A melancholy middle-aged writer looks back to a climactic summer of his youth and the ghost of fractured friendship in Tomoki Kanazawa’s heartwarming nostalgia fest.
Oct 30, 2023 • Subscribe
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Kanazawa Film Festival 2012
If the world ends this year, it won't be because of the whole "2012: End of Days" thing. It will have nothing to do with the Mayan…
Review—Kanazawa by David Joiner
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Kanazawa: The Five Mesmerizing Landmarks You Need to See
Japan's Kanazawa offers scenic views, amazing culture, and a respite from overtourism. These five places encapsulate its essence.
A Preview of the Kanazawa Film Festival 2021 in Kanazawa’s 21st Century Museum of Art (September 18-20)
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A Preview of the Kanazawa Film Festival 2023 in Kanazawa’s 21st Century Museum of Art (September 18-20)
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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…
Eleven Greed (2022) [JFFH 2022]
Despite its obvious low-budget nature, Soejima delivers a highly entertaining and engaging action-thriller.
Dawning (USA, 2022) [CAAMFest 2022]
Colleen Wanglund reviews Young Min Kim's psychological thriller Dawning.
Mixed (USA, 2022) [CAAMFest 2022]
John Atom reviews Caty Borum Chattoo & Leena Jayaswal's documentary Mixed.
Howling (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews M Haris Sheikh's neo noir Howling.
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…
Random Call (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Riki Ohkanda's comedy-drama Random Call.
Summer Wedding (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Azusa Hieda’s short film Summer Wedding.
Bagmati River (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Yusaku Matsumoto's short film Bagmati River.
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…
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.
Melting Sounds (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“Kahori Higashi’s debut is impressive.”
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…
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.…
Angry Son (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Kashou Iizuka's drama Angry Son.
WeebSack 2022
Hello and welcome back to another video also happy new Year! This one is a bit different from my normal uploads since I started making longer content on…
Farewell, 2022…
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Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, NIJIYON ANIMATION
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…
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…
BLUELOCK, Cipher, Crossing Time, Dororo, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
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…
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…
Our House Party (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
Kawanobe delivers a very touching and emotional story about homosexuality in Japan.
North Shinjuku 2055 (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Daisuke Miyazaki's sci-fi short North Shinjuku 2055.
Goodbye Cruel World (2022) review [Japannual 2022]
“A stylish exploration of the cruel call for destruction that structures the perverse criminal field.”
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…
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.”
Convenience Story (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival 2022]
Miki delivers a great psychological mystery narrative, yet it might not be for everyone.
Out of TOKYO 202x (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Akinori Ikuse's short film Out of TOKYO 202x.
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.”
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…
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.”
Kingdom of The Apes (2022) review [JFFH 2022]
Shugo Fujii proves that he is the master of indie-thrillers.
Fall 2022 1
And so, the new season has begun, right in a moment when I have almost no free time. Long story. But here’s the start of my Fall 2022…
Missing (2022) review
Shinzo Katayama delivers one of the most satisfying drama-thrillers this year.
Summer 2022 Schedule
Sunday Love Live! Superstar!! (2022) 19:00 NHK-E (07/17) Renmei Kuugun Koukuu Mahou Ongakutai Luminous Witches 21:00 AT-X (07/03) Isekai Yakkyoku 21:30 AT-X (07/10) RWBY: Hyousetsu Teikoku 22:30 TOKYO MX (07/03) Yurei Deco 23:00 TOKYO MX (07/03) KJ File 24:00 TV…
Utawarerumono, Fuuto PI, Lycoris Recoil, SHINEPOST, Shoot! Goal to the Future
Winter 2022 1
Looking over the previews at Random Curiosity, where I get most of my information, I didn’t see a single show I was excited about. I’m going to do…
World's End Harem, Slow Loop, Tokyo 24th Ward, In the Land of Leadale
Winter 2022 2
War-torn street to begin Girl’s Frontline. We start the second installment with Dolls’ Frontline, in a future world where we got another world war, but this one was…
Fall 2022 2
SpyxFamily reminds us of the premise. This second installment is off to a good start with Spy x Family’s return. We got two things going on, first, a…
Immoral Guild, The Eminence in Shadow, Management of a Novice Alchemist
Winter 2022 Schedule
Sunday Sabiiro no Armor: Reimei 22:00 TOKYO MX (01/09) Bara Ou no Souretsu 22:30 TOKYO MX (01/09) Futsal Boys!!!!! 23:00 TOKYO MX (01/09) Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku Hen 23:15 Fuji TV (10/10) Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final…
Futsal Boys!!!!!, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Love of Kill, Saiyuki Reload, Akebi’s Sailor Uniform
Otakon 2022: Wrap
It’s really nice to get back to my “home” convention and run through it as if nothing happened since 2019. I enjoyed the humid Chesapeake Bay summer as…
Onpaku (2022) review
While Fujii does not re-invent the J-horror genre with Onpaku, he does prove the horror-frame can still be exploited to deliver satisfying horror narratives.
OAFF 2022 Special
Hello everyone, In this special episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason discuss their favorite movies from the wonderful 2022 Osaka Asian Film Festival. Timestamps:2:53 - Media Consumption19:12 - News23:42…
Fall 2022 3
Our first dull concrete shot of this post. I try not to read reviews of shows until I’ve seen them myself, but even with that I got weird…
Akiba Maid War, BOCCHI THE ROCK!, Chainsaw Man, LOVE FLOPS, Urusei Yatsura
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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…
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