Is the world we see merely a self-created illusion, or do we each share a concrete, objective “reality”? It’s a question which seems to obsess the antagonist of Takashi Shimizu’s manga adaptation H…
Jul 7, 2024 • Subscribe
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Homunculus (2021) review
“A worthy attempt to offer something fresh to the horror-table, but Shimizu struggles to blend the many pleasing parts into a whole that truly engages and pleases the…


Ox-Head Village (牛首村, Takashi Shimizu, 2022)
A young woman finds herself battling a malevolent supernatural force while searching for her doppelgänger in Takashi Shimizu’s folk horror.
Homunculus
A manga about a man who undergoes trepanation, a surgical procedure of drilling a hole in the skull, and becomes fascinated with the strange visions he begins to…


Immersion (忌怪島/きかいじま, Takashi Shimizu, 2023)
An attempt to recreate the “real” in the “virtual” causes a rupture between this world and another in Takashi Shimizu’s high tech horror.
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Ox-Head Village 牛首村 (2022) Director: Takashi Shimizu [New York Asian Film Festival 2022]
“Ox-Head Village” is the third film in Takashi Shimizu’s “Village Horror Triptych” that mixes together folk-horror, social media, urban legends and a touristic time. S…


Kaguyahime: Shimizu Reiko
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter has long been a favourite of mine, if only because every time I come across it, I am honestly blown away by…


Takashi Nakamura spotlight
Yoshinori Kanada might be the most influential Japanese animator, but he isn’t the only one whose work revolutionized anime. Almost as important as him is Takashi Nakamura. Nakamura…
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Shashinkan, The Hakkenden: Legend of the Dog Warriors, Catnapped, Fantastic Children
345 – Manga in Motion 50 – Homunculus
This week we take a quiz on foreign manga publishers and talk about book publisher Shueisha creating an app for independent game developers! Then we examine yet another…


DitO (Takashi Yuki, 2024)
A dejected boxer’s life is overturned when his estranged daughter comes to stay with him in Takashi Yuki’s sporting drama.


Murakami Takashi: Mononoke Kyoto
Finally went and saw the Murakami Mononoke Kyoto show that’s been up for half a year or so. I generally tend to think of Murakami as over-hyped, if…


The Mole Song: Final (土竜の唄 FINAL, Takashi Miike, 2021)
Undercover cop Reiji finds himself increasingly conflicted in his mission to take down Todoroki in the final instalment of the comedic trilogy.


Rokuhoudou Yotsuiro-Biyori by Shimizu Yuu
The WorldCON panel about food in anime just ended. What a great set of panelists! What fun! I may have squeed a bit when someone in the audience…


Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Episode 37) – The First Homunculus
Once Winry had updated Edward’s automail, he got to have a chat with Kimblee. Meanwhile, Hawkeye had a run-in with a sinister power from an unexpected source. Things…


Eiichi Shimizu Does it Again: RIOBOT Raideen
Eiichi Shimizu is quickly becoming the hottest mecha designer nowadays. From doing Linebarrels of Iron, to the ULTRAMAN manga, and even western properties like Tech-On Avengers most recently.…


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.


Qwan (Volumes 1 &2) by Aki Shimizu
As I continue to plow through my TBR pile uncovered while cleaning, I finally came across two manga in a row! I even have number 1. Will miracles…


The Great Yokai War: Guardians (妖怪大戦争 ガーディアンズ, Takashi Miike, 2021)
An anxious little boy discovers his inner hero and saves the world through kindness in Takashi Miike’s warmhearted return to the world of folklore


Takashi Miike - A "Bloody" Good Director
Takashi Miike is a truly one-of-a-kind film director, not only in terms of the outrageous and freaky films that he makes, but also the asto...
Episode 44 - Dr. Takashi Fujitani (Toronto)
In this episode, Dr. Takashi Fujitani traces the origins of Japanese nationalism and imperialism to the Meiji Period and delineates the impacts of nationalism on historical memory in…
Takashi Yamazaki is the GOAT [Editorial]
Even though it has been several months since the premiere of Godzilla Minus One , the fallout dust resulting from warm reception of the film...
Sakuga Expresso – Gundam Unicorn, Takashi Hashimoto
Sakuga analysis of Takashi Hashimoto’s scene in Gundam Unicorn


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…


The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai (峠 最後のサムライ, Takashi Koizumi, 2021)
Holding fast to samurai ideals a progressive retainer realises his era is at an end in Takashi Koizumi’s homage to classic samurai cinema


Presentation: Takashi Yamazaki retrospective for Kaiju Masterclass
Forgot to post this here earlier, but here’s a presentation for Kaiju Masterclass from earlier this month, giving an overview of Takashi Yamazaki’s entire filmography and speculating ab…
Takashi Miike: The Happiness of the Katakuris
This episode, Chris (@gokuffy) leads Kory (@taiikumenco) special guest Dana (@Izandra) through the first (of many??) Takashi...


This Manga BROKE ME 🧠🧠🧠🧠 #manga #homunculus
Would you allow a random stranger to do surgery on you? This is the story of Humunculs🧠 Nakoshi is an adult who is a loser like you. He lived on…
470 – Triple Dip 76 – #DRCL midnight children, Panorama of Hell, Homunculus
Darfox is out sick this episode, but that doesn't stop us from getting into week 3 of October Extravaganza! We've got a horror manga Triple Dip of #DRCL…


Godzilla Minus One (ゴジラ-1.0, Takashi Yamazaki, 2023)
A kamikaze pilot finds himself haunted by the manifestation of his war trauma in Takashi Yamazaki’s entry into the classic franchise.


Takashi Kojima【小島崇史】Sakuga MAD
Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onhBN0qkUcE Takashi Kojima is an animator of enormous talent and skill, with the ability to draw any character design perfectly while still maintaining his own unique style. I've…


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
Notorious Japanese Politician Tachibana Takashi Attacked With Blade, Survives
A 30-year-old is in police company on attempted murder charges after trying to kill the head of the Protect The People From The NHK Party.


Batman: Justice Buster (Vol 1) by Shimizu Eiichi and Shimoguchi Tomohiro
When I do Western comic books, Marvel is normally my jam. However, growing up, I read pretty much anything in graphic format that I could get my hands…


The theme of self-acceptance in Takashi Nakamura’s early works
This will be a post on the theme that has stayed with me the most from Takashi Nakamura’s early directing works. He is far from one of the…


Scandal in the Spotlight – Takashi Ninagawa (Main, Epilogue, Sequel, Sequel Epilogue)
Intro: I’m not really into quiet guys (Nagito and Kyohei have been my favorites so far), but I was interested in Takashi from the beginning. I AM really…


Bonds of Love (愛のきずな, Takashi Tsuboshima, 1969)
Trapped in a loveless marriage and unsatisfying career, a salaryman’s attempt to escape through an affair proves more complicated than he bargained for in Takashi Tsuboshima’s noirish d…


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.


Nekomata to Asa Gohan / Breakfast with My Two-Tailed Cat by Shimizu Ai
I love reading about food, particularly Japanese food. I’m always struck by a couple of things whenever I read a manga like Breakfast with My Two-Tailed Cat. First,…


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Director Naoya shares the reasoning behind some of the anime's story changes and how the team brought Köinzell's vengeance to life.


Lumberjack the Monster (怪物の木こり, Takashi Miike, 2023)
Could being a psychopath actually be better? It might be an attractive thought for some, the absolute freedom of living without emotional or moral constraint. Emotion is after…


Graveyard of Honor (新・仁義の墓場, Takashi Miike, 2002)
An accidental gangster finds himself on a downward trajectory amid the changing fortunes of late 20th century Japan in Miike’s take on the Fukasaku classic
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[Review] My Perverted Youth – Just Give Into Your Own Perversion by Takashi Hata
I’m not usually a big fan of an older drawing style, which is why I haven’t read titles like X, which I own but have just been collecting…


New Films from Kôji Wakamatsu and Takashi Miike Included in Cannes 2012 Lineup
by Marc Saint-Cyr This past Thursday, April 19th, the main section lineups for the 65th Cannes Film Festival were finally revealed, sati...


Tomorrow There Will Be Fine Weather (明日は日本晴れ, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1948)
A bus breaking down on a mountain pass signals a roadblock on the way to a new Japan in Hiroshi Shimizu’s lighthearted yet melancholy drama.


Children of the Great Buddha (大仏さまと子供たち, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1952)
A collection of orphans attempt to support themselves as tour guides to the ancient capital of Nara in HIroshi Shimizu’s empathetic drama.


colorless 猿楽町で会いましょう Dir: Takashi Koyama (2020)
colorless 猿楽町で会いましょう Dir: Takashi Koyama (2020) is a well-acted drama about the grit behind the glitz of Shibuya’s fashion industry.


SPY x FAMILY CODE: White (劇場版 SPY×FAMILY CODE: White, Takashi Katagiri, 2023)
The Folgers take a holiday but soon end up embroiled in conspiracy in this big screen outing for the popular TV anime


ZOKKI, Signal The Movie, Masamune Datenicle the Movie, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time 4DX, Homunculus, Wasted Eggs Japanese Film Trailers
ZOKKI, Signal The Movie, Masamune Datenicle the Movie, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time 4DX, Homunculus, Wasted Eggs, Japanese Film Trailers
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Goto-san (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
“Gokan expertly reveals the position of the freeter as an attempt to escape the capitalistic machinery but also as a position that most easily falls prey to the…
Winter 2021
Hello! How many of us are looking forward to the new year?? I know I am! Winter 2021 feels like a brand new start, granted all our problems…