Yōko Ogawa’s 2022 collection 掌に眠る舞台 contains eight stories connected by the broad theme of “stages.” Some stories are about the world of performing arts, while others take an abstract approach. Oga…
Contemporary Japanese Literature
Jun 30, 2024 • Subscribe
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A young woman travels Japan looking for the scent of her later father in Kahori Higashi’s gentle summer move.
To Sleep So as to Dream (夢みるように眠りたい, Kaizo Hayashi, 1986)
A detective becomes lost in the labyrinths of cinema while chasing a ghost of the silver screen in Kaizo Hayashi’s ethereal ode to the silent movie
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To Sleep So as to Dream 夢みるように眠りたい (1986) Director: Kaizo Hayashi [Japan Cuts 2021]
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While the Women are Sleeping 女が眠る時 (2016) Director: Wayne Wang
“While the Women are Sleeping” had the potential to be a good psycho-drama. It looks good, the actors are good, but its story fitfully moves from one idea…
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Onaji Tokoro De Nemuru Made Matte (同じ所で眠るまで待って)
When I originally read Mizuno to Chayama, (水野と茶山) the thing that struck me, not in a positive way, was the lack of joy or humor or happiness. The…
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The Green Music Box (緑はるかに, Umetsugu Inoue, 1955)
A lonely little girl finds herself dragged into conspiracy when her father is kidnapped by spies in Umetsugu Inoue’s bizarre musical adventure.
Kabukichou Sherlock 歌舞伎町シャーロック
A doctor on the run from the neat west side finds refuge in the chaotic east of Shinjuku ward. Kabukichou, where neon lights, pink elephants, petty thieves and…
Lesson in Murder (死刑にいたる病, Kazuya Shiraishi, 2022)
A diffident student falls under the spell of a manipulative serial killer in Kazuya Shirashi’s intense mystery drama.
A Madder Red (茜色に焼かれる, Yuya Ishii, 2021)
A single mother and her son face the myriad injustices of the modern society with dignity and grace in Yuya Ishii’s quietly seething pandemic-era social drama.
Side by Side (サイド バイ サイド 隣にいる人, Chihiro Ito, 2023)
The unresolved past conspires against present happiness in Chihiro Ito’s etherial drama.
Spring In Between (はざまに生きる、春, Rika Katsu, 2023)
A struggling editor at a magazine gains a new perspective while falling in love with an autistic artist in Rika Katsu’s romantic drama.
Living on the River Agano (阿賀に生きる, Makoto Sato, 1992)
Makoto Sato takes a lyrical journey along the Agano River where the traditional way of life is fast disappearing
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Like many Yuri fans right now, I long for an action-packed, kick ass sword lesbian thriller. Odoriba ni Skirt ga Naru, Volume 3 (踊り場にスカートが鳴る) by Utatane Yu is…
Yuri Manga: Yagate Kimi ni Naru, Volume 8 (やがて君になる)
Since I cracked open the fantastic Bloom Into You Premium Box Set earlier this week, and plan on finishing it up tomorrow (except for the cheesecake, which will…
You’ll Fall For Me (君は僕をスキになる, Takayoshi Watanabe, 1989)
Two mismatched friends find their relationship strained when they unwittingly end up falling for the same guy in Takayoshi Watanabe’s charmingly absurd Christmas rom-com.
Odoriba ni Skirt ga Naru, Volume 2 (踊り場にスカートが鳴る)
In Volume 1, we met Kiki, a young woman who dreams of being the following partner in ballroom dance, but due to her height, is always assumed to…
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Haruma Kiki is part of ballroom dance club, with dreams of being a champion and leading her school’s famous Quadrille. Tall and stately, she’s always assigned the part…
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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…
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Mikadono Shougo, son to a rich and powerful company chairman, has to attend school to find a girl he is serious on before he can inherit the company.…
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.
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A taoist priest/itinerant drag performer struggles to accept her loss when her lover is drowned at sea in Zero Chou’s melancholy meditation on grief and impossibility
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A collection of frustrated teens find themselves trapped within a literal storm of adolescence in Shinji Somai’s seminal youth drama
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Lesson in Murder is a fine Kazuya Shiraishi production that adapts a novel for the big screen. Although slow, the performances will enrapture viewers. Lesson in Murder 死刑にいたる病 Director: Kazuya Shir…
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New Moomin 37/52 - The Bell That Rings On Moonlit Nights (月夜になる鐘) (1972) (English subtitles)
On moonlit nights, Moominvalley's bell tolls mysteriously, and the culprit seems even stranger, leaving leaves behind. When everyone tries to take the bell down to figure out who…
Side by Side サイド バイ サイド 隣にいる人 (2023) Dir: Chihiro Ito [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023]
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