Japanese Archives | Page 40 Of 86

From Art to Music with Millennium Parade’s Debut Album!

This work draws from Japanese folklore, and this supernatural world has modern tonality embedded in the lyrics. The songs take ideas from Hyakki Yagyo – The Night of One Hundred Demons and transform the images, stories and lore from this Asiatic world into evocative melodies that’s both a meditative and a clubbing experience.

Image result for Millennium parade

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Not everyone will know of Millennium Parade, an arts collective from Japan whose music can’t be easily pigeon-holed. They are led by Daiki Tsuneta, frontman of J-Pop band King Gnu, and can be categorized as New Wave or Trip Hop. The debut self-titled album is a fresh exhilarating experience for me, and their sound is similar to but not quite like the sound from the virtual band’s Gorillaz. But anime fans will know them because they’re the composers of the opening song, “Fly with Me” for Netflix’s Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2045.

This work draws from Japanese folklore, and this supernatural world has modern tonality embedded in the lyrics. The songs take ideas from Hyakki Yagyo – The Night of One Hundred Demons and transform the images, stories and lore from this Asiatic world into evocative melodies that’s both a meditative and a clubbing experience. On the cover, a “Tezutsu Hanabi” (the oldest form of Japanese fireworks, encased in bamboo and held by hand) which was traditionally used to protect from evil spirits, and was also used to pray for a good harvest, is held by Ebisu (one of the 7 Gods of Fortune).

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VFFOnline: Navigating Nobuhiko Ōbayashi’s Labyrinth of Cinema

Noriko and Shigeru’s relationship is cute, and they share some wonderful moments which recall those films of yore. Without it, the anti-war message that concludes each segment would have felt overdone.

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Streaming Online
at the Victoria Film Festival
Get your pass here.
All films begin Feb 5th, 2021

Note: Geo-locked to residents in British Columbia

Spoiler Alert

Nobuhiko Ōbayashi‘s Labyrinth of Cinema is not only a tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood but also an anti-war film. The many genres this era introduced helped define the shape of entertainment still to come, and its fondly honoured. We see a bit of everything in this film, from animation to comedy to sci-fi, and there’s even a splash of horror offered after a few musical moments. The best bits are with the romances, though.

The films of today are a lot more sophisticated in terms of realism. This filmmaker went old school to make this movie, and he wanted his performers to overact. They are in on the joke. He uses those techniques to emphasize why the modern (nuclear) age is terrible. The realism is just that, and the fiction is in technicolour. Unlike Ishirō Honda‘s intent in Gojira (1954), this work makes a different commentary about why going to war is bad (from the eyes of one side in the conflict). Also included is the fear of where humanity is headed–whether or not any future conflicts to come will destroy humanity. Ultimately, his goal is to show us why engaging in the art of war (and not in the Sun Tzu sense) is bad.

Ōbayashi makes use of humour to hammer in the point. He also broke a lot of rules from movie making 101 when he was in post-production, namely the editing of Labyrinth of Cinema. I was taught to avoid jump cuts in my newsroom videos, but he’s gratuitous in using this technique. The plot here is non-linear, and he purposely micro-budgeted the set design in some of this film’s best romantic moments to make it picturesque, like it’s from a painting. More green screen sets were used to distinguish the many realities explored. My guess is that the only proper place was a movie theatre and everything else was digitally created.

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Faster Than the Speed of Light is Earwig and the Witch’s Home Video Release Date!

Earwig and the Witch Steelbook — Available to pre-order on Amazon USA

GKIDS & Shout! Factory

Home Video:
April 6, 2020

Hot after its limited screening in select theatres worldwide in early Feb, Studio Ghibli’s Earwig and the Witch will hit digital next month, March 23, for other regions. This is the date to circle for this highly anticipated release for video streamers.

The home video release, set to arrive two weeks after, will be. offered in both a Limited Edition Steelbook™ and a Blu-ray+DVD combo, and the extra features being offered are as follows:

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When YOSHIKI Partners up with Disney+, we get…

Disney – My Music Story Yoshiki © 2021 Disney

On Feb 5th, 2021 on Disney+

Yoshiki is nearly everywhere these days, either as part of a new collaboration in a project or doing something to further a cause. This now philanthropist than always musician will be offering something reimagined on this streaming service as a special titled My Music Story: Yoshiki!

This rock-star is “one of the most influential composers in Japanese history.” In the Disney+ original, which is subtitled in English, YOSHIKI performs reimagined versions of two Disney classics: “Let It Go” from Frozen and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King, along with his own compositions. YOSHIKI also gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at his recording process and how he shaped the arrangements in his Hollywood studio. Since the pandemic, he’s chosen to stay State-side, and continue to work from his adopted home.

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Earwig & The Witch is Rocking into America Early Feb!

If Earwig and the Witch is to be rockin’ the free world–as the poster hints–then let’s hope that more theatres can reopen come February 2021! It’ll be better to see this on the big screen than small, even though it will be offered simultaneously on a streaming service.

Earwig and the Witch Playing at Select Theatres Feb 3rd
Also coming to HBO Max Feb 5th

If Earwig and the Witch is to be rockin’ the free world–as the poster hints–then let’s hope that more theatres can reopen come February 2021! It’ll be better to see this on the big screen than small, even though it will be offered simultaneously on a streaming service.

Hot off the heels of its Late December 2020 debut in Japan, this latest film from Studio Ghibli will get the duo treatment–to play theatrically and online at the same time. Based on the children’s novel by Diana Wynne Jones (Howl’s Moving Castle), the film marks Studio Ghibli’s first 3DCG animated feature.

Plot Synopsis: Growing up in an orphanage in the British countryside, Earwig has no idea that her mother had magical powers. Her life changes dramatically when a strange couple takes her in, and she is forced to live with a selfish witch. As the headstrong young girl sets out to uncover the secrets of her new guardians, she discovers a world of spells and potions, and a mysterious song that may be the key to finding the family she has always wanted.

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The Den is Open for Bartender’s Special Edition Release Today

The mysterious “Bartender” drink is tempting to figure out. Although the secret ingredients are a mystery, perhaps the eagle eyed can figure it out after watching the anime, since it’s the highlight and namesake of the series.

BARTENDER 15th Anniversary Collector’s Edition is now available to order from ShoutFactory.com or Amazon USA

Fans of the best-selling Japanese manga Bartender by Araki Joh can now cozy up with the anime, now available in a collectable box set, complete with recipes to make at home!

This anime has a worldwide cult following because of how it manages to help people in their darkest hour. To be a bartender means more than having the dexterity to give a little show to those at the bar. They can be counsellors. They’ve gone through the gambit of the game of life, and why this anime is highly regarded. We can learn from this show and have that smile on the face too after learning that we are not alone with our problems.

This acclaimed series is directed by Masaki Watanabe (Battle Spirits, Bakumatsu, KADO – The Right Answer), written by Yasuhiro Imagawa (Giant Robo the Animation) and produced by Palm Studios.

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