A feckless widowed father faces twin crises when he falls for a young woman and his falls ill in Yasujiro Ozu’s depression-era drama.
Jan 14, 2025 • Subscribe
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Woman of Tokyo (東京の女, Yasujiro Ozu, 1933)
A loyal sister finds her tremendous sacrifice rejected by an unforgiving and conservative society in Yasujiro Ozu’s silent melodrama
Early Spring (早春, Yasujiro Ozu, 1956)
A dejected office worker and his disappointed wife battle the emptiness of the “salaryman dream” in Ozu’s embittered marital drama
Equinox Flower (彼岸花, Yasujiro Ozu, 1958)
An ageing patriarch struggles to accept his declining authority in Ozu’s first colour film
Good Morning (お早よう, Yasujiro Ozu, 1959)
Frustrated by adult hypocrisy, two little boys go on a pleasantries strike to force their parents to buy a TV in Yasujiro Ozu’s charming family drama.
The Munekata Sisters (宗方姉妹, Yasujiro Ozu, 1950)
Two sisters with contrasting outlooks clash in their responses to failed marriage and potential romance in an unusually bitter Ozu melodrama
Where Now Are the Dreams of Youth? (靑春の夢いまいづこ, Yasujiro Ozu, 1932)
A privileged young man begins to understand the divisive effects of inequality after taking over the family business in Ozu’s wistful student drama
An Inn in Tokyo (東京の宿, Yasujiro Ozu, 1935)
Yasujiro Ozu was perhaps most at home in the genial world of the shomingeki in which everyone is comfortable enough and the problems, such as they are, are…
Record of a Tenement Gentleman (長屋紳士録, Yasujiro Ozu, 1947)
A cynical old woman regains her sense of humanity after unwillingly fostering a lost little boy in Ozu’s heartwarming post-war drama
The End of Summer (小早川家の秋, Yasujiro Ozu, 1961)
A small family become increasingly exasperated with the happy-go-lucky patriarch’s inconsiderate and irresponsible behaviour in Yasujiro Ozu’s penultimate film.
A Hen in the Wind (風の中の牝鶏, Yasujiro Ozu, 1948)
A wife makes a fateful choice to save her child while her husband is away at war only to be resented for it on his return in an…
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
konna koto mo arou ka to こんなこともあろうかと
What konna koto mo arou ka to こんなこともあろうかと means in Japanese, with examples.
A Far Shore 遠いところ (2023) Director: Masaaki Kudo
A Far Shore 遠いところ (2023), by director Masaaki Kudo @kudomasaaki, is a topical and harrowing drama that depicts the fight for survival of a teen mother in an uncaring…
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!…
Mari and Mari (彼女来来, Tatsuya Yamanishi, 2021)
A self-involved casting director experiences romantic and existential crisis when his girlfriend is replaced by another woman in Yamanishi’s eerie indie drama
Case 82 – Fancy Banjo
After an exciting arc, we are here with a less exciting case. We finish volume 26 of the Case Closed manga with the Music Box Case. This episode…
Columbia’s Musical “Gems” 1933-34
The Mintz studio began closely paralleling the efforts of Walt Disney, and embellishing the motion of both Scrappy and Krazy Kat.
The Passing of Eras
With the recent ending of My Hero Academia and after watching Deadpool & Wolverine, it made me reflect on eras and how the things we enjoy come to…
てへぺろ [Tehepero](๑≧౪≦)てへぺろ
Hi everyone. Oh no, I have left my blog for too long. I even forgot to write in English! Does anyone help me with my terrible English? My…
Van Beuren’s “The Nut Factory” (1933)
The story work, the gags, the funny designs and animation are all so much fun.
The Little King in “Pals” (1933)
The Little King’s Christmas short is odd, but it’s one of my favorites to watch each year!
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Mari and Mari 彼女来来 (2021) Director: Tatsuya Yamanishi [Japan Cuts 2021]
Mari and Mari 彼女来来 (2021) Director: Tatsuya Yamanishi [Japan Cuts 2021]
Policeman (警察官, Tomu Uchida, 1933)
An earnest policeman finds himself conflicted on suspecting a childhood friend may be a dangerous fugitive in Tomu Uchida’s dazzling silent psychodrama.
Cubby Bear returns: “Bubbles and Troubles” (1933)
I really enjoy the freewheeling nature of the Cubbys in this little period.
Cubby Bear in “Love’s Labor Won” (1933)
It’s definitely a Van Beuren sort of day here....
Fancy Dance (ファンシイダンス, Masayuki Suo, 1989)
A cocky punk rocker is forced to join a Buddhist temple in order to take over the family business but discovers unexpected liberation in the tenets of Zen…
2nd Anniversary of Isao Takahata's Passing
Ghibli Blog is the home for fans of Studio Ghibli, animation and the movies. We feature the latest news, reviews, essays and more.
Anne of Green Gables, Gauche the Cellist, Jarinko Chie, Winter Days
One Shots / “Passing the Beam Rifle”
Mobile Suit Gundam the Witch from Mercury is the latest ‘mainline’ Gundam series to follow Mobile Suit Gundam IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS along with a seven-year gap. It provides a…
It Comes (来る, Tetsuya Nakashima, 2018)
The “perfect” life of a superficial salaryman is disrupted by vengeful spirits in Tetsuya Nasahima’s anarchic horror movie.
Otafu Susume 47 – Fancy Foodball (Ted Lasso)
Otaku spouses watch Ted Lasso even though one of them doesn't like sports...especially football.
Fabiniku – 02 – Fanning the Fires of Fancy
Jinguuji and Tachibana discover that they can summon the latter’s apartment—recreated in perfect detail, right down to the trash—anywhere they want, a portable inn. Unfortunately, Tachibana o…
Life With an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated Into a Total Fantasy Knockout
Manga Kodomo Bunko (まんがこども文庫) September ED (9月の歌) - Coral Reef (さんご礁)
Sung by (歌): Kumiko Ōsugi (大杉久美子) Lyrics (作詞): Tetsuzō Komura (古村徹三) Composition and Arrangement (作曲・編曲): Seiichirō Uno (宇野誠一郎) Very special thanks to PopKorn Kat for transferring and scanning this record!
"これいる？ vs. これ欲しい？" #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2
Is This Heaven? (天国か、ここ？, Shinji Imaoka, 2023)
A middle-aged couple ponder loss and regret on a surreal odyssey into the afterlife , or something like it at least, in Shinji Imaoka’s cheerfully absurdist dramedy
Reflecting on the Passing of Rachel Lillis
Rachel Lillis, one of the main voice actors of the original Pokémon dub, passed away recently. She was 55. I don’t hold that original 4Kids dub in special…
It Comes 来る (2018) Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
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Nightshade Flower (夜来香, Kon Ichikawa, 1951)
A couple who met briefly in Manchuria are reunited in Kobe but find their joy short-lived amid the vagaries of the post-war society in Kon Ichikawa’s tragic romance.
My Blood & Bones in a Flowing Galaxy (砕け散るところを見せてあげる, SABU, 2020)
A young man’s attempt to protect a bullied schoolmate leads him into infinite darkness but eventually also to the light in SABU’s poetic teen drama
A 1933 Review of KING KONG–with a Twist
March 2, 2023 being the 90th anniversary of the New York City premiere of KING KONG (1933), I thought I’d honor the occasion by sharing a delightful and…
Anime Orbit: The Fancy Footwork of IPPON! AGAIN
Judo anime Ippon! Again powers through a fairly limited production to put the focus where it really matters; on the judo itself.
Is ばんごはん (Dinner) Outdated? #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2
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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 (ひろしま, Hideo Sekigawa, 1953)
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…
10 Last Minute Tips for Passing the JLPT
Maximize all the time you have before the the big day. Here are some of the best last minute tips for passing the JLPT.
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Ohana, a Tokyo high school girl, who had been living alone with her single mom has no choice but to relocate to her grandmother’s inn when her mom…
True Mothers (朝が来る, Naomi Kawase, 2020)
Adoptive parents face a moment of crisis after receiving a message from a woman claiming to be their son’s birth mother in Kawase’s hugely empathetic family drama