During the post-war occupation of Japan which lasted until 1952, the censorship regulations which replaced those of the militarist era perhaps ironically made it more or less impossible to criticis…
Dec 8, 2024 • Subscribe
More like this
The Phantom Goblin (まぼろし天狗, Nobuo Nakagawa, 1962)
Hashizo Okawa takes on dual roles as earnest brothers separated at birth determined to “clean out evil in Edo” in Nobuo Nakagawa’s jidaigeki drama
Amalock (あまろっく, Kazuhiro Nakamura, 2024)
A resentful middle-aged woman’s perspective begins to change when her father suddenly marries a much younger woman in Kazuhiro Nakamura’s lighthearted dramedy.
I Go Gaga, Welcome Home Mom (ぼけますから、よろしくお願いします。～おかえりお母さん～, Naoko Nobutomo, 2022)
In a followup to her hugely popular documentary, Naoko Nobutomo follows her parents as her mother’s health continues to decline.
いろいろ December 2023
I ran out of space over at the newsletter this month, so I thought I’d share the いろいろ section on the blog instead. Podcast link at the bottom!…
"ましょう Mashou Isn't Always 'Let's ___'" #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2
Nizo Yamamoto (1953-2023)
The background artist Nizo Yamamoto, who died on 19th August, spent his whole life working in the Japanese animation sector. Born in Nagasaki, he developed an interest in…
Belonging (とりつくしま, Kahori Higashi, 2024)
The recently deceased watch over their loved ones from the vantage point of a familiar object in Kahori Higashi’s wistful drama.
Weekly Round-Up, 2-8 August 2023: Shoujo on Manga Planet, Recovered 1953 Hiroshima Film, and Eizouken Author Discussing Disability
AniFem Round-Up You’re Already Doing Your Best: Healin’ Good Pretty Cure and chronic illness While Nodoka’s illness is magical, her story evokes the challenges of managing a chronic…
Wife (妻, Mikio Naruse, 1953)
An unhappily married woman contemplates independence but struggles to see herself as anything other than a “wife” in Naruse’s bitter marital drama
On the Edge of Their Seats (アルプススタンドのはしの方, Hideo Jojo, 2020)
It’s only natural to be a little anxious in the last year of high school but a collection of his school students are in danger of giving up…
A Musical Up-Roar 1953/54
The MGM cartoon division’s response to television was mostly derisive. Scott Bradley was now more willing to mine the classics - via the public domain.
行こう ikou VS 行きましょう ikimashou #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2
Let Me Hear It Barefoot (裸足で鳴らしてみせろ, Riho Kudo, 2021)
Two alienated young men struggle to identify their feelings while searching for escape from moribund small-town Japan in Riho Kudo’s indie drama.
Ringu (リング, Hideo Nakata, 1998)
A reporter finds herself the victim of a dark and mysterious curse while investigating the strange death of her niece in Hideo Nakata’s landmark J-horror.
OZLAND (オズランド 笑顔の魔法おしえます。, Takafumi Hatano, 2018)
A snooty young woman from Tokyo rediscovers a sense of magic in the everyday when dispatched to a rural theme park in Takafumi Hatano’s cheerful workplace dramedy
Episode 35: 005: Hideo Kojima's 002
In this episode of Boku No Stop! we discuss episodes 21-25 of Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier: 021: The Fossil of Evil 022: Invasion of the Gods 023: Towering Myth 024: Artemis 025:…
Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 7 (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし)
In a moment of extraordinary timing, Yen Press has just announced that they have licensed this series as This Monster Wants To Eat Me, with Volume 1 headed…
Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 1 (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし)
Hinako’s family died in a tragic accident. Most of what she remembers is falling into the deep, deep ocean. So when, one day, she stops to look at…
Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 3 (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし)
At the end of Volume 2 of Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし) by Naekawa Sai, Hinako was forced to confront her best friend Miko’s secret –…
Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 8 ( 私を喰べたい、ひとでなし)
There is no way to review this volume without a few spoilers, so if you would like to skip them, please jump down to after the asterisks. Kitsune,…
Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 5 (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし)
You know, it sounds kinda cool to have a bunch of youkai fighting over you for your delicious blood but, as Hinako has found out, it’s not, really.…
Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 2 (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし)
Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 2 (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし) is a freakin’ brillant volume of a manga and I really hope someone (cough/Yen Press/cough) licenses it so you…
Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 4 (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし)
Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 4 (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし) was one of the skin-crawlingest creepy manga I have ever read. If you like youkai and supernatural creature-type creepies,…
Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 6 (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし)
Shiori confides to Miko how she met Hinako…and how it has ruined Hinako’s life. At last, the pieces of the puzzle that is Hinako begin to fall into…
Manga Kodomo Bunko (まんがこども文庫) April ED (4月の歌) - Chick (ひよこ)
Sung by (歌): Yoshiko Mari (真理ヨシコ) and the Suginami Junior Chorus (杉並児童合唱団) Lyrics (作詞): Akahiko Shimaki (島木赤彦) Composition and Arrangement (作曲・編曲): Akihiro Komori (小森昭宏) Very special thanks to PopKorn Kat for…
The Desperate (どろ犬, Takaharu Saeki, 1964)
A bruiser cop railing against the system is pulled towards the dark side in Takaharu Saeki’s icy noir.
Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki: From Adversity to Beloved Staple
Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is a staple of Japanese cuisine. A short introduction to its postwar roots as an invention in difficult times.
The 10 Best Things To Do in Hiroshima
With delicious soul food, need-to-know history and stunning natural scenery, get to know the 10 best things to do in Hiroshima Prefecture.
"行こう is Just Informal and 行きましょう is just formal" #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2
Suizou Ga Kowaretara, Sukoshi Ikiyasuku Narimashita. (膵臓がこわれたら、少し生きやすくなりました。)
In her last book about her physical health, My Alcoholic Escape From Reality, Nagata Kabi-sensei explained the circumstances that landed her in the hospital with alcoholic pancreatitis. We…
Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers! (腑抜けども、悲しみの愛を見せろ, Daihachi Yoshida, 2007)
The petty resentments of a dysfunctional family quickly escalate when a failed actress returns home in Daihachi Yoshida’s dark farce
Ani no Yome to Kurashiteimasu., Volume 7 (兄の嫁と暮らしています。)
Kuzushiro’s Ani no Yome to Kurashiteimasu. (兄の嫁と暮らしています。) lurches along, awkward, uncomfortable, neither a romance nor something else, and yet, I cannot look away. I last reviewed Volume 5,…
Loli-con Complex: Azuma Hideo and Aoyama Yuki
Tokyo Scum Brigade.
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.
Violent Streets (暴力街, Hideo Gosha, 1974)
A former yakuza’s attempts to leave the underworld behind are frustrated by gang intrigue and changing times in Hideo Gosha’s intense gangland drama.
まとめる
Bringing things together - How to Japanese - February 2024
Back To That Day (幕が下りたら会いましょう, Seira Maeda, 2021)
A young woman facing a life crisis is forced to reevaluate her relationships with art, friends, and family after learning that her estranged younger sister has suddenly passed…
Itoshii Koishi, Volume 3 (いとしこいし)
Hina is a high school senior with a secret -she’s dating an older woman. She wants very much to share that secret with her friends, she just needs…
The GLORIO Chat Episode 116: Endorsed by Hideo Kojima
We talk about both anime endorsed by Hideo Kojima this season, then hit the backlog because there’s not much else to watch.
Love Nonetheless (愛なのに, Hideo Jojo, 2022)
A lovelorn bookseller is drawn into a world of romantic confusion by a high school girl with a hopeless crush and and his own requited love in Jojo’s…
Samurai Wolf (牙狼之介, Hideo Gosha, 1966)
A wandering samurai squares off against a corrupt postmaster in Hideo Gosha’s uncharacteristically aventgarde chambara.
iyashikei 癒し系
A blog about Japanese words in anime and manga, with romaji and explanations.
![Featured image for Episode #78 (S10E7) – Red Beard [赤ひげ] (1965)](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20240313/1710314171.80803.119236.jpg)
Episode #78 (S10E7) – Red Beard [赤ひげ] (1965)
In this episode, Ian Buckley joins the show to discuss Red Beard, one of Kurosawa’s most renowned films. With a lot of similar themes to Kurosawa’s earlier film,…
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…
Judai no seiten / 十代の性典 (‘Teenage Sex Book’, 1953)
Obscure Japanese Film #114 Ayako Wakao When high school student Fusae (Yoko Minamida) is excused from PE one day due to having her perio...
決死の一発描きをお見せします。 My life risking drawing, without rough sketches!
漫画家・浦沢直樹の「浦沢チャンネル」。今回は、連載中の漫画「あさドラ！」より、主人公・浅田アサの一発描きをほぼノーカットでお見せします。 This is the channel of a Japanese Manga artist Naoki Urasawa. He draws a picture of Asa Asada from his recent work without rough sketches this time. The…
![Featured image for What to Do With the Dead Kaiju? (大怪獣のあとしまつ, Satoshi Miki, 2022) [Fantasia 2022]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20220805/1659659340.41307.71209.jpg)
What to Do With the Dead Kaiju? (大怪獣のあとしまつ, Satoshi Miki, 2022) [Fantasia 2022]
A fallen kaiju presents a new problem for the governing authorities in Satoshi Miki’s satirical comedy.
A Far Shore (遠いところ, Masaaki Kudo, 2022)
A teenage mother struggles to make a life for herself in contemporary Okinawa in Masaaki Kudo’s bleak social drama.
Town Without Sea (夏、至るころ, Elaiza Ikeda, 2020)
Filled with adolescent anxiety, a lost young man begins to discover the confidence to fly far from home in Elaiza Ikeda’s beautifully drawn Kyushu coming-of-age tale