Japanese animated film In This Corner of the World (この世界の片隅に) back in Pittsburgh, August 5.

The City of Asylum will host a screening of the 2016 animated Japanese film In This Corner of the World (この世界の片隅に) on August 5, in collaboration with Remembering Hiroshima, Imagining Peace to commemorate the 1945 atomic bombings of Japan.

Pittsburgh-Shanghai charter flights could usher in regular commercial non-stops to China. airport official says.

by sama093 (Creative Commons)

Charter flights between Pittsburgh and Shanghai are set to begin next week, and could be the start of commercial direct flights to China. The USA Today spoke to the Pittsburgh International Airport CEO ahead of the August 3 start.

Airports typically try to prove demand already exists when courting airlines to add a new route. But, in Pittsburgh, an effort is underway to actually help create the demand that could one day help the city secure lucrative non-stop flights to China.

That most tangible step comes next Friday (Aug. 3), when a 316-seat China Eastern Airlines Boeing 777-300ER is scheduled to arrive at the airport on a flight from Shanghai. It’s the first of two round-trip flights China Eastern will fly to Pittsburgh, both charters on which seats are being sold by tour operators.

It’s a modest start, but it’s one Pittsburgh officials see as the start of something bigger.

“It’s two round-trips, which might not seem like much,” acknowledges Christina Cassotis, the Pittsburgh International Airport CEO who is entering her third year in that role. “But when you consider that that’s hundreds of Chinese visitors who have never been to Pittsburgh – who are excited to come to the U.S. and see all sorts of things in Pittsburgh and beyond – we think that this is a great way of short-cutting an awareness campaign.”

Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓) in Pittsburgh, August 12, 13, and 15.

The 1988 Studio Ghibli film Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓) will play in the Pittsburgh area on August 12, 13, and 15 as part of this year's GKIDS Ghibli Fest. Afour-star Roger Ebert review calls the film "an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation."

In the waning days of World War II, American bombers drop napalm canisters on Japanese cities, creating fire storms. These bombs, longer than a tin can but about as big around, fall to earth trailing cloth tails that flutter behind them; they are almost a beautiful sight. After they hit, there is a moment’s silence, and then they detonate, spraying their surroundings with flames. In a Japanese residential neighborhood, made of flimsy wood and paper houses, there is no way to fight the fires.

“Grave of the Fireflies” (1988) is an animated film telling the story of two children from the port city of Kobe, made homeless by the bombs. Seita is a young teenager, and his sister Setsuko is about 5. Their father is serving in the Japanese navy, and their mother is a bomb victim; Seita kneels beside her body, covered with burns, in an emergency hospital. Their home, neighbors, schools are all gone. For a time an aunt takes them in, but she’s cruel about the need to feed them, and eventually Seita finds a hillside cave where they can live. He does what he can to find food, and to answer Setsuko’s questions about their parents. The first shot of the film shows Seita dead in a subway station, and so we can guess Setsuko’s fate; we are accompanied through flashbacks by the boy’s spirit.

The film will play at the Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. The August 12 and 15 screenings are dubbed in English, while the August 13 screening is in Japanese with English subtitles.

Pittsburgh welcomes dignitaries from Saitama to reaffirm Sister City relationship.

via @CityPGH, July 24.

City of Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto welcomed a delegation from Saitama, Japan, on Tuesday and Wednesday to reaffirm the Sister City relationship established in 1998. The visitors, including the mayor of Saitama, are in town from July 23 through 27.


via @CityPGH, July 24.

Parts 1 and 2 of Laughing Under the Clouds Gaiden (曇天に笑う外伝) trilogy at Row House Cinema, September 1 and 2.

The Row House Cinema will screen parts 1 and 2 of the Laughing Under the Clouds Gaiden trilogy on September 1 and 2. Anime News Network provides a synopsis:

The manga includes stories not told in the original manga, including some from the past and some from the future. The original manga's story takes place in the 11th year of the Meiji era, when the number of people in Japan who feel dissatisfaction toward the government are increasing due to the increasing speed of Westernization and the ban on samurai. In order to curb the increased rate of crime, the government opens a new prison. The three brothers of the Kumo family are entrusted with the duty of transporting these criminals to the new prison, but adventures await them on the way.

The trilogy's third installment opens in Japan on September 1. The movies will play for two shows only, and ticket information is forthcoming. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Mobile Suit Gundam - Part 1 added to Row House Cinema's Anime series, September 21 - 27.

The Row House Cinema recently added Mobile Suit Gundam - Part 1 as the fourth film in this September's Anime series. It joins Akira (アキラ), Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉), and Perfect Blue (パーフェクトブルー) in an annual festival that will run this year from September 21 to 27. Ticket information is forthcoming; the single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Pitt's East Asian Library hiring students with Chinese, Korean/Japanese proficiency.

The University of Pittsburgh's East Asian Library has two openings for the 2018-2019 academic year: one is a 20-hour-per-week position on Chinese studies related projects, and one is a 10-hour-per-week administrative support position that requires some proficiency in Japanese and Korean.

2017 documentary Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda at Southside Works, July 31.

The 2017 documentary on composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda, will play in Pittsburgh on July 31 at the Southside Works Cinema. A July 6 Variety review provides a summary:

Admirers of the highly respected Japanese musician (and occasional actor) will enjoy “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda,” a leisurely look at a multi-talent best known in the west for composing memorable original scores for directors from Bertolucci and Oshima to Inarritu and Miike. Stephen Nomura Schible shot this documentary over a five-year span, during which Sakamoto survived a serious cancer scare. That lends some drama to a tastefully elegiac portrait that otherwise demurs from any discussion of its protagonist’s personal life or background.

Tickets for the 7:30 pm show are available online. The theater is located at 425 Cinema Drive in the Southside, one block from the Hot Metal Bridge (map).

Sailor Moon R and Sailor Moon S movies in Pittsburgh, from July 28.

Two 1990s Sailor Moon movies will play in the Pittsburgh area, Sailor Moon R (劇場版 美少女戦士セーラームーンＲ) and Sailor Moon S (劇場版 美少女戦士セーラームーンＳ), from July 28. A note from the distributor:

Sailor Moon, the beloved Guardian of Love and Justice, returns to the big screen for a special theatrical event! Following an encore presentation of the first movie (SAILOR MOON R- THE MOVIE), the Sailor Guardians unite once more to battle their chilliest adversary yet (SAILOR MOON S- THE MOVIE). The second week of showings will feature the classic anime's third movie (SAILOR MOON SUPERS- THE MOVIE) along with never-before seen in theaters short, "Ami's First Love." All features are presented uncut and true to the original Japanese version, with English dubbed and subtitled showings available.

Sailor Moon R will be screened in Japanese on July 28 and dubbed in English on July 30. Sailor Moon Super S will be screened in Japanese on August 4 and dubbed in English on August 6. The movies will play at the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. Tickets are currently available online.

Akira, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Perfect Blue part of Anime Series at Row House Cinema in September.

The Row House Cinema will show Akira (アキラ), Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉), Perfect Blue (パーフェクトブルー), and one more to-be-announced film as part of its annual Anime series from September 21 through 27. Tickets and showtime information will be available later. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).