A Deadball served with a side order of Big Man Japan

As promised, I continue my January 2019 overview with some Japanese cinema goodness starting off with my recently acquired copy of Deadball (2011) on dvd. I have always been a fan of the Sushi Typhoon titles as they offer everything I enjoy in a film including memorable characters, weird plots, buckets of blood and hot women! 

This entry is directed by Yudai Yamaguchi who also directed one of my faves Meatball Machine (2005) and stars Tak Sakaguchi. Tak is known for action choreography and has been in some amazing films including Versus (2000) and Re: Born (2016). Highly entertaining and makes for a great flick to watch with a bunch of friends and a few cold beers.

Deadball (2011) movie trailer

Next up is a film I had heard about but most recently caught my full attention when I was skimming through a top 10 video on youtube titled Weirdest Movies From Japan.

Big Man Japan (2007) directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto is an experience one should partake in as soon as possible. Luckily I found it streaming on TubiTV and was rewarded with a very unique storyline with a kaiju twist. I am now very eager to check out his other 3 films and have tracked down R100 (2013) which I'll be getting to very soon.

                                       

But Man Japan (2007) movie trailer

Finally I have to talk about Anime and this is a series that completely took me by surprise!

Hi Score Girl (2018) took me down memory lane (early 90's) a time when I frequented the arcades and dabbled with innocent crushes. If you ever grew up during the Street Fighter 2 craze and partook in it, this anime is for you. The opening music by Sora Tob Sakana (New Stranger) is very good as well as the ending theme song. I'm looking forward to the 3 OVA's coming to Netflix this March!

                                       

Hi Score Girl (2018) trailer

 

I caught the HAMIDASYSTEM bug and suffered an identity crisis

Thought I'd kick off 2019 with a new blog entry, something I haven't done before. Basically an overview of my month, highlighting all the cool things I've discovered in music, cinema, anime and entertainment from Japan. First up is music.......

Ok what can I say, I really wasn't a fan of HAMIDASYSTEM when I first listened to them last year but things changed when early January the weather was getting colder. It could've been the gloomy atmosphere but I went ahead and put on the album Yuganda Enpitsu ha Dareka ni Orarenaitameni and everything clicked. The second track Yoru no Hakoniwa is my go to jam, love everything about it and I can honestly say the entire album is solid. I'm now a fan.

                                     

HAMIDASYSTEM - YORU NO HAKONIWA 

official MV

I absolutely love Kaqriyo Terror Architect and I admit I had been putting their latest EP Identity Crisis on the back burner but I finally gave it it's due attention this month, alot. While I can't really feel the impact the new members bring to the album vocally, the original trifecta still bring it in a rather impressive fashion. Yamakomaro really stands out for me this go round, she has a deeper voice than the other members but vocally it compliments each track beautifully. 

Sadly KTA has lost 2 of its original members recently, first Kotetsu who left in December of 2018 and a few days ago Nonamera. In my opinion Nonamera's high pitched vocals were the driving force of  KTA's uptempo energy, she will be missed.

                                     

KAQRIYO TERROR ARCHITECT - IDENTITY CRISIS

official MV

Aside from those two albums I've been giving heavy rotation, I placed an order for a CD bundle from one of my favorite rock bands the Molice yesterday and I'm stoked as I've been a fan for years. I'll get more into it next month as I expect the package to arrive in 2-3 weeks. That wraps part 1 of this blog entry, stay tuned for tomorrow when I get into cinema, anime and entertainment.

Spotify link for HAMIDASYSTEM - Yuganda Enpitsu ha Dareka ni Orarenaitameni 

https://open.spotify.com/album/4YiARkbYceXAq2Ury4Ub1r?si=3Eqz1GmHSZ-PnnuewN48RA

Spotify link for Kaqriyo Terror Architect - Identity Crisis

https://open.spotify.com/album/1ReAZBdJDCJ3Av7E7EREZs?si=jsyj35XPTAyZTueQDnCbIw