0603 – A Letter to Momo / Momo e no tegami (2011)

spacetime coordinates: 2010’s Shio Island (汐島 Shiojima) –  Seto Inland Sea

A Letter to Momo (Japanese: ももへの手紙 Hepburn: Momo e no Tegami) is a 2011 Japanese anime drama film produced by Production I.G and distributed by Kadokawa Pictures. The film was written and directed by Hiroyuki Okiura and stars an ensemble cast featuring Karen Miyama, Yuka, Toshiyuki Nishida, Chō and Kōichi Yamadera. In A Letter to Momo, 11-year-old Momo Miyaura moves with her mother to a small island town after her father dies. When she arrives, she encounters three goblins that others cannot see who help her to cope with the loss of her father and the changes in her life.

“Sweet, sad, and visually striking, A Letter to Momo is a hand-drawn experience for animation fans to savor.”

imdb   manga

0602 – The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

spacetime coordinates: 2000’s Tokyo, Japan

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (時をかける少女 Toki o Kakeru Shōjo) is a 2006 Japanese-animated science fiction comedy/drama film produced by Madhouse, directed by Mamoru Hosoda and written by Satoko Okudera. Released by Kadokawa Herald Pictures, the film is a loose sequel to the 1967 novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui and shares the basic premise of a young girl who gains the power of time travel, but with a different story and characters than the novel. Riisa Naka voices teenager Makoto Konno, who learns from Kazuko Yoshiyama, Makoto’s aunt and the protagonist to the original story, that Makoto has the power to travel through time. Nick Pinkerton of The Village Voice said, “there’s real craftsmanship for how [the film] sustains its sense of summer quietude and sun-soaked haziness through a few carefully reprised motifs: three-cornered games of catch, mountainous cloud formations, classroom still-lifes.”

imdb

0593 – Batman Ninja (2018)

spacetime coordinates: Gotham City > feudal Japan

Batman Ninja (ニンジャバットマン Ninja Battoman) is a 2018 Japanese animated period martial arts superhero film directed by Junpei Mizusaki and produced by Warner Bros. Takashi Okazaki, the creator of Afro Samurai, is the character designer for the film.

IGN awarded Batman Ninja a score of 9.7 out of 10, saying “DC tried something new by bringing in visionary Japanese animators to offer a refreshing take on one of the company’s most beloved characters, and the finished product not only built upon the great adaptations that have come before, but surpassed them.”

imdb

572 – Jazzpunk (2014 video game)

spacetime coordinates:  year 1959B Americasia: The “United Prefectures of Japanada”

Jazzpunk is a comedy Environmental Narrative Game set in an alternate reality Cold War World, plagued with corporate espionage, CyberCrime, and sentient martinis. Gameplay is inspired by spoof comedy films and cartoons of yesteryear, with a focus on weird gadgets, exotic locales, and open-world style exploration.

Now, we want you to take on the task of describing this electronic first-person game by the name of Jazzpunk. (read)

tons of references * fourth wall breaks * easter eggs * mini games within mini games

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS (MINIMUM): OS: Windows XP SP2 or higher // Processor: 1.80GHz Processor // Memory: 2 GB RAM // Graphics: Video card with 512MB of VRAM // Storage: 2 GB available space

http://store.steampowered.com/app/250260/Jazzpunk_Directors_Cut/

546 – Cutie and the Boxer (2013)

Ushio Shinohara: “We are the ones suffering the most from art…”

Cutie and the Boxer is a 2013 American documentary film produced, shot, and directed by Zachary Heinzerling. The film focuses on the chaotic 40-year marriage of the boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife Noriko. The film features original artwork by Noriko Shinohara and Ushio Shinohara.

Heinzerling said of the couple: “When I first met [the Shinoharas], I was just struck by the raw spirit and beauty that emanates from their faces, their lifestyle, their art, everything about them has so much purpose and character. Even if you don’t speak Japanese, even if you have no previous knowledge of their artwork or who they are, you’re immediately captivated by their presence. They live in a world that’s kind of a time warp that hearkens back to the ‘70s New York SoHo art scene that is sort of canonized in history, certainly from my point of view.”

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2355540/

486 – The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

The Cabin in the Woods is a 2012 American horror comedy film directed by Drew Goddard in his directorial debut, produced by Joss Whedon, and written by Whedon and Goddard.  The film stars Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, and Bradley Whitford.

sketch105.deviantart

Goddard and Whedon, having worked together previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, wrote the screenplay in three days, describing it as an attempt to “revitalize” the slasher film genre and as a critical satire on torture porn. The special effects, monster costumes, special makeup, and prosthetic makeup for the movie were done by veteran horror film actress Heather Langenkamp, her husband David LeRoy Anderson, and their company AFX Studio.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1259521/

0481 – In This Corner of the World (2016)

spacetime coordinates:  1930s-1940s Hiroshima and Kure  Japan

In This Corner of the World (この世界の片隅に Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni) is a 2016 Japanese animated wartime drama film produced by MAPPA, co-written and directed by Sunao Katabuchi, featuring character designs by Hidenori Matsubara and music by Kotringo. The film is based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Fumiyo Kōno.

Though it is a fictional account, the episodes and background of the story are based on facts and real incidents researched by the production staff.  In the film, the lost townscape of pre-war Hiroshima, damaged by the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, is accurately revived in the scenes, following old photos, documents, and the memories of living people.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4769824/