An isolated woman begins to rediscover herself while hitchhiking to her estranged father’s funeral in Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s quietly moving road movie.
Feb 19, 2024 • Subscribe
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Gift of Fire (太陽の子, Hiroshi Kurosaki, 2020)
A conflicted scientist struggles to reconcile himself to the implications of his work while researching an atomic bomb in Kurosaki’s contemplative wartime drama
Yoko (2023) review
A complex full-bodied filmic wine that cannot but stir the spectator’s emotions.
Samurai Kids (水の旅人－侍KIDS－, Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1993)
A small boy grows closer to the natural world while guiding a tiny samurai on his journey to the sea in Nobuhiko Obayashi’s charming family adventure.
The Naked Sun / 裸の太陽 / Hadaka no taiyo (1958)
Obscure Japanese Film #254Shinjiro Ebara Kimura (Shinjiro Ebara) is a young stoker on the railway saving up to marry Yukiko (Satomi Oka), His best friend, Maeda (Tatsuya Nakadai), also works for…
Desert of Namibia (ナミビアの砂漠, Yoko Yamanaka, 2024)
A young woman flounders unable to understand the world around her in Yoko Yamanaka’s quietly enraged character study.
Ichiko (市子, Akihiro Toda, 2023)
When a young woman disappears, it transpires that she never existed in the first place in Akihiro Toda’s twisty psychological mystery.
Under the Stars (星の子, Tatsushi Omori, 2020)
A young woman raised by devotees of a new religion comes to question her worldview when confronted with its otherness in Tatsushi Omori’s coming-of-age drama.
The Sands of Kurobe (黒部の太陽, Kei Kumai, 1968)
Kei Kumai directs a three-hour epic devoted to the sometimes brutal construction of the Kurobe Dam.
The Deer King (鹿の王 ユナと約束の旅, Masashi Ando & Masayuki Miyaji, 2021)
A lone survivor comes to represent both salvation and destruction in Ando & Miyaji’s fantasy adventure.
Leaving on the 15th Spring (旅立ちの島唄～十五の春～, Yasuhiro Yoshida, 2013)
“How many of them will come back?” a man on the shore ominously asks as he watches the young people of his island ship out to pursue their…
Yoko Hikasa – Ex:Futurize
Tracklist: 1. EX:FUTURIZE (Z/X IGNITION OP) 2. Technoholica 3. EX:FUTURIZE (Instrumental) 4. Technoholica (Instrumental) 1. EX:FUTURIZE The tricky, impending start filled with violins and a single …
Children of the Beehive: What Happened Next (その後の蜂の巣の子供たち, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1951)
In an interesting piece of meta docufiction, Hiroshi Shimizu revisits the Beehive a few years later to find out how the orphans live now.
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.
A Balance (由宇子の天秤, Yujiro Harumoto, 2020)
An idealistic documentarian’s journalistic ethics are strained when she uncovers scandal close to home in Yujiro Harumoto’s probing social drama
Episode #101 (S13E02) – Weathering With You (2019) [天気の子]
Today, Perry is joined by author and filmmaker Liam Quane to talk about 2019's anime film, Weathering With You. Directed by Makoto Shinkai, this was his follow-up to…
Seiyuu Series: Yoko Hikasa
Welcome! Instead of my usual random rant, today we have a list entry. I’ve been wanting to have some posts about cast and production committees of anime series…
Kodomo no me / 子供の眼 / (‘Eyes of a Child’, 1955)
Obscure Japanese Film #162 Hideko Takamine Kiyoko (Hideko Takamine) is a young woman living in Tokyo with her older brother, Shunji (Hiros...
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Kashipan, kashipan as far as the eye can see - How to Japanese - May 2022
The Geisha (陽暉楼, Hideo Gosha, 1983)
The coming of the railroad spells doom for one of the most prestigious geisha houses in Japan in Hideo Gosha’s adaptation of the Tomiko Miyao novel.
Whale Bones (鯨の骨, Takamasa Oe, 2023)
A brokenhearted office works finds himself chasing a digital ghost in Takamasa Oe’s eerie drama.
So What if yoko kanno is Involved?
A small rant about live action Cowboy Bebop, Yoko Kanno, and the spirit of Cowboy Bebop. Sorry.
Sachiko (さち子） – Lamp
Appears on their album 「Yume」. Sachiko Lyrics by Sakakibara Kaori Composed by Someya Taiyo Performed by Lamp The horizon at the end of summer and the sweet salt wind My newly shorn hair brushes pas…
How to 菓子パン
I just sent out the May newsletter. I wrote about my love of 菓子パン (kashipan). The croissant above I don’t think technically counts as 菓子パン? My theory is…
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Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko (漁港の肉子ちゃん, Ayumu Watanabe, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A resentful teenage girl comes to realise that she really does love her larger than life mum after all in Ayumu Watanabe’s anime adaptation of the Kanako Nishi…
アニメの新しいゴールデンコンビ – 中村亮介x細居美恵子インタビュー
フランスのジャパン・トゥール・フェスティバルで、アニメ監督の中村亮介とキャラクターデザイナーの細居美恵子の才能ある二人組に出会った。この二人の素晴らしい二人組は、『ねらわれた学園』、『あいうら』、『灰と幻想のグリムガル』などの印象的な作品を生み出した。
Koharu to Minato: Watashi No Partner Ha Onna No Ko, Volume 1 (小春と湊 わたしのパートナーは女の子)
Koharu to Minato: Watashi No Partner Ha Onna No Ko, Volume 1 (小春と湊 わたしのパートナーは女の子) is a fictionalized autobiographical comic essay on the real-lives of the creative team, Daruma…
Yoko Kanno: Crafting the Songs of 90s Anime
Yoko Kanno is perhaps the definitive anime composer. Her soundtracks include Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus, Porco Rosso, and many others!
Manga Kodomo Bunko (まんがこども文庫) December ED (12月の歌) - The Candy Train (お菓子の汽車)
Sung by (歌): Kyōko Ishige (石毛恭子) Lyrics (作詞): Yaso Saijō (西條八十) Composition and Arrangement (作曲・編曲): Teruyuki Noda (野田暉行) Very special thanks to PopKorn Kat for transferring and scanning this record!
西宮硝子 (Nishimiya Shouko)
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古見 硝子 (Komi Shouko)
Who is Komi Shouko? Komi Shouko is the main protagonist of Komi-san wa, Komyushou desu. She is a high school girl admired by her peers for her beauty,…
九条櫻子 (Kujou Sakurako)
Who is Kujou Sakurako? Kujou Sakurako is the protagonist of Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru, a highly intelligent osteologist with a fascination for human remains.…
Hotel Iris (艾莉絲旅館, Hiroshi Okuhara, 2021)
You can check out any time you like, but you can never really leave the titular Hotel Iris (艾莉絲旅館) at the centre of centre of Hiroshi Okuhara’s Taiwan-set…
“Ouji-sama Joshi” Yuri Anthology STAYGOLD (「王子様女子」百合アンソロジー STAYGOLD)
Who doesn’t love good “Girl Prince” story? Even when confined to school grounds, the archetype of the coolest girl gives everyone a chance to fall in love from…
Aikata System ~ Gakuen ga Eranda Unmei no Onna no ko~, Volume 2 (相方システム~学園が選んだ運命の女の子~)
What if you entered a school that had a fabled old tradition and it sounded so beautiful and romantic that you couldn’t wait to be part of it…but…
Aikata System ~ Gakuen ga Eranda Unmei no Onna no ko~, Volume 1 (相方システム~学園が選んだ運命の女の子~)
Hakamada Mera is a name that is well-known around here on Okazu. From her early days with Saigo no Seifuku, originally published by Hobunsha (and eventually Seven Seas…
Yoko Kanno & TikToker Maya Collaborate on Cowboy Bebop’s Blue
Although Cowboy Bebop aired over 25 years ago, one of the most enduring elements from that anime is Yoko Kanno’s soundtrack. It’s focus on jazz, along with an…
Yoko Kanno & TikToker Maya Collaborate on Cowboy Bebop’s Blue
Although Cowboy Bebop aired over 25 years ago, one of the most enduring elements from that anime is Yoko Kanno’s soundtrack. It’s focus on jazz, along with an…
The Faceless Dead (行旅死亡人, Kishu Izuchi, 2009)
If you suddenly got a phone call one day to tell you that someone with your name living at your address had been taken ill, how would you…
Album review: 新世界の弟子たち (New World Disciples) by desert sand feels warm at night
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Blue Sun Palace (藍色太陽宮, Constance Tsang, 2024)
“It’s funny how quickly people you love become strangers,” a middle-aged man muses while talking about more than one thing at the same time. Those at the centre…
Dancing Girl (踊子, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1957)
The arrival of a free-spirited younger sister creates chaos in the live of a chorus dancer and her violinist husband in Hiroshi Shimizu’s elegantly lensed melodrama.
Tsugaru Lacquer Girl (バカ塗りの娘, Keiko Tsuruoka, 2023)
A young woman finds herself frustrated by outdated gender norms in her desire to take over the family lacquerware business in Keiko Tsuruoka’s gentle rural drama
Thorns Of Beauty (恋のいばら, Hideo Jojo, 2023)
A jilted ex and the current girlfriend team up against a no good guy with compromising photos of them both in Hideo Jojo’s playful drama.
Push Pause (ココでのはなし, Ryoma Kosasa, 2023)
A small hotel becomes a refuge for those “struggling with the everyday” in Ryoma Kosasa’s heartwarming drama
Yoko Kanno Creates Song of Comfort for Quake & Tsunami Victims
Pixiv Source The song titled Kimi de Ite, Buji de Ite was created by Kanno this week and posted on Youtube in support of those going through the…
のだ
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The Great Journey / 大いなる旅路 / Oinaru tabiji (1960)
Obscure Japanese Film #110 Rentaro Mikuni and Michiko Hoshi Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, mid-1920s. Kozo Iwami (Rentaro Mikuni) works for the ...
The Yin Yang Master Zero (陰陽師ゼロ, Shimako Sato, 2024)
An aloof alchemist finds himself at the centre of conspiracy when one of his colleagues is murdered in Shimako Sato’s visually striking fantasy.
Sunset Over the Horizon (夕陽西下, Lin Fu-Ti, 1968)
Shot at the same time as The Love in Okinawa, Sunset Over the Horizon (夕陽西下) is another Okinawan and Taiwanese co-production directed by Lin Fu-ti assumed lost until…
The Rose on His Arm (太陽とバラ, Keisuke Kinoshita, 1956)
A frustrated young man’s exploitative relationship with the son of a wealthy factory owner provokes only violence and futility in Keisuke Kinoshita’s take on post-Sun Tribe youth drama