Ayako Ueda Movies

Director and screenwriter Takashi Yamazaki returns to the nostalgic world of Tokyo in the Fifties in this sequel to his successful comedy-drama Always: Sunset on Third Street. Would-be writer Ryunosuke Chagawa (Hidetaka Yoshioka) is still living across the street from Norifumi Suzuki (Shinichi Tsutsumi) and his auto repair shop, though now he shares his home with Junnosuke (Kenta Suga), an orphan he's taken under his wing at the urging of pretty Hiroi (Koyuki), who continues to manage a nearby tavern. Chagawa dreams of publishing a successful novel and settling down with Hiroi and Junnosuke, but his day job running the candy store keeps him busy, and Hiroi mistakes his tight schedule for a lack of interest in her. Hiroi has also embarked on a secret career as a burlesque dancer, which isn't doing much to improve her opinion of men. At the Suzuki household, seven-year-old Ippei (Kazuki Koshimizu) isn't happy to be sharing the house with a guest, his distant cousin Mika (Ayame Koike) who is the same age but far more demanding. Mutsuko (Maki Horikita), the apprentice female auto mechanic, is still staying with the Suzukis, and she's becomes the object of the affections of Takeo (Yosuke Asari), a downbeat young man who is studying cooking. Amidst the bustling activity in both households, Chagawa is trying to finish a short story for a literary contest he hopes will open new doors for him, and everyone around him seems to have advice on what he ought to be writing. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A handful of strange creatures prove just how dangerous the imagination can be in the third American feature adapted from the popular Pokemon animated series. Prof. Spencer Hale is an archeologist studying ancient Pokemon when he uncovers a strange breed of "pocket monsters" called "Unown," whose bodies form runic symbols that resemble the letters of the alphabet. The Unown can read people's minds and transform their fantasies into reality, and when the professor mysteriously disappears, his young daughter Molly is given the materials (and the Pokemon) her father collected. As Molly plays with the Unown, her home is mysteriously transformed into a crystal fortress that expands to envelop the entire community of Greenfield, and a number of dangerous monsters are released from Molly's daydreams -- one of whom captures her mother and spirits her away. Realizing the crisis is the work of the Unown, legendary Pokemon-trainer Ash leaps into action to capture the creatures and teach Molly about the dangers of the Unown. Pokemon the Movie 3: Spell of the Unown was distributed with an accompanying short subject, Pikachu and Pichu, which finds the most popular Pokemon visiting the city with his new friend. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide