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On Thursday, an official website for Yoshishige Miyake’s upcoming film Hankyu Densha was launched with a teaser and full trailer.

Based on a novel by Hiro Arikawa which sold over 240,000 copies, the film uses the 15-minute, one-way Hankyu Imazu Line as the backdrop for several characters dealing with various issues in their lives. Miki Nakatani stars as an office worker in her 30s whose fiance is stolen away by a younger co-worker while Erika Toda plays a young college student with a good-for-nothing boyfriend. Other cast members include Nobuko Miyamoto, Mana Ashida, Kaho Minami, Mitsuki Tanimura, Kasumi Arimura, Ryo Katsuji, Tetsuji Tamayama, Yu Koyanagi, and Saki Aibu.

Toho will be releasing “Hankyu Densha” in Japan on April 23, 2011.

There’s nothing quite like the bliss associated with a good, well-executed horror/comedy, especially when it’s coming out of Japan. That being said, there’s something about Shi Shirakawa‘s upcoming genre hybrid “Neck” that seems a little off, though I honestly can’t put my finger on what, precisely, is causing me to have serious doubts about the production. The trailer embedded below — which arrives courtesy of the good boys and girls at Twitch — leaves me feeling a little uncertain about the film’s overall entertainment potential. That doesn’t mean I won’t watch it, mind you, but I am a little hesitant to do so. A temporary affliction, I’m sure. Here’s what it’s all about: Adapted by [original story author Otaro] Maijo himself, the story revolves around a university student named Tomokazu Shudo (Junpei Mizobata) who is experiencing his first love. The object of his affection...

The combination of horror and comedy elements can make for a successful venture. Sean of the Dead comes to mind. From what we have seen of Tucker & Dale vs. Evil they've seem to have hit it on the head [chortle] yet somehow still don't have distro. 

Can the same be said for the horror comedy Neck out of Japan? Because as unique as the elements of a culture's horror are so is their comedy and the comedy in this looks like it teeters towards the sticky sweet variety. Not that I mind at all. I've watched enough JDrama RomCom in the past couple years to know what to expect. At least the premise of the film sounds interesting and you cannot argue against the presence of Chiaki Kuriyama. We're kind of sticky sweet on her already. 

Adapted by [original story author Otaro] Maijo himself, the story revolves around a university student named Tomokazu Shudo (Junpei Mizobata...

Asmik Ace Entertainment has released the trailer for Shi Shirakawa‘s Neck, an upcoming horror/comedy based on a story by Otaro Maijo which was originally printed in “esora” vol. 6.

Adapted by Maijo himself, the story revolves around a university student named Tomokazu Shudo (Junpei Mizobata) who is experiencing his first love. The object of his affection is a quirky girl named Sugina Mayama (Saki Aibu) who just about everyone in his school would like to date. He has trouble confessing his love to her, but when she summons him to her laboratory, he thinks he may finally get his chance. However, he arrives to find a large wooden box in the center of the room and discovers Sugina wants to use him as the first test subject for her new invention - The Neck Machine. He’s placed in the box which is fastened tightly around his neck and...