JQ Magazine: Nippon in New York — ‘The End of Evangelion,’ Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus,’ ‘Rascal’ Double Feature
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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, a clutch of new anime screenings, and a live performance you won’t want to miss.
March 15-21
Film at Lincoln Center – Walter Reade Theater and Howard Gilman Theater, 165 W 65th Street
$14-$19
When Ryuichi Sakamoto died in March 2023 at age 71, the world lost one of its greatest musicians: a classical orchestral composer, a techno-pop artist, and a piano soloist who elevated every genre he worked in and inspired and influenced music-lovers across the globe. As a final gift to his legions of fans, filmmaker Neo Sora (Sakamoto’s son) has constructed a gorgeous elegy starring Sakamoto himself in one of his final performances. Recorded in late 2022 at NHK Studio in Tokyo, this filmed concert is an intimate, melancholy, and achingly beautiful one-man show, featuring just Sakamoto and a Yamaha grand, as the composer glides through a playlist of his most haunting, delicate melodies (including “Lack of Love, “The Wuthering Heights,” “Aqua,” “Opus,” and many more). Shot in pristine black-and-white by Bill Kirstein and edited by Takuya Kawakami, this stirring film brings us so close to a living, breathing artist that it feels like pure grace. Join Neo Sora for a director’s Q&A at the 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. screenings March 16.
March 17, 20
Various theaters
Various prices
U.S. theatrical debut! Originally released in 1997, this final movie version was created as an alternative ending to the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series, remaking the final two episodes from the series. SEELE plans an attack on NERV after failing to create a man-made Third Impact. After reaffirming both her own and her mother’s existence in a state of despair, Asuka returns and begins the counterattack. However, new enemies descend from the heavens. Meanwhile, Shinji witnesses the horrifying wreckage of Asuka’s EVA-02 while piloting EVA-01. Mass production models surround EVA-01 and perform a solemn ceremony. What does it mean to complete a human heart?
Friday, March 22, 2:00-9:00 p.m.
53rd Street Library, 18 West 53rd Street
Free
This special event in partnership with Brooklyn’s AniTOMO Con celebrates both Japanese culture and Women’s History Month! See art demonstrations, panels, giveaways (including the opportunity to win badges for Anime NYC this summer), gaming, a scavenger hunt, and much, much more! At 6:00 p.m., the theater area will present Sailor Moon R: The Movie on its big screen, where pizza and drinks will be provided for the teens in attendance. The debut film from the hit shojo series, Sailor Moon and the Sailor Guardians unite to save Earth from an alien force that has a startling connection with Mamoru!
March 24-25
Rascal Does Not Dream (Double Feature)
Various theaters
Various prices
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out: Sakuta Azusagawa is attending his third and last term as a second-year high school student. There are only a few days left to spend together at Minegahara High School with Mai Sakurajima, a third-year student and Sakuta’s girlfriend. Meanwhile, his younger sister Kaede, who has loved her house for many years, reveals a secret to Sakuta that she has never shared with anyone.“I want to go to big brother’s school.”This is a big decision for Kaede.Although Sakuta knows this is a difficult decision for her, he decides to gently support her.Little Kaede’s feelings are entrusted to Kaede. This is a story about these two as they take a step into the future.
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid: March begins, and there is only one month left in the third term. Sakuta Azusagawa is about to celebrate the graduation of his girlfriend Mai Sakurajima. As he waits for Mai at Shichirigahama beach, an elementary school-aged girl who looks like Mai did when she was a child actress appears in front of him. “Who are you, Mister?” she asks.Is this a dream or an illusion? As he thinks about this mysterious experience, his father calls him. “It’s about your mother. She says she wants to see Kaede,” he says.Kaede’s mother never came to terms with what happened to Kaede. Having been hospitalized for so long, their mother finally wants to see her daughter. To fulfill their mother’s wish, Sakuta makes the decision to meet face-to-face — something they haven’t done in a long time. He’s unable to hide his nervousness about all this. March 24 screenings are in Japanese with English subtitles. March 25 screenings are dubbed in English.
March 26-31, 8:00 and 10:30 p.m.
Blue Note New York, 131 West 3rd Street
$40.50-$170.50
Sonicwonderland is Hiromi’s 12th studio album, from a prolific artist who has explored a number of musical spheres over the course of her career. This new collection of songs represents a new musical adventure for the constantly evolving pianist and composer, who is a star in her native Japan, and burst onto the music scene 20 years ago with her debut album. Recorded with a new quartet called Hiromi’s Sonicwonder, the album features nine dazzling new works bursting with synthesizer and deep-in-the pocket grooves. Hiromi’s Sonicwonder is a quartet featuring blossoming young talents Hadrien Feraud (bass), Gene Coye (drums), and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet), which began performing live together earlier this spring. Says the artist, “The word ‘wonder’ has a lot of meaning. It fits the musical view that I have for this project…it is definitely a new adventure for me.”
Thursday, March 28, 7:30 p.m.
Sony Hall, 235 West 46th Street
$45 advance, $55 day of show (standing room only)
Here are a few things you probably know about Ace Frehley: He’s the original lead guitarist for KISS (which he co-founded in 1973). He was also their best—his song-within-the-song guitar solos are as much a part of KISS as the band’s seven-inch platform boots. And he’s always been the coolest member of KISS—rock ’n’ roll swagger, laid-back, mysterious—just ask Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, or Naoko Yamano of Shonen Knife. Blasting off again with his latest album 10,000 Volts, Ace has also been tirelessly hitting the road, playing festivals, as well as dates stateside and in Australia and Japan (including dates with the mighty Alice Cooper). As always, Ace is traveling at an altitude us mere mortals will never understand—a life lived to the fullest, and one that has defied… well, everything. That said, if you ever see the Space Ace in the cosmos, there’s only one proper reaction: “Hey look, it’s rock ’n’ roll!”
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