A rootless middle-aged man meditates on visions of corrupted paternity and lonely exile in Zhang Lu’s intensely affecting drama.
Dec 1, 2023 • Subscribe
More like this
In Broad Daylight (白日之下, Lawrence Kan, 2023)
A jaded reporter rediscovers a sense of purpose while exposing abuse and neglect in privately run care homes in Lawrence Kan’s hard-hitting drama
A Holy Family (神人之家, Elvis Lu, 2022)
Documentarian Elvis Lu (The Shepherds) turns the camera on his own devoutly religious Taoist family on returning home after many years away.
In Pursuit of Light (追光万里, Zhang Tongdao, 2022)
Chinese-American actress Lisa Lu looks back over her own history as well as that of Chinese actors in Hollywood and the Chinese film industry in Zhang Tongdao’s warmhearted…
Total Trust (Zhang Jialing, 2023)
Zhang Jialing’s documentary explores the implications of the oppressive surveillance state of the modern China.
The Great White Tower (白い巨塔, Satsuo Yamamoto, 1966)
The medical system is just another corporate body filled with egotistical salarymen and dangerously narcissistic careerists in Satsuo Yamamoto’s tense political drama
The Emperor’s Sword (乱世之定秦剑, Chen Hao-nan & Zhang Ying-li, 2020)
Retired heroes must rise again when an ambitious courtier attempts to usurp the kingdom through obtaining twin swords in Chen & Zhang’s
Lu Over The Wall
Lu Over The Wall is a 2017 Fantasy Adventure anime film by Japanese animation studio Science SARU. Though the studio has created interesting series like Netflix’s Develman: Crybaby and Japan Sinks…
告白
Confessions and Rejections - How to Japanese - September 2022
Under the Light (坚如磐石, Zhang Yimou, 2023)
A policeman discovers unwelcome truths while investigating links between his adopted father and a shady businessman in Zhang Yimou’s neon-lit thriller.
Redemption with Life (兄弟, Zhang Wei, 2023)
A young man with old-fashioned values is slowly consumed by the contradictions of the modern China in Zhang Wei’s indie drama.
Full River Red (满江红, Zhang Yimou, 2023)
A bumbling corporal is swept into intrigue when charged with retrieving a compromising document in Zhang Yimou’s Song Dynasty mystery.
Episode 797: Lu Over the Guild
This week on Anime Pulse we got lopunny being the best Pokemon, a follow up to the men who harassed some statues at the Ghibli park, and being…
A Song Sung Blue (小白船, Geng Zihan, 2023)
A lonely teenage girl discovers another side to life while drawn to a flightly older friend in Geng Zihan’s melancholy drama.
OSMcast! Show #171: Lu Over the Wall
Oh, would you look at the time! As it so happens, almost a year ago we did a podcast on an anime movie from Science Saru, directed by…
The Idiot (白痴, Akira Kurosawa, 1951)
A pure soul is destroyed by the selfishness and duplicity of the post-war society in Kurosawa’s snowbound adaptation of the Dostoyevsky novel.
The Noisy Mansion (백수아파트, Lee Lu-da, 2024)
A woman with too much time on her hands becomes a thorn in the side of amoral capitalists in Lee Lu-da’s warmhearted comedic mystery.
Diorama: The tower
This is a diorama project for Girls’ last tour. This diorama is a bit unique for me because, for the first time, I won’t be using any of…
Ikenaikyo - Episode 11 - Lu and Gosetsu
Lu and Gosetsu trained Natalia's underlings. It was as harsh as expected from a Fenrir puppy and a Hell Capybara. Ikenaikyo - Episode 11
Backlight (逆光, Ren Sudo, 2021)
A young Mishima obsessive brings a uni friend to Onomichi for the summer but struggles to express his feelings in Ren Sudo’s poetic indie drama.
Happy Birthday, Lisa Lu! The Veteran Actress Turns 95
Actress Lisa Lu turns 95 today, January 19, 2022. I’ve written about her four previous times, the last one being a celebration on her 90th birthday five years…
381 – Manga in Motion 51 – Lu over the Wall
On this episode we answer some emails, talk about Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Taiko no Tatsujin, and Seamus reads more Even Though We’re Adults! Then we review Masaaki…
Stand Up Story (說笑之人, Amen Au Cheuk-man, 2023)
An aspiring comedian tries to turn his grief into laughter while caring for his ageing father with learning difficulties in Au Cheuk-man’s poignant drama.
The Road (大路朝天, Zhang Zanbo, 2015)
The building of a highway in provincial Hunan exposes the corruptions and hypocrisies at the heart of the modern society in Zhang’s unflinching documentary
Intolerance (空白, Keisuke Yoshida, 2021)
A angry old man struggling to accept his daughter’s death is forced to reassess his relationships in Keisuke Yoshida’s intense social drama.
![Featured image for Lightning Over the Beyond 彼方の閃光 (2023) Director: Yoshihiro Hanno [Japan Film Festival LA]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20240913/1726256993.90077.130793.jpg)
Lightning Over the Beyond 彼方の閃光 (2023) Director: Yoshihiro Hanno [Japan Film Festival LA]
Playing as part of Japan Film Festival LA, LIGHTNING OVER THE WATER, is Yoshihiro Hanno’s earnestly-told anti-war pic buoyed up by crisp B&W visuals and brave performances from…
Tam Lu: animator of Castlevania | Exclusive Interview
This is the fourth interview on the site, and we are sure that many more will come soon, but the feeling of excitement to be able to publish…
Episode 50 - Dr. Sidney Lu (Michigan State)
In this episode, Dr. Sidney Lu tracks Japanese migrants overseas to the Americas during the Meiji Period, denoting discursive ties between trans-Pacific migration and Japanese colonial expansion. We…
幻の光 OST - Ming-Chang Chen
Maborosi [Maboroshi no Hikari] Directed by: Hirokazu Koreeda 1995 Download
ON STAGE (登場, Zhang Yaoyuan, 2021)
Zhang Yaoyuan’s observational documentary follows the Second Hand Roses singer more offstage than on as he prepares for a New Year concert
Between the White Key and the Black Key (白鍵と黒鍵の間に, Masanori Tominaga, 2023)
A jaded bar musician is confronted by his younger, more idealistic self in 1980s Ginza in Masanori Tominaga’s surrealistic adaptation of the memoirs of jazz musician Hiroshi Minami.
白と黒~Black & White~, Volume 2
In Volume 1, we met Shirakawa Junko and Kuroda Kayo two high-spec, elites in an international sales department, who are natural enemies. They don’t just fight…in fact, they…
白と黒~Black & White~, Volume 1
Content warning: The plot here is 100% manipulation, violence and sexual violence. Shirakawa Junko is beloved in her office. The younger employees look up to her with deep…
白と黒~Black & White~, Volume 3
In Volume 1 we met Shirakawa, top of her department in her office and Kuroda, a promising up-and-comer who threatens to take everything Shirakawa has built. They briefly…
Tower of God – 02 – The Irregular at God Tower High
The battle royale continues until there are only 200 fighters remaining. At that point all fighting stops, and Bam and Aguero don’t have to fight the big Croc-man…
日光 Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture. {Day 2/2}
The morning of my second day in Nikko, I acted very out of character.
Luminous Woman (光る女, Shinji Somai, 1987)
A pure-hearted mountain man descends into the hell of the model capital in search of lost love in Shinji Somai’s surrealist fable.
日光 Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture. {Day 1/2}
Despite the rest of the week feeling like it had dragged on forever, I woke up at around 5 a.m. on September 19th, altogether way too early for…
![Featured image for Kanata no Senko 彼方の閃光 (2023) Director: Yoshihiro Hanno [Japan Film Festival LA]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20240913/1726255795.90076.130791.jpg)
Kanata no Senko 彼方の閃光 (2023) Director: Yoshihiro Hanno [Japan Film Festival LA]
Playing as part of Japan Film Festival LA, LIGHTNING OVER THE WATER, is Yoshihiro Hanno’s earnestly-told anti-war pic buoyed up by crisp B&W visuals and brave performances from…
Tower Dungeon
Tsutomu Nihei’s newest manga series, Tower Dungeon, is a grim and grisly dark fantasy about a small team of knights attempting to rescue a princess from an evil…
Tower Mommy
Fend adds a wrinkle to the fight against Language, Two on Ice ends with more Christian imagery, and Bond is a perfect dog that must be protected always! 4:08…
The Winter Tower | Game Review
A fairy tale romance… in reverse. This love story takes place in an isolated, magical tower like many a tale before it, but something’s a little different this…
Tower of God – 13 [Tower of God]
Welcome all to the finale of Tower of God! I would say a lot happened this week, but lets be real, very little actually happened. What do I…
Ping Pong: The Triumph (中国乒乓之绝地反击, Deng Chao & Yu Baimei, 2023)
A changing China tries to recapture its sense of possibility by regaining its reputation as a ping pong powerhouse in Deng Chao & Yu Baimei’s rousing table tennis…
Sakra (天龍八部之喬峰傳, Donnie Yen & Kam Ka-Wai, 2023)
Donnie Yen stars as tragic wuxia hero Qiao Feng in a well-produced adaptation of Jin Yong’s classic Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.
Eternal Summer (盛夏光年, Leste Chen, 2006)
A trio of emotionally displaced teens struggle to define themselves in a constant search for acceptance in Leste Chen’s emotionally intense youth drama
Article 20 (第二十条, Zhang Yimou, 2024)
A jaded prosecutor re-evaluates his view of justice while investigating the death of a loanshark in Zhang Yimou’s New Year legal dramedy.
Give Me Five (哥，你好, Zhang Luan, 2022)
After disrupting his parents’ meet cute, a young man must travel to the past ensure his own birth in Zhang Luan’s sci-fi-inflected dramedy.
Moon Man (独行月球, Zhang Chiyu, 2022)
A lovelorn maintenance man finds himself alone on the moon after his team evacuate without him in Zhang Chiyu’s sci-fi comedy.
38: The Tower of God Episode
The Sickos watched Tower of God, an anime that asks "what if Hunter x Hunter was shorter, but also way more complicated?" Well, the answer is that it…
Tower of God – It’s a Great Idea to Walk Away from the Tower
Given the brutality of the tests and the mortality rate, walking away is a great idea.