Anime Blog Tracker

Noise (ノイズ, Ryuichi Hiroki, 2022)

Three childhood friends find their connection strained while covering up an accidental murder in Ryuichi Hiroki’s darkly comic crime drama

Windows on Worlds

Apr 29, 2022 • Subscribe

Motherhood (2022)

An enjoyable and engaging exploration of the destructive impact of a subject’s fixation on gaining the (m)Other’s love and that the often-ignored truth that becoming a mother is…

psycho-cinematography

Dec 9, 2023 • Subscribe

J005311 (Hiroki Kono, 2022)

An anxious man offers a stranger a large amount of money to drive him to an undisclosed location in Hiroki Kono’s indie drama.

Windows on Worlds

Aug 26, 2023 • Subscribe

Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952-2023)

Ryuichi Sakamoto’s first taste of fame was in the late 1970s, when his band Yellow Magic Orchestra competed with Kraftwerk to become the kings of electro-pop. With synthesiser…

All the Anime

Apr 2, 2023 • Subscribe

A Son (二十歳の息子, Ryuichi Shimada, 2022)

Documentarian Ryuichi Shimada follows a social worker who decides to adopt a 20-year-old man recently released from juvenile detention.

Windows on Worlds

Jul 1, 2023 • Subscribe

Motherhood changed how I write about anime

This will be my third Mother’s Day as a mom.  This time last year, I was still recovering in the hospital after giving birth. (It had been an…

Otaku Journalist

May 14, 2023 • Subscribe

Stepbrothers (異母兄弟, Miyoji Ieki, 1957)

The destructive effects of militarist folly are borne out in the fortunes of one bifurcated family in Miyoji Ieki’s impassioned social drama.

Windows on Worlds

Aug 18, 2022 • Subscribe

Manga by Hiroki Tomisawa (Story) Kentaro Hidano (Art)

This Q is getting no As   David and Jordan give their first thoughts on the Shonen Jump manga Super Smartphone. Listen in as they give an overview…

Shonen Flop

Nov 7, 2022 • Subscribe

Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer

Celebrate Motherhood and New Life with Kimono Maternity and Newborn Photography

Looking to commemorate a pregnancy or new birth? Connect to Japanese traditional culture and celebrate this momentous occasion with photography that includes original kimono costumes for pregnant and…

Savvy Tokyo

Dec 2, 2021 • Subscribe

In Search of Mother (瞼の母, Tai Kato, 1962)

A lonely yakuza longs to reconnect with mainstream society by finding the mother who was forced to abandon him in Tai Kato’s hugely moving jidaigeki.

Windows on Worlds

Dec 19, 2022 • Subscribe

Akagi

Sexual Drive (性的衝動, Kota Yoshida, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]

A strange spirit of sexual liberation visits three troubled couples in Kota Yoshida’s odyssey of food-themed eroticism.

Windows on Worlds

Aug 4, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Ep. 69: All-Rounder Meguru Vols. 1 & 7, by Hiroki Endo

This week the Mangasplaining Crew finally gets to one of David and Deb's fav fighting manga, Hiroki Endo's All-Rounder Meguru! In this unique episode, the...

| Mangasplaining: Read Great Manga

Jul 14, 2022 • Subscribe

Judai no seiten / 十代の性典 (‘Teenage Sex Book’, 1953)

Obscure Japanese Film #114 Ayako Wakao   When high school student Fusae (Yoko Minamida) is excused from PE one day due to having her perio...

Martin Dowsing

May 20, 2024 • Subscribe

Colorful, exception

SPECIAL TOPIC: The Golden Miracle of Shonen Jump, by editor Goto Hiroki

The 50th anniversary of the world’s most successful manga magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump, in 2018 brought a wave of related products, from reprints of classic magazine issues, a…

Manga Musings: Obscure Manga

Mar 15, 2024 • Subscribe

PODCAST - Ep. 69: All-Rounder Meguru vol. 1 & 7, by Hiroki Endo

Get in the ring for some hard-hitting mixed-martial arts action (and few laughs) with All-Rounder Meguru, a sports manga series by Hiroki Endo, creator of Eden: It's an…

MSX - The Mangasplaining Extra Newsletter

Jul 16, 2022 • Subscribe

New Woman Question and Answer (新女性問答, Yasushi Sasaki, 1939)

Yasushi Sasaki’s surprisingly progressive drama considers the changing place of women in the contemporary society.

Windows on Worlds

Apr 16, 2023 • Subscribe

Image of a Mother (母のおもかげ, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1959)

A little boy’s difficulties in accepting his new stepmother express an anxiety about the changing nature of the family in Hiroshi Shimizu’s familial melodrama.

Windows on Worlds

May 25, 2024 • Subscribe

The Insatiable (現代ポルノ伝 先天性淫婦, Norifumi Suzuki, 1971)

A young woman finds herself following in her mother’s footsteps after a series of traumatic sexual experiences in Norifumi Suzuki’s erotic drama.

Windows on Worlds

Feb 3, 2024 • Subscribe

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...

Martin Dowsing

Jun 17, 2024 • Subscribe

Colorful

Mom, Is That You?! (こんにちは、母さん, Yoji Yamada, 2023)

Disillusioned with the salaryman dream a middle-aged man returns home to his mother only to find her busy with a life of her own in a touching drama…

Windows on Worlds

Jun 21, 2024 • Subscribe

Interview: Voice Actors Rika Hayashi and Hiroki Tōchi Talk About Their New Golf Anime, Tonbo!

Hayashi and Tōchi play mentee/mentor in heart-warming golf anime series.

Anime News Network - Views

Apr 24, 2024 • Subscribe

Tonbo!

Breaking the Mold: making Hana the Last Diviner – Interview with Hiroki Taniguchi [JETRO x Kickstarter]

Interview with Hiroki Taniguchi from Public Arts about their oncoming anime Hana the Last Diviner and its crowdfunding campaign.

Full Frontal

Jan 20, 2023 • Subscribe

Tales from the Otaking: The Strife Between Ryuichi Sakamoto and the Staff of Royal Space Force

Toshio Okada reveals details about some of the strife between Ryuichi Sakamoto and the other staff on Royal Space Force.

Heisei Etranger

Dec 25, 2018 • Subscribe

Here Because of You (君たちがいて僕がいた, Ryuichi Takamori, 1964)

Post-war teens take on injustice in the form of a problematic parent at their school in Ryuichi Takamori’s cheerful youth movie.

Windows on Worlds

Sep 9, 2023 • Subscribe

Josei ga Otoko Kimono o Kiru Shashin-shuu (女性が男着物を着る写真集)

This world is a fascinating and wonderful place. A few months ago, a Japanese crowdfund project wandered over my feed and I immediately backed it. Kimono artist Remake-ya…

Okazu

Oct 8, 2023 • Subscribe

I Go Gaga, Welcome Home Mom (ぼけますから、よろしくお願いします。～おかえりお母さん～, Naoko Nobutomo, 2022)

In a followup to her hugely popular documentary, Naoko Nobutomo follows her parents as her mother’s health continues to decline.

Windows on Worlds

Jun 29, 2022 • Subscribe

Yamabuki (2022) review [IFFR 2022]

“A beautiful socially-engaged narrative that explores the very fact that, by being grasped within the societal network of relations, one cannot but influence the other and become influenced…

psycho-cinematography

Feb 4, 2022 • Subscribe

Kirara

Eleven Greed (2022) [JFFH 2022]

Despite its obvious low-budget nature, Soejima delivers a highly entertaining and engaging action-thriller.

psycho-cinematography

Jul 19, 2022 • Subscribe

Straying (2022) review [Camera Japan 2022]

A pleasant and charming exploration of the fact that, within the game of love and romance and beyond, subjects often rely on acting-out to reveal to the other…

psycho-cinematography

Sep 14, 2022 • Subscribe

Melting Sounds (2022) review [OAFF 2022]

“Kahori Higashi’s debut is impressive.”

psycho-cinematography

Apr 14, 2022 • Subscribe

Random Call (2022) review [OAFF 2022]

Ohkanda’s narrative proves that one does not need a big budget to deliver a narrative that touches the spectator.

psycho-cinematography

Apr 20, 2022 • Subscribe

Stone Steps (2022) review [JFFH 2022]

A great indie narrative that highlights the need for the parental and the traditional Other to aid the subject to embark on the path of his own desire.…

psycho-cinematography

Jul 1, 2022 • Subscribe

Angry Son (2022) review [OAFF 2022]

“An incredibly rich and deep narrative that not only delivers a satisfying coming-of-age story but also an elegantly delivered social commentary on some of the frictions marking Japanese…

psycho-cinematography

Mar 18, 2022 • Subscribe

Shaman’s Daughter (2022) review [JFFH 2022]

A genre mish-mash – a cocktail of light-hearted comedy, family drama, bloody thriller, and ghostly romance – that is not only pleasant but offers the spectator a rich…

psycho-cinematography

Aug 18, 2022 • Subscribe

Bastard! (2022)

See here for the review.

USA Anime

Jul 3, 2022 • Subscribe

2022 Retrospective

As we say hello to 2023, it's time to take a look back at the many highs and hilarious lows of 2022... 2:01 - 2022 Recommendations 3:16 - Liar Game 5:30…

Weekly Manga Recap

Jan 5, 2023 • Subscribe

BLUE LOCK, Cipher, Crossing Time, Dororo, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Winter 2022

Happy New Year! I’m aware January is almost over but I’m still taking this as a win that I managed to send this post out while it was…

xxanimexxgirlxx

Jan 31, 2022 • Subscribe

Farewell 2022

Happy New Year! We have entered into 2023 and so I decided to look back and reflect on the podcast and life in 2022. Lets go down memory…

dadneedstotalk.com

Jan 1, 2023 • Subscribe

Farewell, 2022…

This post is brought you by Nijiyon Animation, an upcoming short anime adaptation of a 4-koma manga series by Miyakohito which is based on Love Live! Nijigasaki High…

The Anime Rambler – By Benigmatica

Dec 28, 2022 • Subscribe

Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, NIJIYON ANIMATION

Our House Party (2022) review [OAFF 2022]

Kawanobe delivers a very touching and emotional story about homosexuality in Japan.

psycho-cinematography

Apr 11, 2022 • Subscribe

Goodbye Cruel World (2022) review [Japannual 2022]

“A stylish exploration of the cruel call for destruction that structures the perverse criminal field.”

psycho-cinematography

Dec 7, 2022 • Subscribe

In The Distance (2022) review [Japannual 2022]

“A very pleasant slice-of-life narrative that elegantly shows that bonds between subjects are that much more genuine if they are grounded in the acceptance of the other’s radical…

psycho-cinematography

Dec 4, 2022 • Subscribe

Two On The Edge (2022) review [Japannual 2022]

“A touching experience that highlights that the desire to be loved, for better or worse, is the ulitmate guide the neurotic subject within the societal field.”

psycho-cinematography

Nov 22, 2022 • Subscribe

Kingdom of The Apes (2022) review [JFFH 2022]

Shugo Fujii proves that he is the master of indie-thrillers.

psycho-cinematography

Jun 27, 2022 • Subscribe

One Day, A woman (2022) review [JFFH 2022]

“Mihiro Kaneko’s incredibly rich performance does not only engages the spectator from start to finish, but allows Yuko’s subjective turmoil, her flight from the societal Other, and her…

psycho-cinematography

Jul 10, 2022 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Outsourcing (2022) review [OAFF 2022]

“A very satisfying satirical short thta shows that, within the job-seeking process, only the image matters.”

psycho-cinematography

Apr 17, 2022 • Subscribe

Convenience Story (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival 2022]

Miki delivers a great psychological mystery narrative, yet it might not be for everyone.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 6, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Far Away, Further Away (2022) review [OAFF 2022]

“A beautiful film that elegantly explores the role the imaginary plays in marital failure as well as in the beginning of a new romantic bond.”

psycho-cinematography

Apr 2, 2022 • Subscribe

Fall 2022 Preview

Ahh autumn, truly the season of change. As hot snaps and long summer days give way to changing leaves, colder weather, and the always ubiquitous combo of Uggs…

Random Curiosity

Sep 27, 2022 • Subscribe

Akiba Maid War, Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun, Urusei Yatsura, LOVE FLOPS, Chainsaw Man