Macoto Tezuka

Mikura is a well-respected author. While the public adores him, he is starting to doubt his writing skills. Right then a mysterious woman shows up, unabashedly dishing out critiques about his work. Mikura finds himself uncontrollably drawn to her, as she slowly drags him into a destructive downwards spiral.

Macoto is adapting his father's manga here. I never read the comic, but I did find the "author doubts himself and hits lows to draw inspiration from them" thematic a bit underwhelming. The jazzy soundtrack doesn't really work, Doyle's cinematography isn't on point, and I've seen Nikaido do better work too. There are still some memorable scenes, the mystery is quite fun, and it's certainly not a dull film. It just can't live up to the potential that was clearly there. I'd still recommend it, only don't go in expecting to see a masterpiece.

The plot is extremely minimal. A director is hired to shoot an experimental film. He has to shoot a young woman who lives in a remote house. He can't shoot anything else, not even the rooms of the house. Without uttering a word to each other, the two begin their strange assignment. The longer they stay together, the more awkward the situation becomes.

The setting is lush and stylish, Nagase and Hashimoto have superb screen presence and Tezuka makes very good use of the score to add to the atmosphere. The tension between the characters is tangible too, sadly, the film is over and done when things start to get really interesting. It's rare for me to be let down by a short runtime, but that just hints at the quality of the film. Very cool.

The shorts vary in length and don't always make a lot of sense, but people familiar with Japanese horror (and the yokai - ghosts and spirits - in particular) won't have too much trouble keeping track of the often strange and puzzling narratives. There are kappas, ghosts and disfigured folk inhabiting these stories, and their appearances tend to spell trouble.

Performances are rather weak, and the special effects are very bare-bones. But Tezuka's creative cinematography and a little well-placed comedy help to cover up some of the film's weaker points. It's short, there's more than enough variety and there's plenty of weirdness to keep things from becoming boring. It's certainly not his best film, but Tezuka fans won't be disappointed.

The plot is pretty nonsensical, but that hardly matters. We're following a head scientist who is working with his team on some kind of hyperrealistic 3D CG projection system. One day he gets a document that outlines his family history. He learns that he is part of a long line of yokai hunters. Cue a bunch of yokai who will be making his life quite a bit harder.

The characters are familiar caricatures, the horror is played for giggles, and Tezuka has some fun with the costumes and cinematography. The pacing is snappy, the runtime is short, it's just that the film feels a little too flimsy and inconsequential. Tezuka never goes all out, and films like this need that extra bit of commitment and enthusiasm to truly shine. It's decent enough, but only if you appreciate this type of cheese.