Tag: Japan

At Fantasia 2026, Let’s Dance! Or Should That Break Free From the Everyday?

Actually, the title of this film is Kunio’s online identity. He yearns to Break Free from his roots, and this gangster comedy shows how he does it!

Odore! Yakuza, known as Break Free in America, movie poster
Played at Fantasia Film Festival 2026 on July 18 at the Auditorium des diplômés de la SGWU (Théâtre Hall)

The Japanese movie Odore! Yakuza, known as Break Free in America, has style and nearly everything I want from a film featuring rhythmic music, yakuza fighting one another, and J-pop on top. It’s the perfect movie to begin my coverage of Fantasia Fest 2026 too! In this world, an anti-organized crime law enacted by the government has forced many gangs to either pack up or shut up. Whether that’s meant to mirror real Japanese law or simply serve the plot, I honestly can’t say.

The film is wildly gorgeous under Yu Nakamoto‘s direction. He delivers pathos and ethos in droves, while his focus on Kunio (Akito Fujii) shows just how deep a rut the character is in. He’s fiercely loyal to his crew, but they’re struggling to remain who they are rather than getting real jobs. That’s where the commentary comes in. Since Kunio can’t smack people around without getting tossed in jail, his protégé, Kuzunari (Atomu Mizuishi), comes up with the idea of recording him “dancing.” Goto (Kenta Kiritani), their boss, approves!

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Junk World Trades Junk Head’s Mystery for a Cybertech Nightmare

Takahide Hori’s Junk Head trades solo obsession for a bigger crew and a wilder, messier mythology — worms, cults, time loops, and all. As a prequel, some viewers will appreciate how it sedges into Junk World, but perhaps its best to see the two back to back.

Junk World Movie PosterFor those new to Takahide Hori‘s surreal stop-motion science fiction masterpiece, Junk World is the prequel to Junk Head. Even if you haven’t seen the middle film of the trilogy, thankfully there isn’t much you need to know going in. What gets explained about the Mulligans, robots made by humans to serve as slave labour droids who eventually rebelled, covers the basics, and as for why one droid has declared himself god at the start of the film, well, that’s the mystery.

It seems one of them didn’t fully evolve beyond its programming. His name is Robin (Souko Matsuoka) and he’s loyal to Captain Torys (Atsuko Miyake), who leads a team of humans to a summit to negotiate new terms. That’s how the moment felt to me, anyway. The rest of the film goes through the motions of showing just how fragile that peace is, while introducing new threats along the way. And the timeline gets muddled fast, with time-travel jumps back and forth that had me feeling lost more than once.
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From Night Flower to The Specials, Eiji Uchida Delivers Neo Punk Edgings To the Films He Makes

Eiji Uchida’s Night Flower follows two women trapped by poverty and the criminal world surrounding them. Their growing bond gives this bleak Japanese drama its emotional weight.

Night Flower screening Thursday, July 16, 2026, at Japan Cuts
Plays Thursday, July 16, 2026, at Japan Cuts. Purchase tickets here.

Eiji Uchida is a filmmaker who can’t be tied down. His film The Specials, which will soon play at Fantasia, is a movie that must be seen to be believed. In the meantime, I’m checking out Night Flower, which will soon screen at New York’s own film festival, Japan Cuts. It’s more of a social crime drama about poverty and desperation, following people on their last legs who are trying to escape their circumstances.

Keiko Kitagawa plays Natsuki, a woman desperate to escape the grip of a local drug boss who has her more tightly wrapped around his finger than she’d like to admit. The film is unflinching. It shows a side of society rarely seen in film, let alone in animation, through a protagonist hoping to find freedom.

Misato Morita plays another figure who needs to find her own way out. And I’m not alone in finding the chemistry between Kitagawa and Morita key to understanding this film. She plays Tamae, a boxer who wants to get back to the top. When they meet, it’s to sell narcotics for their bosses. These men don’t want to dirty themselves, so they leave it up to the women to do the job.

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Gotta Watch Them All. Fantasia Film Festival 2026’s Pearl Jubilee Top Selections! (Part Two)

In part two of our Fantasia Film Festival 2026 pre-event coverage, we dive into the zany and also include a blast of the past where needed.

Fantasia Film Festival 2026 poster
Event runs from July 16 to August 2, 2026. Montreal, Quebec.

When certain must-see lists get way too large, it’s best to split things up or subsection. This fact is especially true when planning on what to see at Fantasia Film Festival 2026; when this year has a lot more short film programs added to the party, it’s safe to say some people won’t be sleeping. Some enthusiasts may well be running frantically to catch the next work on their itinerary.

No big intro is needed, and that’s because with this part, I’ve included two movies freely available on YouTube that are required viewing before part three is viewed on the big screen!

The Fox

The FoxSet in a parallel world where animals talk, hustle, swear, and scheme, The Fox opens with Nick (Jai Courtney, Dangerous Animals, The Suicide Squad) discovering that his fiancée, Kori (Emily Browning, American Gods, Sleeping Beauty), is cheating on him. Forced to accept that their relationship has run its course, he’s devastated.

Everything changes when Nick captures a fox (Olivia Colman, The Favourite, The Lobster), who offers him some unconventional marital advice in exchange for her freedom.

Her suggestion? Push Kori into a magical hole, where she’ll emerge transformed into a woman who adores him unconditionally and will never leave. Not exactly a man known for making wise decisions, Nick thinks it sounds like the perfect solution, completely unaware that a much bigger plan may already be unfolding. – Fantasia Film Festival

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Still Loud After All These Years: GENERATIONS’ Sing It Loud Makes a Comeback Nobody Saw Coming

A 2015 GENERATIONS single nobody was talking about just took over Japan’s music charts, landing 40 songs in the real-time Top 100 simultaneously. Here’s what we know about the Sing It Loud’s unexpected musical revival of 2026.

Sing It LoudThere’s a term in music called a “sleeper hit,” but what GENERATIONS is experiencing right now doesn’t quite fit the mould. Sing It Loud isn’t new. It’s 11 years old. And yet, somehow, it’s back. Although KISS’ track I Love It Loud is much older, the question is whether one wants hard rock or J-pop. What makes this 2015 single special is that it comes from the LDH dance-and-vocal collective, who also recorded a One Piece anime theme.

They hit the RecoChoku Video Ranking (Daily) for May 18, 2026, where the song ranked at number five. Nobody planned this. Nobody expected it. Even the members of GENERATIONS seemed caught off guard.

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Maaya Sakamoto, Fate/Grand Order Top Hits and 30 Years in the Business….

Celebrations continue for Jpop fans who adore Maaya Sakamoto’s music. Not only is there a new release for Fate/Grand Order fans but also they can hear her unplugged.

Maaya Sakamoto Fate_Grand OrderCurrently in the midst of her 30th anniversary as an artist, Maaya Sakamoto continues to shine. The concert held April 18 and 19 at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena ended to great acclaim. And for those who missed the show or want a greatest hits, this artist is releasing a greatest hits album of sorts, titled Yoin. This album collects all six theme songs she performed for the smartphone JRPG and there’s a lot more to be included!

From The Press Release

Disc one features all six theme songs from the smartphone role-playing game Fate/Grand Order, from “Shikisai,” which was released alongside the official game launch in 2015, to “Tokei,” the theme song for the final chapter released in 2025.

“Tokei” was released digitally last year and will be recorded on CD for the first time.

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