Kibatsu Cinema celebrates the eccentric at the Pacific Cinematheque

On June 7, 14, 21, and 28, the Powell Street Festival Society and Pacific Cinémathèque will be presenting the fourth edition of Kibatsu Cinema, an exploration of the odd and eccentric in contemporary Japanese pop culture and film.

Girl Sparks (June 7, 7 pm) tells the story of a young girl who overcomes her loathing of her cross-dressing, disciplinarian father so she can help him save his factory. Battle League Horumo (June 7, 8:50 pm) is an adaptation of the Manabu Makime novel about a group of lovelorn college students who do comedic battle with opposing armies of oni, or demons.

Yuriko’s Aroma (June 14, 7 pm) explores the fine line that exists between normal and dangerous desires, which is blurred when a massage therapist becomes obsessed with the smell of her boss’s sweaty 17-year-old nephew. Happily Ever After (June 14, 8:35 pm) tells the story of a devoted wife who contemplates leaving her boorish, unemployed ex-gangster of a husband.

Summer Time Machine Blues (June 21, 7 pm) combines the energy of youth and time-travel theory in an adventure about five college friends who try to use a time machine to fix their now-broken air conditioner. In Mariko Rose the Spook (June 21, 9 pm) the ghost of a drag queen haunts a woman, insisting that she shouldn’t give up on love just because her potential sweetheart might be straight. “Hikari” (June 21, 9 pm) tells the story of a young woman who is convinced she is an alien, until she actually meets one.

Tokyo Oasis (June 28, 7 pm) involves a series of vignettes that explore the connection between a place and the people who live in it. Abraxas (June 28, 8:40 pm), tells the tale of a punk rocker who becomes a Zen monk, but still struggles with his personal demons.

Watch the trailer for Battle League Horumo.

All films are presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

All screenings take place at Pacific Cinémathèque (1131 Howe). Tickets are priced at $10.50 and $9 for each screening, but a membership fee is required. For more info, check out the theatre’s website.

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