Howl's Moving Castle

Sophie is a young girl who works at her family’s hat shop. She seems to be depressed with her life yet she is in no hurry to change things. On one of her rare outings from the shop she runs into Howl, a young handsome wizard, who the whole town is talking about as his moving castle was recently seen escaping from the kings men near by. Howl though is being chased by some black blobs which are controlled by the Witch of the Waste. He protects Sophie from the aggressive sinister black ooze and they escape. Later as Sophie is closing her family’s hat shop, still dazed by her earlier surprise encounter with Howl, a mysterious caller comes and a spell is put on Sophie which turns her into an old wrinkled woman. Sophie faints and when she awakes she is alone but still cannot believe what has happened to her. The next day she confronts reality and decides that she cannot be seen as she is so she plans to run away into the wasteland to try to find a wizard that can reverse the spell. Wondering through the harsh wasteland she runs into a friendly mute scarecrow that can’t seem to keep from getting stuck in brush. With her new companion they look for a place to stay the night as a heavy storm is quickly approaching. To her amazement the scarecrow leads her to Howls moving castle and to the adventure that awaits her there. She disguises her true identify and becomes Howls live in maid and shows more pep cleaning up the old dusty castle than she ever did as the young Sophie. There she meets Howl’s apprentice, Markl, and a fire demon, Calcifer, who is in charge of powering the moving castle. Romance blossoms and it leaves its mark on Howl who is currently fighting a desperate battle for peace with two warring nations.

Howls Moving Castle, although an animated film, should be noted for its amazing story that will wrap viewer young and old up into its story. Though the premise of the film might sound like a Childs movie the film contains images of the hopeless destruction that war causes over the most foolish of reasons. Men marching to war, bombers dropping incendiary bombs over civilian towns, and battleship limping into the harbor with thousands of men gone are the darker images that this film provides. Although this film should not be considered a sad hopeless tale like Grave of the Fireflies as every inch of the film is bathed in beautiful scenery and magical spells that leave the viewer in awe. The film, directed by Hayao Miyazaki also known for Spirited Away, broke the Japanese box office record and it is estimated that almost one third of Japans total population will see the film.

Waterboys

Its spring time at an all boys high school when a new attractive female swim coach arrives to whip the, currently one man, swim team into shape. At least that’s what all the boys think when they are trying out for the new team. They soon learn that the new swim coach is a synchronized swimming teacher who was accidentally sent to an all boys’ school. Only a handful of pathetic boys stay, some can’t even swim, to be part of the team. However before they can even practice the coach finds out she is several months pregnant and takes maternity leave leaving the boys to fend for themselves. The boys stick together and sign up their routine as a show for the school festival even though they currently know nothing about synchronized swimming. But they cannot get any financial support, by selling tickets in advance, to pay off a debt that was earlier incurred when they drained the pool without authorization. Eventually they turn to the local drag queens at Okama bar and their friends who are the only ones willing to help them. They try to form a routine to show the principle but fail miserably and are banned from the pool. Its only when Suzuki gets the idea to get help from a Sea World dolphin trainer, who he met earlier in the film, that the group of boys really start to work together and persevere.

The film is a celebration of hilarious slapstick comedy and summer fun. Clear blue skies and a soundtrack, including steel drums, which can only bring to mind the careless fun during summer vacation, makes the viewing experience uplifting. The boys who are part of the team all join for different reasons, which are not apparent at first but are revealed throughout the film. This brings in another element to the film besides comedy, which ultimately allows for the viewer to feel and care for the characters as they develop. Comedic moments are at the core of this film and will leave you gasping for air. Although the comedy is rather simple it is well timed and the situations are quite creative. There are also several well known stars who play small roles in the film, such as Takenaka Naoto and Akira Emoto, which is quite fun for the viewer if they are fans of Japanese cinema.

When the Rain Lifts

Ihei Misawa, a kindly faced master less samurai, and his wife are just two of the many travelers stuck at a small inn during a powerful rain storm, which has made the near by river impassable. During this downpour a bad mood begins to infiltrate the inn and to lift it Misawa leaves the inn in search of a way to buy a small feast to lighten the spirits of the weary travelers. Soon he returns and a celebration is held and the peasant travelers are overjoyed, but the only way Misawa was able to raise money for the food was through prize fighting. Misawa, although a highly skilled swordsman, has trouble maintaining a position for long and his wife scolds him for committing such a dishonorable act. The next day the rain lifts and Misawa goes for a walk in the woods. He comes across some inexperienced samurai having a dual and stops them. The local lord sees him from afar and commends him on stopping the dual as he has forbidden his samurai from the act. It soon becomes apparent that the lord is looking for a new fencing master for his fief and Misawa is invited to the castle to discuss the position. After demonstrating his excellent swordsmanship the lord himself challenges him but is also decisively defeated. Misawa having so strongly defeating the local lord and embarrassing him with over apologizing is sure that the position is lost when he is ambushed by the gang he had fought for money with earlier and he must once again make use of his great skill.

Throughout the film each scene shows the stunning beauty of nature. Rain drops, mossy forests, and mountain passes make every frame enjoyable to watch. The story takes place over the course of several days and although the tale is small it provides great interest. Ame Agaru, also known as After the Rain and When the Rain Lifts, was one of the last screen plays by Akira Kurosawa, based on a short story by Shugoro Yamamoto, to be made into a film. Although Kurosawa could not make the movie prior to his death his assistant, Takashi Koizumi, directed the film with great effect. As written in Kurosawa notes for the film, “The viewer should feel refreshed after watching this film.”

The Hidden Blade

"From director Yamada Yoji (The Twilight Samurai) comes Kakushi Ken Oni no Tsume (The Hidden Blade), another loving depiction of the bygone days of samurai heroism. Nagase Masatoshi (Shark Skin Man & Peach Hip Girl, Pistol Opera) stars as a samurai, whose adherence to his code of honor is tested by the forces around him. It is mid-nineteenth century Japan, and the way of the samurai is fading, as Western influences and corruption are slowly taking hold in Japan.

The samurai rescues a woman (Matsu Takako) who's being abused in her married life, but as a silent romance blossoms between them, his corrupt superiors challenge the samurai's honor. And when his clan orders him to kill a fellow samurai fallen to corruption, can this man of honor - who has never killed - complete his duty? Like in The Twilight Samurai, Yamada Yoji explores complex themes in his depiction of the simple, yet conflicted life of a man following the strictest moral code. Full of fascinating detail and sublime humanity, The Hidden Blade is a marvelously-realized film that represents the best of what current Japanese cinema has to offer." Original Source