An isolated woman begins to rediscover herself while hitchhiking to her estranged father’s funeral in Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s quietly moving road movie.
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A conflicted scientist struggles to reconcile himself to the implications of his work while researching an atomic bomb in Kurosaki’s contemplative wartime drama
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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.
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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.
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A lone survivor comes to represent both salvation and destruction in Ando & Miyaji’s fantasy adventure.
The Sands of Kurobe (黒部の太陽, Kei Kumai, 1968)
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Documentarian Ryuichi Shimada follows a social worker who decides to adopt a 20-year-old man recently released from juvenile detention.
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An idealistic documentarian’s journalistic ethics are strained when she uncovers scandal close to home in Yujiro Harumoto’s probing social drama
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 …
菓子パン
Kashipan, kashipan as far as the eye can see - How to Japanese - May 2022
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…
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.
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…
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…
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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。
Yoko Kanno: What's She Been Up To?
At 32 years old, she composed one of the most iconic anime soundtracks in history. Now two decades later, what is the famed Yoko Kanno up to?
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A small rant about live action Cowboy Bebop, Yoko Kanno, and the spirit of Cowboy Bebop. Sorry.
“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…
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!
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…
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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: 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!
#247 – Hataraku Saibō BLACK: Enoki Junya & Hikasa Yoko
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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…
Wind, Woman and Road (風と女と旅鴉, Tai Kato, 1958)
A wanderer returns home and finds himself torn between a desire for acceptance and revenge in an early Tai Kato jidaigeki.
のだ
A subtle but important tip for written Japanese - How to Japanese - August 2023
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
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.
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A small hotel becomes a refuge for those “struggling with the everyday” in Ryoma Kosasa’s heartwarming drama
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
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…
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Otherwise known by her stage name as Kujira (くじら) She's a really well known voice actress who portrays many roles of middle aged women in anime. Support me through…
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A sudden brush with mortality convinces an ageing tofu maker to marry off his middle-aged daughter in Mitsuhiro Mihara’s charming dramedy.
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A teenage boy struggling with grief and loneliness gains a new perspective after bonding with another lonely young man in Taro Kawasaki & Eisuke Sakauchi’s indie drama.
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An unusual little girl retreats into a fantasy world in an attempt to deal with her grief and loneliness in Yusuke Morii’s quirky dramedy.
Saga Saga (緑のざわめき-Saga Saga-, Aimi Natsuto, 2023)
Three women contending with a legacy of patriarchal failure and male violence circle around each other in the picturesque hot springs resort of Ureshino in Aimi Natsuto’s etherial…
Manga Kodomo Bunko (まんがこども文庫) November ED (11月の歌) - The Flowing Chair (ながれ椅子)
Sung by (歌): Mitsuko Horie (堀江美都子) Lyrics (作詞): Yaso Saijō (西條八十) Composition and Arrangement (作曲・編曲): Seiichirō Uno (宇野誠一郎) Very special thanks to PopKorn Kat for transferring and scanning this record!
Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫, Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)
A young man from an exiled clan tries to make peace between the natural world and the industrial in Hayao Miyazaki’s landmark 1997 animation
This Week in Anime - Hey, Yoko Taro, What's With All the Puppets?
Steve and Nicky take on the impossible task of trying to decipher what exactly is going on in the NieR creator's moon-sized head and his fascination with puppets.
Doki Doki News: Coco Retires, Kenshin to Netflix, and Yoko Kanno Returns
Welcome to Doki Doki News, your source for updates in the world of anime, gaming, and otakudom, for the week of June 6th through 12th! Check out latest…
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It’s Turn A Gundam’s 23rd anniversary, so here’s a special article to commemorate! When Turn A Gundam was still on-air, Yoko Kanno wanted to hold a concert to…
The Sand City in Manchuria (砂漠を渡る太陽, Kiyoshi Saeki, 1960)
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A samurai’s daughter falls for a lowly manure man in a city on the brink of change in Junji Sakamoto’s touching dramedy.