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Tokyo Onigiri Girl / 東京おにぎり娘 / Tokyo onigiri musume / (aka ‘Triangle Moods’, 1961)
Obscure Japanese Film #149 Ayako Wakao and Ganjiro Nakamura Ganjiro Nakamura and Murasaki Fujima Mariko (Ayako Wakao) is the daughte...
The Makioka Sisters / 細雪 / Sasameyuki (‘Light Snowfall’, 1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #148 Junko Kano and Fujiko Yamamoto Junichiro Tanizaki’s novel Sasameyuki is widely recognised as a classic of Japa...
Best Japanese dramas 2023-2024
So it is that time again where I share what I think the best Japanese dramas for these past two years. I only have 6 on my list…
The Pit of Death / 怪談おとし穴 / Kaidan otoshiana (aka ‘The Ghostly Trap’, 1968)
Obscure Japanese Film #147 Mikio Narita Kuramoto (Mikio Narita) is an ambitious salaryman working at a company based in a tower block sa...
Shojo yutai / 処女受胎 (‘Immaculate Conception’, 1966)
Obscure Japanese Film #146 Ayako Wakao This Daiei production stars Ayako Wakao as Aiko, a modernist oil painter who has hit a creative w...
Love in the Mountains / わかれ / Wakare (‘Parting’, 1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #145 Haruko Wanibuchi and Isuzu Yamada Teenager Kimiko (Haruko Wanibuchi) helps out at a ryokan (traditional inn) i...
A Beautiful Blend – The Apothecary Diaries Anime Review
Some anime series are beautiful to experience despite dealing with surprisingly mature subject matter. The Apothecary Diaries is one such show. It looks colorful and flowery, but deals…
Love Live! Superstar!! S3 - Episode 4 - Rainy Yuigaoka Colorful Stage
Liella put on a concert just for Tomari to prove that Natsumi's dream of becoming a school idol is worth it. Love Live! Superstar!! S3 - Episode 4
The Tycoon / 傷だらけの山河 / Kizudarake no sanga (1964)
Obscure Japanese Film #144 Ayako Wakao and So Yamamura Having delivered a mega-hit for Daiei studios with Shinobi no mono (1962) and also...
Hot Spring Doctress / 温泉女医 / Onsen joi (1964)
Obscure Japanese Film #143 When a new doctor arrives to replace the old drunk Dr Yabuuchi (Ichiro Sugai) at a hot spring resort in…
Halloween for Anime!
Yay, once again the air has become crisp, the leaves have become more colorful and vibrant, and the smell of pumpkin spice can be found everywhere. Now that…
NOT TILL TOO 🫠| VIVINOS - "FINAL | Alien Stage" - REACTION
Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Dr7HljrsoQ Reaction & Analysis of "FINAL | Alien Stage" by VIVINOS, the 7th mainline episode in the Alien Stage series. This episode stars Luca vs Till (the…
While Yet a Wife / 妻の日の愛のかたみに / Tsuma no hi no ai no katamini (1965)
Obscure Japanese Film #141 Ayako Wakao Chieko (Ayako Wakao) and Kitahara (Eiji Funakoshi) are country schoolteachers who get married and a...
The Blue Beast / 青い野獣 / Aoi yaju (1960)
Obscure Japanese Film #140 Tatsuya Nakadai Yasuhiko Kuroki (Tatsuya Nakadai) is an ambitious young man working for a magazine publishing c...
Two on the Road
After Heart Cocktail , Watase Seizou released three more anime OVAs based on his stories: 1987: Boku no Oldies wa All-Color ( My All-Colo...
Women and Miso Soup / 女と味噌汁 / Onna to misoshiru (1968)
Obscure Japanese Film #139 Junko Ikeuchi Chikako (Junko Ikeuchi) is a geisha who works under the name of Temari. Such an occupation gives ...
A Bright and Colorful Adventure: An Interview with BAKERU Director Tadanori Tsukawaki
We spoke with BAKERU's director—Tadanori Tsukawaki of Good-Feel about a wide range of topics—from the game's anime inspirations, its educational elements, and even giant robots for good measure.
She Came for Love / 女が愛して憎むとき / Onna ga aishite nikumu toki (‘When a Woman Loves and Hates’, 1963)
Obscure Japanese Film #138 Ayako Wakao Toshiko (Ayako Wakao) is the madam of a bar in Osaka who tries to keep her private life private and...
The Invisible Wall / 眼の壁 / Me no kabe (‘Wall of Eyes’, 1958)
Obscure Japanese Film #137 Keiji Sada Masao Oda This Shochiku production stars Keiji Sada as Hagisaki, the deputy head of an accounts de...
First Impression: Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles, Season 2
As bold, colorful lights stream down from the heavens, Aishia, Rio’s contracted spirit, feels a spiritual jolt to her soul; there’s no doubt that something monumental is happening,…
Inner Scars, Outer Junk – Mayoiga/The Lost Village Spoiler Review
Take a cast of colorful and engaging characters, and then put them somewhere you can have a creepy atmosphere of suspicion and fear. This is a pretty basic…
Bara no ki ni bara no hana saku / 薔薇の木にバラの花咲く / (‘Roses Bloom on the Rose Bush’, 1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #136 Ayako Wakao Rieko Sumi and Ayako Wakao Reiko (Ayako Wakao) is a senior university student majoring in English w...
The Colorful Music of Ichiko Hashimoto
She’s also a musician with decades of experience who has contributed to at least two vibrant cultural movements in the history of Japan’s music scene. It’s really the…
A Hole of My Own Making / /自分の穴の中で / Jibun no ana no nakade (1955)
Obscure Japanese Film #134 Rentaro Mikuni, Mie Kitahara and Jukichi Uno Tamiko (Mie Kitahara) is a young woman living at home with her s...
Bye Bye, Earth Season 1 Anime Series Review
On the surface, Bye Bye, Earth depicts a vibrant and colorful fantasy world – unfortunately, its story is plain baffling.
Bury Me Deep / わたしを深く埋めて / Watashi o fukaku umete (1963)
Obscure Japanese Film #133 Jiro Tamiya Nakabe (Jiro Tamiya) is a lawyer returning to Tokyo after a long holiday in Kyushu. In his absenc...
A Rainbow at Every Turn / 虹いくたび / Niji ikutabi / (1956)
Obscure Japanese Film #132 Machiko Kyo and Ayako Wakao Before I begin, I should point out that, although I don’t usually write a synopsis ...
Kickstarter for Murder-Mystery Visual Novel, Ventreville: A Cure for Sorrow is Live
Ventreville: A Cure for Sorrow is a fantasy visual novel game with a colorful cast of playable characters, each with their own unique mechanics, and all of whom…
Ojo-san / お嬢さん (‘Young Miss’, 1961)
Obscure Japanese Film #131 Ayako Wakao Kasumi (Ayako Wakao) is a young woman of marriageable age prone to daydreaming who believes that ar...
Story of a Blind Woman /女めくら物語 / Onna mekura monogatari (1965)
Obscure Japanese Film #130 Ayako Wakao This Daiei production stars Ayako Wakao as Tsuruko, an orphan who loses her sight at the age of 16 ...
The Beloved Image/ 顔 / Kao (‘Face’, 1960）
Obscure Japanese Film #129 Machiko Kyo and Ryo Ikebe This Daiei picture opens with young executive Ko (Ryo Ikebe) being seen off at Haneda...
The Colors Within Anime Film Review
As is par for the course for Science SARU, the more surreal things get, the better this colorful film looks.
The Time of Reckoning / 不信のとき / Fushin no toki (1968)
Obscure Japanese Film #128 Jiro Tamiya and Ayako Wakao Asai (Jiro Tamiya) is an artist who designs advertising posters for a printing comp...
A Town Not on the Map / 地図のない町 / Chizu no mai machi (aka ‘The Jungle Block’, 1960)
Obscure Japanese Film #127 Yoko Minamida Ryoji Hayama Shinsuke (Ryoji Hayama) is a young doctor who has had to resign from his post at a...
Furin / 不倫 (1965)
Obscure Japanese Film #126 Ayako Wakao Saburi (Keizo Kawasaki) is a writer who has just won the Newcomer of the Year Award for…
Bonds of Love / 愛のきずな / Ai no kizuna (1969)
Obscure Japanese Film #125 Mari Sono and Makoto Fujita Suzuki (Makoto Fujita) is a low-level manager at a travel agency who drives a mod...
Konki / 婚期 / 'Marriageable Age' (1961)
Obscure Japanese Film #124 Ayako Wakao Takuo (Eiji Funakoshi) runs an inn (a family business he has inherited), and lives not just with ...
The Pass – Last Days of the Samurai / 峠 最後のサムライ / Tōge saigo no samurai (2020)
Obscure Japanese Film #123 Koji Yakusho This Shochiku production stars Koji Yakusho, well-known for his leading roles in international hit...
The Horse Boy / 暴れん坊街道 / Abarendo kaido (1957)
Obscure Japanese Film #122 Shuji Sano Isuzu Yamada Yosaku (Shuji Sano) is a low-ranking samurai employed at Yurugi Castle in Tanba Provi...
Song of the Horse / 馬の詩 / Uma no uta (1971)
Obscure Japanese Film #121 Toshiro Mifu-neigh? Akira Kurosawa’s only work for TV was this documentary co-produced by his own company and ...
The Virgin Witness / 処女が見た / Shojo ga mita (1966)
Obscure Japanese Film #120 Michiyo Yasuda Kazue (Michiyo Yasuda) is an 18-year-old orphan who has been adopted by her uncle and aunt, with...
The Precipice / 氷壁 / Hyoheki (1958)
Obscure Japanese Film #119 Kenji Sugawara When salaryman Uoza (Kenji Sugawara) returns from a mountaineering trip and encounters his frien...
Read 30 Pages of Tezuka-Reimagining Comic, Unico: Awakening
Based on the classic manga series comes a colorful story from artists Gurihiru and writer Samuel Sattin.
Buried
I'm less than halfway through my enforced hiatus for cataract surgery, but something remarkable has happened. Instead of Orphan's work grind...
Junk Boy, Koiko no Mainichi, Houkago no Tinker Bell, Christmas in January, Ambassador Magma
A Dangerous Age / 続十代の性典 / Zoku judai no seiten (1953)
Obscure Japanese Film #118 Ayako Wakao The Japanese title of this film (which translates as ‘Teenage Sex Diary Sequel’) is somewhat misl...
The Third Will / 女系家族 / Nyokei kazoku (1963)
Obscure Japanese Film #117 Ayako Wakao This Daiei production was an attempt to repeat the success of the company’s 1961 film, A Woman’s ...
Sweet Secret / 甘い秘密 / Amai himitsu (1971)
Obscure Japanese Film #116 Tomomi Sato Eitaro Ozawa Yoko (Tomomi Sato) is a young woman living in Hokkaido who wants to be a writer. She p...
News Update - Mon, 3 Jun 2024
Let's Hear It For The Girl. Our pick of the week is My Oni Girl, where Netflix seems to lean a little bit into the whole monster girls thing.…
(First Impressions) Revisiting a Childhood Favorite in HD!
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was my second videogame ever, and my first RPG ever. Naturally, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing and it took…
Kimi shinitamo koto nakare / 君死に給うことなかれ (‘Don’t Die Before Your Time’, 1954)
Obscure Japanese Film #115 Yoko Tsukasa 1940. Baggy-suited university professor Wataru (Ryo Ikebe) falls for Kumiko (Yoko Tsukasa), the nurs...