“Gurutto J:COM Tankentai,” premieres on Monday, May 4, at 8:30 p.m.
“J:COM expedition team” goes to Fukuoka and its surrounding cities to report on landmarks, restaurants, local events and people, some not well-known. Learn about a Fukuoka you didn’t know existed in this community-based program that helps you find a new “Fukuoka.” (NGN Sister State TV) Fully subtitled in English.
“NGN Sister State TV” is a group of programs dedicated to creating mutual understanding, goodwill and cultural ties between Hawai‘i and its sister states, Fukuoka, Okinawa, Hiroshima, and Ehime.
“Mystery Hour – TEAM,” premieres on Tuesday, May 5, at 7:35 p.m.
Shingo Saku is a chief inspector at the MPD (Metropolitan Police Department) headquarters. Within the force, he is known as the youngest top management and his nickname is “The Tactician.” When major crimes such as murders and kidnappings take place, an inspector is to lead the investigation with 40 to 100 police officers working to solve the case. Shingo has a cool analytic ability and works brilliantly as a commander. Aloof and hard to figure out, he is a man who carries out his duties dispassionately, but he has a firm sense of justice and sense of mission. Fully subtitled in English.
“Shikakenin Fujieda Baian,” premieres on Wednesday, May 20, at 8:30 p.m.
Baian Fujieda is a friendly and trusted acupuncturist who moonlights as an assassin in Edo period. He uses his acupuncture needles as weapons and takes on deadly assignments, killing with an undeniable skill. Based on a novel by Shotaro Ikenami. Fully subtitled in English.
NGN 3 MOVIE CHANNEL (Digital Ch. 679)
Premiere titles air on Friday. Movies are shown at various times. Check your digital on-screen guide for movie schedules, using either the GUIDE or INFO buttons (up to one week ahead). Or call NGN, Mon.-Fri. from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 538-1966 for inquiries or to request an e-mail of NGN 3 programming information. All movies are in Japanese language with full English subtitles.
PREMIERE TITLES OF THE MONTH
May 1: “Bokensha Kamikaze (Adventurer Kamikaze),” 1981 action film,
1 hour and 55 minutes.
Directed by Ryuichi Takamori. Starring Shinichi Chiba and Hiroyuki Sanada.
Aki Hoshino, a pre-med student, becomes inspired to steal money the school collected as “special fees” from parents wanting to assure their children’s acceptance into the hallowed institution. He forms an unbeatable alliance with an ex-employee and crime bosses to retrieve the ill-gotten money from the “wrong” hands.
May 8: “Kurutta Yaju (A Savage Beast Goes Mad),” 1976 action film, 1 hour and 18 minutes.
Directed by Sadao Nakajima. Starring Tsunehiko Watase and Maki Tachibana.
While attempting a getaway, Hayami, an ex-race car driver turned jewel thief, finds the bus he’s riding hijacked by a pair of nasty but bumbling bank robbers. The bus driver dies from a heart attack, forcing Hayami to take the wheel.
May 15: “Yoshiwara Enjo (Tokyo Bordello),” 1983 drama, 2 hour and 13 minutes.
Directed by Hideo Gosha. Starring Yuko Natori and Sayoko Ninomiya.
In the famous Yoshiwara pleasure district in Tokyo, prostitution was legal for many hundreds of years. However, once most of the district was destroyed by a fire in 1911.
A young girl is sold into prostitution by her destitute father, to a brothel in the Yoshiwara district. The owners of the brothel have high hopes to make her the great new addition, which will attract only the richest of customers. But after several months of training, she tries to flee Yoshiwara when the time has come for her to take her first customer.
May 22: “Truck Yaro Otoko Ippiki Momojiro (I Am A Man of Honor),” 1977 action film, 1 hour and 43 minutes.
Directed by Norifumi Suzuji. Starring Bunta Sugawara and Kinya Aikawa.
The sixth film of the “Truck Yaro” series. Two long-distance truckers, “Momojiro” and “Kinzo,” travel around Japan in highly decorated trucks. In Kyushu, Momojiro falls in love again . . . this time with a beautiful college student Masako.
May 29: “Shinshi Doumei (The Gentlemen’s Alliance),” 1986 film, 1 our and 42 minutes.
Starring Hiroko Yakushimaru and Saburo Tokito.
Etusko, a female college student, tries to beat the con artists at their own game after she gets scammed one after another.
NGN3 MOVIE OF THE MONTH
“Jinrui Shikin (The Human Trust),” 2013 drama, 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Directed by Junji Sakamoto. Starring Koichi Sato and Shingo Katori.
Yuichi Mafune is known as a finance broker, but he’s actually a conman. One day, a wealthy young businessman “M” shows up and hires Yuichi to steal the “M funds.” The “M funds” is thought to be hidden treasure looted from the Bank of Japan and supposedly stashed away by a group of men after World War II in various locations around the globe. He is hired by “M” to steal 10 trillion yen from the M Fund and use it for humanitarian assistance to the Third World. Harold Marcus (Vincent Gallo), an investment banker, sends an assassin to stop them.
NGN3 COMMUNITY FAVORITE
“Kibou no Otome (With Songs in My Heart),” 1958 drama, 1 hour and 36 minutes.
Directed by Yasushi Sasaki. Starring Hibari Misora, Ken Takakura and Toru Ono.
Sayuri, a young woman born to a simple life on a farm, moves to Tokyo to pursue a life long dream of becoming a singer.
NGN3 Movies (in alphabetical order)
“Abashiri Bangaichi Hokkai-hen (Prison Walls of Abashiri 4),” 1965 action film, 1 hour and 31 minutes.
Directed by Teruo Ishii. Starring Ken Takakura and Kanjuro Arashi.
A gripping tale of friendship set against the backdrop of Hokkaido. Shinichi sets out to earn a few honest dollars with which to bail a friend out of jail.
“Daibosatsu Touge Dai-Nibu (Swords in the Moonlight, Part 2),” 1958 samurai film, 1 hour and 46 minutes.
Directed by Uchida Tomu. Starring Kataoka Chiezo, Nakamura Kinnosuke, Tukigata Ryunosuke, Satomi Kotaro and Azuma Chiyonosuke.
The second installment in the popular Jidaigeki series, “Daibosatsu Touge.”
Blinded and injured, master swordsman Ryunosuke is taken in by Otoyo, a woman who falls in love with him. Under Otoyo’s dedicated care, Ryunosuke’s physical and emotional wounds seem to heal. However, deep inside, the demons within that drive him to kill yearn to resurface.
“Daisan no Ninja (The Third Ninja),” 1964 jidaigeki/action film, 1 hour and 37 minutes.
Directed by Toshikazu Kono. Starring Kotaro Satomi, Isao Yamagata, Ryunosuke Tsukigata, and Kunio Kaga.
Three Iga ninja are on a hunt for Chidoken, a Takeda ninja sent out to assasinate Lord Nobunaga.
“Edokko Bugyo Tenka wo Kiru Otoko (An Edo Magistrate),” 1961 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 29 minutes.
Directed by Yasushi Sasaki. Starring Kinnosuke Nakamura and Satomi Oka.
Young samurai returns home to honor and fulfill the duty left behind by his late father.
“Gimu to Engi (Love And Duty),” 1997 drama, 1 hour and 50 minutes.
Directed by Haruo Ichikura. Starring Hiroshi Tachi, Misa Shimizu and Reiko Takashima.
Two married couples struggle to cope with their sex lives. Kenji and Misaki, a seemingly happy married couple, lead a sexless life. Misaki, whose numerous seductions have been turned down by her husband Kenji, longs for a way to solve their sexless marriage.
On the other hand, Shoko, a career oriented woman, is annoyed by the constant sexual attention she receives from her husband Yoshihiko, who believes fulfilling Shoko’s sexual needs is the greatest expression of love. When a chance meeting brings Kenji and Shoko together in a passionate affair, they suddenly find themselves re-examining their lives and struggling to understand what is truly important.
“Hana to Yato no Mure (The Bandits),” 1962 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 29
minutes.
Directed by Shigehiro Ozawa. Starring Hiroki Matsukata and Chiezo Kataoka.
Friendship between an ambitious young thief and an artist during the Warring States period.
“Hibotan Bakuto Tekkaba Retsuden (Valiant Red Peony 5),” 1969 drama,
1 hour and 39 minutes.
Directed by Kosaku Yamashita. Starring Junko Fuji, Koji Tsuruta and
Tomisaburo Wakayama.
Female gambler Oryu comes to the aid of a down-and-out farmer.
“Hokori Takaki Chosen (The Challenge),” 1962 drama, 1 hour and 29
minutes.
Directed by Kinji Fukasaku. Starring Koji Tsuruta and Tetsuro Tanba.
A spy thriller between an international weapon dealer and a newspaper reporter with a murky past.
“Kigeki Dantai Ressha (Traveling In Party),” 1967 comedy, 1 hour 32
minutes.
Directed by Masaharu Segawa. Starring Kiyoshi Atsumi and Yoshiko Sakuma.
A comedy about Hikoichi, a mediocre train conductor who falls in love with a beautiful widow Sayuri.
“Koudo 7000 Meters (Four Hours of Terror),” 1983 action film 1 hour and 16 minutes.
Directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi. Starring Ken Takakura.
The captain saves passengers from a brutal murderer on a plane after four hours of terror.
“Kougan no Misshi (The Great King of Mongolia),” 1959 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 29 minutes.
Directed by Tai Kato. Starring Hashizo Okawa and Yayoi Furusato.
An imperial agent puts down a riot in Mutu province.
“LOVE Masao-kun ga Iku! (Go, Masao!),” 2012 comedy drama, 1 hour and 49 minutes.
Directed by Kentaro Otani. Starring Shingo Katori and Ryoko Hirosue.
Hideki, a struggling comedian is initially overjoyed when he’s invited to appear on a pet-themed variety show starring a goofy dog Masao-kun. Unfortunately, his luck quickly takes a turn for the worse Masao proves nearly impossible to handle. However, his attitude changes one day when he’s injured during filming and Masao immediately rushes to aid him. After that incident, Hideki decides to form a permanent duo with Masao.
“Onna Hissatsuken (Sister Street Fighter),” 1975 action film, 1 hour and 26 minutes.
Directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi. Starring Etsuko Shiomi and Shinichi Chiba.
When Lee Long, a martial-arts champion and undercover drug agent, goes missing during an investigation, his sister, a fierce martial art warrior Tina is called in to continue the investigation in his place. She gets the help of Lee’s martial-arts school, including the powerful Sonny, for the inevitable battle-royale with the drug gang, which includes masters of many different “schools” of fighting.
“Ore wa Mada Honki Dashitenai Dake (I’ll Give It My All . . . Tomorrow),” 2013 comedy/drama, 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Directed by Yuichi Fukada. Starring Shinichi Tsutsumi and Ai Hashimoto.
Shizuo, a 41-year-old father of a 17-year-old girl, truly believes he’s talented in many ways although he never seems to put much effort into anything. One day, Shizuo decides to quit his job “to find himself.” However, he spends his days doing nothing but getting yelled at by his father. On a whim, he decides to inform his father and daughter Suzuko that he’s going to become a manga artist. Unfortunately, Shizuo receives a rude awakening when his portfolio is rejected by a brutally honest manga editor and winds up taking a menial part-time job.
“Otoko no Shobu Kanto Arashi (Showdown of Men 3),” 1967 action film,
1 hour and 29 minutes.
Directed by Kosaku Yamashita. Starring Hideo Murata and Saburo Kitajima.
After being bailed out of trouble by a member of the Kaijima Clan, Ryuhei dedicates himself to saving the Kajima’s lucrative lumber busines s.
“Otoko wa Tsuraiyo Junjo-hen (Tora-san’s Shattered Romance),” 1971
comedy, 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Directed by Yoji Yamada. Starring Kiyoshi Atsumi and Chieko Baisho.
Tora-San, a good-natured street vender, is adored by a girl who has escaped from an institution. Overjoyed, he decides to marry her. His family and friends worry about his decision, and her teacher takes her back to the institution.
“Robo no Ishi (Roadside Stone),” 1964 drama, 1 hour and 38 minutes.
Directed by Miyoji Ieki. Starring Katsuo Nakamura, Shuichi Ikeda and Kei Sato.
Young and poverty stricken Goichi strives to realize his dream of pursuing his studies in Tokyo.
“Roningai no Kaoyaku (A Brave Ronin),” 1963 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 26
minutes.
Directed by Yasushi Sasaki. Starring Utaemon Ichikawa and Yataro
Kurokawa.
A story of ronin living in the impoverished outskirts of Edo who come
together to fight against the evil rich family Hannya.
“Sakariba Blues (Downtown Blues),” 1968 drama, 1 hour and 28 minutes.
Directed by Michio Konishi. Starring Tatsuo Umemiya and Yumiko Nogawa.
The desires and pretensions of woman of the Ginza are depicted.
“Second Virgin (Second Virginity),” 2011 drama, 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Directed by Hiroshi Kurosaki. Starring Kyoka Suzuki and Hiroki Hasegawa.
Forty-five-year-old Rui Nakamura is a highly successful publisher. During the course of work, she encounters a 28-year-old married man Kou Suzuki who aggressively pursues her. Unexpectedly, Rui Nakamura starts to fall in love with the younger married man.
“Umon Torimonocho Katame no Okami (One Eyed Wolf),” 1957 samurai film, 1 hour and 27 minutes.
Directed by Sawashima Tadashi. Starring Otomo Ryutaro and Satomi Kotaro.
Otomo Ryutaro, best known for his role in the renowned series “Tange Sazen,” stars as the skillful detective, Umon, in this popular jidaigeki series “Umon Torimonocho.” Handsome and clever detective Umon is on a mission to solve the mysterious murder of five people who were hanged and killed with bowstrings.
“Waga Kokoro no Ginga Tetsudo (Night Train to the Stars),” 1996 drama,
1 hour and 51 minutes.
Directed by Omori Kazuki. Starring Ogata Naoto, Watari Tetsuya and Mizuno Maki.
Following the life of Kenji Miyazawa, one Japan’s most read and best loved authors in recent years. Born into a family of an affluent pawnbroker in the rural Iwate prefecture, Kenji always sought ways to improve the lives of the poor villagers who pawned their personal belongings in order to make ends meet. His strong Buddhist faith also drove him to further contemplate issues dealing with hardship and poverty, reinforcing his desire to find ways to improve the lives of those less fortunate. Meanwhile, his upbringing in Iwate fostered a passion for nature, which inspired him to write a series of unique poems.
“Wakasama Zamura Torimonocho Senketsu no Ningyo (Case of a Young Lord 6),” 1957 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 23 minutes.
Directed by Kinnosuke Fukada. Starring Hashizo Okawa, Sentaro Fushimi and Keiko Okawa.
Young lord must reveal the truth on the mysterious death of the fireworks craftsman whose body was found surrounded by eerie mermaids.
“Yoja no Maden (Ninja’s Weapon),” 1956 ninja/action film, 1 hour and 29 minutes.
Directed by Sadatsugu Matsuda. Starring Chiezo Kataoka, Ryunosuke
Tsukigata and Yumiko Hasegawa.
During a time of war, Lord Ogata is betrayed by two of his closest vassals and killed by his enemy, Sarashina Danjo. Ten years later, Lord Ogata’s only living heir, now a skilled ninja, sets out to avenge his parents” death with sorcery.
