story about a family that relies on shoplifting to cope with poverty, is also in the...

by John Peter Chua

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Palme d’Or winning film Shoplifters follows a unique family with dark secrets in this extraordinary family-crime drama

Osamu Shibata (Lily Franky) is a day laborer, his wife Nobuya (Sakura Ando) is a hotel laundry worker, and their daughter Aki is a hostess at a peep show club. They don’t make enough to survive and have to rely on grandmother Hatsue’s (Kirin Kiki) monthly pension. To make extra cash, Nobuya steals little trinkets from her clients’ laundry. On the other hand, Osamu, along with his son Shota (Kairi Jo), goes to convenient stores to shoplift for their household needs. On their way home from a successful operation, Osamu and Shota chance upon Yuri (Miyu Sasaki), a little girl left by her parents outside their house in the cold. Deciding it’s unsafe for her to stay there, Osamu takes Yuri home to their rundown house.

For its subject matter, “Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction” is a magnificent story, featuring several accomplished and intriguing actors, and using these to bring life to the world of magazine editing. Director Daihachi Yoshida does so with a mix of drama and comedy, making for a surprisingly fun film.

“Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction” is screening at Japan Cuts

One of the many films delayed due to Covid-19, “Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction” details the story of a Japanese magazine in current times, where many of them, including this one, are on the brink of collapse. Teruya Hayami (Yo Oizumi) is tasked to work on one magazine, Trinity, to keep it afloat and make it flourish once again. By using innovating tactics, some of which highly risky, he, with the help of young and passionate Megumi Takano (Mayu Matsuoka), tries to do everything in his capacity to make sure the...

Isao Yukisada’s new romantic drama “Theater” will drop worldwide on Amazon Prime Video and open theatrically in Japan on July 17. This sort of day-and-date double release is a rarity in Japan and a first for Amazon Prime Video in the country.

Based on the second book by Naoki Matayoshi, a comedian whose first novel “Hibana” was adapted as a Netflix series, the film stars Kento Yamazaki as an aspiring young playwright and director in the theater world and Mayu Matsuoka as a fashion student who loves him. With its original opening postponed due to the coronavirus, the film is now being released directly by its production company, Yoshimoto Kogyo, after initial distributors Shochiku and Aniplex passed the baton.

In a statement Yukisada explained that the film would open on 20 screens on Japan’s ‘mini theater’ or arthouse circuit. “A simultaneous theatrical release and streaming fulfils my hopes,” Yukisada said.

Film will open in Japanese cinemas and stream globally on Amazon Prime Video from July 17.

Isao Yukisada’s Theater will be released simultaneously in Japanese cinemas and on the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform on July 17, marking the first time that Amazon has released a film day-and-date with theatres in Japan.

Amazon is making the film available in 200 countries and territories worldwide. Starring Kento Yamazaki and Mayu Matsuoka, the film is a live-action adaptation of comedian Naoki Matayoshi’s second novel Gekijo. Matayoshi won the Akutagawa Prize in 2015 for his first novel Hibana, which was adapted into a series by Netflix.

Amazon Prime Video has set Theater, the feature adaptation of Naoki Matayoshi’s second novel Gekijo, as its first day-and-date release in Japan.

The movie will launch on the service in 200 countries on July 17, and will also play in Japanese theaters, which have started to re-open following the coronavirus lockdown. The pic is expected to play in around 20 venues.

Starring Kento Yamazaki and Mayu Matsuoka, the movie follows a screenwriter who struggles to attract an audience to his theater company. One day, he sees a fashion student who dreams of becoming an actress, wearing the same sneakers as he does, and starts talking to her. A love between the two begins, as Saki supports Nagata in his dreams and becomes more and more involved in theater to fill the gap between ideal and reality.

Isao Yukisada (Go, Parade) directed the movie, Shunsuke Koga produced. Naohiko Sakamoto was executive producer.

“While...

“I thought she’d return to her home.”

Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda has been a guest at many international film festivals, but 2018 might go down as perhaps the most successful of his career. His 13th feature film “Shoplifters” has received not only the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, but as the year reached its end, it was found in many top-ten lists, from critics to general film fans alike. Even though the definition of the family unit with regards to outside factors such as poverty has been at the heart of Kore-eda’s body of work, “Shoplifters” has struck a chrod with many viewers.

But for its director the inspiration came while working on another film. During the production of “Like Father Like Son” (2013), he began to think about what actually makes a family. The film, which is about two families finding out their sons have been...

Features the voices of: Mayu Matsuoka, Anne Watanabe, Kumiko Asô, Nao Tôyama, Keiji Fujiwara, Akiko Yajima, Masachika Ichimura | Written by Miho Maruo | Directed by Keiichi Hara

Outside of literally three or four movies, my viewing of Japanese animated movies is completely reliant on Studio Ghibili. That said, I adore the studio and every one of its movies, with Spirited Away being one of my all time favourites. So it was about time I checked out the output from other animation filmmakers in Japan.

As the title would suggest, The Wonderland does have a few influences from Alice in Wonderland. But to be honest, there’s nothing too obvious and it definitely does not feel like a retread of that story. The day before her birthday, a young girl, Akane, meets an alchemist named Hippocrates and his student Pipo. Along with an antique shop owner, Chii, who she is kind of friends with,...

The narrative of the film begins with an adult and a child entering a supermarket. They are together and appear like a father and son duo. They do not say anything but exchange glances and then proceed into the store only to go their separate ways in different alleys. Then the little boy clasps his hands and plays with his fingers in the manner of a sacred ritual. Seconds later he stealthily slips a packet into his bag and later puts some more packets surreptitiously. That sets the ball rolling for Director Kore-eda Hirokazu's social drama, Shoplifters.

The story revolves around Osamu Shibata (Lily Franky) and Shota (Jyo Kairi), the father-son duo who were out shoplifting at the grocery store. On their way back home, they pick up croquettes and as they are sauntering down the streets on the cold winter night, they stumble upon Yuri (Miyu Sasaki), a four-year-old girl,...

Once again a lauded international filmmaker is taking an unfiltered look at family life. You might think that I’m talking about the current awards “darling” Roma from director Alfonso Cuaron, in theatres and streaming on Netflix (really). No, this new film may be giving it some competition in the Best Foreign Film category (it has snatched up the prize in a few festivals and year-end critics group awards). Oh, this film is set in modern times, is in color, and its setting is half the planet away. And the Roma family is, at least, upper-middle-class. These folks, well, definitely lower, much lower. This Tokyo-based clan truly struggles to survive and provide. That’s the main reason (along with misfortunate and misery) this family becomes Shoplifters.

As we meet two of them, the aforementioned crime is well in progress. “Papa” Osamu (Lilly Franky) and nine-year-old Shota (Kairi Jo) are roaming a grocery store,...

Lee Chang-dong’s Cannes hit Burning scored the most nominations for the 2019 Asian Film Awards. The Korean mystery-drama was nominated for eight awards, including best film. Scroll down for nominations in major categories.

Other best film nominees were Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters, Pema Tseden’s Jinpa, Wen Muye’s Dying To Survive, and Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanju. The nominations were announced in Hong Kong on Friday afternoon. The winners will be revealed at a ceremony in the same city on Sunday, March 17.

Cannes Palme d’Or winner Shoplifters, Sanju, and Zhang Yimou’s Shadow each garnered six nominations. Kore-eda’s acclaimed drama also won the top film prize at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in November.

In Burning, Jong-su bumps into a girl who used to live in the same neighborhood as him, who asks him to look after her cat while on a trip to Africa. When back, she introduces Ben,...

Mark Harrison Nov 27, 2018

Hirokazu Kore-eda's Palme d'Or winning family drama is terrific and transfixing.

Fresh off a Palme d'Or win at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Shoplifters centers around the Shibatas, a family living in poverty in suburban Tokyo. Cramming seven characters into a bungalow, writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda mounts an absorbing drama about who these people are and how much they mean to one another.

In this setting, the winters are always too cold and the summers are always intolerably hot, with the common problem being that they are almost too poor to get by in any season. That said, the Shibata family seem to be doing better than other local families, and that's partly because Osamu (Lily Franky) is teaching his young son Shota (Kairi Jō) how to steal groceries and other essentials.

Osamu justifies this to himself and his family by saying that if someone hasn't bought it yet,...

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Photo: Warner Bros).

Warner Bros’ Fantastic Beasts sequel worked its magic on moviegoers last weekend, ringing up $253.6 million worldwide as the Australian opening outshone the Us debut.

It was a buoyant frame in Oz, boosted by Trafalgar Releasing’s Burn the Stage: The Movie, while another alternate content release, Rialto’s Spitfire was less successful.

The Old Man & the Gun, which could be Robert Redford’s final screen role, is playing on limited screens in the Us but went out far wider here via eOne with modest results.

Bruce Beresford’s Ladies in Black reached $11.7 million after earning $74,000 in its ninth frame for Sony Pictures. Meanwhile Catherine Scott’s Backtrack Boys has generated $104,000 and Heath Davis’ comedy-drama Book Week has collected $34,000.

Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters, which won the Palme d’Or in Cannes, stole a respectable $52,000 on 15 screens and $161,000 including festival screenings and previews for Rialto.

Steady as the beating drums of Drum Tao band whose members proved to be as fast as the lightning storm they brewed at the opening ceremony held in X-Theatre, Tokyo International Tokyo International Film Festival 2018 has to offer one of the most enlightened and enriched programs (almost 200 films beeing screened) ever conceived in its long run of 31 years history.

‘We find ourselves in the rapidly expanding era of digitalization and globalization, but at the same time we must not forget about the true values of film entertainment’ – with these words Mr. Hirai Takuya, Minister of State for “Cool Japan” Strategy and Intellectual Property, opened his speech at the Opening Ceremony.

Soon after, Mr. Ryohei Mirata – Commissioner for Cultural Affairs echoed his words by citing Ken Takakura who once said that movies are beyond borders and languages, they have the power to transform living sadness into hope and courage. ‘We have...

Mayu Matsuoka's delightfully kooky performance as a nerdy introvert in Akiko Ooku's Tremble All You Want was one of the great discovery's of the Tokyo International Film Festival last year. The turn cemented her status as one of Japan's top young talents on the rise, while also helping the film win the festival's audience award.

Since then, Matsuoka has become known to cinephiles the world over thanks to a nuanced supporting role in Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda's Cannes Palme d'Or winner, Shoplifters.

Japan's official selection for the best foreign-language film Oscar, the movie ...

Mayu Matsuoka's delightfully kooky performance as a nerdy introvert in Akiko Ooku's Tremble All You Want was one of the great discovery's of the Tokyo International Film Festival last year. The turn cemented her status as one of Japan's top young talents on the rise, while also helping the film win the festival's audience award.

Since then, Matsuoka has become known to cinephiles the world over thanks to a nuanced supporting role in Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda's Cannes Palme d'Or winner, Shoplifters.

Japan's official selection for the best foreign-language film Oscar, the movie ...

Yoshika is a young hard working woman with an obsession for extinct animals. Pouring so much passion into her job and interests, her love life has remained stagnant throughout her life. This does not stop her from injecting romance into her daily life as she relieves and tells stories of a school crush to everyone she meets in her life. Determined that she will eventually be reunited with “Ichi” through a romantic fate, Yoshika is able to live a rather carefree existence that allows her to indulge in her own eccentricities. Yoshika’s comfortable existence begins to change when one of her co-workers begins to openly court her.

Tremble All You Want is screening at Camera Japan

With the possibility of having her first boyfriend, the memories of her high school crush, whom she views as the ideal partner, begins to escalate, culminating in her planning a school reunion to see him again.

The Night Is Short, Walk on GirlNew York City’s remarkable summer of Asian film programming continues this week, when, just as the New York Asian Film Festival comes to a close, the Japan Society begins its annual series highlighting the best of contemporary Japanese cinema. This twelfth edition of Japan Cuts features 28 films over ten days, most of which are premiering for the first time in the United States. It’s an eclectic mix of arthouse and genre films from world famous directors as well as young unknowns. I was able to sample a handful of this year’s program, for the most part steering away from the biggest names1 in favor of less heralded filmmakers. In all I saw six films: three romantic comedies; a road movie; a 1980s pink film (Masayuki Suo’s Abnormal Family); and Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Hanagatami, which is some kind of a historical drama.

The wonderful trilogy based on the homonymous manga series by Yuki Suetsugu reaches its ending and its climax in the third part, in a one of the best adaptations of the recent years.

Chihayafuru 3 is screening at the Toronto Japanese Film Festival

The story of this part takes place 2 years after the second one, when Chihaya is now a high school senior. Her problems, however, seem to be more and more significant, as they surpass the borders of Karuta. The search for new members is more imminent than ever, since a number of the former ones are in their last year in high school. Even more, the new arrivals seem to care more for her and Taichi’s looks than the actual game. Both Chihaya and Taichi also have to think about the future outside of the game, while Taichi’s parents pressure him to quit Karuta in order to...

Thunderbird Releasing picks up Cannes main prize winner.

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s family drama Shoplifters, winner of Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious Palme d’Or this year, has landed a UK distribution deal with Thunderbird Releasing.

Kore-eda’s seventh film to screen at Cannes beat Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War and Lee Chang-dong’s Burning to take the top honour from Cannes’ main competition this year.

Starring Sakura Ando and Mayu Matsuoka, the film tells the story of a shoplifting father-and-son duo and the little girl they take in from the street. Producers on the project are Kaoru Matsusaki,...

Hirokazu Kore-eda is a regular at the Cannes Film Festival, with many of his gems screening here over the years. So would Shoplifters live up to our expectations? Abso-blinking-lutely.

The story revolves around a family of grifters, using their ingenuity and thieving skills to make ends meet. Dad is Osamu Shibata (long-time Kore-eda collaborator Lily Franky), a loveable rogue who combines working on a building site with shoplifting to provide for his family. There’s his wife Nobuyo (Sakura Ando), her sister Aki (Mayu Matsuoka), Granny and the couple’s son Shota (Jyo Kairi). They live piled on top of one another in Granny’s minuscule apartment, and are like a criminal version of the Bucket family in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, as beds are shared and cabbage soup is slurped. Like the Buckets, there is much love and tenderness between the family members despite the cramped conditions and frugal means.

Japapese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s much anticipated “Manbiki Kazoku” (“Shoplifters”) has been awarded the top prize – the Palm d’Or – at the closing of the 71st edition of the prestigious Cannes film festival. An important night for Japanese Cinema whose most recent winner of the Palme D’Or was director Shohei Imamura for “The Eel”, back in 1997.

Mr. Koreeda is a regular of the French glamorous festival, “Shoplifters” being his fifth movie to be nominated for an award at Cannes and this year his movie was chosen within a pool of 21 other competitors. In the acceptance speech at the Closing Ceremony the director dedicated the Award to the to the whole production team and crew involved in the movie as well as to young directors.

Written, directed and edited by Kore-eda and inspired by everyday accounts of petty crimes, “Shoplifters” focuses on an alternative family of small-time crooks in Tokyo,...

Spike Lee wins Grand Prix for BlacKkKlansman, best director goes to Pawel Pawlikowski for Cold War.

Hirokazu Kore-eda has won the 2018 Cannes Palme d’Or for Shoplifters, his story of a shoplifting father-and-son duo and the little girl they take in from the street. Sakura Ando and Mayu Matsuoka co-star.

The Japanese director takes home the festival’s primary honour on his fifth appearance in Cannes’ Competition. He first appeared in the festival’s main programme in 2001 with Distance and his previous appearance to this year was in Un Certain Regard in 2016 with After The Storm. He previously won Cannes...

Akiko Ooku was born in 1968 in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. She graduated from Meiji University. In 1999, Ms Ooku made her directorial debut with “Igai to Shinanai”, followed by her internationally renowned works “Tokyo Serendipity” (2007) and “Tokyo Nameless Girl’s Story” (2012). “Tremble All You Want” is her third time working with actress Matsuoka Mayu (松岡茉優).

During the 19th Jeonju International Film Festival, we had the opportunity to interview filmmaker Akiko Ooku (大九明子) about her latest film “Tremble All You Want” (2017) and her future projects.

“Tremble All You Want” is based on the novel by Risa Wataya. How and when did you decide to start working on a film adaptation of the novel, and how close did you stay to the original?

Yuna Shiraishi, the producer I worked with on “Fantastic Girls (Deeree Girls)” three years ago, brought me this novel. I was truly happy that she wanted to work with me again.

Based on the novel of the same name (2010) by Risa Wataya and directed by Akiko Ohku , “Tremble All You Want” conquered the public’s hearts at the Tokyo Film Festival 2017 by winning the Audience Award. And the award is well deserved as this romantic comedy might speak to many people, as it goes beyond the film’s genre stereotypes and focuses on a more recurrent issue: how to love and confess.

“Tremble All You Want” is screening at the 19th Jeonju International Film Festival

Yoshika (Mayu Matsuoka), 24 years old, is a peculiar accountant that has a 10-year-long crush on her first love whom she calls ‘Ichi’ (Takumi Kitamura) from ‘ichiban’ which means number one. Yoshika is content with her life, talking nonstop about ‘Ichi’ with everyone, until one day, an event occurs that sets her mind towards finding ‘Ichi’ and confess. Meanwhile, her office friend Kurumi (Anna Ishibashi) tries to...

After highlighting 50 films that we can guarantee are worth seeing this year, it’s time we venture into the unknown. Rather than regurgitating a list of dated-years-in-advance studio releases, we’ve set out to focus on 100 films we’re genuinely looking forward to, regardless of their marketing budgets. While the majority might not have a set release — let alone any confirmed festival premiere — most have wrapped production and will likely debut at some point in 2018, so make sure to check back for updates over the next twelve months and beyond. Be sure to keep the following one-hundred films on your radar (with release dates, where applicable). If you want to see how we did with our picks last year (potentially to shame us), head on over here.

Bonus: Untitled Hirokazu Kore-eda Project

Like clockwork, Hirokazu Kore-eda has just announced a new project after we locked this list, so we’ll...

Kore-eda won critical acclaim last year for crime drama The Third Murder, which premiered at Venice.

Source: Hiroshi Nomura

Japan’s Gaga Corp has unveiled details of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s new as-yet-untitled project, which is currently shooting with a cast including Ando Sakura and Lily Franky.

Franky and child actor Jyo Kairi play a father and son from a poor family who take in a small girl (Miyu Sasaki) they find freezing on the streets after one of their shoplifting sessions together. Ando plays the mother with Mayu Matsuoka as her sister and Kiki Kirin as the grandmother on whose pension the family is heavily dependent.

While Franky and Kiki are both Kore-eda regulars, the film marks the first time that Ando and Matsuoka have worked with the director.

Ando is known for her roles in critically-acclaimed independent films including 100 Yen Love and Love Exposure, while Matsuoka’s credits include the Chihayafuru series and Kirishima Thing. Both child...

Perhaps it was the delightfully rounded performance of young Mayu Matsuoka, playing the role of the 24-year-old virgin Yoshika in Risa Wataya’s 2010 bestseller, that convinced the Tokyo Film Festival to give Tremble All You Want (Katte ni Furuetero) a slot in this year’s competition. Aimed at Japanese females under 30, chick lit on screen generally occasions smiles, yawns and rolling eyes. In this upscale example, experienced genre veteran Akiko Ooku (Tokyo Serendipity, Tokyo Nameless Girl’s Story, Fantastic Girls) directs a comedy about a kooky young lady who can’t decide between a fantasy guy and a real, imperfect boyfriend. Well-made and...

Norihiko Koizumi's Chihayafuru (Part 1&2) screening on Fantasia Film FestivalSTORY70%DIRECTING75%ACTING75%VISUALS75%POSITIVESKaruta makes a wonderful main themeGreat charactersGreat acting and directionNEGATIVESDeep down, it is addressed to teenage girls2016-07-3174%Overall ScoreReader Rating: (0 Votes)0%

Based on the multi-awarded, homonymous manga, written and illustrated by Yuki Suetsugu, “Chihayafuru” revolves around Karuta and the relationship of a girl with two boys.

Karuda (coming from the word card) is a card game, where each card contains a waka (classical Japanese poetry) poem. It is played one on one, facilitated by a reciter (card reader) and a judge. Each player has a deck placed in front of him, consisting of 25 cards that he places face-up, in three layers in his or her territory. As the reciter reads a poem from a reading card, the players have to touch first the corresponding to the poem playing card, which contains only the last phrases of the poem.