Zebraman 2 - Zebra City's Counter Attack Released in Tokyo

Its been like 6 years since we had Zebraman in 2004. It is a funny comedy directed by Takeshi Miike. Here is the trailer if you had missed it:



And now, in 2010, we finally get a sequel. Here is the Zebraman 2 Trailer:

13 Assassins (2010)

This is a remake I will look forward to, especially since it is directed by Takeshi Miike.

Tokyo Gore Police 東京残酷警察 Trailer

If you love Azumi and Versus, there is no reason you should skip this! Lots of blood, gore, violent and nudity!

彩音 ~ Cloudier Sky - AYAKASHI OP

KAORI ~ Ayakashi - 世界が終わりを告げていても

Japanese Film Festival 2007 - True Romance

The Japanese Film Festival 2007 started yesterday and I was there on the first day to catch 2 of the R21 screening. Not that I choose the R21, but I find the PG rather tame as compare to works from Takeshi Miike or other of my favourite directors.

The first was "Vengence is Mine" (復讐するは我にあり/ Fukushû suruwa wareniari). This is a really good story about a jailbird who returned to his life and find many things has changed. The only things that has not changed is his way of criminal life. With the betrayal of his wife to his own father, that send him on a rampage to kill 5 other persons befoer he was finally caught. He impersonate university lecturer, lawyers and even fake his own death along the way. This is long before we had "Catch me if you can" in 1982.
The romance is this show is probably between the inn keeper lady and our anti hero as well as his wife and his father. Its sick in a certain way, but the theme of a hopeless love surrounds this show.

Tjhe 2nd movie I caught was "The Ballad of Narayama" (楢山節考 / Narayama Bushiko). This is the story about olden days Japanese in a cold village in the mountains where law is not what we know of today. The villagers has their own law and believes and along the show, we saw the brutal murder of a family by burying them alive, killing of old people who has reach age of 70 and others. This show portrail the hardness in survival against natural in this poor vilalge, where food is of high importance. Much more than even life itself. Sacrifice were made as a result in the most sad and cruel way. There is NO romance in this show if you asked me and the R21 is really quite unncessary. There is savage sex though, if thats what it is for. Sex just for the sake of relief rather than passion.

I had not caught anything today because the title did not attact me much. However, since the theme is True Romance, I would had hope they brought in really good love story such as "Inugami", "The Lost Eden" and other classics. In this next whole week, there is still movies running at night on weekdays and on the coming sat and sun. My recommendations will go with "Moon and Cherry"（月とチェリー / Tsuki to Cherry, "Tokyo Marigold"(東京マリーゴールド) and "Life can be so Wonderful"(世界は時々美しい / Sekai wa tokidoki utsukushii). Who knows? You may catch me there at these screening.

* Some screening are free while others are not.

More info :
http://www.sfs.org.sg/event.php?id=103

Japanese S&B Assorted Chilli Pepper found to contain Marijuana!

Yes, shocking but true. This bottle of S&B powder which is common used with Japanese Ramen, Soba etc is found to contain tetrahydroncannabinol which happens to be a major component in Marijuana. No wonder this has been tasting so good... :P Better throw it away now anyway. This bottle must had been 2 years in my possession... :P

Gross Toy

I happen to see this really digusting toy in one of the Japanese stores. Its basically something that you can press and it will harden and bounce up becoming a swan or something... However, given the drawing of the graceful ballet dancer, then with the contrast of a old with the swan head... Its pretty gross. I dun wish to say anymore than needed. You get the picture.

怪 Ayakashi

Finally got a chance to catch the 11 episodes of Ayakashi which was produced in 2006. This is another excellent anime especially if you are into culture Japanese horror. The series is mostly based on the Edo period with 3 stories : Yotsuya Kaidan, Tenshu Monogatari and Bakeneko.

I have seen and heard of the first story many times, but I did not know that it was a cursed play... Scary. Of the other 2, I like Tenshu Monogatari more because of the character design as well as the touching stories of how a goddess would give up her immortality for the love of a human.

The 2 theme songs are fantastic. I like the end song Haru no Katami (Memento of Spring) by Chitose Hajime better which is pretty touching if you understand the lyrics. The starting song, Heat Island gives me a whole new definition of Japanese rap which I used to think was nothing...

Official Site :
http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/ayakashi/

Please do not confuse this with another H Game of the same name, which I say is pretty cool as well :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMJKEmZ4vF4

Stop the Killing... Save the Dolphin

Recently I came across a rather shocking footage of Japanese dolphin trade... There is certainly some amount of cruelty I can tolerate, but what I saw I deem far out of my level. I believe that dolphin are after animals of similar intelligence to human and should be treated with respect, but these people in the footage is not even killing for food. They are almost enjoying it. How can we even swallow this in our sushi and tempura? But, my friend, I want you to see this for yourself and decide. Maybe after this you will really think that 2 atomic bombs is not enough.

http://drbenkim.com/earthlings-documentary.html

Well, there is something you can do, do sign a petition against dolphin killing here :

http://www.wayn.com/wayn.html?wci=club&page=makedifference

And when you buy salmon, be sure to check that the salmon is taken from dolphin friendly source. Many fisherman do not adopt such practice and dolphins get killed because of salmon harvesting. I do must say I owe my life to a dolphin, so for once I am very serious about this. Do support the movement against this.

WM5 Themes

Been hunting up and down for these. Most of the sites host many crappy (my standard) ones. However, I would like to introduce you to one of my fav :

Shino's blog
http://blogs.shintak.info/articles/wm5themes.aspx

Its in Japanese, but I do not think pictures has that limitation. :)