A young girl named Mitsuki receives a ticket for a bus tour from her uncle. The tour appears to be normal (expect that everyone appears to be quite somber) but Mitsuki learns its true purpose. All passengers and the tour manager have a suicide pact to send the bus over a cliff so the families can collect the insurance money.
Tag: JAPAN
——UPGRADED——
Made in the early years of internet chat rooms, Yoshimitsu Morita’s mid-1990s standout follows a young salaryman in the city with the username “[Haru]” who becomes fast friends with a fellow named Hoshi who lives in a rural town. Their anonymity allows them to open up about their loves, struggles, and cinephilia. One day, Hoshi reveals that she is a woman, but that doesn’t damage the strength of their friendship. Eventually, the two finally decide to meet in person. Morita’s keen interest in new technology and an enduring love for trains come together to create a charming tale of connection in an alienating world.
Haru, an aging scriptwriter, has isolated himself somewhere in the woods of Nagano to work on his first novel. As the last surviving member of his kin, he intends to chronicle the family he grew up in.
Komori Tiaki is a budding tennis student, however one day in training her coach hits the ball into her eye accidentally. She is taken to hospital but it advised that she will never regain the sight in her eye. Her coach knows of a mysterious doctor ‘Blackjack’ who lives in a secluded house, who might be able to help. ‘Blackjack’ agrees to do the operation, but for a ‘substantial reward’!
When new, smart and sweet Tokyo girl, Rumiko, starts at a rural elementary school, Akira finds himself smitten, like every other male pupil. Newcomer’s popularity is contrasted with the less-tolerant treatment of scruffy Hideko, who, thanks to the arrival of a carnival freak-show in town, is nicknamed the Wolf Girl. Teachers and parents snootily consider the carny off-limits, but Akira is determined to find out whether Hideko really is a wolf girl.
This story is based on the novel “Jo no mai” by Tomiko Miyao which is based on the life of painter Shōen Uemura (1875–1949), the first woman to be awarded the Order of Culture. The title refers to the masterpiece bijinga (“picture of a beautiful woman”) that Uemura painted at the age of 61. The main character, Tsuya Shimamura, is born in Kyoto as the second daughter of a tea trader who dies before her birth. Tsuya, who loves painting more than anything and is hopeless at housework, attends art school and at age 15 receives the name Shōsui (from the characters for “pine” and “green”) from her teacher. The crown prince of England purchases one of her works, propelling her to fame overnight.
Mitsuko Murakami puts the passion to balloon in the hot-air balloon Circle “Airheads”. The club gathered young people holding a variety of thoughts. But “Airheads” is disbanded not too long after. Five years later, “Murakami was in a traffic accident” starts to go around between the circle members, and for that reason the members reunite and hold again a large banquet in order to remember Murakami and the days in the Club.