The official website for Shinobu Yaguchi‘s Happy Flight was recently updated with a fancy new layout; and with that update comes a brand new 32-second teaser taking the place of the old one. For those of you that want to check out the old one, see this post from July 19th with the video clip and full cast information.

As most of you probably know, Yaguchi is the man who brought us comedies like Waterboys, Swing Girls, and My Secret Cache. He tends to be a perfectionist while writing scripts, and in preparation for making an airline comedy he spent years learning the ins and outs of that industry. So while it’s kind of agonizing to wait years between projects, it’s always worth it. Tease ahoy!

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Gurren Lagann: The Movie - Crimson Chapter (Gekijo Ban Tengen Toppa Guren Ragan - Guren Hen) comes out in Japan this Saturday and since I know only slightly more than nothing about anime I’ll just translate the brief synopsis provided by MovieWalker:

In the distant future humankind has moved underground. Simon and Kamina know of the existence of the terrestrial world, so they board a mecha and start digging toward the surface. But they eventually discover a world dominated by a Spiral King, and he’s been waiting for them...

Here’s a direct link to the movie’s trailer (requires Windows Media Player).

This will be the first of two planned movies to cover the story.

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Yukihiko Tsutsumi’s Maboroshi no Yamataikoku is shaping up to be one of the most uniquely Japanese movies to come out in a long time. The plot centers around a blind former railroad worker named Yohei (Naoto Takenaka) who becomes obsessed with finding the ancient country of Yamataikoku, home to the legendary shaman queen Himiko. His passion for finding it was first ignited when he uncovered ancient earthenware while making rail repairs after a flood. Now blind, he completely depends on his wife Kazuko (Sayuri Yoshinaga) to make sense of his maps and lead him through the Kyushu region where he believes Yamataikoku to be.

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Maybe I’m immature, but there’s just something about an unexpected punch in the face or kick to the head that’s undeniably amusing. The brand new Love Fight trailer has both, as you can see for yourself after the break.

The movie is based on a novel by Eri Makino called “Seibo Shojo”. Izuru Narushima (Midnight Eagle) directed and Takao Osawa (also Midnight Eagle) served the dual role of supporting actor and producer. The story involves a boy named Minoru (Kento Hayashi) who’s always been a bit of a weakling. Throughout his childhood his spunky female friend Aki (Kie Kitano) watched out for him and protected him from bullies. One day he meets Osawa’s character who trains him how to box. Then when he finally gets stronger than Aki she decides to take up boxing herself, which obviously drives him crazy. Predictably, the mutual boxing obsession brings up all sorts of strong new emotions between them.

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The final movie to wrap up the “Den-O” era of the Kamen Rider franchise, Farewell, Kamen Rider Den-O: Final Countdown is slated for release in Japan on October 4th the trailer is now available on the film’s official website.

I’m not exactly versed on Kamen Rider lore, so forgive me if this sounds like the incoherent rambling of a madman, but from what I can gather the story begins with Momotaros getting ganked by Ryotaro’s evil form, “Kamen Rider Yuki” as he attempts to investigate rumors of a “ghost train”. Yuto is seriously wounded by Yuki before the Ryotaro’s grandson, calling himself “New Den-O” arrives from the future on the Den-Liner. The setting later shifts to 1729 as Ryotaro must challenge a new, mysterious enemy with the help of his friends.

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