Actress Aoi Yui is the voice behind the mysterious "Ikechan" in the movie adaption of Saibara Rieko's picture book "Ikechan to Boku". This creature kindly watches over the protagonist Yoshio and during his growth, it more and more adapts the characteristics of a girl. Oricon did an interview with Aoi to see how she things about her role, as a woman and as a an actress.

"Saibara's drawings, letters and story, you can't leave out any of the 3."

--- What was your reaction when you got the offer to voice "Ikechan"?

I was surprised about a lot of things. Up to now I played boys or girls, often not even close to my age, but this time it's a person that can't really be called a person. First of all I was surprised about the visuals of Ikechan, it's a thing that can't be grasped at all and I though, "I'm supposed to voice this?" I think it's an interesting experiment to turn a Saibara picture book into a live-action movie. That's one reason why I immediately wanted to do it and I felt very honored and happy that they want to entrust such an importent character to me.

--- What were your impressions when you read the original picture book?

I decided to do the role of "Ikechan" after I read the book. Many thoughts came to my mind while reading it, "What kind of voice would it have? How does it move? How will they realise it in the movie?" I got excited by all the hows?.

--- What did you think when reading the script?

That the phrases would be in a typical printed type. I was glad that they used some of the original expressions of Saibara. There were some phrases children don't use anymore today, so I was looking forward how they are going to act. Children can have some very interesting and amusing ways of talking and this work did a perfect job of catching those expressions.

Saibara's drawings, letters and story, I don't think it's good to leave out any of the 3 in the world of "Ikechan to Boku". The drawings and the letters would disappear in a movie adaption and all that is left is the story. How can you compensate the loss of those 2 important factors? It was very interesting how the director managed to replace the letters with amusing expressions of the chidren.

"I waited until I heard the voice of 'Ikechan' in my head."

--- How did you come up with the voice of "Ikechan"?

I watched it time and time again and waited until I heard the voice of "Ikechan" in my head. When I was reading the script, I already thought about a lot of things like the voice of "Ikechan". I went to the director, did the voice that was in my head and asked, "Is this the right tone?" He answered, "That's it!"

--- What was the voice like that you said to have heard inside your head?

It was a soft voice. However, I was very anxious about whether I would be able to put this voice into practice. I had to be careful about any tiny variation in my voice.

--- What was the most difficult thing while playing as "Ikechan"?

"Ikechan" is something that can only be seen by the protagonist Yoshio. There are times when they directly communicate with each other, but there are also times when they are physically far away from each other, but still connected to each other with their minds. It was very difficult to balance the volume of the voice according to those situations. I've never experienced something similar to that before. There wasn't a scene that was particularly difficult or easy to do. One thing that was very difficult was to get into the very last words of "Ikechan". They are one of the most important lines of the whole movie and I had the responsibility to handle them with great care.

--- What kind of relationship do "Ikechan" and Yoshio have?

Whether it can be seen or not, I think it's wonderful when 2 people have a relationship where no other person can fit in. They give each other strength. In the original picture book it's almost like a love story. I'm not good with love things or fantasy, but they had such a strength and such honest and great conversations! People with dreams, especially children should watch this, but for me I wish that many women will go and watch this movie. I think it's able to reach the heart of everyone women who experienced love at least once in her life. It's a really beautiful love the of them have. On the whole it's a movie that draws a very deep love.

--- At the end, could you please tell us your impressions after watching the complete movie?

When I was watching the movie, I think that the person next to me saw a much deeper meaning to it than myself. I'm not saying that I know this person's past, but to me it seemed like that she saw that boyfriend she had in her past. People with such a past relationship should be able to have much deeper feelings when watching this movie. I also would like you to focus on the relationship between Yoshio and his friend Misako. However, the biggest reason why I like this movie so much is the mysterious and extraordinary feelings that surrounds "Ikechan" itself.

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Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: Oricon
Please don't post this translation anywhere else!

The first teaser is for Inoue Mao's newest movie "Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu" (I Give My First Love to You) with Okada Masaki as the male protagonist has been released. It's beeing directed by Shinjo Takehiko and an adaption of Kotomi Aoki's tear-jerking manga originally serialized in Sho-Comi in 2005. Toho will be releasing it in Japan on October 24, 2009.

Plot:
As a child Takuma is diagnosed with a heart condition that requires care from a cardiologist. He soon becomes friends with his doctor’s young daughter Mayu while being treated at the hospital. One day Mayu overhears her father saying that Takuma’s condition is serious enough that he most likely won’t live long beyond the age of 20. Takuma isn’t aware of this himself, however, so at 8-years-old he makes a promise to marry Mayu when they turn 20. Later in life, Takuma (now played by Okada) becomes aware that he won’t be able to keep this promise and he begins distancing himself from Mayu (Inoue) in hopes of protecting her.



Taken from NipponCinema!

Beautiful and very popular model/idol Sasaki Nozomi (21) is going to tackle her first real starring role in the movie adaption of the extremely popular cellphone novel "Tenshi no Koi". It's a story about female high-school student who has to climb over a shocking trauma and encounters her fated love. The novel includes a lot of serious stuff like rape and abortion. Sasaki might be overwhelmed by playing such a difficult role all of a sudden, but she's already completely immersed into her role. "All I can I think about now is my role."

Who fits better as the heroine for THE teen love bible "Tenshi no Koi" than a charismatic teen model? Making cellphone novels into movies is the big thing right now, "Koizora" with Aragaki Yui or "Akai Ito" with Minamisawa Nao are very popular examples. The "Tenshi --" novels are a record-breaking series and no other series is being accessed more than this one.

"Koizora" and "Akai Ito" didn't do bad with 6 million and respectively 8 million page views when they got released, but "Tenshi --" is far off with its award-winning 13 million page views. It also got turned into a book and the first edition became a best-seller with over 500,000 sold copies.

Nozomi who is currently working as an exclusive model for the fashion magazine "PINKY" together with Kinoshita Yukina (21) got selected for the starring role in the movie adaption of the Japanese female high-school student bible.

Last year she had her acting debut in the movie "Handsome Suit" (starring Kitagawa Keiko), but apart from that she basically has no acting experience whatsoever. The producers are still optimistic and see a lot of potential in her. "She is able to fascinate the people with a lot things and you can see her will-power in her big and beautiful eyes. That's exactly what a heroine needs."

There will be a lot of difficulties for Sasaki, if the movie is going to adapt even only some of the the topics talked about in the noviel, such as rape, abortion and schoolgirl prostitution. However, Sasaki herself decided to do this role and she's very ambitious. "I might not yet know a lot about acting, but what I'm able to is to sympathy with her having to face her painful past and still keep on living a positive life."

Apart from some hard moments, there are probably also going to be at least one crying and one love scene in the movie. "I don't know how far I will be able to go, but I'll properly listen to the director and try to put it into action with all my might!" She said with the will to do everything that's necessary for a good performance.

Kanchiku Yuri is going to direct the movie and they are aiming to release it this winter.

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Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: Sanspo
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More than 2 million people already went to see the movie "April Bride" with Eikura Nana and Eita in the starring roles and both of them attended the event to celebrate the success. The movie draws the story of Nagashima Chie who only lived until the age of 24 due to breast cancer. "It was a very big movie for me," Eikura commented thankfully for the opportunity. This summer it will already open in Taiwan and Hong Kong and it's planned to open in 7 Asian countries in total.

The movie has been out in Japan for 33 days and already crossed more than 2 million moviegoers. "I didn't think that I would be able to do yet another stage greeting again. I was so surprised that I even had to let out a happy scream." Eikura said with a big smile when going on the platform during the event. Next to Taiwan and Hong Kong, it's been settled that it is also going to open in Macao, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. "I still can't believe it, but somehow I sincerely hoped for it to happen. Chie-san's message should reach out to the whole world." Eikura commented with joy. Eita too, "I can't wait for the whole world to receive her message."

Prior to the event they searched for a June Pride Couple and the winners received the original rings that have been used in the movie. "I hope those 2 will be blessed with happiness as well." Eikura congratulated them. Eita sent them out with blessings, too. "Please create a lot of happy moments and build a very big love."

In Taiwan it is going to open on August 21, in Hong Kong on September 15. Macao and Thailand are planned to get the movie on July 23. There are no fixed dates yet for Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei.

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Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: Oricon
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The movie "Manatsu no Orion" opened today (13th) and everyone from the cast and staff attended the stage greeting event in Tokyo. Kitagawa was the lone woman in that group and therefore had a really noticeably presence on stage, especially due to her sparkling spangle mini dress. It's been almost 1 year since they've finished filming the movie and she has been extremely nervous now that it's finally going to open in cinemas. "I was so nervous that I couldn't sleep last night."

Tamaki Hiroshi plays the warm-hearted captain of a submarine. His close friend and colleague is being played by CHEMISTRY's Yoshikuni Dochin, who is making his acting debut with this role. "I was very nervous to act for my first time. The friendship between us is really great and I hope that I was able to properly transmit their bond." Yoshida Eisaku plays the rustic chief engineer of that submarine who has a lot of pride in his work. "I'm a stubborn old man." He praised himself just like his role would do and earned a lot of applause from the audience.

Last but not least, Tamaki's comment on stage. "It's not only a movie to show differences of that time, it's also a movie that lets you value your life a bit more. I'm glad that I was able to be in a suspense war movie and it's even better that I was able to play a leadership personality." He has been very firm throughout the whole event.

"In a rainy seaside town, a young woman named Izumi (Kitagawa) investigates the circumstances surrounding a letter she received from the United States, written in English. The letter is from an American girl whose grandfather was a naval commander in World War II. 64 years earlier, near the end of the war, his battleship faced off against a Japanese submarine which was captained by Kuramoto (Tamaki). Before Kuramoto departed, his wife Shizuko (also played by Kitagawa) gave him the hand-written sheet music to a song called "Manatsu no Orion". As Izumi uncovers more information about that day, the film recounts events of the epic battle which continuously tested the wits and resolve of both captains."

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Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: Oricon and NipponCinema for the detailled plot
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On Thursday was PR-Event for the fully CG-animated movie called "Hottarake no Shima - Haruka and the Magic Mirror" with actress Ayase Haruka lending her voice to the main character Haruka. Ayase is not only loving that character for sharing the same name as her, "She's even like my alter ego." She also talked about the difficult of working as a voice actress. "I had to do a really high-pitched scream for a scene when she's falling down, I had to scream so long that I got a sore throat."

The movie itself is a collaboration between the "Ghost in the Shell" makers Production I.G. and Fuji TV. It is a full CG Japan-specific animated movie and they've been working on it for more than 4 years. The cell-shading look is giving it a very nice hand-drawn feel. It's currently in its final stages and they plan to finish it by the end of July. Ayase and the other voice actors already recorded all their scenes by looking only at the story board, that kind of pre-recording technique is called "prescoring".

It was the first time for Ayase to work like that. "We had to perform by looking at only the pictures, it was still okay, but very difficult." She said while looking back at her difficult time in the studio.

Tanimura Mitsuki also attended the event, she's playing a friend of Haruka while Toda Naho plays the mother. Director Sato Makoto and producer Kameyama Chihiro made the group complete. The story of the movie is named after the popular question, "What did things did you start to neglect until they completely disappeared without you becoming aware?" Ayase answered, "A collection of 100 Japanese fairy-tale books", while Tanimura said, "all my arithmetic notes from junior high" and Toda is missing her accordion.

The movie will follow a girl named Haruka as she discovers where all of our childhood keepsakes and memorabilia go. "In this story, we meet fantastic creatures that gather all these little objects that fall into oblivion as they are forgotten by their owners when they step into adulthood. These creatures sneak into our world from a different dimension, and unseen by humans, they take all the ditched and forgotten 'treasures' into their world. Here, they use their booty to build their own city, a fairy-tale like place called…Oblivion Island!"

"Hottarake no Shima" is going to come out on August 22.

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Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: Oricon
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The Japan Cuts Festival of New Japanese Film (June 30 - July 12) in New York is approaching and so Japan Society NYC is starting to release English-Subtitled trailers for some of the movies that are going to have their international (or at least New York) premiere.

Two of those movies are Sion Sono's 4-hours long youth-culture-love madness "Love Exposure" with idol/actress Mitsushima Hikari (e.g. Death Note) and Kitagawa Eriko's "Halfway" starring actress Kitano Kie and actor Okada Masaki. (The trailer for Halfway seems to be fucked up, though.)





Go here for Japan Society NYC's own Youtube channel.

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Another new subtitled trailer unrelated to the movie festival is that of Neo Action's "Hard Revenge, Milly". If I say Neo Action, you should know what is going to await you. Hard Revenge, Milly got released in Japan in August 2008 and got packed with "The Masked Girl". It's a nice 44-minutes short and violent (be warned!) movie with Mizuno Miki playing the role of Milly.



Via NipponCinema

As mentioned here, actress Miyazaki Aoi is going to play the guitar and try herself at singing in her next movie called "Solanin" and now movie distributor Asmik Ace released the first photo of Miyazaki playing the guitar.

The movie is based on a manga of the same name by mangaka Asano Inio that has been serialized in Shukan Young Sunday. It's about Meiko (Miyazaki) who quit her boring office job during her 2nd year and her boyfriend Taneda (Koura Kengo) who works part-time and aimlessly pursues his dream of music. Overall it's a love story about youth and their restless struggle for happiness. They filmed it from April 25 until May 31.

About 1 week before the end of the filming, Miyazaki had to face a live scene in a live music bar in Tokyo that is going to be one of the highlights in the movie. Together with their band, Meiko and Taneda take up the challenge of performing live. They both are enthusiastically singing their song "Solanin" that is packed with their feelings, with Meiko doing both the vocals and the guitar. It's an absolutely incredible stage performance with perfectly clear and comfortable voices, gorgeous postures and a feel-good rhythm. More than 150 extras have been used for the audience and together with the other band members played by Kiritani Kenta and Kondou Youichi (of Sambomaster) they really set the roof on fire, like they say.

People from the production explained that Miyazaki hasn't really been listening to rock music before the filming, but she went through some extra hard training to learn how to play the guitar and to improve her singing. Only the guitar had to be dubbed for that take, but the singing and everything else has been left completely untouched. It's also the first full-length movie for director Miki Takahiro, but he definitely is a "music-pro" and an expert when it comes to bringing music alive in videos as he already did many music videos for artists like ORANGE RANGE or YUI, and so it's good to hear that he clearly approves of Miyazaki's skills. "Miyazaki has an exceptional strong singing voice, I even got goosebumps. Due to the tight schedule we unfortunately haven't been able to record her playing the guitar, but she's definitely rocking it as well. She's a person with a really great intuition."

Miyazaki refrained from doing interviews during the filming to completely concentrate on her role, but after they finished she finally gave some comments again. "It was a really big thing for me to end the filming with a live scene. In that scene we had to play every single tune from the beginning to the end of the performance, it was also very tough for the whole staff and extras, we've worked together until the end and I'm glad that we've been able to do a satisfying finish. Everyone worked really hard, we all wanted to make sure to create a really cool scene and I hope that you will look forward to it." She said with a lot of self-confidence.

During the movie, Miyazaki's band is going to perform "Solanin" and 2 other songs, "each of them being original songs, written and composed by leadings musicians", as the production company says. About a possible CD-Debut of Miyazaki herself they only said, "We don't know". Is it even possible not to make a CD, if even a pro is lost in and captivated by Miyazaki's voice!? We'll see.

The movie "Solanin" will be coming out in 2010.

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Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: CinemaToday.jp
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Young NICOLA model Nikaido Fumi (14) is making her big screen debut in the movie called "Gama no Abura" (Toad's Oil), the directorial debut of Yakusho Koji (53). Cinema Today now had the chance make an interview with her.

NICOLA has already been the gateway to success for many young models who want to become actresses like Aragaki Yui, Aoi Yuu or Sawajiri Erika. Nikaido has the same desire and tried to audition for the role next to modeling for magazines and commercials. In the end her dazzling smile stood out of the 50 contestants and earned her the role of the heroine. Director Yakusho discovered and coached this gem himself and has been very pleased about her abilities. Despite her first genuine acting role, she had a very great natural perception, good acting skills and an overall very charming appearance. Even before the release of the movie, Nikaido already earned herself the title of "The next Miyazaki Aoi" among the movie staff due to her striking resemblance in both her looks and her character. Even all the authorized people who have already been able to see a preview screening had the same comment about her, "She's just like Miyazaki Aoi!"

"When I heard about the audition, I just told myself, 'Let's do it!' It was completely my own decision. About 2 months before the actual start of the filming I had a rehearsal with the director. He completely guided me through everything. There was a lot of laughter at the set, because in the beginning I still had a lot of problems. The director would always come to me and say, "You should do it like this" and exactly show me what I'm supposed to do. This has been very funny sometimes, so much that we spontaneously started to laugh."

The movie is a fantasy dorama about a father who has to climb over the tragic event of his son who got involved in a traffic accident and ended up in a coma. Nikaido plays the role of Hikari, the lover of the eldest son (Eita) of the married couple (Yakusho Koji himself and Kobayashi Satomi). It's a very important role, even if it isn't one of the starring roles, it was still enough for her as a newbie to feel the pressure. "I couldn't believe it at first, when I heard that I would be filming a movie together with Eita-san and was like, 'EH?'. Eita has been a very nice person and I'm really thankful for that. I think I wouldn't have been able to play the role of Hikari the way I did, if it wasn't Eita-san who played as Takuya."

It seems like Nikaido always wanted to become an actress. "I wanted to become an actress ever since I've been born. My mother loves movies and we often went to see movie together, so that might have had an influence on me."

Nikaido is 14 years old, lives in Okinawa and is a young literature girl who enjoys her student life. "I get up at 7, eat breakfast, put on my uniform and go to school. When I come back home, I relax in my room, read a book, study or talk with my mom, that's how I basically live every day at the moment. I really love reading books. Dazai Osamu (an author) and so on."

Because of work she constantly had to commute between Okinawa and Tokyo. When asked about her favorite spot in Tokyo, she immediately replied "Asagusa!", which means that she must have a very good taste. "I love the Hanayashiki Amusement Park there. I love that free fall rollercoaster and the haunted house. The old feeling it has to it is great. You aren't able to go around the whole place at once, but no matter how many times I go there, I'd still love it."

That effortless charm of her is what makes her resemble Miyazaki Aoi the most and is also the reason why many people have such high expections in her. Nikaido herself also has very big goals.

"I wouldn't say it's a very big goal, but I'd like to become an actress as active in the entertainment world as Yakusho-san. Take the movie 'Babel' for example, I didn't even recognize him at all, that's how great he was able to get into his role. A person who is able to do that is amazing and it would be great to become like that. In order to spread my wings and becoming an actress, I have to experience various places and do various roles, and it would be great, if I could work together with Yakusho-san someday again."

Will it even be possible not to pick her as a candidate for Rookie of the Year?


Note:
I have a short profile about her over here.

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Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: Cinema Today
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Director Isao Yukisada is working on a screen adaptation of author Shuichi Yoshida's first full-length novel, "Parade," which won the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize in 2002.

Yukisada has apparently been hoping to make a movie out of the book ever since it was published in 2002. The story revolves around an unusual group of five young adults living together in a 2LDK apartment (two bedrooms, living room, dining room, and kitchen). Despite sharing such a small space, it turns out in the end that they really don't know much about each other.

Yukisada has assembled a talented young cast for the movie. Tatsuya Fujiwara stars as Naoki, an employee of a film distribution company. Karina plays the illustrator Miki, while Shihori Kanjiya is the unemployed Kotomi and Keisuke Koide is the college student Ryosuke. Around the same time that a string of disturbing incidents occurs in their neighborhood, Miki meets a male prostitute named Satoru (Kento Hayashi), who ends up also living in the apartment.

In addition to directing, Yukisada wrote the screenplay for the adaptation. Filming started on May 15 and will continue until mid-June. The movie is currently scheduled for release in 2010.

Copied from Tokyograph.
All credits to them!

Tearjerker drama April Bride (Yomei Ikkatgetsu No Hanayome) opened in the top position at the Japanese box office this weekend (May 9-10).

The film earned $4.24m (Y413m) on 302,068 admissions at 310 screens for a strong $13,677 per screen average for distributor Toho. Although the only new release in the top ten, April Bride opened against the continued success of "Red Cliff Part 2" and second week release "Goemon".

April Bride stars Eikura Nana as a young woman who conceals her breast cancer diagnosis from her boyfriend (Eita). He eventually finds out and plans a wedding despite his girlfriend only having one month left to live.

The film is directed by Hiroki Ryuichi with a screenplay by Saito Hiroshi. The cast also includes Tezuka Satomi, Yasuda Misako and Emoto Akira.

April Bride is based on the true story of Nagashima Chie, whose battle with the disease was unflinchingly chronicled in a news report and subsequent documentary broadcast on TBS in May 2007.

The story also spawned a best-selling book and a new focus on breast cancer in young women in general, leading to strong anticipation and results for the film among the same demographic. A caravan traveling across Japan is offering breast cancer exams as part of the film's promotion.

TBS sold rights to Hong Kong and Taiwan following November's AFM and is currently negotiating deals with Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

April Bride is part of TBS's slate at the Cannes market, which also includes "Crows II", "Rookies" and "The Triumphant General Rouge".

Copied from Screendaily
All credits to them.

On the 9th was the opening day of the movie "April Bride" (Yomei Ikkagetsu no Hanayome) with Eikura Nana (21) in one of the two leading roles and on that occasion they did the usual stage greeting event to commemorate the release.

The movie is based on a true story about Nagashima Chie who got diagnosed with breast cancer and bravely fought against her illness until her inevitable death at the age of 24. Both Chie's real lover and real father made a surprise appearance and once again expressed their deep gratitude towards the two actors. "There have been many scenes that really moved me," the father commented. "Eikura-san exactly looked and acted like Chie, it was a very strange feeling for me. Eita-san also resembled Tarou-san a lot, they both did an amazing job. Thank you very much."

Eikura was clearly touched by his words and had to gather herself again before adding her comment. "Tarou-san, her father, her friends or her relatives, nobody tries to gain some kind of profit out of this project, instead they are all somehow involved in campaigns to make people aware of breast cancer. I think that's really remarkable. Thank you very much." She had a tough time enduring not to cry and Eita was really touched as well. "Tarou-san's feelings for Chie-san have been incredibly deep and I really wanted to convey his feelings through this movie." He said.

In the end there was another surprise for Eikura who got a really pretty headgear(?) made of flowers from Eita himself. It showed that their intimacy can really be like that of a real couple. "Such a great surprise, it increased my feelings of gratitude even more. Anyway, I really want you all to go and watch this movie, not just by yourself but with the person that is important to you. Please do that and thank you very much once again." She summed up the event still with a flustered expression on her face due to Eita's present.

The audience liked the movie and the event. There have been a lot of tears after the movie and a big round of applause after the stage greeting. It's a movie that should not be missed, especially if you like stories/tearjerkers similar to the dorama called "One Litre of Tears" in 2005.

Actress Eikura Nana (21) and actor Eita (26) attended a talk event on the 6th to promote their movie "April Bride" ("Yomei Ikkagetsu no Hanayome") that comes out on the 9th.

The movie is based on the true story of the young woman Nagashima Chie and her hopeless yet very encouraging fight against breast cancer. Chie's lover and father also attended the event and they both expressed their gratitude towards Eikura and Eita for their enthusiastic performance. Overcome with emotion and a teary voice, Eikura said, "I am the one who has to be thankful for being able to experience Chie's life overflowing with love through this movie."

Eita commented, "'Just being alive is a blessing', usually you don't think that way, but I think that many people will start to feel that way after they watched this movie."

Chie's deathy anniversary will be on the 6th and there will be a big PR event to make people aware of how it important it is to undergo medical examination for breast cancer. While fighting against the illness, Chie always had her bloved doll, the Sakura-Panda close to her and so that memorial day was named the "Sakura-Panda Day".

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Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: Sanspo
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The spectacular movie "Goemon" has been in the cinemas since May 1st and on the 5th the cast spread out to 5 different cities to celebrate the huge success of the movie. This event was still part of the "Unification of The Whole Country" campaign they started with massive preview screening prior to the official opening date.

The celebrations have been wild as it made a fantastic box-office of 4.424.188 US Dollar on its first weekend, including May 1st. Director Kiriya Kazuaki and actor Gori went from Sapporo to Fukuoka, actor Eguchi Yosuke and actress Hirosue Ryoko went from Nagoya to Osaka, and in the end they all (except for Hirosue) linked up in a Hotel in Tokyo again to thank the whole production crew for their hard work.

A big shower of beer was the highlight of the event and made them look like real sportsmen. "I've seen it after baseball games on TV, but this is a first for me. Incredible! Everyone gave 120% for the movie. Of course we had some hopes and wishes, but we never thought that it would that successful." Eguchi commented afterwards in a slightly drunk state. "However, I don't bring along any extra clothes to get changed now." He added with a bitter smile.



Hirosue wasn't there when they got showered with the beer (regrettable, isn't it?), but nobody can possibly be mad at her. She had to leave her 5-years-old son home alone with a care-taker on Children's Day long enough already. "I felt a bit despondent that I had to work on Children's Day, but I'm really happy for such a great welcome here."


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Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: Variety Japan, Sanspo & Jiji-Press
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Actress Imura Kumi (25), known for her role as nurse in the TBS dorama "Kirakira Kenshui" will go nude for her new movie called "Irezumi" (Tattoo).

It will be the 6th version of the movie ever since Wakao Ayako (75) played that role in the first Irezumi movie in 1966. Imura revealed her slender 1.57m tall (80/56/80) body for the first time. "I had to deal with a lot of tension at the set." However, she can be pretty self-confident with the result, because she looks exactly like that character, the fascinating young lady with that big tattoo on her back. "I was able to experience some personal growth through this movie." Imura commented about how the movie effected her personally.



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Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: Sanspo
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Last week various Korean sites posted the full Korean trailer for Young-nam Kim's "Boat" in anticipation of its domestic release on May 28th. Meanwhile an alternative Japanese teaser was posted on its official Japanese site. In Japan the movie will be called "No Boys, No Cry", but the Japanese release date hasn't been announced yet.

The movie stars Jung-woo Ha ("The Chaser", "My Dear Enemy"), Tsumabuki Satoshi (starring in NHK's current historical dorama "Tenchijin", also was in "Orange Days" and "IWGP"; several big movie roles like in "Pandemic", "Dororo" and "Spring Snow") and Kanjiya Shihori (23 years old; recent "Love Shuffle" dorama and movies like "Swing Girls" or "Survive Style 5+") in the leading roles.

In the film, Jung-woo Ha plays a low-level smuggler named Hyeong-ku who uses a small boat to transport drugs to his partner in Japan, Toru (Tsumabuki), 3 or 4 times a month. When their boss orders them to kidnap a girl name Jisu (Tokunaga Eri; 20 years old) and bring her to Japan, Toru sees an opportunity to steal $2 million of their organization's money. Hyeong-ku gets caught in the middle as things go really bad for the both of them in a hurry.

The script was penned by Aya Watanabe, who previously wrote screenplays for Maison de Himiko and A Gentle Breeze in the Village, among others.

Japanese teaser:


Korean trailer:


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Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: NipponCinema (Plot & Trailers)
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Actress Miyazakoi Aoi has been appointed as the narrator for the Japanese version of Disneynature's first movie with the English title "The Crimson Wing – Mystery of the Flamingos" (in Japanese something like "A Secret of Earth Hidden in Flamingos").

This movie is the first shot of the film label Disneynature that got created in 2008. They previously already distributed the highly popular documentary "Earth", but only in the US. Outside of the US it got distributed by BBC Worldwide and in Japan by GAGA Communications.

About "The Crimson Wing":
In a remote and forgotten wilderness, one of nature's last great mysteries unfolds: the birth, life and death of a million crimson-winged flamingos. Against a dramatic backdrop of never-before filmed landscapes, these secretive birds struggle to survive and prevail over danger and fate. This inspiring story, set in the extraordinary 'otherworld' of Lake Natron in northern Tanzania, the cradle of humankind, reminds us: here on earth is a universe waiting to be discovered. (imdb)

Miyazaki about the movie:
"There haven't really been any detailed movies about Flamingos so far and there have been a lot of dramas among the Flamingos. I was very touched by the fact that the parents care about their kids just like we humans and how they protect them from enemies. However, I also almost cried when I saw the severity of nature, for example when they simply left a too tiny child behind to die. Still, the movie warms your heart and has a lot of happy scenes as well. All the pictures are incredibly beautiful, too. Who could have imagined that there are would be souch beautiful sceneries in this world. I hope that a lot of people will watch this movie."

The movie will come out in Japan in August.


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Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: CinemaToday.jp
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A full trailer for live-action adaption of "Ikechan to Boku" with Aoi Yuu who voices that mysterious little blob has finally been released. It's an adaption of Saibara Rieko's metaphorical 2006 picture book about a boy's relationship with his mother.

Except for the little trailer introduction, you won't be able to see her in person throughout the whole movie. However, it still looks great and Aoi Yuu's voice is beautiful all by itself. The film will be released in Japan on June 20, 2009.

Plot: For as long as he can remember, Toshio (Fukazawa Arashi Fukazawa) has had a mysterious blob-like companion named Ikechan (voiced by popular actress Aoi Yuu) watching over him. When Ikechan is happy, she multiples; when she's troubled, she shrinks; and when he becomes friendly with girls she turns red and starts getting angry. Throughout their time together Ikechan sticks up for Toshio when he's bullied, and the two of them fight when she becomes too smothering for his liking. Then one day when Toshio is older and has experienced his first love, Ikechan vanishes from his sight.




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Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: NipponCinema (also copied the plot from there)
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Young actresses Narumi Riko (16) and Kitano Kie (18) are set to co-star in a new film from director Furumaya Tomoyuki ("Robocon," "Homeless Chugakusei"). "Bushido Sixteen" is based on a novel by writer Honda Tetsuya, revolving around two female kendo fighters.

Narumi plays Kaori, who has been a top kendo fighter since she was young. On the other hand, Kitano plays Sanae, an ordinary girl who has casually continued with kendo. During a tournament at the end of junior high, Kaori improbably loses to Sanae, and she begins to hold a grudge while Sanae completely forgets the whole thing. When the two wind up at the same high school, their confrontations lead them both to grow up.

Both Narumi and Kitano had no experience in kendo before this, so they spent about two months training for the roles. Filming has already started, and Furumaya is expecting to complete the film for a spring 2010 release. The original novel has so far had two sequels - aptly titled "Bushido Seventeen" and "Bushido Eighteen" - so there appears to be some hope for additional movies as well.

Copied from Tokyograph

Like last month, here now all the plots and trailers/teaser for the Japanese movies (with at least 1 actress in one of the main roles) that get releases in Japanese cinemas in May.

May 01st
Goemon

Over 35,000 people already attended the preview screenings all across the nation. 3 years of production, tons of high-class actors and actresses, over 100 sets, over 300 staff members, over 1000 extras and over 2000 CG-Cuts. Japan starts the summer blockbuster season with what could be a real masterpiece and sets the bar high for what there is to come. Actor Eguchi Yosuke and "Oscar-Actress" Hirosue Ryoko in the two main starring roles, but list of the cast is much longer than that (eg. Sato Eriko, Toda Erika, Tsuruta Mayu and so on).

Plot: In 1582 Oda Nobunaga was on the verge of conquering all of Japan, but was forced to commit suicide at Honno-ji Temple by one of his generals, Akechi Mitsuhide. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Nobunaga’s top general, overthrew Akechi a few days later and completed Nobunaga’s dream of unifying Japan under one ruler. The world was at peace for a time, but soon a ninja bandit named Ishikawa Goemon (Eguchi Yosuke) appeared, using his super-human abilities to steal from the rich and give to the poor—a habit which cemented his reputation as a hero to commoners everywhere. One night while looting treasure from Nanban (Southern Barbarians), Goemon finds a mysterious box hidden inside a secret grave. A forgotten relic from the past containing untold powers, it isn’t long before Ishida Mitsunari, Kirigakure Saizo, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Hattori Hanzo are all in persuit of the box for their own purposes.



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May 09th
The Code

For 60 years, the group of detectives known as "Detective Office 5" has raised the bar for detective work. The agents of Detective Office 5 are a group of stellar detectives lead by the genius code breaker Detective 507 (Onoe Kikunosuke). When an unknown client enlists 507 to crack his most difficult programming code yet, the detective embarks for Shanghai where he crosses paths with a sniper, an informant, the head of the Blue-Dragon Mafia, and beautiful singer on the run, Meilan (Inamori Izumi). As 507 stumbles deeper into a twisted quagmire of intrigue he discovers the sad truth behind the mystery. (..also with Kanjiya Shihori and others)



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May 09th
Yomei Ikkagetsu no Hanayome

On April 5, 2007, a couple married in a church (Eikura Nana and Eita). At first glance, it was a typical wedding. The bride, however, was suffering from late-stage breast cancer and had been given only a month to live. Based on the true story of Nagashima Chie, a women afflicted with breast cancer and her husband Akasu Taro. Nagashima's story was also told in a 2007 TBS documentary.



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May 16th
Donju (Dumb Animal)

An especially dull-witted young novelist named Dekoyan (Asano Tadanobu) goes missing and a subsequent investigation uncovers various plots by his friends to murder him—presumably for revealing a childhood secret through the increasingly-popular stories. Regardless of the absurd methods they used in their murder attempts, however, they just couldn't seem to finish him off. The screenplay is based on a Kudo Kankuro play and was adapted by Kudo himself. Stars actresses like Maki Yoko, Minamino Yoko and Satsukawa Ami.



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May 29th
Blood: The Last Vampire

In the fall of 1966, tensions run high on the U.S. Air Force base in Japan on the eve of the Vietnam War. After a series of suspicious suicides in a nearby town, an additional threat has infiltrated the military compound - vampires. A covert team of government agents committed to the elimination of vampires dispatch a mysterious young woman named Saya (Jun Ji Hyun), who in the guise of a schoolgirl, must uncover the origin of the demonic plague, eliminate the ghastly beasts and stop their reign of terror before time runs out. She is the last remaining original. Japanese actress Koyuki plays Onigen, Saya's nemesis.



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Sometime in May..
Hijoshi zukan

Takashi Shimizu has put together a 6-part (7 if you count his own introduction) omnibus film by six different directors called Hijoshi Zukan. Each segment features a unique female protagonist in an unexpected situation. The film will begin screening at Theater Tsutaya in Shibuya in May.

Interesting for us are Adachi Rika (16) in part 1, Yamasaki Mami (23) in part 2 and Naka Riisa (19) in part 6, but of course all of them actresses are great nonetheless. ^^