Query: Japanese Films Set in New York City

[Michael McCaskey]

Many thanks for the suggestions. I will look for "Limousine Drive."

I thought of Cowboy Bebop, since there is one scene that looks exactly like an area a couple of blocks south of Wash. Square looked. And the ambiance was that of G. Village back in the day when I was at NYU. But maybe way too far back. Anyway, I have watched the black&white lead-in over and over again.

Thanks Again,

Michael McCaskey

----- Original Message -----
From: M Arnold <ma_iku at hotmail.com>
Date: Thursday, June 21, 2007 5:14 am
Subject: Re: Query: Japanese Films Set in New York City

> Yamamoto Masashi's "Limousine Drive" (2001) was set and shot in 
> NYC. I never 
> saw the film, but it was fairly well promoted when it came out in 
> Japan. I 
> must have seen the trailer a dozen times in front of other movies 
> and on 
> video screens at record and video shops in Tokyo. With Yamamoto at 
> the helm 
> I might have given it a chance, but my curiosity quickly fizzled 
> after 
> watching the previews . . .
> 
> According to online reviews, it's a comedy about a Japanese 
> "ganguro" girl 
> who goes searching for her boyfriend in NY and befriends a black 
> limousine 
> driver who used to play in a funk band (played by T.M. Stevens, 
> who really 
> does play in a funk band http://www.myspace.com/tmstevens). It 
> should be out 
> on video in Japan. If anyone here has seen it I'd be curious to 
> hear what 
> they thought.
> 
> There's not much info about the film online, but this YouTube 
> video might be 
> the trailer. Unfortunately I can't get it to load:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcwQi9KeORw&v3
> 
> I also remember the Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door movie 
> from the 
> same year. If my memory serves me, it was supposed to be set on 
> Mars or 
> somewhere in the future, but I think I remember a few shots with 
> the World 
> Trade Center towers in the background. It was a crime/action movie 
> though.
> I think one or more of Toei's early-90s V America series videos 
> were set in 
> New York. Those were likely all crime stories too though.
> 
> By the way, I think "Kyofu kikei ningen" is coming out on DVD in 
> the U.S. 
> soon.
> 
> Michael Arnold
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Michael McCaskey" <mccaskem at georgetown.edu>
> To: <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 3:15 PM
> Subject: Query: Japanese Films Set in New York City
> 
> 
> > I've been looking for a fairly recent Japanese film set in NYC, 
> which is 
> > not a crime or detective film.
> >
> > I've come across "Last Love," a new film starring Tamura 
> Masakazu--but it 
> > seems to be a Yoshi-type melodrama, and a DVD of it is not 
> likely to come 
> > out soon in any case.
> >
> > There's also another Tamura film, "Furuhata Ninzaburo: New York 
> de no 
> > Dekigoto" (1996), but it's a TV detective episode.
> >
> > I got Odagiri's "Hazard," but it's a crime film.
> >
> > I also got "Sakura Taisen New York NY," but it's way too cute 
> for my 
> > purposes.
> >
> > I would think there must be some good Japanese films set in NYC. 
> I'd even 
> > settle for an NYC episode within a film, like the Paris ending 
> of "Tokyo 
> > Tower." (I'm not necessarily saying that "Tokyo Tower" is all 
> that good 
> > itself.) Or a TV drama.
> >
> > I'm sure I've missed some, maybe many, Japanese films set in 
> NYC, and 
> > would appreciate information you might have about them.
> > 
>