A collection of orphans attempt to support themselves as tour guides to the ancient capital of Nara in HIroshi Shimizu’s empathetic drama.
May 28, 2024 • Subscribe
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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.
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.
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…
Sayon’s Bell (サヨンの鐘, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1943)
An indigenous woman becomes a martyr for the Japanese empire after drowning in a river while carrying the possessions of a Japanese policeman in an unabashed propaganda effort…
まとめる
Bringing things together - How to Japanese - February 2024
Sound in the Mist (霧の音, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1956)
A botanist continues to visit the same mountain lodge each Harvest Moon in search of lost love in a late melodrama from Hiroshi Shimizu
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
Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 11 (#しゃちされたい)
AstroNerdBoy reviews Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 11. Fushihara, Yuurei-chan, & Myaako celebrate New Years with Satsuki and Lily.
Mabataki (まばたき)
Mabataki (まばたき) is a collection of short stories by Battan, creator of Run Away With Me, Girl. This is another manga I picked up while in Japan (I…
Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 04 (Sisters of Sorts #しゃちされたい)
AstroNerdBoy reviews Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 04. Yuurei-chan gets jealous of Myaako, but the two become friends in adversity.
Mother (おかあさん, Mikio Naruse, 1952)
A teenage girl struggles to understand her self-sacrificing mother in Mikio Naruse’s subversive take on the hahamono
Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost (Series Review #しゃちされたい)
AstroNerdBoy reviews the anime Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost, better named Shachiku-san Wants to be Healed by a Little Girl Ghost
Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 10 (Christmas #しゃちされたい)
AstroNerdBoy reviews Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 10. Yuurei-chan & Myaako learn about Christmas and Santa-san.
Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 12 (Finale #しゃちされたい)
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Onna Tomodachi to Kekkonshitemita, Volume 2 (女ともだちと結婚してみた。)
People are complex systems. Relationships are complex systems made up of complex systems. Even with clear boundaries, even when sex is not an issue, relationships get messy when…
Onna Tomodachi to Kekkonshitemita, Volume 1 (女ともだちと結婚してみた。)
If you are a regular reader here, you probably know how much I like Usui Shio’s recent work in Comic Yuri Hime. I’ve been really happy with Kaketa…
Goto-san (ゴトーさん, Hiroshi Gokan, 2020)
A young man’s peaceful dropout existence is disrupted by potential romance, a deadly virus, and economic instability in Gokan’s deceptively quirky drama
Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 07 (Summer Activities #しゃちされたい)
AstroNerdBoy reviews Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 07. Fushihara celebrates Yuurei-chan, then takes her and Myaako to a festival.
Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 02 (Too Adorable! #しゃちされたい)
AstroNerdBoy reviews Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 02. Yuurei-chan comes to Fushiharai's home. Fushihara's kohai gets freaked out.
Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 09 (Autumn Activities! #しゃちされたい)
AstroNerdBoy reviews Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 09. Yuurei-chan & Myaako go shopping. Tsukimi and Halloween arrive.
Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 03 (Enter the Kitten! #しゃちされたい)
AstroNerdBoy reviews Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 03. Fushihara and Yuurei-chan adopt an abandoned kitten, who has a humanoid form
Image of a Mother (母のおもかげ, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1959)
A little boy’s difficulties in accepting his new stepmother express an anxiety about the changing nature of the family in Hiroshi Shimizu’s familial melodrama.
Record of a Woman Doctor (女医の記録, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1941)
A doctor gains a new perspective on life after being sent to a remote rural village in Hiroshi Shimizu’s gentle social drama.
Manga Kodomo Bunko (まんがこども文庫) March ED (3月の歌) - Little By Little, Spring Arrived (ちょびっとちょびっと春がきた)
Sung by (歌): Kumiko Ōsugi (大杉久美子) Lyrics (作詞): Hachirō Satō (サトウハチロー) Composition (作曲): Masaharu Kikuchi (菊地雅春) Arrangement (編曲): Akihiro Komori (小森昭宏) Very special thanks to PopKorn Kat for transferring and scanning this…
Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 06 (Adorable Yet Sad #しゃちされたい)
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The Wind Blows Twice (風ふたゝび, Shiro Toyoda, 1952)
Following the failure of her marriage, a young woman finds herself caught between two suitors in Shiro Toyoda’s gentle romantic melodrama.
となりのメタラーさん
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Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 08 (Tsundere Little Maid Ghost #しゃちされたい)
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Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 01 (A Healing Little Girl Ghost! #しゃちされたい)
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Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 05 (Children’s Day and Getting Lost #しゃちされたい)
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We Couldn’t Become Adults ボクたちはみんな大人になれなかった (2021) Director: Yoshihiro Mori
We Couldn’t Become Adults ボクたちはみんな大人になれなかった (2021), by director Yoshihiro Mori, is a well-acted and well-shot drama about a 40-something man in contemporary Japan looking back at his life (v…
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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.
Model-chan to Jimi Mane-san, Volume 2 (モデルちゃんと地味マネさん)
In Volume 1, we met Okabe-san, a new manager for top model Yuria-san. Yuri appears cool and remotes but that may well be because she’s so beautiful no…
Tomodachi (ともだち, Yukihiro Sawada, 1974)
A little girl suffering from asthma caused by industrial pollution is rejected by her classmates in Yukihiro Sawada’s environmentally conscious educational film
Ito (いとみち, Satoko Yokohama, 2021)
A shy young woman with a talent for Tsugaru shamisen grows in confidence after getting a job at a maid cafe in Satoko Yokohama’s warmhearted drama
Miss Oyu (お遊さま, Kenji Mizoguchi, 1951)
Oppressive social codes and repressed desire provoke a tragic love triangle in Mizoguchi’s adaptation of the story by Tanizaki.
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A fallen kaiju presents a new problem for the governing authorities in Satoshi Miki’s satirical comedy.
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An attempt to recreate the “real” in the “virtual” causes a rupture between this world and another in Takashi Shimizu’s high tech horror.
Here Because of You (君たちがいて僕がいた, Ryuichi Takamori, 1964)
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The Great Villains / 大悪党 / Dai akuto (1968)
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To Be Killed by a High School Girl (女子高生に殺されたい, Hideo Jojo, 2022)
A high school teacher hides a dark secret behind his handsome facade in Hideo Jojo’s outlandish giallo-esque mystery thriller
Enma-san (えんまさん, Tomoki Suzuki, 2022)
A young woman with the ability to see people’s true thoughts thanks to a magic mirror becomes consumed with hatred for the world’s duplicity but finds unexpected connection…
The Playful Icons of Hiroshi Mori
While browsing Pinterest recently, I found this: Beneath, some wags had christened this the “Moe Lisa” by “Leonardo Doujinshi.” The whimsical, anime-esque style reminds me of the playful…
ご多忙かと存じます
The Language of Job Hunting - How to Japanese - August 2022
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
Buddha and Beastars
NJPW just came back with the New Japan Cup, and I have been really enjoying this… AEW...