Based on a relatively little-known manga series by Yu Koyama, the Azumi films follow the life of a female assassin who grows up in the war-torn era of the Japanese Shogunate. To date there have been two films, both starring Jpop artist Aya Ueto; the first was directed by Ryuhei Kitamura and the second by Shusuke Kaneko.
Murakami’s follow-up to Kafka on the Shore is a surprisingly short novel but carries on the themes of loneliness, isolation and chance meetings of his previous works, not to mention his characteristically quirky and surreal style. As the title suggests, the story takes place between sunset and sunrise, focusing on an assorted selection of characters who are going about their business while the rest of the world is asleep and unaware. A girl named Mari sits in a Denny’s fast food restaurant when she meets a student named Takahashi, who is practising with his band in a nearby basement; meanwhile Mari’s sister Eri is alone at home in a state of unnaturally deep sleep as her sibling is called into a nearby love hotel to help in an incident involving one of its guests.
The Angry Men of Osaka have come a long way from the point of view of their international fans. Their native Japan has had them all to itself for a decade now, although the’ve made some noteworthy appearances in the US recently. It’s all the more significant, then, when their first visit to the UK is not one but two sold-out shows on consecutive nights.
If I were to summarise my ‘ideal’ romantic comedy drama, it would go something like this: 1). engaging characters who are believable and easy to relate to; 2). a storyline that takes the genre away from crude slapstick and gratuitous sex scenes to keep the viewer’s interest; 3). a setting that conveys the feelings and situations of the said characters; and 4). a musical score that is also a break from the norm but at the same time works in harmony with what’s going on. These factors end up as especially important in romantic comedy drama films due to the character- and situation-driven nature of the material but for me at least don’t often deliver.
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