22 Aug – "Midnight Diner 2" is set to be screened at selected GSC cinemas this September. The sequel is a follow up to 2015's "Midnight Diner", which gets its foot from the wildly popular titular comic by Yaro Abe that has been turned into multiple television drama over the years, garnering followers in China, South Korea, and Taiwan. Despite its limited 80-theater release in January 2015, the first movie still managed to draw in more than 2 million audience, pocketing ¥250 million in box office receipts. Now, "Midnight Diner 2" will bring these stories and their characters back to the big screen. Revolving around the rolling clientele of a late-night restaurant in downtown Tokyo, this slightly superior sequel offers familiar sentiments as it predecessors, with its three stories, connected only by their characters' brief visits to the back-alley eatery operated by a chef known as Master. "Midnight Diner 2" will open on 7 September exclusively at GSC Mid Valley, GSC Pavilion KL, GSC 1 Utama, GSC Nu Sentral, GSC Gurney Plaza (Penang), GSC CityOne Megamall (Kuching), and GSC Suria Sabah (Kota Kinabalu). "Midnight Diner 2" is part of the 14th Japanese Film Festival (JFF), taking place from 7 September to 1 October 2017.
Curious of what the movie entails? It begins on an ominous note as each of the regulars arrives in mourning clothes only to be discovered later that they have each been to a separate funeral. In come Noriko, a top editor who destresses from the difficult atmosphere at her publishing job by dressing in black. While her attire is always intentional, Noriko is dressed for the occasion after attending her client's funeral where she then meets a fetching visitor whose occupation changes her life completely.
The story then turns to Seiko Takagi, the owner of a soba noodle restaurant near Master's joint who is concerned about her son Seita's reluctance to take over her business. It is then followed by the story of elderly Yukiko Ogawa, who is tricked by swindlers into travelling to Tokyo and handing over two million yen for her alleged son.
Starring Kaoru Kobayashi, Aoba Kawai, Mansaku Fuwa, Tamae Andô, Sosuke Ikematsu, Misako Watanabe and more, this film which is as soothing as a delicious bowl of hot soup on a cold day, is sure to reward audience with its refreshingly simple stories accompanied by the homey yet delicious food served by the Master.