So let's imagine you have your subtle little film, focusing on a woman who, after returning to her hometown from Tokyo, devotes her fortune to the fulfillment of all her friends' dreams and aspirations; the quiet festival fare which is more likely to do decent business on DVD than in theaters. That'd be Morita Yoshimitsu's latest, わたし出すわ (It's on Me), starring Koyuki, Nakamura Toru and even Koike Eiko. Let's add the fact that it's the first time in 13 years the veteran director is writing his own script, so that makes it all the more important. But should even that not suffice, then tourism organizations can always come to the rescue, by filling your calm and introspective trailers with.... giant alien squid!

No, it has nothing to do with the film itself, but the Tourism Board of Hakodate in Hokkaido, where most of the film was shot, decided it would be fun to add a touch of "local flavor" to the proceedings. Hakodate is a major producer of squid, perhaps the reason why a giant robot squid has been chosen as their mascot in an online campaign which has already produced three giant robot squid-related shorts, reaching over 760,000 hits so far. And, sure enough, the squid battalion got its hands on this film as well.

The trailer is exactly like the original one, with the exception of giant squids quietly assaulting the town for causing a genocide at the expenses of their fellow brethren, complete with spaceships. It's on Me debuts in theaters on October 31. I wonder if they'll still sell dried squid during its run....

[Livedoor] ~ [Cinema Today]