The 2024 CJFC highlights the artistry of women filmmakers with three international premieres. These thoughtful, women-centered stories explore resilience, identity, and connection. Don’t miss these poignant films.
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Nov 20, 2024 • Subscribe
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CJFC 2024 Wraps Up at Music Box!
Last night, we celebrated the finale of CJFC 2024 at the Music Box Theatre with the U.S. premiere of Qualia by Ushimaru Ryo. The post-screening networking…
Documentaries at CJFC 2024: Music and Wrestling!
Get ready to be inspired! These two docs bring the fun of Minyo Crusaders’ playful music revival and the heartfelt spirit of Hokkaido’s amateur wrestlers. Laughter, tears, and…
CJFC 2024 Opening Night Report!
The 2024 CJFC kicked off in style at the Music Box Theatre with the U.S. premiere of House of Sayuri by Shiraishi Koji. This thrilling and…
The 2024 CJFC is Here!
We’re excited to kick off this year’s Chicago Japan Film Collective, themed around “Co-existence.” Starting today, you can stream nine unique films from all across the U.S. on…
The 2024 CJFC Audience Award Winners Are Here!
The votes are in, and we’re thrilled to announce that the 2024 CJFC Audience Award goes to House of Sayuri ! Directed by…
![Featured image for Six Singing Women (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2024]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20240818/1723957793.88810.129138.jpg)
Six Singing Women (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2024]
A great narrative, yet one that stumbles over its own thematical fixation
The Old Rookie Adventurer #01 — Staring Blankly at Women
Somehow the highlight of the episode. Impressions: Oh boy. An entire episode of doing the sorting hat dumbassery endemic to these stupid cheat power things. The premise…
LGBTQ+ in Japan: Women Dating Women
Imagine looking for an LGBTQ+ partner in Japan, where much of the population rarely discusses sexual orientation.
Graduate Scholarships For Women in Japan: CWAJ’s 2024 Scholarship Luncheon
We interviewed three inspiring women who were recipients of this year's academic scholarships from the College Women’s Association of Japan.
First Look: Shine Post
Haru, Rio and Kyouka are working hard to take their idol unit TiNgS all the way to the top, but their efforts aren’t translating into audience turnouts in…
Shine Post Episode #01
Oh look, another idol anime show from the author behind OreSuki and it’s sponsored by Konami! This is Shine Post where we begin this episode where the famous…
Shine Post Episode #08
You know where this is going, right? But anyways, Yukine’s mother told her to take the ticket and watch Hotaru’s final concert. C’mon, everyone is inspired to follow…
Shine Post Episode #09
Well, it looks like we’re gonna see Haru Nabatame’s backstory, huh? Anyways, let’s rewind the clock where Haru went from being a plain school girl into an aspiring…
Shine Post – Episode 11
Guess who's back to get Haru to join her old group again? That's right! Ren is absolutely not giving up bringing back Haru to HY:RAIN and it's all…
Shine Post – Episode 10
TINGS is back and their anniversary live is just around the corner!
Shine Post Episode #04
Well everyone, seems that Kyouka Tamaki is really angry regarding Naoki Hinase’s decision to place her as the center rather than Haru Nabatame. I have to say that…
Shine Post Episode #06
This is Rio Seibu where before she became an idol, she was a scatterbrain who often fumble at school most of the time. Anyways, Rio-chan was invited by…
Shine Post – Episode 2
Now that TINGS has secured a manager, they are now ready to start filling out venues. And even though they've been on the idol scene for a little…
Shine Post Episode #02
Let’s begin with the introduction of both Yukine Gionji and Momiji Itou where they formed an idol duo called Yukimoji.
Shine Post Episode #10
Well everyone, Shine Post has returned as Naoki Hinase showed the entire schedule for TINGS. That’s right, he’s gonna push their exposure across the country so that TINGS…
Shine Post Episode #11
Let’s begin with Naoki Hinase where he’s talking to the mysterious caller. Speaking of that caller, looks like she’s writing lyrics for TINGS’ new song and she knows…
Shine Post – Episode 9
And so TINGS becomes a group of 5 in an honest effort to get Haru to give it her all. She's truly a powerhouse, but the rest of…
Shine Post Episode #03
Well then, this is quite a discovery as Kyouka Tamaki had a trauma where she froze up during the solo portion of TINGS’ song titled “Ippo mae no…
Shine Post Episode #12
The day has finally arrived as TINGS will hold their 1st anniversary concert at the famous Nakano Sun Plaza. While the idol group is originally going to disband…
Shine Post Episode #05
Let’s begin this episode with Rio Seibu where she spins like a cyclone. C’mon, she’s the most amazing idol from TINGS!
Shine Post Episode #07
Well everyone, Shine Post is back after taking a break for a week where Brightest Production’s idol group TINGS got really popular thanks to Rio Seibu’s solo ballad…
Women Get Horny, Too: A Look at the Evolving Otome Genre (Mature)
Times are changing, though, and publishers are finding that women enjoy AO content just as much as men.
Powerful Women Tag!
It was international women’s day on March 8 and in honour of the occasion the wonderful Annie created this tag. basically, it’s a chance for us all to…
Japanese Films at L’Etrange Festival 2024
A Preview of the Japanese Films at L’Etrange Festival 2024 – Toshiharu Ikeda, Takashi Miike, Sogo Ishii and more!
Notes on Leviathan at Otakon 2024
Director Christophe Ferreira, Qubic Pictures producers Justin Leach and Katrina Minnett, Orange producers Yoshihiro Watanabe and Kiyotaka Waki, novelist Scott Westerfeld, and vocalist Diana Garnett came to Otakon…
A Saturday At Sakura-Con 2024
The Morning of Sakura-Con I don’t know how to say this enough, but Sakura-Con is probably my favorite convention. We shall see how long that thought pattern lasts…
Shine Post – Episodes 7 & 8
We finally get to learn the meaning behind the name 'TINGS' and the rival group Yukimoji. But even more than that, it looks like there's a lot of…
Shine Post – Episodes 3 & 4
Kyouka has a flashback. Yukine is worried. Who is Tokka? Find out today when fears come to life!
Shine Post – Episode 5 & 6
Rio-sama's story goes straight for the throat. I never expected to cry this much in a series where there are no tragedies!
A Glimpse at the Films at Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024
A glimpse at the feast of films programmed for Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024 (March 01st to March 10th)
Wrapping up 2024 at Third Impact Anime
Happy New Year, everyone! We hope your holiday season has been refreshing and relatively stress-free. This year brought its fair share of happenings to Third Impact Anime and…
Bringing Otaku Ministries Together at NCMU 2024
NCMS 2024 is in the books! A week ago, I asked for your prayers as Jake (one of our writers and our small group overseer) and I made…
Spring 2024 Anime At the Halfway Point
General Thoughts So Far So far, this season is pretty solid. From my point of view, it is carried a little bit by sequels and some shows carrying…
Spring 2024 Anime At The Halfway Point
General Thoughts On The Season This season is a lesser season in some respects. It feels like other than a few high profile sequels, everything else doesn’t have…
The Gundam Base at Anime Frontier 2024
Anime Frontier in Fort Worth, TX has been lucky enough to be the host of Bandai-Namco's Gundam Base pop-up for several years now, and 202...
Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam, Neon Genesis Evangelion, exception
Fall 2024 Anime At the Halfway Point
Overall Seasonal Thoughts This season is a goldmind. So many good sequels and new anime put into play too. I feel bad that I am making myself rank…
Fighting Dreamers: FLOW Performs At Otakon 2024
FLOW had turned Otakon from a celebration into a proper party, and that joyful energy of the night became a constant undercurrent over the rest of the weekend.
Winter 2024 Anime At The Halfway Point
Introduction This season is only ok honestly. In my opinion, compared to last season, this one is a bit lesser of a season. Still, it’s not bad. There…
#MechaMarch Powerful Women Tag!
International Women’s Day was on March 8th, so yay a late post. I am kind of barging down the door for this tag, but I am going to…
The Women (2021) review
“A narrative with many beautiful touching moments but not a satisfying whole.”
Case 93 – Women Womening
We have returned to the manga as we go over the next case of Volume 29 of Case Closed. We are joined by LumRammaYasha of the Manga Mavericks…
Women, Violence, and Anime
The thought came to my mind while watching Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Anyone else annoyed by the lack of the article “the” before “Journey’s”?) that moderns …
Star Trek: Mudd’s Women
The episode opens with the Enterprise in pursuit of a ship through an asteroid field. It is not the Millennium Falcon! I think this is the first time…
Fanart Friday: Chainsaw Women
Let’s just pretend no one in these Chainsaw Man illustrations is malicious…and that they all get happy endings. ★ 【kozzzy】 「 Chainsaw Man 」 ☆