A trio of teens begin to find new direction in their lives after coming together to organise a fireworks festival in Emiko Hiramatsu warmhearted local drama.
15 days ago • Subscribe
More like this
![Featured image for The Tales of Kurashiki 蔵のある街 (2025) Director: Emiko Hiramatsu [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2025]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20250314/1741965957.99712.142712.jpg)
![Background image for The Tales of Kurashiki 蔵のある街 (2025) Director: Emiko Hiramatsu [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2025]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20250314/1741965957.99712.142712.jpg)
The Tales of Kurashiki 蔵のある街 (2025) Director: Emiko Hiramatsu [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2025]
The Tales of Kurashiki 蔵のある街 (2025) is a celebration of the beautiful historic city by director Emiko Hiramatsu who sets a youth story in her hometown and delivers…


いる vs ある #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2


銀魂 - 鍋は人生の縮図である (25)
GinTama - The hot-pot is a microcosm of life Episode 25


The Angry Street (怒りの街, Mikio Naruse, 1950)
A sociopathic student takes revenge on a changing society by seducing wealthy women in Mikio Naruse’s brooding noir.


Over the Town (街の上で, Rikiya Imaizumi, 2019)
An awkward young man chases love and romance on the streets of Shimokitazawa in Imaizumi’s soulful ode to the ever changing district


街
The Town, and Murakami's New Novel - How to Japanese - March 2023


A Man (ある男, Kei Ishikawa, 2022)
A lawyer finds himself questioning his own identity while searching for that of a man who’d been living under an assumed name in Kei Ishikawa’s existential mystery.


Wings in the Dark: Mercator Ayu - The Last Incident / 翼ある闇 メルカトル鮎最後の事件
Wings in the Dark is phenomenal. But before I gush about it, I must proceed with the airing of grievances. Why does it have to have “Mercat...


Company Retreat (ある職場, Atsushi Funahashi, 2020)
A workplace trip descends into mistrust and suspicion following an accusation of harassment in Funahashi’s contemplative drama


持つ vs ある to Mean "Have" #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2


The Big Boss (暗黒街の顔役, Kihachi Okamoto, 1959)
A veteran yakuza falls foul of changing times trying to save his teen idol younger brother from the underworld in an early crime drama from Kihachi Okamoto


The Last Gunfight (暗黒街の対決, Kihachi Okamoto, 1960)
A maverick cop finds himself at the centre of a moribund gang war in Kihachi Okamoto’s anarchic western-inflected crime drama


Convention Tales #35: CSC Fancon 2025
Note: This post was written throughout 18-19 January 2025, hours after I had finished my time at the convention, and to make sure that I have a clearer…


Road Warriors (あやめ笠 喧嘩街道, Tai Kato, 1960)
A penniless wander is caught up in intrigue after encountering a woman travelling alone for the purposes of revenge in Tai Kato’s Toei chanbara.
Kimi no tame ni Sekai ha Aru (きみのために世界はある)
As you may remember, I’m a huge fan of Usui Shio’s series Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts. So when a collection of Usui-sensei’s work came out from Ichijinsha, I…


Domains 王国 (あるいはその家について) (2019) Dir: Natsuka Kusano
Domains is a thoroughly absorbing drama thanks to excellent performances and its unique structure. Domains 王国 (あるいはその家について) (2019) Dir: Natsuka Kusano


Street of Love and Hope (愛と希望の街, Nagisa Oshima, 1959)
A young man’s pigeon selling scam eventually ruins his cross-class friendship with a wealthy young woman in Oshima’s biting sociopolitical drama


Bread of Happiness (しあわせのパン, Yukiko Mishima, 2012)
A warmhearted couple offer gentle support to a series of lonely souls from their cosy Hokkaido cafe in Yukiko Mishima’s slice of comfort foodie cinema


Can You Say このぬいぐるみいる? #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2


The Warped Forest (あさっての森, Shunichiro Miki, 2011)
Three trios in search of happiness find themselves transported to other worlds in Shunichiro Miki’s surreal quasi-sequel to Funky Forest
![Featured image for Over the Town 街の上で Dir: Rikiya Imaizumi [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210409/1618002231.9150.33226.jpg)
![Background image for Over the Town 街の上で Dir: Rikiya Imaizumi [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210409/1618002231.9150.33226.jpg)
Over the Town 街の上で Dir: Rikiya Imaizumi [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]
A charming cringe comedy that takes place in Tokyo’s Shimokitazawa. Over the Town 街の上で Dir: Rikiya Imaizumi [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]


Aristocrats (あのこは貴族, Yukiko Sode, 2021)
Two women involved with the same man eventually find interclass solidarity in Sode’s empathetic critique of a highly stratified and fiercely patriarchal society


Basic Japanese Sentence Structure No.6 ある to be, to exist
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2


A Bullet Hole Underground (地下街の弾痕, Kazuo Mori, 1949)
A lovelorn policeman finds himself investigating the murder of an old flame’s husband in Kazuo Mori’s procedural drama.


【完全即興】何も見ずに"あのキャラ"を描けるのか?「パイナップルARMY」裏話も!Urasawa Draws The Famous Characters Without Samples
漫画家・浦沢直樹の「浦沢チャンネル」。浦沢直樹作品電子化プロジェクト、いよいよ完結!「パイナップルARMY」電子化記念ということで、当時の裏話をたっぷりとお届け。総勢7キャラクターを何も見ずに描くというお題にもチャレンジしました。 Urasawa Channel is an official YouTube channel run by a Japanese manga artist Naoki Urasawa. As “Pineapple Army” was digitalized, the digitalization of his past works have been…


During the Rains (つゆのあとさき, Shinpei Yamazaki, 2024)
A collection of women discover that the real pandemic is misogyny in Shinpei Yamazaki’s covid-era indie drama.


Tales of Ise
Tales of Ise is referenced throughout early Japanese literature. If you hadn’t read it, you won’t catch some of the meaning Sei Shonagon, Lady Nijo, Murasaki Shikibu, and…


Tales Of Phantasia
How long has it been since I watched a Tales series? Oh, not that I cared anyway. So when I stumbled upon this old retro Tales Of Phantasia,…
Chua Tek Ming~*Anime Power*~ !LiVe FoR AnImE, aNiMe FoR LiFe!


Tales Of Eternia
Didn’t think I would be so quick to watch another Tales series after my very recent stint with Tales Of Phantasia. This time, Tales Of Eternia. Yeah, am…
Chua Tek Ming~*Anime Power*~ !LiVe FoR AnImE, aNiMe FoR LiFe!


Those Who Cast a Curse Like the Headless / 首無の如き祟るもの
And so we arrive at the third book in the Genya Toujou series . The previous two books provided a wonderful blend of J-horror, murder myster...


The Real Thing (本気のしるし, Koji Fukada, 2020)
A bored salaryman begins to chase the real thing after saving a distressed woman from an oncoming train in Fukada’s beautifully elliptical drama


Touching the Skin of Eeriness 不気味なものの肌に触れる (2014) Dir: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
“Touching the Skin of Eeriness” turns from coming-of-age drama to supernatural mystery and is packed full of absorbing physical performances. 不気味なものの肌に触れる (2014) Dir: Ryusuke Hamaguchi…


Touching the Skin of Eeriness 不気味なものの肌に触れる (2014) Dir: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
“Touching the Skin of Eeriness” turns from coming-of-age drama to supernatural mystery and is packed full of absorbing physical performances. 不気味なものの肌に触れる (2014) Dir: Ryusuke Hamaguchi…
『戦国魔神ゴーショーグン 時の異邦人(エトランゼ)』のあとがき
『戦国魔神ゴーショーグン 時の異邦人(エトランゼ)』のあとがき


Tales of Possibilities – Musings on the Current Direction of the Tales Franchise Part 1
Let’s get something straight before I get into this post. I goddamn love the Tales games. Symphonia was the first one I played, and I still hold great…


Woman of Design (その場所に女ありて, Hideo Suzuki, 1962)
Post-war women find themselves constrained by a relentlessly patriarchal society in Hideo Suzuki’s workplace melodrama


JRPG Review: Tales of the Abyss
And so after like 14 years of not watching the anime and being that I’m playing a bunch of Tales games now, I finally decided to jump into…


Tales of Symphonia the Animation (OAV)
Ultimately, Tales of Symphonia is a rarity: a solid video game adaptation anime that feels satisfying.


Tales of Vesperia: The Ambitious Edge
Boy it has been a long time since I’ve talked about a video game that wasn’t No More Heroes or Suda related for a whole blog post. The…


Lost Tales: Rise of the Banchos
Introduction In the Digital World, there are many stories that are shrouded in mystery, with facts still needing to be discovered. Even though not everything has been discovered…


The Endings of Japanese Folk Tales
If you read Japanese folklore, you notice how different the endings seem against Western stories. In most Japanese folktales, people die in the end. Happily-ever-after endings stand out…


The Real Thing 本気のしるし Dir: Koji Fukada (2020)
The Real Thing 本気のしるし Dir: Koji Fukada (2020) is an absorbing and addictive thriller about ascertaining the authentic aspect of a relationship and persona.


"Should You Say あなたの物ですか?" #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2


A Girl Named Ann (あんのこと, Yu Irie, 2024)
A young woman’s attempts to turn her life around are frustrated by compromised authority figures and an indifferent society in Yu Irie’s hard-hitting drama.


Tales of Wedding Rings: The Lord of the Rizz
Been a bit late on this one, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have stuff to say. Last season had a good selection of harem and ecchi anime…


Tales of ChoHakkai Released!
Hello everyone and Merry Christmas! It’s been a long time coming, but I’m finally able to once again perform a full game release on Christmas. This time, it’s…
Tales of Arise DLC?!?
What?! Bandai-Namco just announced news that Tales of Arise is getting a random expansion DLC that takes place a year after the games ending, complete with 20+ hours…


Your Japanese is Good If You Get This No.3 てもらう・てくれる・てあげる
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2
The Time-Bending Tales of Makoto Ueda
By Tom Wilmot. Writers tend to have a motif, an idea or theme that persists throughout their work, distinguishing their projects and allowing them to form an artistic…
Holiday Review #13: TALES OF THE KINGDOM
Mostly I'm just glad that this year brought us yet another beautiful and subtly queer manga from Asumiko Nakamura. TALES OF THE KINGDOM ( O...