Genkina Hito

Cinephile, Japanophile and huge anime fan. I review films and anime at Genkinahito over at Wordpress and I contribute to other websites like Anime UK News as a features writer and journalist. Spread love of Japanese films!

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Magical Secret Tour マジカル・シークレット・ツアー (2026) Director: Chihiro Amano [New York Asian Film Festival 2026]

Magical Secret Tour    マジカル・シークレット・ツアー 「Majikaru shi-kuretto tsua-」 Release Date: June 19th, 2026 Duration: 116 mins. Director: Chihiro Amano Writer: Chihiro Amano, Madoka Kumagai (Screenplay), Starring: Kasumi Arimura, Haru Kuroki, Sara Minami, Akihisa Shiono, Yuzu Aoki, Takumi Saitoh, Shiro Sano, Hiroko Nakajima, Yukiko Shinohara, Umeno Uno, Website Twitter: @magical_0619 Magical Secret Tour is…

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Kinki 近畿地方のある場所について Director: Koji Shiraishi [New York Asian Film Festival 2026]

Kinki chiho no aru basho ni tsuite      近畿地方のある場所について「Kinki chiho no aru basho ni tsuite」 Release Date: August 08th, 2025 Duration: 103 mins. Director: Koji Shiraishi Writer: Tetsuya Oishi, Koji Shiraishi (Screenplay), Sesuji (Original Story) Starring: Miho Kanno, Eiji Akaso, Atom Shukugawa, Kyo Sato, Nose Rin, Keisaku Kimura, Atsuki Yamada, Rio Kanno, Yuko Fukui, Chika Kuboyama, Website Twitter:…

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Scars of the Sun / Blow the Night: Third Window Films Brings a Chusei Sone Double-Bill on Blu-Ray

Chusei Sone is a name that isn’t well known outside of Japanese film circles. He’s best known as being the writer for Seijun Suzuki’s Branded to Kill or for either Roman Porno or the first two entries in the Angel Guts series, which Third Window Films put out earlier this year. I got to know him through the Suzuki movie and Hellish Love (1972)… Anyway… Japanese film fans are in for a treat with a…

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FUJIKO (2026) Director: Taichi Kimura [New York Asian Film Festival 2026]

FUJIKO        Release Date: June 05th, 2026 Duration: 95 mins. Director: Taichi Kimura Writer: Taichi Kimura (Screenplay), Starring: Yuki Katayama, YOU, Lily Franky, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Keiko Takeshita, Issey Ogata, Kayoko Kishimoto, Website Twitter: @fujiko_movie IMDB If one were to be blunt, FUJIKO is a “women’s issue film” addressing the life of a woman who ventures out of bounds in a patriarchal…

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Kaiki! Shiniku no otoko, KAIKI-TAXI, to those who do not know the declaration, Return to My Blue, Itterasshai no hana, Shinji mimi wo same hyogenmono-tachi, Mutekina katachi, Japanese Film Trailers  

Welcome to the second trailer post of the week. Check out the first I you haven’t! It has been a busy media week for me. I completed Luminous Arc 2 and I am now playing Phoenix Wright – and I am looking forward to shouting “Objection!” at my Nintendo DS. Following Save the Green Planet!, the next episode of Heroic Purgatory will focus on Celine Song’s Past Lives. I’ve continued my “film a day”…

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Daareka-san to asobo?, Hush!, All Around Us , Chiikawa Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island, Kamen Rider Zeztz: Farewell Mission, Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity The Movie: The Day the Sun Cried, Japanese Film Trailers

Welcome to the first trailer post of the week Come back tomorrow for the second and last entry. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get previews for the 2026 editions of Japan Cuts and the New York Asian Film Festival out of the gate but I have and I also have reviews of two films from the latter event: Tetsuya Nakashima’s The Brightest Sun and Eisuke Naito’s Higuma!!: The Killer Bear. Both are…

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Higuma!! The Killer Bear ヒグマ!!  (2026) Director: Eisuke Naito [New York Asian Film Festival 2026]

Higuma!! The Killer Bear    ヒグマ!!  「Higuma!!」 Release Date: January 23rd, 2026 Duration: 100 mins. Director: Eisuke Naito Writer: Eisuke Naito (Screenplay), Starring: Fuku Suzuki, Fusako Urabe, Wan Marui, Takashi Ukaji, Yu Uemura, Website Twitter: @HigumaMovie 2025 saw Japan shaken by a series of deaths caused by bears. The brown bear (higuma) attacks played a part in the delay of the release of…

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The Brightest Sun 時には懺悔を (2025) Director: Tetsuya Nakashima [New York Asian Film Festival 2026]

The Brightest Sun 時には懺悔を 「Toki ni wa zange wo」 Release Date: August 28th, 2026 Duration: 129 mins. Director: Tetsuya Nakashima Writer: Tetsuya Nakashima, Nobuhiro Monma (Screenplay), Bunzo Uchiumi (Original Novel) Starring: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Hikari Mitsushima, Haru Kuroki, Kankuro Kudo, Koji Yakusho, Shinya Tsukamoto, Ko Shibasaki, Nanami Yamazaki, Katsuya…

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Genbaku shiryoukan kataritsugu mono-tachi, Mimibukuro yobanashi, Watashi no Butterfly, Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part 2: Eternal, Japanese Film Trailers

Welcome to the second trailer post. Check out the first one. More sad news this week with the death of Sam Neill. He was a talented actor and seemed like a genuinely nice person. I really liked his turn in John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness (1994), which rides that line between dramatic and funny. Here are the rest of the films: (more…)

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AnyMart, Kingdom 5, Kimi to hanabi to yakusoku to, Yume monogatari The Living Dragon, Japanese Film Trailers

Welcome to the first of two trailer posts. Come back tomorrow for the next one.   Here are the films: (more…)

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A Preview of the Japanese Titles at the New York Asian Film Festival 2026

The New York Asian Film Festival has reached its 25th edition and it will run throughout most of July 10th to the 26th across five New York venues, including Film at Lincoln Center, SVA Theatre, IFC Center, Anthology Film Archives, and the Korean Cultural Center New York. Perhaps the biggest scoops for the festival are the upcoming Tetsuya Nakashima drama, which is packed with a top-tier cast…

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A Preview of Japan Cuts 2026 (July 08th - July 18th)

This Japan Cuts preview is late but one that has been on my mind since there is that typical wealth of films that you hope people can enjoy. The festival returns to cinema screens in New York from July 08th – July 18th and Suzu Hirose will be given the CUT ABOVE Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film and she will host the New York Premiere of A Pale View of Hills, the Centrepiece Film of the…

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SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 44: CLOUDY BEACH, Chou eiyuu-sai 2026 DAY2 SUPER SENTAI 50th, Homecoming: MLB Tokyo Series, Hichirin, Rock and Role, Japanese Film Trailers

Welcome to the second trailer post of the week. Check out the first if you haven’t already. I’ve got my PSP out again after a three-year break in order to play my Japanese games as part of Japanese language practice. I’ve still got Nintendo DS games to finish. I’ve got the Etrian Odyssey series on the DS in Japanese, too. I completed the first in English a long time ago. That might be better to…

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Trophy, Onihei Hankacho Honjo no tetsu, Onihei Hankacho Mikkoku, Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part 1: Beginnings, Japanese Film Trailers

Welcome to the first trailer post of the week. Come back tomorrow for the last one for this week. I’m not likely to get any substantive previews out for Japan Cuts or New York Asian Film Festival this year due to a lack of time. It’s a shame but real life calls. I’ll endeavour to do better next year. In other film related news, following an episode of A Better Tomorrow for Heroic Purgatory, I…

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Hyoketsu, Kioku no kaitou Rebooting Memories, Obachan no himitsu, Shijin iidabi, Japanese Film Trailers

Welcome to the second and last trailer post for THIS WEEK. Check out part one, if you haven’t! I’m not on track for Japan Cuts or the New York Asian Film Festival since I have too much on my plate but I will endeavour. In terms of films, I’m watching The Sect (1991). What are the rest of this week’s films? (more…)

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Why Wait Just Die, Love ≠ Comedy, The Mouths, THE ORIGIN OF ULTRAMAN, Japanese Film Trailers

Welcome to the first trailer post of THIS WEEK! Come back tomorrow for the last. There are fewer films released this week so I’m getting back on track. Nothing new as far as I’m going other than I watched the 1994 supernatural neo-noir Witch Hunt. Here are the first films! (more…)

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Traveling Alone, BANA_ANA, Kenkou chienowa Trampoline Kyoshitsu, Okaeri no yu, The Space Bears 4 Ever, Japanese Film Trailers

Welcome to the last trailer post from last week. Check out part one and part two. I’m writing while having movies on in the background. Mostly low-budget horror movies from the 80s and 90s. Stage Fright (1987) was the most recent. What are the last of the new Japanese films from last week? (more…)

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