JQ Magazine: Seijun Suzuki Centennial, The Last Rockstars, ‘AKUTAGAWA’
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.
Stay warm this winter with some hot local events, from live showcases that will transport you to another time and place, some new anime screenings, and a theatrical performance you won’t want to miss. This month’s highlights include:
This month’s highlights include:
Courtesy of Titanicexhibition.com
Now through Feb. 28
526 6th Avenue
$27-$45
You may know the story of Titanic, but how about its people? After a successful run in London, Titanic. The Exhibition transports American visitors back to 1912 through vintage photographs and more than 200 original objects, including handwritten letters, special keepsakes, and other personal belongings telling countless stories about the fates and heroic deeds on board the legendary ship’s maiden and final journey. A complimentary audio guide in multiple languages allows you to connect with the passengers, listen to their testimonies, and discover their stories through their belongings. You’ll walk in their footsteps as you explore life-size, detailed recreations of the ship’s interior, from a lavish first-class suite to a humble third-class cabin. Learn the fates of celebrated voyagers like Kate Phillips, Isidor and Ida Straus and the Kink Family, and even touch an iceberg to get a feel for that fateful night! SPECIAL OFFER: Now through Feb. 17th, save 30% on tickets or gift cards using the code TTENYC30 on checkout. Get tickets here.
Kagero-za © 1981 presented by LittleMore Co., Ltd
Feb. 3-11
Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street
$15, $10 members
Celebrating 100 years of iconoclast director Seijun Suzuki (1923-2017), a singular force in Japanese cinema whose radical stylistic vision and unpredictable narratives shaped the B-movie genre, Japanese cinephilia and the political New Left, Japan Society and The Japan Foundation present a selection of six films from across the filmmaker’s nearly 60-film body of work, all on imported 35mm prints straight from Japan. Covering ground from his earliest yakuza feature (Satan’s Town) to his unbridled return to studio filmmaking after being blacklisted for 10 years (A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness) and his subsequent independent success (Kagero-za), this special series offers a rare glimpse into the core of Suzuki's creative genius. Series guest programmed by William Carroll, Assistant Professor of Modern Japanese Cultural Studies at the University of Alberta. Co-presented by The Japan Foundation.
Courtesy of Resonance Media
Friday, Feb. 3, 8:00 p.m.
The Last Rockstars + Band-Maid
Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom, 311 West 34th Street
$70
The J-rock event of the year! Making their live touring debut this year, Japanese supergroup The Last Rockstars – YOSHIKI (drums and piano), HYDE (vocals), SUGIZO (guitar), and MIYAVI (guitar) recently released the highly anticipated music video for “The Last Rockstars (Paris Mix)” on the Melodee Music YouTube channel. They have sold out all six of their scheduled concerts in Tokyo, Los Angeles, and New York. After quickly selling out all shows, a final date for February 3 has been added due to high demand. Opening the U.S. shows are the all-female rock group Band-Maid, who recently made an appearance in the Netflix film Kate, and their music was featured in James Gunn's Peacemaker series on HBO Max.
GKIDS
Sunday, Feb. 5, 11:00 a.m.
Film Forum, 209 West Houston Street
$9 members, $11 regular
Freely adapted from Diana Wynne Jones’ novel, Howl’s Moving Castle is the story of Sophie, a hard-working, self-effacing teenager who takes refuge with the wizard Howl after being transformed into a crone by the Witch of the Waste. Meanwhile mobilization is underway for a total war in which magic is merely another WMD. The set-up offers plenty of dazzle, from the milieu – an exquisitely rendered high imperial/pastoral fantasia of nineteenth century Europe – to supernatural aspects such as the Witch’s glutinous goons (complete with boaters). Presented in both English-language and Japanese subtitled versions.
AKUTAGAWA © Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo, The Koryu Nishikawa Troupe
Feb. 23-25
Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street
$30, $24 members
$12.00-$50.00
AKUTAGAWA is a stage portrait of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, father of the modern Japanese short novel and author of In a Grove, the basis of Akira Kurosawa’s landmark 1950 film Rashomon. Told through the traditional puppetry style kuruma ningyo blended with dynamic video images, AKUTAGAWA is an amalgam of five of his famous short stories—including Rashomon, Hell Screen (Jigokuhen), The Dragon, Toshishun and Kappa. The show explores the author’s artistic insight and fragile emotional state. This production is made through an international collaboration between puppeteers Koryu Nishikawa V (Tokyo) and Tom Lee (Chicago), with live music by Yukio Tsuji (New York).
Courtesy of Bluenotejazz.com
Feb. 28-March 5, various times
Blue Note New York, 131 West Third Street
$45 bar area, $65 table seating
Ever since the 2003 release of her debut, Another Mind, Hiromi has electrified audiences with a creative energy that encompasses and eclipses the boundaries of jazz, classical and pop, taking improvisation and composition to new heights of complexity and sophistication. Hiromi’s astonishing debut was but a forecast of the shape of jazz to come—she has since collaborated with such idols as Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke, and in the summer of 2021, Hiromi performed at the opening ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympics. On her newest album, Silver Lining Suite, Hiromi further exemplifies her virtuosic hybridity and emotional range, finding strength and hope amidst the turmoil of the pandemic. Michel Camilo was born in the Dominican Republic. He graduated from the National Conservatory with a degree of Professorship in Music and at the age of 16 became the youngest member of the National Symphony Orchestra. Since his 1985 Carnegie Hall debut, he has become a prominent figure performing regularly at festivals and concert venues throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, Asia, Middle East, South America and the Caribbean. He is featured in two award-winning music documentary films: Calle 54 (2001) and Playing Lecuona (2015), and has received grants from Meet the Composer foundation and the New York State Council for the Arts.
Not in New York? Check out Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY ~FINAL FANTASY 35th Anniversary Coral in St. Louis (2/18), Orlando (3/10-11), and Phoenix (3/16)! The producers of Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY present a concert curated by Nobuo Uematsu that celebrates the extensive Final Fantasy music catalogue. Conductor and Grammy Award winner Arnie Roth leads the venerable Distant Worlds Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus of 100 musicians on stage with exclusive HD video direct from creators at Square Enix, joined by “Suteki da ne?” vocalist RIKKI (Final Fantasy X). Yoko Shimomura, composer of Final Fantasy XV, will be in attendance for these concerts. Can’t make it to NYC? Additional 35th anniversary U.S. dates
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