“TSUKIJI WONDERLAND” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | Japanese w/English subtitles | 110 min.
Written and directed by Naotaro Endo.
Tökyö’s Tsukiji Fish Market is the largest seafood market in the world. Opened in 1935, the market attracted 60,000 people a day at its peak. (For more information on the film, read our “Showtime Asia” column in the Nov. 4, 2016, issue.)
Screenings: Nov. 5, 3:30 p.m. | Nov. 8, 8:30 p.m.
“BITTERSWEET” | U.S. Premiere | Japan | Japanese w/English subtitles | 96 min.
Written by Tomohiro Otoshi. Directed by Shogo Kusano.
What happens when a girl who hates vegetables develops a crush on a gay guy who is a vegetarian? Maki (Haruna Kawaguchi, “Creepy” – HIFF 2016) has it all, except a boyfriend and cooking skills. One day, Maki, who hates vegetables, meets Nagisa (Kento Hayashi, “Lesson of the Evil”) and is immediately smitten. But Nagisa is gay . . . and a vegetarian. Maki decides that if he can’t be her real boyfriend, then he can be her fake one. Through a bit of manipulation, Maki convinces Nagisa to be her roommate. Reluctantly, he agrees, on one condition: Maki must eat everything he cooks for her. Fortunately for Maki, Nagisa is a vegetarian master chef. After a series of delicious meals, Maki and Nagisa find themselves changing in unexpected ways.
“Bittersweet” is based on the manga series “Nigakute Amai” by Yumio Kobayashi and is one of the most hilarious vegetarian foodie films ever.
Screenings: Nov. 9, 5:45 p.m. | Nov. 13, 6 p.m. | Nov. 18, 8 p.m. (Palace Theater)
