NEW PROGRAMMING
“Come Come Everybody,” premiering Monday, Aug. 1 at 7:15 p.m.
On the day radio broadcasting started in 1925, Yasuko arrives in this world, the daughter of a family who runs a traditional sweets shop. As war looms, Yasuko’s loving world turns dark, but it is also this time that she discovers a radio English course that ultimately opens her future. Rui is Yasuko’s daughter, and her story begins in post-war Osaka. The family saga continues with the story of Hinata, Rui’s daughter, which begins in 1970s Kyoto. Three women, three generations, one hundred years. Though confronted with the hardships, each carves out her own path in love, career, and marriage. Through it all, radio English plays a symbolic role, epitomized by “Come Come English,” which was a beacon of lighthearted optimism in the days immediately following the war. Fully subtitled in English.
“Is My Kawaii About to Expire,” premiering Wednesday, Aug. 17 at 7:35 p.m.
Meet Marilyn Tanaka. She is lousy at the job, but nothing gets her down. As she gets involved with the workplace problems of the idiosyncratic colleagues she encounters in various departments, she begins to race up the corporate ladder, powered by her positive spirit and her senior, Ms. Minegishi’s low-key devious methods for success. Fully subtitled in English.
“Yangotonaki Ichizoku (Involvement in Family Affairs),” premiering Monday, Aug. 22 at 7:35 p.m.
Sato Shinohara grew up in a downtown area where she and her mother run an inexpensive diner. Mentally strong with a cheerful personality, she is dearly loved by the customers. One day, Kenta Miyama, the guy she is dating, proposes to her and she accepts… Although the Miyama family is fiercely opposed to their marriage because of the disparity in their status, she believes in her boyfriend and marries into the family. At first, she is not convinced by the old-fashioned customs of the family, so typical of high society. However, after she finds out that Kenta has a wish in his heart to “make the family a normal one,” she decides to challenge through… Fully subtitled in English.
NGN 3 MOVIE CHANNEL (Spectrum Digital Ch. 679/HD 1679)
Premiere titles air on Friday. “Movie of the Month” premieres on the first Saturday. 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 (808) 538–1966 for inquiries or to request an e–mail of NGN 3 programming information. All movies are in the Japanese language with full English subtitles.
MOVIE OF THE MONTH
“Hikkoshi Daimyo (Samurai Shifters),” 2019 drama, 2 hours and 1 minute.
Directed by Isshin Inudo. Starring Gen Hoshino and Issey Takahashi.
In the Edo period, it cost an absolute fortune for a lord to transfer from one fief to another, and if the shogunate reduced their stipend as well, numerous samurai had to be released from service and rendered masterless. The strain of these repeated relocations takes its toll on Matsudaira, and after he passes away, his mantle is inherited by the ineffectual and paralyzingly shy Shunnosuke Katagiri. He is forced to take on a task that no one else wants, and makes a desperate attempt to survive his seemingly hopeless predicament with no manpower, no money, and no experience …
MOVIES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
“Aoi no Abarenbo (Fine Man),” 1961 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 26 minutes.
Directed by Daisuke Yamazaki. Starring Kinya Kitaoji and Midori Isomura.
A young son of a master of the Kuwana clan gets disowned by his rebellious behavior. After he goes from the mountains to the ocean defeating the evil, he becomes a fine man.
“Beni Kujaku Dai-ippen Nachi no Kotengu/ Dai-nihen Norio ni Mateki (Crimson Peacock 1 & 2),” 1954 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 54 minutes.
Directed by Ryo Hagiwara. Starring Kinnosuke Nakamura, Chiyonosuke Azuma and Koji Arima.
Entrusted by a Roman saint, the brave soldiers guard the key to the treasures of Crimson Peacock from malicious pirates.
“Edo no Meibutsu Otoko Isshin Tasuke (Noble Tasuke),” 1958 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Directed by Tadashi Sawashima. Starring Kinnosuke Nakamura, Ryunosuke Tsukigata and Hitomi Nakahara.
Brave and compassionate man Tasuke prevents the feud between the lords.
“Furisode Taiheiki (Scramble for Fortune),” 1956 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 27 minutes.
Directed by Ryo Hagiwara. Starring Hibari Misora and Hashizo Okawa.
A young man and a woman are on a mission to protect a mysterious mirror that hides the secrets of a great fortune.
“Hatamoto Taikutsu Otoko Nazo no Ryujin Misaki (The Mysterious Cape),” 1963 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 29 minutes.
Directed by Yasushi Sasaki. Starring Utaemon Ichikawa and Hibari Misora.
Ryujin Misaki, located at the edge of the Genkai Sea, is known as an isolation ward for leprosy patients. When Saotome, a sword master and guard of the Shogun, hears news of a doctor gone missing, he begins to suspect that things are not what they seem at Ryujin Misaki. Intent on discovering the truth, Saotome launches a private investigation.
“Headphone Lullaby (Headphone Lullaby)” 1983 drama, 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Directed by Shigeyuki Yamane. Starring Masahiro Motoki, Hidehiro Yakushimaru, Toshikazu Fukawa and Tatsuo Umemiya.
Story of friendship, love and sportsmanship surrounding high school students Kazama, Ando and Yoshii.
“Hibari no Hahakoi Guitar (Hibari the Traveling Performer),” 1962 drama, 1 hour and 34 minutes.
Directed by Kiyoshi Saeki. Starring Hibari Misora and Eitaro Shindo.
Kimie, a traveling guitarist, performs at various inns at help out her sickly mother. One night while out with her mother, Otoshi, Kimie unexpectedly sees her father, who had abandoned the family 20 years ago. Her hopes for a happy reunion are quickly dashed as her father, having married into a wealthy family, wants nothing to do with her. Will Kimie be able to regain her father’s love?
“Hibotan Bakuto Oryu Sanjo (The Valiant Red Peony Gambles Her Life)” 1970 drama, 1 hour and 39 minutes.
Directed by Tai Kato. Starring Junko Fuji and Kanjuro Arashi.
Oryu the gambler travels to find young Okimi who was orphaned after her mother’s death several years ago.
“Jinsei Gekijo Hishakaku (Life of Hishakaku),” 1963 drama, 1 hour and 35 minutes.
Directed by Tadashi Sawashima. Starring Koji Tsuruta, Yoshiko Sakuma and Ken Takakura.
After eloping with a prostitute, Otoyo, Hishakaku takes refuge in the Kogane family’s turf. Indebted to Boss Kogane for his kindness, Hishakaku swears to dedicate himself to protect the Koganes in time of crisis. Hishakaku’s humble life comes to a sudden halt when the Kogane family becomes involved in a fatal feud with their rival, and Hishakaku’s services are called upon.
“Kairyu Daikessen (Dragon Showdown),” 1966 samurai, action, ninjutsu film, 1 hour and 26 minutes.
Directed by Tetsuya Yamauchi. Starring Hiroki Matsukata, Ryutaro Otomo and Tomoko Ogawa.
In ancient Japan, a good lord is killed and his throne stolen by the treacherous Yuki Daijo and the evil wizard Oroki-maru. Miraculously, during the attack, young prince Ikazuki-maru is rescued from the jaws of death by a magic bird. Ten years later, Ikazuki-maru, now a wizard himself, embarks on a quest for vengeance.
“Kenka Karate Kyokushinken (Champion of Death),” 1975 action film, 1 hour and 28 minutes.
Directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi. Starring Sonny Chiba and Yumi Takigawa.
Based on the true life story of Mas Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin karate in Japan, portrayed by Sonny Chiba. Oyama is a martial arts champion who wants to leave the competitive world for a quieter life. But after he becomes involved in the death of an underworld figure, he finds himself on the run from thugs determined to take revenge against him.
“Ningyo no Nemuru Ie (The House Where the Mermaid Sleeps),” 2018 drama, 2 hours.
Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi. Starring Ryoko Shinohara and Hidetoshi Nishijima.
Kaoruko and Kazumasa Harima are married with two children. They are planning to get a divorce once their daughter, Mizuho, enters elementary school. Then one day, Mizuho has fallen into a coma after a near-drowning accident in a pool. The doctors declare her brain dead with no prospect of recovery. However, Kaoruko sees her daughter’s hand twitch when she is saying her final goodbye and is unable to accept the reality of her death. A shocking conclusion awaits the couple in the face of a cruel fate…
“Otoko wa Tsuraiyo Torajiro Koiyatsure (Tora-san’s Lovesick),” 1974 drama, 1 hour and 44 minutes.
Directed by Yoji Yamada. Starring Kiyoshi Atsumi and Sayuri Yoshinaga.
In the hot springs town of Yunotsu, Tora-san falls for a young woman whose husband has disappeared and decides that he wants to marry her. Tora-san also comes to the aid of Utako (Sayuri Yoshinaga, reprising her role from Tora-san’s Dear Old Home), whose husband has died and who wants to reconcile with her estranged father.
“Sanada Yukimura no Boryaku (The Shogun Assassins),” 1979 jidaigeki, 2 hours and 28 minutes.
Directed by Sadao Nakajima. Starring Hiroki Matsukata and Miori Terada.
Ten warriors of the Toyotomi Shogunate come together to battle against those who plot to assassinate the shogun.
“Sanga Ari (Mother Country),” 1962 drama, 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Directed by Zenzo Matsuyama. Starring Hideko Takamine and Takahiro Tamura.
In 1919, a group of Japanese immigrants arrives in Hawai‘i. Among them are Yoshio Inoue and his wife Kishino, and Sumi, a young woman ready to get married soon. With soil that is hard to work and a subtropical climate, the immigrants must cope with a hard life. After years of hard work, Yoshio finds work as a teacher while his wife manages to open a small grocery store. But with the war around the corner, life becomes more and more complicated for the Japanese immigrants in the U.S.
“Shingo Bangai Shobu (Fifth Street Duel),” 1964 samurai film, 1 hour and 36 minutes.
Directed by Sadatsugu Matsuda. Starring Hashizo Okawa, Ryohei Uchida, Junko Fuji, Hiroki Matsukata and Kunie Tanaka.
Shingo’s long-awaited peaceful life comes to a halt when his rival Hikojiro suddenly appears and demands a final duel.
“Tabigasa Dochu (Her Son Came Back),” 1958 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 24 minutes.
Directed by Yasushi Sasaki. Starring Hashizo Okawa and Hiromi Hanazono.
Kindhearted yakuza Hanjiro of Asama risks his life in saving his henchman Genjiro and his family.
“Tekka Daimyo (Lord of Steel Heart),” 1961 samurai film, 1 hour and 33 minutes.
Directed by Kokichi Uchide. Starring Utaemon Ichikawa and Jushiro Konoe.
The feisty lord Matabe falls into a trap planned by the evil Sanzaemon, who, in a twist of fate, is an elder to Matabe’s childhood friend Lord Nagamasa.
“Tokyo Beranme Musume (The Tokyo Dame),” 1959 drama, 1 hour and 23 minutes.
Directed by Kiyoshi Sasaki. Starring Hibari Misora, Jun Tatara and Miki Sanjo.
Misora Hibari stars in this heartwarming story of love and forgiveness about a young woman’s efforts to keep her family together after her sister is disowned by their father for marrying the wrong man.
“Toyama no Kinsan Sakura Hangan (Sakura Official),” 1962 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 32 minutes.
Directed by Shigehiro Ozawa. Starring Chiezo Kataqoka and Koji Truruta.
Magistrate Kinshiro investigates a series of unsolved deaths that are connected to a mysterious monk.
“Yogiri no Joshuji (Road In The Mist),” 1963 samurai film, drama, 1 hour and 23 minutes.
Directed by Kokichi Uchide. Starring Hibari Misora, Jushiro Konoe and Isao Yamagata
Okinu, the beautiful daughter of a feudal lord, discovers her true identity and leaves her lavish life behind to avenge her birth father’s death.
“Yumechiyo Nikki (Yumechiyo),” 1985 drama, 2 hours and 9 minutes.
Starring Sayuri Yoshinaga, Kinya Kitaooji and Yuko Natori.
Yumechiyo, a geisha house madam recently diagnosed with a terminal illness, yearns to do something constructive with the little time she has left. Through her responsibility lies in taking care of her girls, she finds purpose in providing a man innocent of a false murder charge and in the process discovers love for the first time in his arms.
