Okay, now for the last two movies that I saw on the Canberra Leg of the Japanese Film Festival. Yes it’s true that I had originally planned to see five movies at the festival but a complimentary ticket from one of the people running the festival because they appreciated that I had seen so many movies at the festival quickly changed my mind. Oh and once again thank you for the free ticket.

Director Taisuke Kawamura
Starring Rena Nouen, Masaki Suda, Hiroki Hasegawa, Chizuru Ikewaki, Rina Ohta, Azusa Babazono, Tomoe Shinohara, Nana Katase, Mokomichi Hayami, Sei Hiraizumi Rated Unclassified General
Score 4.5/6
Tsukimi is a jellyfish-obsessed otaku who lives with her socially awkward friends in an all-female dormitory. When their building is listed for redevelopment and their world is threatened, can Kuranosuke, the beautiful cross-dressing son of a local politician, help them protect their home?

I saw Princess Jellyfish on the recommendation of the woman from the festival who gave me a free ticket. This was the one feel good movie that I saw over the course of four days. Sitting here writing I found out that Princess Jellyfish is adapted from a Japanese josei manga series written and illustrated by Akiko Higashimura. I noticed that the movie was very similar to the 80’s save the teenage (house, hangout etc) from the evil land developer and My Fair Lady (if Professor Henry Higgins wore a dress).
I am completely unfamiliar with Taisuke Kawamura’s other work. But I loved what Kawamura did with the movie. I thought that Tsukimi’s (played by Rena Nouen) underwater Jellyfish dream sequence at the beginning of the movie was a cool way to start things off and I thought that the effect where Tsukimi and her friends turned to stone whenever they were embarrassed was something that we can kind of relate to.

Director Masaharu Take
Cast Sakura Ando, Hirofumi Arai
Rated Unclassified 15+
Score 5/6

Ichiko is a 32-year-old woman who still lives with her parents and doesn’t have a real job. One of the few joys in her dreary life is watching Yuji train at a boxing gym close by. An encounter between the two sets a chain of events that leads to Ichiko’s metamorphosis.

100 YEN LOVE is Japan’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming 88th Academy Awards®.
Considering that I didn’t see the movie that opened the festival it was probably good idea that I saw the one that closed it. 100 Yen Love and The Big Bee where the only two movies that I saw at the JFF that I would normally stereotypically associate with Japanese cinema.
As with most Asian cinema that I watch I was completely unfamiliar with everybody involved with the production of the movie. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this one and its also just a little bit uplifting. After enjoying all of the movies that I watched at the JFF I am actually going to have to consider keeping an actual phyisical list of the directors and actors who I want to see more of their work considering that there is more then a few entries that I have forgotten about.