A wandering swordsman winds up in intrigue on returning to his fencing school to find his old master murdered in Yasushi Sasaki’s jidaigeki adventure.
Jan 17, 2024 • Subscribe
More like this
Sword Devil (剣鬼, Kenji Misumi, 1965)
A gentle samurai who just wants to grow flowers finds himself consumed by courtly intrigue and a cruel destiny in a visual tour de force from Kenji Misumi
No More Bets (孤注一掷, Shen Ao, 2023)
An ambitious programmer finds himself trafficked by scammers after hastily accepting a job abroad in Shen Ao’s tense cyber thriller.
Velvet Hustler (紅の流れ星, Toshio Masuda, 1967)
A gangster laying low realises there is no escape from his sense of ennui in Toshio Masuda’s post-modern re-imagining of his earlier Red Pier
Tokyo Drifter (東京流れ者, Seijun Suzuki, 1966)
A recently released yakuza attempts to join the new society by going straight but finds his efforts frustrated by upstart gangsters in Seijun Suzuki’s postmodern noir.
![Featured image for Strangers 人知れず Director: Sae Suzuki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20221114/1668420010.46827.77975.jpg)
Strangers 人知れず Director: Sae Suzuki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]
Strangers 人知れず Director: Sae Suzuki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022] is an effective look at how people can explore thorny issues such as sexual harassment and discrimination in…
![Featured image for Remain In Twilight (くれなずめ, Daigo Matsui, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210819/1629331394.19675.45404.jpg)
Remain In Twilight (くれなずめ, Daigo Matsui, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A group of high school friends is forced to confront unresolved grief while rehearing for a wedding in Daigo Matsui’s moving metaphysical drama
Reiwa Uprising れいわ一揆 (2019) Dir: Kazuo Hara
Reiwa Uprising れいわ一揆 (2019) Dir: Kazuo Hara is a fun film that gives a glimpse of Japanese electoral politics
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.
![Featured image for River (リバー、流れないでよ, Junta Yamaguchi, 2023) [Fantasia 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230812/1691884720.66512.101686.jpg)
River (リバー、流れないでよ, Junta Yamaguchi, 2023) [Fantasia 2023]
The staff of a hotel along with its guests find themselves trapped in an infinite two minute loop in Junta Yamaguchi’s strangely poignant farce.
Ken (剣, Kenji Misumi, 1964)
A rigid young man dreaming of a “pure life” is forced to confront the contradictions of the modern society in Misumi’s melancholy masculinity drama
The Swordsman and the Actress (大江戸千両囃子, Yasushi Sasaki, 1955)
Hibari Misora stars as an actress drawn into a complex battle for a precious fan in Yasushi Sasaki’s comic jidaigeki adventure
Tarako (1960-2024)
“Tarako” Isono, who died on 4th March, would often contend against the media’s assessment of her. Repeatedly in interviews, she would assert that she identified as a “singer-songwriter”,…
Saiyuuki (1960) HD
In honor of the 60th anniversary of its release in 1960, Orphan is releasing a high-definition version of Saiyuuki , encoded from an HDTV ...
Saiyuki, Candy Candy, Devilman, The Devil Lady, GeGeGe no Kitaro
Mini-Post: Yasushi Muraki Overview
I’m going to attempt to start a new series of posts where I will try and talk about a subject matter in as few words as possible. One…
The Destiny of Lineart
This update was a given, considering the subject of the previous update. The following series have been updated with new secondary lineart: Gundam SEED DESTINY Gundam SEED DESTINY…
Mutsumi Inomata (1960-2024)
We’ve got some terrible news… Mutsumi Inomata, character designer for Acrobunch (which is kinda like saying, “James Cameron, director of Pirhana 2”), passed away at the age of…
1960 in Three Places
Three countries, three films and one pivotal year.
Mutsumi Inomata (1960-2024)
The artist Mutsumi Inomata, who died on 10th March, has been a ubiquitous presence in the anime world for the last forty years, even though she distanced herself…
出る釘は打たれる – Hoshiai no Sora Episode 9 Review
This is a review of Hoshiai no Sora, or Stars Align episode nine.
Lights, Camera, Garage Kits! The Cinematic Influences of Yasushi Nirasawa
Yasushi Nirasawa helped revitalize Kamen Rider in the ’00s, but could he have done it without the influence of Joel Schumacher?
Toren Smith, RIP (1960 - 2013)
I learned the sad news today that Toren Smith has passed away at the young age of 52. Toren…
Nettaigyo ha Yuki Kogareru, Volume 9 (熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる)
Last week, I reviewed Hana ni Arashi, Volume 10 and it reminded me that I had never finished reviewing this series…and then I remembered why. Nettaigyo ha Yuki…
Spinning Another Destiny: SMP Alternative Destiny Gunbuster
First revealed during the SMP [Shokugan Modeling Project] rebranding launch, Bandai Candy/Shokugan has finally opened solicitations for the first kit in the SMP Alternative Destiny line. To recall,…
Takt Op. Destiny (Episode 8) – Destiny -Cosette-
Now that Takt knows the truth of Cossette’s death, he has finally found a purpose and that is to pulverise Felix Schindler. If only Hell would get out…
それが
An interesting conjunction - How to Japanese - September 2023
Kunoichi Bettegumi Igarashi Satsuki, Volume 3 (くノ一別手組ー五十嵐五月)
In Kunoichi Bettegumi Igarashi Satsuki, Volume 3 (くノ一別手組ー五十嵐五月), Satsuki comes face to face with a political group that wants, not just foreigners’ expulsion from Japan…but their deaths…
Kunoichi Bettegumi Igarashi Satsuki, Volume 2 (くノ一別手組ー五十嵐五月)
While we are all waiting for the Seven Seas release of I Fell In Love With the Villainess, (of which I had read the first few chapters in…
Last of the Wolves (孤狼の血 LEVEL2, Kazuya Shiraishi, 2021)
No longer an earnest rookie, a corrupted Hioka attempts to keep the peace in Heisei Hiroshima in Kazuya Shirashi’s Blood of Wolves followup.
Japan Stories それぞれの日本
A beautifully written patchwork of stories of contemporary Japan each of which focuses on and mainly revolves around one person with associated minor characters who, though obviously less…
Kagemusha (影武者, Akira Kurosawa, 1980)
A thief reborn as a lord finds himself caught between the contradictions of the feudal order and the borders of identity in Akira Kurosawa’s Sengoku-era tragedy.
Nettaigyo ha Yuki ni Kogareru, Volume 7 (熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる)
The connection between Konatsu and Koyuki is extremely tenuous. They both are aware of this, but whenKonatsu begins to avoid club…and Koyuki it comes to a head. Nettaigyo…
Nettaigyo ha Yuki ni Kogareru, Volume 8 (熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる)
As we reach Nettaigyo ha Yuki ni Kogareru, Volume 8 (熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる), we’ve hit what I tend to call the “storm before the calm.” Summer is winding down and…
Nettaigyo ha Yuki ni Kogareru, Volume 5 (熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる)
Here we are at Nettaigyo ha Yuki ni Kogareru, Volume 5 (熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる) and Honami Koyuki is putting the brakes on her almost-not-even moving-life. Why would she do that?…
Jonas Mekas on the Joys of Hollywood Cinema 1960-65
Jonas Mekas began writing a regular column, entitled Movie Journal, in the Village Voice of November 12, 1958. A filmmaker himself and co-founder of Anthology Film Archives in…
takt op. Destiny
takt op. Destiny is currently streaming on Crunchyroll....
Gundam Seed Destiny
By Andrew Osmond. Gundam Seed Destiny is the direct sequel to the earlier series Gundam Seed, which was covered on this blog here. Like the previous series, Destiny…
All Under the Moon (月はどっちに出ている, Yoichi Sai, 1993)
Citizens of post-Bubble Tokyo struggle to reorient themselves amid changing realities in Yoichi Sai’s lighthearted comedy.
![Featured image for Destiny of the shrine maiden [Animé review]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210410/1618067635.9321.33414.png)
Destiny of the shrine maiden [Animé review]
Kannazuki no miko Seasons: 1 Episodes: 12 Runtime: 23 min/Eps Genres: Shoujo-ai, Yuri, Romance, Slice of life Destiny of the shrine maiden is a Yuri animé following Himemiya…
Kingdom III: Flame of Destiny (2023) review
A straightforward action-epic that delivers everything fans of the manga and the anime desire.
Warm Current (暖流, Yasuzo Masumura, 1957)
A trio of youngsters tussle for the post-war future through the medium of a love triangle in Masumura’s ironic melodrama
An Outlaw (ならず者, Teruo Ishii, 1964)
Ken Takakura stars as a China-based hitman dragged into local intrigue when a job goes awry in an early crime thriller from Teruo Ishii.
Shadows (殘影空間, Glenn Chan, 2020)
A traumatised psychiatrist finds herself in an ideological battle of wits with a duplicitous rival in Glenn Chan’s eerie psycho-noir
![Featured image for Episode #65 (S9E3) – Kagemusha [影武者] (1980)](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230526/1685088522.61696.95928.jpg)
Episode #65 (S9E3) – Kagemusha [影武者] (1980)
In this episode, Perry is joined by Derick McDuff of the Underrated podcast network to discuss Akira Kurosawa’s 1980 film, Kagemusha. It received a lot of support from…
Family of Strangers (閉鎖病棟 それぞれの朝, Hideyuki Hirayama, 2019)
A collection of patients at a psychiatric clinic eventually find new strength to accept themselves through mutual solidarity Hirayama’s empathetic social drama
Sasaki and Miyano
Sasaki and Miyano is currently streaming on Funimation....
The Approach of Autumn (秋立ちぬ, Mikio Naruse, 1960)
A small boy finds himself trapped between the new society and the old in Mikio Naruse’s often deceptively cheerful childhood drama.
You’re Not Normal, Either! (まともじゃないのは君も一緒, Koji Maeda, 2021)
A nerdy maths teacher turns to his student for advice on how to seem more “normal” little knowing she has an ulterior motive in Maeda’s charming rom-com
MGM Centennial: Post-Golden Age, 1960-1973
As film buffs everywhere, led by TCM, celebrate the 100th anniversary of the merger that formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on April 17, 1924, and rehash the litany of great films…
Sword of the Stranger Review
Sword of the Stranger is one of the best samurai anime out there. If you like sword fighting choreography, this is for you.
Mystery of the Samurai Sword
detective fiction, 推理小説、games, mystery, murder, locked room, Japanese, translations,
