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Japan Touring Film Programme Continues Into March Including Ghost Cat Anzu and Live-Action Let's Go Karaoke
posted on by Andrew Osmond
The details of the venues and screenings of Ghost Cat Anzu will be given here.
The story is described as follows:
"11-year-old Karin (voiced by Noa Gotō) isn't happy when her good-for-nothing father drops her off at her grandfather's temple to stay while he runs away from the loan sharks on his tail, nor is she excited when she meets Anzu (voiced by Mirai Moriyama): her grandfather's 37-year-old, six foot tall, bipedal, talking cat. Anzu is a bakeneko, or a ghost cat. He works part-time as a chiropractor, rides a moped and likes going down to the pachinko parlour.
"At first, Anzu is reluctant to look after Karin. But seeing her desperate wish to be with her deceased mother once again on the anniversary of her death, he joins her. Together, this unusual pair set off on an extraordinary, magical journey, where they even find themselves on the path down to the underworld itself! Directed by Yōko Kuno, this quirky French-Japanese co-production is a visually stunning joy to watch that brings the world of yokai (ghosts) to vibrant, charming life."
Both Moriyama and Gotō also acted as the characters in footage that served as a reference for animating the characters, with their spoken lines during the filming of their movements also being used in the film.
There are screenings scheduled at HOME cinema in Manchester (March 1 at 1 p.m.), Queen's Film Theatre in Belfast (March 2 at 3 p.m.), Dundee Contemporary Arts (March 2 at 3.45 p.m.), Broadway in Nottingham (March 15 at 1.15 p.m.), Aberystwyth Arts Centre (March 16 at 5 p.m.), Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle (March 19 at 8.15 p.m.), Eden Court in Inverness (March 22), Chichester Cinema (March 24 at 6 p.m.), Phoenix in Leicester (March 29 at 6 p.m.), Exeter Phoenix (March 29 at 4 p.m.), Brewery Arts Cinema in Kendal (March 29 at 5 p.m.)
In addition to these screenings of the film, which are in Japanese with subtitles, there will be a later screening at Leeds' Hyde Park Picture House of what is listed as the English dub of Ghost Cat Anzu on Friday April 18 as 1 p.m. This screening is part of the Leeds Young Film Festival, and tickets are available here.
The film programme's website describes the story as follows:
"Junior high school choir leader Satomi (SAITO Jun) has a lot on his plate, preparing for the choir's final performance before his graduation and struggling to live up to expectations with the spectrum of his changing teenage voice looming over his head. But as if that's not enough, he is thrust into even more chaos when yakuza lieutenant Kyoji (AYANO Go) inserts himself into his life.
"Kyoji is in a bind: his boss's annual karaoke competition is coming up, and Kyoji's hopeless voice puts him in danger of receiving the humiliating punishment endured by the loser. He desperately needs to learn how to sing, so after overhearing a performance by Satomi's school choir, he corners Satomi and asks him for lessons. Satomi is reluctant at first, naturally afraid of getting caught up in gang affairs… but could it really be possible to give a karaoke lesson to a Yakuza?"
Wayama released the manga as a dōjin publication in 2019, and Kadokawa published it in September 2020. The manga came in third place for the 14th Manga Taisho awards in 2021. The manga has 500,000 copies in circulation.
There are screenings scheduled at Picturehouse@FACT in Liverpool (March 3 at 5.20 p.m.), Cinema City in Norwich (March 3 at 8.30 p.m.), The Phoenix Cinema in Kirkwall, Orkney (March 6 at 4.30 p.m.), City Screen in York (March 10 at 5.15 p.m.), The Cameo in Edinburgh (March 13 at 8.30 p.m.), Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham (March 14 at 7.50 p.m.), The QUAD cinema in Derby (March 14 at 8.30 p.m.), Firstsite Cinema in Colchester (March 15 at 2 p.m.), Broadway Cinema in Nottighman (March 15 at 6.15 p.m.) and Plymouth Arts Cinema (March 20 at 8.30 p.m.)
Thaniks to Jordan Scott for pointing out the film programme's inclusion of the live-action Let's Go Karaoke!, and also the dubbed screening of Ghost Cat Anzu in Leeds on April 18.
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