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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Enma-san (えんまさん, Tomoki Suzuki, 2022)
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Just looking at the art-style of the cover of Mieruko-chan, I worried that this one might have been shelved in the adult section of my library because it…


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Astraea sneaks into Tomoki’s house to eat all his food, but there’s none left which forces Nymph and Astraea to make a very bad decision. Sugata is playing…


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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 2023 in Kanazawa’s 21st Century Museum of Art (September 18-20)
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A Preview of all the films at the Kanazawa Film Festival 2019 (July 12-15) in Kanazawa’s 21st Century Museum of Art
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Eleven Greed (2022) [JFFH 2022]
Despite its obvious low-budget nature, Soejima delivers a highly entertaining and engaging action-thriller.
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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…


A Preview of the Japanese Indie Films at Kanazawa Film Festival 2024 in Kanazawa’s 21st Century Museum of Art (September 04-08)
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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Melting Sounds (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“Kahori Higashi’s debut is impressive.”


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


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…
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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…


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…


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…
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Goodbye Cruel World (2022) review [Japannual 2022]
“A stylish exploration of the cruel call for destruction that structures the perverse criminal field.”
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Kawanobe delivers a very touching and emotional story about homosexuality in Japan.
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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…
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Miki delivers a great psychological mystery narrative, yet it might not be for everyone.
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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.”
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“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…
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Kingdom of The Apes (2022) review [JFFH 2022]
Shugo Fujii proves that he is the master of indie-thrillers.
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“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.”
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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.”


Summer 2022 Reflections
Hi friends, hope you’re well! Coming back to you for another reflection on a new anime season, and the one that has recently wrapped up is Summer 2022!…
A Couple of Cuckoos, Parallel World Pharmacy, Lycoris Recoil, Phantom of the Idol, Call of the Night


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 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…
Spring 2022 Preview
Ah, spring, when the bone-chilling snow melts into refreshing puddles that feed the budding spring blooms. Similarly, our dashed hopes and exceeded expectations from winter melt into our…
Aoashi, Date A Live, Date A Live IV, Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Season 2, SPY x FAMILY


Convention Rankings 2022
With the end of Yama Con, my conventions for 2022 are done and I won’t be attending another one till the middle of January 2023 so with that…


Ribbon (2022) review
Non, in short, proves with her first feature film that she has a future as screenwriter and director.


Talking about 2022
Well, this wasn’t a format I was planning on making a mainstay for the blog, but Twitter removed its Moments functionality, so I guess this is how I’m…
Special - NYAFF 2022
Hello everyone, In this special episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason discuss their favorite movies from the 2022 New York Asian Film Festival. Timestamps:1:48 - Media Consumption10:32 - News17:13…


Summer 2022 4
I think that’s the gateway to the next world. Kuro no Shoukanshi has Kelvin as the one reincarnated to a fantasy world. We learn that he gave up…


Merry Christmas 2022!
AstroNerdBoy takes a moment to wish everyone a Merry Christmas for the year 2022. Hopefully, everyone had a good Christmas.


Blog Update 2022
Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted in any of my blogs. I’ll be honest.


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.


Rageaholic (2022) review
“A great dystopian narrative that clearly gives expression the director’s fear of certain right-wing tendencies that linger within Japanese society.”
Summer 2022 Preview
Summer is the season of waves-surfing the water waves, suffering the heat waves, and of course-tuning into new anime on the air waves. This summer we have some…
Uncle from Another World, Lycoris Recoil, Shoot! Goal to the Future, TEPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Laughing 'til You Cry, Utawarerumono