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“Brunhild The Dragonslayer” official synopsis from Yen Press: “Eden… A place of perfection, where man and beast live side by side in harmony… Eden's protector, the silver dragon, regularly visits retribution upon those who would bring harm to paradise. But when the dragon discovers a human girl on the shores of Eden, he decides to raise her as his own. He teaches her that if she is to be welcomed into God's kingdom after death, she must not harbor hatred in her heart. But when the dragon's life is mercilessly snuffed out by human machinations, the girl must choose whether to heed his dying wish and stay the course of righteousness…or walk a path of vengeance.”

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Yukiko Agarizaki's “Brunhild The Dragonslayer” blurs the line between a light novel and the more traditional definition of a literary work.

“When they come, someone dies…” After a quiet boy named Kaname joins the class, Mio reaches out to him, hoping to help the odd boy settle into his new environment. Kaname takes to her a little too well, however, asking to come to her house and then showing up all the time. Frightened, Mio seeks help from an upperclassman she admires…but the nameless wickedness is already coming. It's close. It's growing. A horror-mystery novel by famed author Mizuki Tsujimura. (Yen Press)

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Yami-hara: an abbreviation of “yami harassment.”

Yami Harassment: A compound of Yami (“darkness) and harassment; unwelcome conduct toward a person stemming from darkness in one's own mind or heart. Applies to any action that threatens or violates the dignity of another person, regardless of intent or awareness.

Tapping into the horror of everyday micro-transgressions, Mizuki Tsujimura...

Lonely Castle in the Mirror is a well-meaning anime film. The latest film to come to North America courtesy of Gkids tackles teenage issues that have haunted generations with a deft hand, infusing its central character with a resonant and impactful arc that largely works in an understated way. It's occasionally gorgeous, and it knows when to pull back and let the characters do the heavy lifting. It has the makings of something great -- just not necessarily a movie. The problem is that the anime quickly overloads itself with too large of a cast and too deliberate of a pace. The central arc gets muddied and even dull when it tries to expand to the rest of the story. While Lonely Castle in the Mirror is an occasionally effective tearjerker, adapting the story to a longer-form medium like television might have better served its central ideas and characters.

Lonely Castle in the Mirror...

Playing games can be educational and otherwise beneficial. It is not necessarily about winning, whatever and however it might be, but more of something more long-term, even permanent, such as lessons learnt and friends made. And some, maybe even most of the in-game stuff, could be translated to the outer, real world that tends to be more cruel than the usual product of human imagination. That could serve as the point of Mizuki Tsujimura's novel and Keiichi Hara's animated feature “Lonely Castle in the Mirror”. The source novel achieved bestseller status in Japan, while the film entered distribution in the East Asian cinemas before its festival showing.

Lonely Castle in the Mirror is screening at Nippon Connection

Our protagonist Kokori lives a life of the middle school's outsider and bottom-feeder. She is bullied by the clique of the school's popular “alpha-bitch”, she does not have many friends and...

"Maybe we're supposed to help each other." GKids has revealed an official US trailer for a Japanese anime film titled Lonely Castle in the Mirror, set to play in US theaters this summer. More and more Japanese films are getting a proper theatrical release, as they're noticed there is a good audience for this and they can actually bring people out to the cinema. From acclaimed director Keiichi Hara and based on the bestselling novel by Mizuki Tsujimura, Lonely Castle in the Mirror is a heartfelt drama about the pains of growing up and the unlikely bonds that can bring people together. Seven teens wake to find their bedroom mirrors are shining. They are pulled from their lonely lives to a wondrous castle. In this new sanctuary, they are confronted with a set of clues leading to a hidden room where one of them will be granted a wish. But...

Summer theatrical release lined up.

GKids has acquired all North American rights to Keiichi Hara’s Rotterdam selection Lonely Castle In The Mirror.

The film was the first Japanese animation to premiere at Rotterdam International Film Festival and recently received its US premiere at New York International Children’s Film Festival.

Lonely Castle In The Mirror follows shy school student Kokoro who enters a castle through a portal in her bedroom mirror where she and six other students must accept a challenge by a girl wearing a wolf mask.

The youngsters work together to uncover the mysterious connection that unites them,...

Gkids has picked up the North American distribution rights to the Lonely Castle in the Mirror anime pic from Japanese director Keiichi Hara.

The film, adapted from the novel of the same name by Mizuki Tsujimura, is set for a summer release theatrically in its original Japanese language and a new English-dubbed version.

Lonely Castle in the Mirror portrays a shy outcast teen, voiced by Ami Touma, who is avoiding school when she discovers a portal in her bedroom mirror. She reaches through and is transported to an enchanting castle with six other students who are together invited by a girl in a wolf mask to play a game to uncover the mysterious connection that unites them — and anyone breaking the rules will be eaten by a wolf.

The film, with animation from the A-1 Pictures, has a Japanese voice cast that includes Takumi Kitamura, Sakura Kiryu, Rihito Itagaki, Naho Yokomizo,...

Gkids has snapped up North American rights to Keiichi Hara’s Lonely Castle in the Mirror, after serving as the distributor in the territory for his past animated features Summer Days with Coo and Miss Hokusai. The film based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Mizuki Tsujimura, featuring animation from A-1 Pictures, is slated for a theatrical release in both its original Japanese language and an all-new English dub this summer.

Reuniting Hara with collaborators including screenwriter Miho Maruo, composer Harumi Fuuki and artist Ilya Kuvshinov, Lonely Castle in the Mirror follows shy outcast Kokoro, who has been avoiding school for weeks when she discovers a portal in her bedroom mirror. She reaches through and finds herself transported to an enchanting castle where she is joined by six other students. And when a girl in a wolf mask explains that they have been invited to play a game,...

The anime industry of Japan is enormous, with 200 new TV shows and two trillion yen in revenue each year. For seven years, soft-spoken yet strong-willed Hitomi Saito has climbed the ranks, and is set to direct a series for the first time. At the same moment, the difficult but undeniably brilliant director Chiharu Oji is set to make his big comeback after almost a decade. The hit series that made Oji famous is what inspired Saito to jump into the anime field, and her goal is to match, and even surpass, his success and relevance. Her chance has arrived. Their two programs are both scheduled to debut in the same prime-time Saturday slot, and after Saito challenges her rival on stage at an anime convention, the two production teams each set out to outdo one another, because there can only be one number-one!

A heartfelt and hilarious comedy-drama about making...

Mother Has Arrived: Kawase Returns with Intersecting Drama on Motherhood

Recently, Naomi Kawase, a staple amongst arthouse enthusiasts of Japanese cinema, has been drifting ever so lightly into the realm of soapy melodrama. Balancing emotional resonance with her formidable aesthetics more effortlessly than evidenced in some of her other comparable forays into this format is True Mothers, an adaptation of a 2015 novel by Mizuki Tsujimura.

As is the case across many cultures, the ability and expectation for women to have their own children is a sign of success, a stronghold of familial normalcy. Symbolically, its hierarchical value includes the carrying of the bloodline or the family name and in tangible terms, children are the seeds which will become one’s eventual care provider.…...

True Mothers (Asa g Kuru) Film Movement Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Naomi Kawase Writer: Naomi Kawase, Izumi Takahashi, based on the novel by Mizuki Tsujimura Cast: Hiromi Nagasaku, Arata Iura, Aju Makita, Reo Sato, Hiroko Nakamima, Tetsu Hriahara, Ren Komai, Taketo Tanaka Screened at: Critics’ link, […]

The post True Mothers Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

The films of Naomi Kawase don’t always receive major releases in the United States, but thankfully that’s not the case for her newest feature, True Mothers. In fact, not only is the Cannes and TIFF selection arriving in Virtual Cinemas at the end of the month, courtesy of Film Movement, it’s also Japan’s Oscar entry this year.

A new trailer has also now arrived, introducing the story of a married couple who struggles to get pregnant, but then adopts a child. When the mother of the child returns years later, their family dynamic gets complicated.

C.J. Prince said in his TIFF review, “True Mothers, Kawase’s adaptation of a novel by Mizuki Tsujimura, might be her most plot-heavy work to date. Structured as a mystery of sorts, it hinges itself on a central moment to tell two different stories… There’s a strong emotional core,...

Film Movement has taken U.S. rights to Naomi Kawase’s “True Mothers” which is Japan’s entry for the international feature film race at the Oscars.

The affecting family drama was part of Cannes 2020’s Official Selection and went on to play at Toronto, San Sebastian and Chicago film festivals. “True Mothers” will have a theatrical rollout in 2021, followed by release on all home entertainment and digital platforms.

Penned by Kawase and based on Mizuki Tsujimura’s bestselling novel of the same name, “True Mothers” tells the story of a young couple, Satoko and her husband Kiyokazu, who after a long and painful experience with fertility treatment decide to adopt a child. Six years later, they get a threatening phone call from a woman pretending to be the biological mother of the child and threatening to extort money from them.

“We’re thrilled to acquire Naomi’s latest masterwork,...

Cannes beloved regular, filmmaker Naomi Kawase, was originally summoned to premiere her latest work “True Mothers” at this year’s edition, in spring. We all know what happened then, unfortunately, and the film was finally premiered at Toronto Film Festival last September and It is now in cinemas in Japan. Based on a novel that ignited discussions about adoption in Japan, the film takes in fact an approach more emotional than moral, leaving the adoption issue on the background.

“True Mothers” is streaming at Thessaloniki International Film Festival

The narration unfolds in a three-act mode, 2 of which are long flashbacks. We are immediately introduced to the serene middle-class Kurihara family in Tokyo. In an airy and bright apartment, Satoko (Hiromi Nagasaku) lovingly helps her 6-year-old boy Asato (Reo Sato) in the morning ritual of tooth-brushing and dad Kiyokazu (Arata Iura) takes him to school. Not long after, a phone call...

Cannes beloved regular, filmmaker Naomi Kawase, was originally summoned to premiere her latest work “True Mothers” at this year’s edition, in spring. We all know what happened then, unfortunately, and the film was finally premiered at Toronto Film Festival last September and It is now in cinemas in Japan. Based on a novel that ignited discussions about adoption in Japan, the film takes in fact an approach more emotional than moral, leaving the adoption issue on the background.

“True Mothers” is screening as part of the 2nd Annual HFPA Foreign Language Film Series

The narration unfolds in a three-act mode, 2 of which are long flashbacks. We are immediately introduced to the serene middle-class Kurihara family in Tokyo. In an airy and bright apartment, Satoko (Hiromi Nagasaku) lovingly helps her 6-year-old boy Asato (Reo Sato) in the morning ritual of tooth-brushing and dad Kiyokazu (Arata Iura) takes him to school.

Japan has picked Naomi Kawase’s delicate family drama True Mothers to represent the country in the 2021 Oscar race in the international feature category.

The decision was announced Friday by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan.

Based on a novel by mystery writer Mizuki Tsujimura, True Mothers tells the story of a middle-class Japanese couple who turn to an adoption agency for a baby after learning they can’t conceive. Their incipient happiness then gets turned upside-down when their son’s biological mother shows up and demands him back.

The Hollywood Reporter’s reviewer described the film as “a moving dramatization ...

Japan has picked Naomi Kawase’s delicate family drama True Mothers to represent the country in the 2021 Oscar race in the international feature category.

The decision was announced Friday by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan.

Based on a novel by mystery writer Mizuki Tsujimura, True Mothers tells the story of a middle-class Japanese couple who turn to an adoption agency for a baby after learning they can’t conceive. Their incipient happiness then gets turned upside-down when their son’s biological mother shows up and demands him back.

The Hollywood Reporter’s reviewer described the film as “a moving dramatization ...

A middle-class couple who can’t have children turns to an adoption agency for a baby, only to find their happiness threatened years later when their son’s biological mother shows up and demands him back. Though the story is based on a novel by mystery writer Mizuki Tsujimura, True Mothers (Asa ga Kuru) is a true Naomi Kawase film: a lush visual reworking of parental angst and despair, offset by frequent interludes of communing with that great healer, Mother Nature. It is, at least in its closing hour, a moving dramatization of maternal feelings, and could gather new fans for the ...

A middle-class couple who can’t have children turns to an adoption agency for a baby, only to find their happiness threatened years later when their son’s biological mother shows up and demands him back. Though the story is based on a novel by mystery writer Mizuki Tsujimura, True Mothers (Asa ga Kuru) is a true Naomi Kawase film: a lush visual reworking of parental angst and despair, offset by frequent interludes of communing with that great healer, Mother Nature. It is, at least in its closing hour, a moving dramatization of maternal feelings, and could gather new fans for the ...

Naomi Kawase is a divisive name on the festival circuit, though you might be surprised that’s the case when actually watching her work. A mainstay at the Cannes Film Festival for over two decades, Kawase boasts fluidity in form and feeling. She blends documentary and fiction while putting her stories within a context that reveres the natural world, an approach that has inspired admiration for some and annoyance for others. But whatever one accepts or rejects from Kawase’s films is irrelevant to the fact that she has a distinctive voice, and the way her vision adapts to or clashes against cinematic conventions can be a rewarding experience in itself.

True Mothers, Kawase’s adaptation of a novel by Mizuki Tsujimura, might be her most plot-heavy work to date. Structured as a mystery of sorts, it hinges itself on a central moment to tell two different stories. The first...

There are cinephiles who are transported to aesthetic nirvana by Naomi Kawase’s eco-spiritualism, and there are critics who flee her cinematic ashram. Neither will be wholly satisfied with “True Mothers,” the director’s contemplation of motherhood and adoption, which is her most plot-driven but least visually lustrous film yet. Like most of her previous features, this one also made Cannes’ official selection, only this one had to wait till Toronto to premiere after Covid struck. Resembling the relationship-based “Red Bean,” this dip into less mystical waters may give the film wider reach beyond French devotees to non-art-house fans of melodrama, especially in Asia.

Kawase’s father walked out at her tender age, letting her grandmother shoulder much of her upbringing. The wounds of abandonment are lyrically evoked in her debut “Suzaku,” as well as in “Shara” and “Still the Water,” while her enduring absorption with birth and her self-perception...

Competition line-up includes five Cannes label titles.

San Sebastian International Film Festival (Ssiff) has revealed the first six features that will screen in competition at its 68th edition, including five Cannes label titles.

Films that will compete for the San Sebastian’s Golden Shell include: Sharunas Bartas’ In The Dusk; Naomi Kawase’s True Mothers; Dea Kulumbegashvili’s Beginning; François Ozon’s Summer Of 85; Takuma Sato’s Any Crybabies Around?; and Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round.

All except Sato’s new feature, which will receive its world premiere at San Sebastian, were previously in Cannes’ Official Selection. It follows...

Cannes Film Festival’s regular Naomi Kawase will not see her new movie “True Mothers” screened there this year unfortunately, despite being added to the list of 2020 Official Selections, and we will not be able to see it in theatres for a while either, for reasons that we all know, but it will probably be present in many line-ups of the new post-summer round of Festivals.

Synopsis

Based on Mizuki Tsujimura’s novel of the same name, “True Mothers” follows the story of Kiyokazu Kurihara and Satoko, a married couple struggling with infertility and trying every medical help in order to conceive biologically. However, after a long stream of unsuccessful attempts, the couple decides to adopt the child Asato instead. Then, six years later a woman comes into their lives and introduces herself as Hikari Katakura, She claims to be Asato’s biological mother and extorts them for money.

The film stars Arata Iura,...

Playtime has closed raft of pre-sales to key territories on a pair of anticipated prestige films, Francois Ozon’s “Summer of 85” and Naomi Kawase’s “True Mothers,” after unveiling promo reels of both pics at the Efm in Berlin.

“Summer of 85” has pre-sold to Israel (Lev Cinema), Turkey (Bir Film), Poland (Against Gravity), Spain (Golem),

Belgium (September Film), Switzerland’s (Filmcoopi), Russia (A One), Portugal (Leopardo Filmes), Latin America (California Filmes), South Korea (Challan) and Ex-Yugoslavia (McF). Playtime is currently negotiating deals in other territories around the world.

A coming-of-age love story, “Summer 85” follows 16-year-old Alexis who meets 18-year-old David on the coast of Normandy and feels that he has just met the friend of his dreams.

On top of being directed by Ozon, one of France’s leading auteurs whose last film, “By the Grace of God,” won the Silver Bear in Berlin, the project is a...

Includes new films from Ann Hui, Mohamed Diab and Kaouther Ben Hania.Asia

Love After Love (China)

Dir. Ann Hui

Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui revisits the work of Eileen Chang with this adaptation of 1943 novella Aloeswood Incense about a young woman from Shanghai who heads to Hong Kong to continue her studies, but ends up working for her aunt, seducing rich and powerful men. The cast features Eddie Peng, Ma Sichun and Faye Yu. Hui is regularly feted on the Asian festival circuit but has not been selected for an A-list European event since 2011 when A Simple Life played in competition in Venice.

Paris-based company Playtime and Japanese outfit Kino Intl. have boarded “Comes Morning” (“Asa ga Kuru”), the next project by revered Japanese director Naomi Kawase. The film started shooting last month in Tokyo.

Penned by Kawase and based on Mizuki Tsujimura’s bestselling novel of the same name, “Comes Morning” tells the story of a young couple, Satoko and her husband, Kiyokazu, who after a long and painful experience with fertility treatment decide to adopt a child. Six years later, they get a threatening phone call from a woman named Hikari, who pretends to be the biological mother of the child and who is ready to extort money from them.

“Everyone is somebody’s ‘child’ and was given birth [to] by ‘mother.’ And because of this fact, the core of this story will shake people’s heart, I believe,” said Kawase in a statement. “There lies the beginning of the world, seen...

Leading Japanese auteur director, Naomi Kawase has begun production on her latest film, “Asa ga Kuru” (translation: Comes Morning). It is based on a 2015 novel by Mizuki Tsujimura about a woman who adopts a child, but is contacted by its birth mother out of the blue.

Principal photography began on April 16 at six locations around Japan, including the Tokyo Bay area, Yokohama, Hiroshima and Kawase’s native Nara Prefecture. But the cast will only be revealed at a later date.

Shooting is scheduled to wrap in early June. The film is set for a 2020 release.

“The talent of Mizuki Tsujimura, who created the world of ‘Asa ga Kuru,’ makes me jealous,” said Kawase in a statement. “I’m overjoyed that I can turn this story into a film.” Tsujimura’s fiction has been the source of several films and drama series, including an eight-episode series based on “Asa ga Kuru...

The official website for Yuichiro Hirakawa’s upcoming film Tsunagu has been updated with a new 32-second teaser trailer.

The film is based on a best-selling novel by Mizuki Tsujimura, winner of the 32nd Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers.

In his first starring role in a feature film, Tori Matsuzaka plays Ayumi, a high school student who begins working as an apprentice spirit medium under the tutelage of his grandmother, Aiko (Kirin Kiki), in hopes of taking over for her someday. Through this work, he interacts with various people who have lost loved ones and experiences growth through the process.

Due to the nature of the story, the film features a full line-up of stars in small, but impactful supporting roles. Included are names like Tatsuya Nakadai, Ryuta Sato, Ai Hashimoto, Ito Ono, Kenichi Endo, and Mirei Kiritani, to name a few.

“Tsunagu” will be released by Toho in...

Tori Matsuzaka, winner of the Best New Actor prize from the 85th Kinema Junpo Awards, is set to get his first starring film role in an adaptation of Mizuki Tsujimura’s best-selling novel, Tsunagi.

Last year, the novel helped Tsujimura take home the 32nd Yoshikawa Eiji Award for New Writers. The story is a mixture of fantasy and human drama, depicting a young man’s personal growth through his work helping people connect with lost loved ones as a spirit medium.

Matsuzaka plays Ayumi, a high school student who’s working as an apprentice medium under the tutelage of his grandmother, Aiko (Kirin Kiki), in hopes of taking over for her someday.

Yuichiro Hirakawa worked on the screenplay and will direct. His previous directorial work includes TBS dramas such as Rookies, Jin and Mr. Brain. He was reportedly deeply moved by the original novel.

According to Hirakawa, the Tohoku earthquake...