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Naruto is one of the most popular Shonen anime, and for good reason. From well-developed characters to amazing backstories, Masashi Kishimoto knows how to please fans. Yet, there have been brainfart moments in the anime that have become universal meme materials.

Some scenes in the anime are so ill-planned that the plot hole is as glaring as headlamps at night. These scenes have often prompted fans to question if Studio Pierrot animators had even read Naruto before storyboarding.

#4 Tenten Blindfolding Neji Tenten blindfolding Neji | Naruto | Credit: Studio Pierrot

In one Naruto episode, Tenten blindfolded Neji, and ever since then, it has been a source of laughter for fans. Neji is a proficient user of Byakugan, an ability that granted him a nearly 360° penetrative field of vision. A small blindspot existed in his back, which Neji was well aware of. Byakugan helps the user see through solid objects, and Neji can even use a telescopic sight.

Japan has selected Perfect Days, the Tokyo-based fiction feature from German filmmaker Wim Wenders, as its entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Oscars.

The pic, which debuted in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, was picked by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. The decision marks the first time a non-Japanese filmmaker has been chosen to lead the country’s Oscars push. Wenders’ Perfect Days is likely to have beat out Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy And The Heron for the spot.

The film’s official synopsis reads: Hirayama seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine, he enjoys his passion for music and books. He loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveals more of his past.

Starring are Koji Yakusho (Babel), newcomer Arisa Nakano,...

Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-based Cannes Competition title Perfect Days has clocked a series of international deals for The Match Factory.

Deals reported include UK/Ireland/Latam/Turkey (Mubi), Australia/New Zealand (Madman), Benelux (Paradiso), China (DDDream), Italy (Lucky Red), Spain (A Contracorriente), Switzerland (Dcm), Baltics (A-One Baltics), Bulgaria (Art Fest), Cis (A-One), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Aerofilms), Former Yugoslavia (McF), Greece (Feelgood Entertainment), Hong Kong (Edko Films), Hungary (Cirko), Israel (Lev Cinemas), Poland (Gutek), Portugal (Alambique), Romania (Bad Unicorn), Scandinavia (Future Film) and Taiwan (Applause).

North American rights were previously sold to Neon, while France went to Haut et Court.

The official synopsis for the movie reads: Hirayama seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine he enjoys his passion for music and for books. And he loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected...

Exclusive: Neon is nearing a deal for North American rights to Cannes competition entry Perfect Days from The Match Factory in a deal pegged in the mid-to-high six figures.

The parties declined to comment.

Wim Wenders’ well-received Japan-set movie debuted today on the Croisette. The official synopsis for the movie reads: Hirayama seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine he enjoys his passion for music and for books. And he loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past.

Starring are Koji Yakusho (Babel), newcomer Arisa Nakano, Tokio Emoto (Norwegian Wood), Yumi Aso (Carnation), Sayuri Ishikawa, Tomokazu Miura (Adrift in Tokyo), Aoi Yamada (Netflix series First Love) and veteran actor and dancer Min Tanaka (The Twilight Samurai).

Related: Cannes Film Festival 2023: All...

Exclusive: The Match Factory will be handling world sales on Wim Wenders’ Japan-set Cannes Competition entry Perfect Days.

The film reunites three-time Oscar nominee Wenders with Cannes, where he has debuted 12 movies and previously won the Palme d’Or for Paris, Texas.

The official synopsis reads: “Hirayama seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine he enjoys his passion for music and for books. And he loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past.” Above is a first look image of the film.

Starring are Koji Yakusho (Babel), newcomer Arisa Nakano, Tokio Emoto (Norwegian Wood), Yumi Aso (Carnation), Sayuri Ishikawa, Tomokazu Miura (Adrift in Tokyo), Aoi Yamada (Netflix series First Love) and veteran actor and dancer...

Japanese director Miki Satoshi has a weird sense of humor, and it shows in the quirky movies he makes. Instant Swamp, Adrift in Tokyo and Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers all bear his unmistakable signature. His newest, Convenience Story, divides audiences though. "About 50% of people are happy, about 50% are angry", he told people at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Which category would I fall into? Time to take a look! In Convenience Story, we follow screenplay writer Kato, who is suffering from a lack of original ideas. This changes when a mishap with his girlfriend's dog has Kato getting stuck for days in a convenience store somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Run by Nagumo and Keiko, an odd married couple shrouded in...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

When it comes to Japanese comedies, few directors have made quite the impact. While some of his peers might have some of the more universally known titles under their belt, Miki has also left his mark with works such as “Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers”, “Adrift in Tokyo” and “Instant Swamp”. Being the member of a comedy group whose band of humor he once compared to Monty Python, he has emphasized the targets for laughter in his works are those tendencies, trends or moods within the culture of his home country which may be seen as odd or troublesome. His newest feature, “Convenience Story”, is no exception to the rule, with the story revolving around one of the cornerstones of Japanese culture, at least to the eye of the outsider, the 24/7-open convenience store seemingly promising an easy solution to one’s problems. The feature is also a collaboration of film critic Mark Schilling,...

“In my 8th college year, buying 3-colour toothpaste I thought could save me from my rock-bottom situation.”

“Adrift in Tokyo” is the sixth feature by Japanese writer and director Satoshi Miki, whose reputation in his home country is based on his work in television, which is much infused with his particular brand of humor. While his films, unlike the work of colleagues like Takashi Miike or Takeshi Kitano, have largely remained unknown to many Western audiences, thanks to the attentiveness of companies such as the UK-based Third Window Films at least some of them can now be enjoyed in decent DVD releases. One of them is “Adrift in Tokyo”, a feature praised by critics and audiences as it was screened in various international festivals.

Looking at the director, one might be excused to mistake him for one of his protagonists. With his goatee, slacker-like clothes and a floppy heat,...

It has been five years since the we last witnessed the unique cinema of Satoshi Miki, and this film proves that has been too long, from a director, who has made a significant contribution to the nonsense film, with productions like “Adrift in Tokyo”, “Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers” and “Instant Swamp”. This particular movie continues in the aforementioned footsteps.

“Louder! Can’t Hear What You’re Singing, Wimp” is part of the Asian selection at Fantasia International Film Festival

Sin is a rock icon, a kind of Japanese Marilyn Manson whose charisma and powerful voice have propelled him to the top of the music scene. Sin, however, also hides a heavy secret: he regularly receives shots of steroids to boost his vocal chords. During a hectic concert, a stream of blood suddenly starts gushing out of his mouth, literally bathing the audience in it. Unfortunately, it’s not a stunt,...

Besides managing Lady Gaga in Bradley Cooper’s “A Star Is Born” remake (out October 5), this year Sam Elliott will star in another movie that sounds original in every way. “The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then he Bigfoot” will have its world premiere this July at the Fantasia International Film Festival. Writer-director Robert Kryzkowski’s first feature — executive produced by twice-Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Sayles — casts Elliott as a WWII veteran who American and Canadian cops send to slay a plague-riddled beast.

A full line-up for Montreal’s annual celebration of horror/sci-fi/action cinema is forthcoming on June 28, but festival organizers have released the names of several notable entries from its 22nd program. Daniel Roby’s French-language film “Dans La Brume” (“Just a Breath Away”) will open the proceedings, transporting the audience to a post-earthquake Paris. That cast includes Olga Kurylenko, last seen as Adam Driver’s lover in...

“Adrift in Tokyo” (released domestically as “Tenten”) is a 2007 outing from cult favourite director Satoshi Miki, who has been responsible for some of the best loved of the recent wave of eccentric Japanese comedies, including “Instant Swamp” and “Turtles are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers”. Headlined by the extremely effective pairing of actors Joe Odagiri (“I Wish”, “Shinobi”) and Tomokazu Miura (“The Taste of Tea”), the film is a whimsical stroll through the city, with the two getting caught up in the kind of odd events and unexpected adventures that Miki has become so well known for. The film finally lands on region 2 DVD via Third Window on February 27th. Joe Odagiri plays slacker and eternal student type Takemura, the film opening with him having a sock stuffed in his mouth by debt collector Fukuhara (Tomokazu Miura) in an effort to try to get him to finally pay off his mountain of bills.