 5:00 PM on 09.15.2010 |
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One of the perks of covering the Rock the Charts column is that I get to see which films the heft of the people living in (or visiting) Japan are making the trip out to the theaters to see. Earlier this year, Tetsuya Nakashima's Confessions (Kokuhaku), a compelling take on the modern revenge tale, made a strong debut and subsequently dominated the box office for several weeks in a row. At certain junctions, I nearly tired of having to mention it post after post--it was on the charts for a damn long duration. I've seen the film, and it's definitely one of the best to come out of Japan this year (Takeshi Kitano's Outrage is another contender.) That being said, it simultaneously excited me yet came of little surprise that the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan has selected Confessions as their representative entry at the 83rd Academy Awards. Tetsuya Nakashima, whose previous films (Kamikaze Girls, Memories of Matsuko, Paco and the Magical Picture Book) have all been large successes (some cult, some critical) within their homeland, has, until now, not seen wide-scale recognition within America. Great foreign film releases have been few and far between this year (Yorgos Lanthimos' Dogtooth [Greece], David Michôd's Animal Kingdom [Australia] and Lixin Fian's Last Train Home [China] come to mind, but I know I'm blanking on plenty of others), so this could give Confessions the chance to bring home a win for Japan. Quick summary: Confessions is the story of an emotionally distraught junior high professor (Takako Matsu) who believes that her hard-to-analyze students are responsible for the murder of her daughter. The real problem? She lacks proof.
Good day, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 47th edition of Go West!, your [not-so-weekly] column about Japanese import games and Idea Factory.
With the Golden Week rush having come and gone, Japan has once again set... Oreimo season 2's web radio show, hosted by Kana Hanazawa and Ayana Taketatsu, is soliciting oversea fans to write to them. One of the corners on the radio program showcases foreign fan letters, and they're asking for mo...
It's starting to feel like I write way too much Compile Heart news. Nobody tell Idea Factory; they might get jealous.
Upcoming Vita idol simulation game, God Dimension Idol Neptunia PP, has a new trailer. Behold Neptune, as ... Despite all the hype about bringing Earthbound Papas and Yoshitaka Amano on board, Compile Hearts' next PS3 RPG, Fairy Fencer F, looks exactly like all of their other games.
I can't say I'm all that surprised, though I am a l...
The Japanese release of Shin Megami Tensei IV looms just over the horizon. For you folks out west, the game is scheduled to release on July 16.
The western hype machine has started rolling, and Atlus is pumping out English t... Yes, friends, you read that headline correctly. Sixty million Yen. As of this writing, that's a shade under $586,000. What a way to celebrate Saint Seiya, right?
In commemoration of the tenth anniversary of Saint Seiya's Sain...
Lots of Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies news going around today, not that I'm complaining.
Information from the latest issue of Famitsu has finally come in, revealing that two major Ace Attorney characters will be making a come... This just in folks, a playable demo for Capcom's Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies (3DS) is now available to try for free. The catch? It's Japanese only, and playable within your browser.
I've already given it a try, and I can con... After reading a recent article about getting free refills of curry sauce, I had my doubts. I completely trusted in the news, do not get me wrong, but it seemed too good to be true. There had to be some catch. I mean, seriously, we are talking about getting free curry sauce here. Join me as head into my local Coco Ichibanya in rural Japan and try to ask for a second helping of their fine sauce. The sixth mainline game in Falcom's Kiseki series (Trails in the Sky) has finally received a Japanese release date.
Eiyuu Densetsu: Sen no Kiseki will hit the PS3 and Vita on September 26 of this year.
This falls in lin...
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