By Pawel Mizgalewicz
Looking back at the past, and the thought to fix it – either by covering it up, or by making it better – looks like a fitting choice of subject for Setsuro Wakamatsu, one of Japan’s most experienced directors. Born in 1949, Wakamatsu did not helm any gigantic hits that were shown widely abroad, but is a well known quality in the country and got to work with many of Japan’s popular actors, most famously with Ken Watanabe in „The Unbroken” (“Shizumanu Taiyo”). This time, the director took up a screenplay written by the 90-year-old So Kuramoto, another dependable veteran of the TV and film scene. With “Silence of the Sea”, they tell a story about genius painters at the end of their artistic journey, with dark secrets to untangle. Yet, they dive into the past not only to reminisce, but to use it as a canvas to paint a new masterpiece.
Looking back at the past, and the thought to fix it – either by covering it up, or by making it better – looks like a fitting choice of subject for Setsuro Wakamatsu, one of Japan’s most experienced directors. Born in 1949, Wakamatsu did not helm any gigantic hits that were shown widely abroad, but is a well known quality in the country and got to work with many of Japan’s popular actors, most famously with Ken Watanabe in „The Unbroken” (“Shizumanu Taiyo”). This time, the director took up a screenplay written by the 90-year-old So Kuramoto, another dependable veteran of the TV and film scene. With “Silence of the Sea”, they tell a story about genius painters at the end of their artistic journey, with dark secrets to untangle. Yet, they dive into the past not only to reminisce, but to use it as a canvas to paint a new masterpiece.
- 2/10/2025
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
A scene from the Japanese crime thriller series Kinpika. Courtesy of Mhz Choice
Kinpika is a five-episode subtitled Japanese crime drama that manages to spin a complicated tale with all the efficiency one expects in a Toyota factory. No fat on the bones here as an ex-cop recruits three wrongfully-convicted felons to right the wrongs that were done to them, and to the country. One of them, Kenta Sakaguchi (Kiichi Nakai), is a Yakuza assassin, the second, Isao Okawara (Pierre Taki), was a hard-nosed soldier, and the third, Hirohashi Hidehiko (Yusuke Santamaria), was the top aide to high-ranking government officials. The first was abandoned by jealous under-bosses after years of loyal service in the trenches and time in the slammer. The second was drummed out of the Army for opposing a bill that would waste money and lives, while lining certain pockets. The third took the rap for a honcho’s embezzlement,...
Kinpika is a five-episode subtitled Japanese crime drama that manages to spin a complicated tale with all the efficiency one expects in a Toyota factory. No fat on the bones here as an ex-cop recruits three wrongfully-convicted felons to right the wrongs that were done to them, and to the country. One of them, Kenta Sakaguchi (Kiichi Nakai), is a Yakuza assassin, the second, Isao Okawara (Pierre Taki), was a hard-nosed soldier, and the third, Hirohashi Hidehiko (Yusuke Santamaria), was the top aide to high-ranking government officials. The first was abandoned by jealous under-bosses after years of loyal service in the trenches and time in the slammer. The second was drummed out of the Army for opposing a bill that would waste money and lives, while lining certain pockets. The third took the rap for a honcho’s embezzlement,...
- 10/5/2022
- by Mark Glass
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Koki Mitani used to be one of the main faces of intelligent comedy in Japanese cinema, but his works in 2010s did not share the quality of his previous ones, indulging into too much in silliness and slapstick. His last effort of the decade, however, finds him back in form, with a film that is quite smart and entertaining, to say the least.
“Hit Me Anyone One More Time” is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival
Keisuke Kuroda wakes up in a hospital bed without being able to remember who he is, and even starts roaming the streets in his pajamas, at least until his entourage picks him up. Soon, he realizes that he is the President of the country, but also one of the most hated leaders Japan ever had, with his approval having reached an all-time low. Soon, his two secretaries, the always serious Isaka and the more kind and understanding Banba,...
“Hit Me Anyone One More Time” is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival
Keisuke Kuroda wakes up in a hospital bed without being able to remember who he is, and even starts roaming the streets in his pajamas, at least until his entourage picks him up. Soon, he realizes that he is the President of the country, but also one of the most hated leaders Japan ever had, with his approval having reached an all-time low. Soon, his two secretaries, the always serious Isaka and the more kind and understanding Banba,...
- 10/3/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
One of Japan’s five major broadcast networks, Fuji TV has also been a pioneer and leader among the networks in feature film production. This year at Tiffcom long-time partner Pony Canyon is representing Fuji TV films that have recently hit number one at the Japanese box office.
Among the hottest, with three straight weeks atop the rankings, is “Hit Me Anyone One More Time,” the latest comedy by veteran hitmaker Koki Mitani. As of Oct. 20, the film had earned a rousing $29 million on 2.45 million admissions. Starring Kiichi Nakai as an unpopular prime minister who suddenly loses his memory of his political misdeeds but decides to reboot his career, the film references real-life political figures, though its story is mostly for laughs and, at the end, tears.
Also on the line-up is “Come Kiss Me at 0:00 Am,” a teen romance, based on Rin Mikimoto’s best-selling comic, about an...
Among the hottest, with three straight weeks atop the rankings, is “Hit Me Anyone One More Time,” the latest comedy by veteran hitmaker Koki Mitani. As of Oct. 20, the film had earned a rousing $29 million on 2.45 million admissions. Starring Kiichi Nakai as an unpopular prime minister who suddenly loses his memory of his political misdeeds but decides to reboot his career, the film references real-life political figures, though its story is mostly for laughs and, at the end, tears.
Also on the line-up is “Come Kiss Me at 0:00 Am,” a teen romance, based on Rin Mikimoto’s best-selling comic, about an...
- 10/23/2019
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
It Stopped Raining, which premieres in A Window On Asian Cinema, also on Gaga’s Busan slate.
Japan’s Gaga Corp has picked up international rights to Busan International Film Festival (Biff) opening film, The Horse Thieves – Roads Of Time, directed by Yerlan Nurmukhambetov and Lisa Takeba.
Gaga has worldwide rights excluding Cis, which is being handled by Julia Kim, and China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Korea and Mongolia, which are being handled by Tokyo-based Vap.
Described as a Kazakhstani Western, the film will receive its world premiere at Biff’s opening ceremony tonight (October 3). Starring Samal Yeslyamova, who won...
Japan’s Gaga Corp has picked up international rights to Busan International Film Festival (Biff) opening film, The Horse Thieves – Roads Of Time, directed by Yerlan Nurmukhambetov and Lisa Takeba.
Gaga has worldwide rights excluding Cis, which is being handled by Julia Kim, and China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Korea and Mongolia, which are being handled by Tokyo-based Vap.
Described as a Kazakhstani Western, the film will receive its world premiere at Biff’s opening ceremony tonight (October 3). Starring Samal Yeslyamova, who won...
- 10/3/2019
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
From the director and scriptwriter of “100 Yen Love”, comes a rather enjoyable comedy about the world of antiques and the shenanigans of the people involved.
We Make Antiques screened at Helsinki Cine Aasia Film Festival 2018
Norio Koike is an antique dealer and a scammer (as almost every protagonist and definitely anyone in the antique world in the film) who operates from his van along with his daughter, Imari and has a tendency to believe his horoscope. One day, upon his visit to the house of a seemingly indifferent owner of antiques, he stumbles upon a truly rare piece, and proceeds on swindling his way into owning it for a very small sum, thinking he finally has the big chance he has been waiting for years.
Unfortunately, he soon finds out that he has been swindled himself by the owner, who turns out to be a failed potter named Sasuke Noda,...
We Make Antiques screened at Helsinki Cine Aasia Film Festival 2018
Norio Koike is an antique dealer and a scammer (as almost every protagonist and definitely anyone in the antique world in the film) who operates from his van along with his daughter, Imari and has a tendency to believe his horoscope. One day, upon his visit to the house of a seemingly indifferent owner of antiques, he stumbles upon a truly rare piece, and proceeds on swindling his way into owning it for a very small sum, thinking he finally has the big chance he has been waiting for years.
Unfortunately, he soon finds out that he has been swindled himself by the owner, who turns out to be a failed potter named Sasuke Noda,...
- 3/6/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
From the director and scriptwriter of “100 Yen Love”, comes a rather enjoyable comedy about the world of antiques and the shenanigans of the people involved.
Norio Koike is an antique dealer and a scammer (as almost every protagonist and definitely anyone in the antique world in the film) who operates from his van along with his daughter, Imari and has a tendency to believe his horoscope. One day, upon his visit to the house of a seemingly indifferent owner of antiques, he stumbles upon a truly rare piece, and proceeds on swindling his way into owning it for a very small sum, thinking he finally has the big chance he has been waiting for years.
We Make Antiques is screening at the Toronto Japanese Film Festival
Unfortunately, he soon finds out that he has been swindled himself by the owner, who turns out to be a failed potter named Sasuke Noda,...
Norio Koike is an antique dealer and a scammer (as almost every protagonist and definitely anyone in the antique world in the film) who operates from his van along with his daughter, Imari and has a tendency to believe his horoscope. One day, upon his visit to the house of a seemingly indifferent owner of antiques, he stumbles upon a truly rare piece, and proceeds on swindling his way into owning it for a very small sum, thinking he finally has the big chance he has been waiting for years.
We Make Antiques is screening at the Toronto Japanese Film Festival
Unfortunately, he soon finds out that he has been swindled himself by the owner, who turns out to be a failed potter named Sasuke Noda,...
- 6/24/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Snow on the Blades
“Zakurozaka no adauchi”
Written by Jirô Asada (short story)
Directed by Setsurô Wakamatsu
Japan, 2014
For the devout, honor can become a prison. Snow on the Blades is director Setsurô Wakamatsu’s romantic rumination on one samurai’s futile devotion to the code that society left behind. Though too heavy-handed in its thematic approach, the memorable characters and breathtaking imagery draw you in and refuse to let you go. This is a samurai movie less concerned about the swordplay than the men holding the swords.
The year is 1860 in Hikone, Japan, and the samurai Kingo (Kiichi Nakai) is revered amongst men. He has just taken the beautiful Setsu (Ryôko Hirosue) to be his bride. His prideful mother and father delight over his ascension to chief protector of the Shogun’s First Minister, Ii Naosuke (Kichiemon Nakamura). All of his friends, including his closest confidante, Shinnosuke (Masahiro Takashima), consider him above reproach.
“Zakurozaka no adauchi”
Written by Jirô Asada (short story)
Directed by Setsurô Wakamatsu
Japan, 2014
For the devout, honor can become a prison. Snow on the Blades is director Setsurô Wakamatsu’s romantic rumination on one samurai’s futile devotion to the code that society left behind. Though too heavy-handed in its thematic approach, the memorable characters and breathtaking imagery draw you in and refuse to let you go. This is a samurai movie less concerned about the swordplay than the men holding the swords.
The year is 1860 in Hikone, Japan, and the samurai Kingo (Kiichi Nakai) is revered amongst men. He has just taken the beautiful Setsu (Ryôko Hirosue) to be his bride. His prideful mother and father delight over his ascension to chief protector of the Shogun’s First Minister, Ii Naosuke (Kichiemon Nakamura). All of his friends, including his closest confidante, Shinnosuke (Masahiro Takashima), consider him above reproach.
- 5/19/2015
- by J.R. Kinnard
- SoundOnSight
The official website for Yojiro Takita’s Insight Into the Universe has been updated with a second teaser trailer. Unlike the first teaser, which featured only Junichi Okada, the new teaser also includes brief shots of other cast members and Okada’s co-star, Aoi Miyazaki.
Based on a historical novel by Tow Ubukata, the movie is set in the early Edo period and revolves around an astronomer and Go player named Shibukawa (Okada) who was instrumental in the creation of the Jokyo calendar. Shibukawa’s knowledge of astronomy led to the first major revision of the Japanese calendar in over 800 years, finally fixing inaccuracies which had been slowly increasing during that time. Other cast members include Miyazaki as Shibukawa’s wife, Kiichi Nakai, and Koshiro Matsumoto.
“Insight Into the Universe” will be released by Shochiku in Japan on September 15, 2012.
Based on a historical novel by Tow Ubukata, the movie is set in the early Edo period and revolves around an astronomer and Go player named Shibukawa (Okada) who was instrumental in the creation of the Jokyo calendar. Shibukawa’s knowledge of astronomy led to the first major revision of the Japanese calendar in over 800 years, finally fixing inaccuracies which had been slowly increasing during that time. Other cast members include Miyazaki as Shibukawa’s wife, Kiichi Nakai, and Koshiro Matsumoto.
“Insight Into the Universe” will be released by Shochiku in Japan on September 15, 2012.
- 3/25/2012
- Nippon Cinema
Last May, the film Railways was released in Japan and got unprecedented support from men in their 40s and 50s, unexpectedly attracting over 500,000 people to theaters. Today it was announced that Tomokazu Miura will star in Railways 2.
In the original work, Kiichi Nakai starred as a 49-year-old electronics company executive in Shimane Prefecture who suddenly quits his job to follow through on his childhood dream of becoming a train driver. Coincidentally, Miura’s son Takahiro Miura made his debut in that film.
In the sequel, Miura will play Toru Takishima, a man who has spent 42 years working as a train driver for Toyama Chiho Railway and is now 1 month away from the age of retirement. However, he and his wife of many years, Sawako (Kimiko Yo), reach a crossroads after a re-examination of a previously benign tumor changes her outlook on life. Miura and Yo previously played a married couple...
In the original work, Kiichi Nakai starred as a 49-year-old electronics company executive in Shimane Prefecture who suddenly quits his job to follow through on his childhood dream of becoming a train driver. Coincidentally, Miura’s son Takahiro Miura made his debut in that film.
In the sequel, Miura will play Toru Takishima, a man who has spent 42 years working as a train driver for Toyama Chiho Railway and is now 1 month away from the age of retirement. However, he and his wife of many years, Sawako (Kimiko Yo), reach a crossroads after a re-examination of a previously benign tumor changes her outlook on life. Miura and Yo previously played a married couple...
- 4/20/2011
- Nippon Cinema
Koki Mitani, the comedy director behind box office hits like “The Uchoten Hotel” and “The Magic Hour” is hard at work on a new film called Suteki na Kanashibari: Once in a Blue Moon. According to Mitani, the film will of course be a comedy, but will also include elements of courtroom suspense, ghost fantasy, and drama. It’s a film he’s been planning for over 10 years, but only got the confidence to go ahead with it when he witnessed the positive reaction to “The Magic Hour”.
The cast includes Mitani regulars such as Eri Fukatsu, Kiichi Nakai, and Toshiyuki Nishida as well as actors he hasn’t previously worked with like Hiroshi Abe, Yuko Takeuchi, and Tadanobu Asano.
Fukatsu will play Emi, a third-rate attorney with zero prospects and Abe will play the boss of her law firm. Takeuchi will play both the wife of a murdered capitalist and her own twin sister.
The cast includes Mitani regulars such as Eri Fukatsu, Kiichi Nakai, and Toshiyuki Nishida as well as actors he hasn’t previously worked with like Hiroshi Abe, Yuko Takeuchi, and Tadanobu Asano.
Fukatsu will play Emi, a third-rate attorney with zero prospects and Abe will play the boss of her law firm. Takeuchi will play both the wife of a murdered capitalist and her own twin sister.
- 6/2/2010
- Nippon Cinema
Manga adaptations have been hitting Japanese screens en masse in recent years, though fantasy sword epic “Dororo” does at least have an impeccable pedigree to set it out from the crowd, being based upon a long running series from the 1960s by the masterful Osamu Tezuka (who also created the much loved iconic “Astro Boy”). Having already been transformed into an anime, the comic made the leap to cinemas in 2007 at the hands of director Akihiko Shiota, previously responsible for the likes of “Canary” and “Harmful Insect”. The film was a massive hit on its original release, setting a domestic box office record by holding onto the top spot for an unprecedented six consecutive weeks, and is now finally available on region 2 DVD via Mvm, coming with a featurette and deleted scenes. Although it ostensibly takes place in the future, the film basically has a period setting, and begins as...
- 8/8/2009
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
Crossing Over (Feng Huang)
Tokyo International Film Festival
TOKYO -- Presented at the opening of Tokyo International Film Festival as a memorial screening of Sino-Japanese friendship, "Crossing Over" ("Feng Huang") is a co-production that is aimed more at the Japanese market than the Chinese one. Its outmoded subject and old-school directorial style signal a generation gap between 38-year-old director-writer Jin Chen and the crop of young talent that's remapping Chinese cinema in much more exciting and innovative ways. Anachronistically appropriating the early period pieces of 5th generation directors such as Tian Zhuangzhuang and Zhang Yimou, Jin only occasionally comes close to recreating their historic vision and insight into humanity.
Based on a true story and spanning more than three decades, the film represents prison as a microcosm of Chinese society -- its bureaucracy, factionalism, punitive control, barbarity, sexual repression and the Chinese's resilience, loyalty and altruistic love. At the same time, the prison is a subjective space sealed off from social reality. Outside, wars rage, governments fall and rise. Inside, life goes on in a time warp.
Liu Lang (Kiichi Nakai), a Japanese orphan brought up in China, is thrown into jail in the 1920s when he injured someone who threatened his lover's honor. There he befriends Liang Jianwang (Guo Tao from "Crazy Stone"), an innocent inmate with psychic abilities. Liang's predictions of calamity come true and Liu Lang suffers a great loss in his life. In the female quarters, there is a woman similarly stripped of all hope. Zhou Hong Miao Pu) has been sentenced to death for poisoning her abusive husband, but her pregnancy brings an unwanted reprieve.
Punishment in the form of cleaning pig pens gives them the unexpected chance to bond over shared odors. Even though the male and female prisoners are segregated, the two grow to savor every moment of being in each other's presence, no matter how far apart physically. They cling to an ancient legend about the phoenix signifying that their Zodiac destinies Will Cross. As a result, they survive decades of hardship and separation believing they can be together one day.
The relentless documentation of human suffering and tragedies both personal and en masse in an inclement natural and social environment makes the two hours running time seem like a life-sentence itself. Some "Papillon"-like escapades and outdoor scenes come as a welcome relief but they are as rare as amnesties.
Thankfully, distinguished Japanese actor Kiichi Nakai's impassioned performance helps to alleviate the heaviness of theme and content. Reducing dubbed Mandarin language to a minimum, Nakai delivers a world of eloquent emotions with his rich body language and complex facial expressions. He invests his character with dignity, demonstrating both stolid endurance, and a raging will to fight even when the match is completely rigged against him. Miao Pu also gives a demonstrative performance that generates sparks in their scenes together.
CROSSING OVER
New Wave Co/Kadokawa Pictures
Credits:
Writer/director: Jin Chen
Screenwriter: Shen Jie
Producers: Kiichi Nakai, Naoyuki Sakagami
Executive producer/producer: Shirley Kao
Executive producers: Cai Guanshen, Han Hongfei
Director of photography: Meng Xiaoqing
Production designer: Zhou Yisha
Music: S.E.N.S.
Cast:
Liu Lang: Kiichi Nakai
Zhou Hong: Miao Pu
Liang Jiawang: Guo Tao
Running time 121 minutes
No MPAA rating...
TOKYO -- Presented at the opening of Tokyo International Film Festival as a memorial screening of Sino-Japanese friendship, "Crossing Over" ("Feng Huang") is a co-production that is aimed more at the Japanese market than the Chinese one. Its outmoded subject and old-school directorial style signal a generation gap between 38-year-old director-writer Jin Chen and the crop of young talent that's remapping Chinese cinema in much more exciting and innovative ways. Anachronistically appropriating the early period pieces of 5th generation directors such as Tian Zhuangzhuang and Zhang Yimou, Jin only occasionally comes close to recreating their historic vision and insight into humanity.
Based on a true story and spanning more than three decades, the film represents prison as a microcosm of Chinese society -- its bureaucracy, factionalism, punitive control, barbarity, sexual repression and the Chinese's resilience, loyalty and altruistic love. At the same time, the prison is a subjective space sealed off from social reality. Outside, wars rage, governments fall and rise. Inside, life goes on in a time warp.
Liu Lang (Kiichi Nakai), a Japanese orphan brought up in China, is thrown into jail in the 1920s when he injured someone who threatened his lover's honor. There he befriends Liang Jianwang (Guo Tao from "Crazy Stone"), an innocent inmate with psychic abilities. Liang's predictions of calamity come true and Liu Lang suffers a great loss in his life. In the female quarters, there is a woman similarly stripped of all hope. Zhou Hong Miao Pu) has been sentenced to death for poisoning her abusive husband, but her pregnancy brings an unwanted reprieve.
Punishment in the form of cleaning pig pens gives them the unexpected chance to bond over shared odors. Even though the male and female prisoners are segregated, the two grow to savor every moment of being in each other's presence, no matter how far apart physically. They cling to an ancient legend about the phoenix signifying that their Zodiac destinies Will Cross. As a result, they survive decades of hardship and separation believing they can be together one day.
The relentless documentation of human suffering and tragedies both personal and en masse in an inclement natural and social environment makes the two hours running time seem like a life-sentence itself. Some "Papillon"-like escapades and outdoor scenes come as a welcome relief but they are as rare as amnesties.
Thankfully, distinguished Japanese actor Kiichi Nakai's impassioned performance helps to alleviate the heaviness of theme and content. Reducing dubbed Mandarin language to a minimum, Nakai delivers a world of eloquent emotions with his rich body language and complex facial expressions. He invests his character with dignity, demonstrating both stolid endurance, and a raging will to fight even when the match is completely rigged against him. Miao Pu also gives a demonstrative performance that generates sparks in their scenes together.
CROSSING OVER
New Wave Co/Kadokawa Pictures
Credits:
Writer/director: Jin Chen
Screenwriter: Shen Jie
Producers: Kiichi Nakai, Naoyuki Sakagami
Executive producer/producer: Shirley Kao
Executive producers: Cai Guanshen, Han Hongfei
Director of photography: Meng Xiaoqing
Production designer: Zhou Yisha
Music: S.E.N.S.
Cast:
Liu Lang: Kiichi Nakai
Zhou Hong: Miao Pu
Liang Jiawang: Guo Tao
Running time 121 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/29/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- Every season we folks here at ioncinema.com like to extract 20 options for your viewing pleasure from the thick list of weekly offerings. The season we had several of our regular contributors involved with a 2 tier voting process giving us 20 films worth you spending your hard earned cash on. Films such as Casino Royale or A Good Year didn’t make the cut and choices like Shortbus and The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes just barely weere on the cusp of being included in our top 20. So today we present picks 20 thru 11 and be sure to come back tomorrow as we count down our top 10 positions. 20. All The Kings Men Release date: Sept.22 Limited ReleaseDistributor: Columbia Pictures Ioncinema Preview : View here The Gist: This remake combines a solid cast and a message that is just has pertinent today. Fact: Film was pushed back a full year. See It: Steven
- 9/4/2006
- IONCINEMA.com
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