Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Akihiro Kakuta, Ayu Kitaura, Daisuke Kuroda, Eita Nagayama, Hinata Hiiragi, Kayo Noro, Mitsuki Takahata, Moemi Katayama, Pee, Ryu Morioka, Sakura Andô, Shidô Nakamura, Soya Kurokawa, Yûko Tanaka
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
On the surface, The Makanai is a simple, slice-of-life show about food and friendship. While it is that, to be sure, it's also a substantial drama that tackles questions about art vs. love, and love vs. companionship, and career vs. purpose. Under the gentle guidance of showrunner Hirokazu Kore-eda (Still Walking, Shoplifters, Broker), who generously allows up-and-coming directors to take the helm on certain episodes, The Makanai feels at once light and hefty, comforting and challenging. We're seeing mundane events unfold before us as if we were bystanders, but we also understand that there is so much more happening than what meets the eye. A prolonged gaze, a lovingly prepped meal, an especially sharp wing-eye, all of these have much to say about the state of mind of these girls.
It’s a supremely gentle and culturally rich show with a tender heart; a truly great watch on all accounts.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Ai Hashimoto, Aju Makita, Arata Iura, Jyo Kairi, Kairi Jo, Kanji Furutachi, Keiko Matsuzaka, Keiko Toda, Lily Franky, Mayu Matsuoka, Momoko Fukuchi, Nana Mori, Natsuki Deguchi, Ryota Suzuki, Takako Tokiwa, Toshinori Omi, Win Morisaki, Yukiya Kitamura
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda, Hiroshi Okuyama, Megumi Tsuno, Takuma Sato
The film starts with an atmosphere of almost peaceful defeat. We see a rather stealthy Godzilla, but it doesn’t last long until we’re back to regular programming with the metal-chewing monster. Time spent without Godzilla is spent on people trying to be heroes, armed with admirable optimism. The many scenes of wreckage turn this into a very human story about shared trauma. Godzilla vs other kaiju is usually an easy sell, but Godzilla vs people is a hard story to root for, just because of how unbalanced it gets. But the film finds a way to make it work—the final battle is epic, packed with a lot of heart and preparation.
Genre: Action, Horror, Science Fiction
Actor: Akio Nakadai, Eisuke Sasai, Etsuji Harada, Gohshuu, Hidemasa Mase, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Hirotaka Akatsuma, Hiroyuki Toritani, Ippei Sasaki, Keisuke Fujita, Kenji Anan, Kenji Mizuhashi, Kentaro Furuyama, Kisuke Iida, Kiyomi Aratani, Kota Kawabata, Kunihiro Suda, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Mami Tokuda, Masataka Matsubara, Michael Arias, Miki Mirai, Minami Hamabe, Mio Tanaka, Munetaka Aoki, Ozuno Nakamura, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Saki Nakatani, Sakura Andô, Saori, Seiji Okuda, Sentarou Kusakabe, Shinsuke Kasai, Sho Nishigaki, Shohei Abe, Shoji Omiya, Shota Taniguchi, Takato Yonemoto, Takumi Matsui, Tetsu Hirahara, Tetsunori Akira, Touta Tawaragi, Yosuke Minokawa, Yuji Komatsu, Yuki Takao, Yuki Yamada, Yukio Tsukamoto, Yuya Endo
Director: Takashi Yamazaki