I’ve always been an anime fan. Whenever I have time, I would watch new anime or re-watch old anime that I love. I remember re-watching Slam Dunk a couple of months ago. I watched until episode 10 but then got busy with work.
When Slam Dunk aired on RPN in 1998, then eventually on GMA 7 in 2002, I remember religiously following the anime. I would hurry home so I would not miss an episode. Rukawa was my favorite character back then. I followed the kilig moments between Sakuragi and Haruko, whose brother Akagi was the captain of the Shohoku basketball team.
Last Feb. 1, we got the chance to relive the basketball journey of the Shohoku basketball team in the First Slam Dunk, the opening film of this year’s Japanese Film Festival.
In the movie, the high school basketball team, led by captain Akagi, point guard Rukawa, Sakuragi, and Mitsui, among others, took the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship and reached the level to challenge the reigning champion, Sannoh Kogyo High School.
Based on the hit anime series that became a favorite among Filipino anime and basketball fans in the 1990s, the animated sports film written and directed by Takehiko Inoue has amazing animation and heart-pounding basketball action. The film also resonates with heartfelt emotions and gives that truly nostalgic cinematic journey.
According to festival director Yojiro Tanaka, JFF 2024 decided on the theme, Nostalgia. “We chose films that will make our audience feel nostalgic and remember their own fond memories and feelings.”
“The festival will showcase a range of Japanese films from various genres that are sure to cater to different tastes. This year’s JFF lineup has something for everyone, and guarantees the satisfaction of cinephiles, drama devotees, and comedy connoisseurs alike,” said Tanaka.
You can catch all the featured films of JFF 2024 at the Shangri-La Plaza Cineplex until Feb. 11.
Featured films include two Detective Conan films: Detective Conan The Movie: The Time-Bombed Skyscraper (1997), based on the original graphic novel Meitantei Conan by Gosho Aoyama, about a high school detective who was turned into a little boy by a dark organization; another Detective Conan The Movie: The Private Eyes’ Requiem (2006), where young detective Conan faces his worst crisis yet when someone figured out his real identity in the 10th anniversary feature film.
A film by Ishikawa Kei, A Man (2022) answers whether the truth will set a person free through the story of a woman who discovered that her departed husband was posing under someone else’s identity. Prefaced by René Magritte’s surrealist painting Not to be Reproduced, this thought-provoking film is a vital addition to a growing genre of Japanese cinema that interrogates fragile morals permeating contemporary society.
And Yet, You Are So Sweet (2023) explores one-sided love in a high school setting, while We Made A Beautiful Bouquet (2021) chronicles the fleeting lifespan of love. Mondays: See You “This” Week! (2022) has the entire office stuck in a time loop, and it is up to the workers to find a way to end the endless Monday.
In Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom (2023), two warring kingdoms come to a diplomatic agreement to end the war through an arranged marriage. But with the stubbornness of the rulers, will they ever find peace?
Father of the Milky Way Railroad (2023) is a powerful biopic detailing the life of legendary poet and novelist Miyaka Kenji, one of Japan’s most beloved children’s authors. Tokyo Story (1953), on the other hand, is about an elderly couple who visited their children living in Tokyo but ended up disappointed when their children prioritized maintaining their lifestyle rather than spending time with their parents.
Other films include the comedy drama Not Quite Dead Yet (2020) and the social realism film Angry Son (2022).
Celebrating the strong bilateral relations between Japan and the Philippines, this year’s festival features Voltes V: Legacy, a film based on the Tagalized TV series produced by GMA 7. Director Mark Reyes turned the first few episodes of the TV series into a film.
To close the festival, JFF will screen Voltes V: The Liberation (1999). Directed by Nagahama Tadao, the film narrates the climactic conclusion of the Voltes V animated series. During the Martial Law, this anime was banned.
“We hope that the wide range of films will entertain long-time festival goers and those who are already fans of Japanese films. We also welcome newcomers to enjoy Japanese films and the Japanese Film Festival,” said Tanaka.
Presented by the Japan Foundation, Manila, JFF was launched in 1997 and has grown to become one of the most anticipated film festivals in the country. Every year, it attracts over 25,000 audiences, treating them to a variety of cinematic delights from drama, anime, romance, mystery, and everything in between.
Admission is free to all screenings. Guests can simply visit their preferred participating theaters and queue before each screening of their chosen movie. Seats will be on a first-come-first-serve basis.
After its Shangri-La Red Carpet Cinema run, JFF 2024 will head to the regions in SM Cinemas in Cebu, Baguio, Iloilo, and Davao. JFF screens in SM Seaside City Cebu from February 16 to 25, and in SM City Baguio, Iloilo, and Davao from Feb. 23 to March 3. The festival will also have a special run at the UPFI Film Center in UP Diliman from Feb. 22 to March 2.
For more information on the festival’s full film lineup, comprehensive movie synopsis, and complete screening schedules, please visit www.JapaneseFilmFestPH.jfmo.org.ph