Tag: Summer

It’s Summer Lovin’ with GKIDs Deji Meets Girl Theatrical Release Next Season

Deji Meets Girl is a novel romp because of the soft, surreal moments.

Deji Meets GirlComing this fall from GKIDS is Deji Meets Girl. After its latest screening at Fantasia Film Festival as a compiled film presentation, anime fans who haven’t seen this high school paranormal romance will get a chance later this year. To note, this anime made its debut at the last year’s event, before being shown on Japanese TV as shorts, and getting another round this year. 

The story takes place over the summer, making this appropriately timed debut even more appealing, and there’s nothing wrong with having an innocent fling, ala Summer Nights (Grease). Where this series shares a similarity to the musical is in how the boy (Ichiro) admits to taking an interest in a girl he meets at a beach (Maise). As for whether she’ll change her approach to winning his heart–we’re not certain. In the episodes I’ve seen so far, they aren’t officially dating.

Ichiro isn’t a greaser. But he does have that John Travolta charm to make me think of this analogy. In what we learn about this stranger is that he’s running away from responsbility. Beneath that cool exterior hides a scared interior. What he’s fleeing from isn’t exactly made clear, either, until the later acts.

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The Fantasy and Where to Find Summer Ghost After Fantasia 2022

Summer Ghost marks Loundraw’s directorial debut, and I feel he mixes up the supernatural and coming of age genre very well.

Summer GhostGKIDS & Shout! Factory
Release Date: Nov 1, 2022 (available to preorder on Amazon USA)

Summer Ghost is a sweet short movie by Loundraw about three teenagers who want to meet a ghost. Instead of fashioning a scary story, his tale is more about dealing with life. The story he wrote and the film he directed is very thoughtful. Difficult challenges are facing the girl and two boys–Aoi (Miyuri Shimabukuro, Miyuri), Tomoya (Chiaki Kobayashi), and Ryou (Nobunaga Shimazaki)–and none of them know what to do with their lives. 

Because they barely know each other, having just met on social media, to help each other out seems out of the question. In fact, they think communicating with the dead can lead to better results. While their idea of seeking guidance from the other side seems unusual, that’s because one of them has terminal cancer.

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Top Gun is Sexy when Maverick is Free to Fly Like An Eagle!

Top Gun: Maverick is more than just your typical blockbuster. It’s music is key to its continued success.

Top Gun Maverick

Spoiler Alert

Not much has changed in Top Gun: Maverick. The best takeaway is that both the original and this latest has fantastic music that honours the past and future.

Even the copycat films of the time had its strong musical moments. It’s tough not to forget what Kenny Loggins “Danger Zone” and Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” confirms as part of the presentation. The lyrics establish more than just the tone of the work, but also provide a capsule summary of each set piece.

The story picks up about thirty-five years later, with Captain Pete Mitchell (Tom Cruise) “stuck” in a rut. He’s like James T. Kirk from the early Star Trek movies. Their career is going nowhere, and it took several films for both to find where they belong. Are either of the two an officer or a gentleman? No, they’re both free spirits; they are more than just another ghost rider in the sky. They don’t want to be confined to duty.

This film gets up close and personal. To get those goosebumps when riding that wild wind with a precision machine is what this film aimed for and I say the production team succeeded. There’s some effects shots which even I’m not sure if they are CGI or real.

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Sing Along to Summer is Over feat. Mai Anna

Kaz Amain Looking CoolPurchase and Streaming Links at:
https://avex.lnk.to/SummerisOver_WW

Honestly, according to the Gregorian Calender, we still have a few more weeks of Summer left. But as most folks equate Labour Day as transitional period, Kaz of J-Pop Group, INTERSECTION, has another take. His single, “Summer is Over feat.Mai Anna,” epitomizes the feeling of Summer’s end and reflecting on all of the memories and romance of the season. This release follows his single  “Drown feat. Hikari Mitsushima” which was released earlier this month. 

“I have produced this song with a producer Solomon Fox, who is a singer-songwriter in the U.S. This song was created at the end of summer as the title says when I was 19. My friend Mai Anna, who goes to the same school as me, joined to write the lyrics.

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10 Memorable Summer Blockbuster Movies to Revisit and Where to Find Them

Yes, some of us will be hiding in those well ventilated movie houses with the air conditioner jacked up and enjoying the summer blockbuster movies of the past 50 or so years.

Guardians of The Galaxy begins this Summer Blockbuster Movies ListBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

The warm season is in full swing, and yes, some of us will be hiding in those well ventilated movie houses with the air conditioner jacked up and enjoying the summer blockbuster movies of yesteryears.

Assuming everyone is vaccinated, there’s no worry for an outbreak to happen but for the cautious, they’ll be wearing their face mask. As for what’s worth seeing again on the small screen (to rent) or we can expect with film festivals bringing that passion back, the following are my picks to beat the heat. Included are Amazon USA links to purchase these titles for home viewing, or one can wait for a local theatre to bring these favourites back again.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volumes 1 & 2
Released: August 1, 2014

If Starlord and his gang can’t destroy a sun, then I don’t think anyone else can–short of a Celestial. Although we don’t want that to happen (it’d cause the death of any nearby civilizations), we can dance along to this hilarious action packed adventure and origin story of the gang going up against Marvel Cinematic Universe’s baddie, Thanos. Well, not yet, but this work properly gives him that backstory to know why he is who he is. He can snuff out a star without a problem.

Music is going to be a bit of a theme on this list, as next up is…

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Summer Days with Coo Cannot Come Any Sooner

Perhaps the reason for the late home video release of Summer Days with Coo is to gauge international interest if a sequel can be made.

Summer Days with Coo Blu-ray CaseAvailable now on Shout! Factory or AmazonSummer Days DVD Cover

Winter’s grasp may well still be upon us in certain parts of the world, but thankfully, spending (or rather, watching) Summer Days with Coo (河童のクゥと夏休み) is an option.

This anime not only gives us a heartwarming comedy drama between Kōichi Uehara, a young boy having an awkward time in school, but also looks at the life of a kappa, nicknamed Coo, who is a stranger in a strange land. Unlike those prankster frog-like spirits of lore, these creatures are very friendly towards humans. They don’t hate them unless threatened. The cute character designs in this anime suggest they are simple country folk.

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