A festival-obsessed young man finds himself at the centre of a number of community crises in Norifumi Suzuki’s warmhearted dramedy.
3 days ago • Subscribe
More like this
Ninja’s Mark (忍びの卍, Norifumi Suzuki, 1968)
Enemies of the Tokugawa go to extreme lengths to end their line in Norifumi Suzuki’s surreal romantic ninja drama.
Sex and Fury (不良姐御伝 猪の鹿お蝶, Norifumi Suzuki,1973)
An orphaned daughter takes revenge against the corruptions of the late Meiji society in Norifumi Suzuki’s pinky violence classic.
Redemption with Life (兄弟, Zhang Wei, 2023)
A young man with old-fashioned values is slowly consumed by the contradictions of the modern China in Zhang Wei’s indie drama.
Stepbrothers (異母兄弟, Miyoji Ieki, 1957)
The destructive effects of militarist folly are borne out in the fortunes of one bifurcated family in Miyoji Ieki’s impassioned social drama.
お湯割り
In the newsletter this month I wrote about 角ハイ (kakuhai). This is a combination of 角瓶 (kakubin), Suntory’s flagship whiskey, and ハイボール (highball), a mixed drink made from…
Hunter Brothers (獵人兄弟, Su Hung-en, 2024)
Two brothers find themselves on opposite sides of tradition and modernity as descend into a state of warfare over the future of the ancestral hunting grounds in Su…
Breakout Brothers (逃獄兄弟, Mak Ho-Pong, 2020)
A trio of inmates decide to break out of prison but discover that it’s friendship that sets them free in Mak Ho-Pong’s cartoonish crime caper
The Kamikaze Guy (カミカゼ野郎 真昼の決斗, Kinji Fukasaku, 1966)
A bumbling pilot becomes embroiled in a conspiracy after an encounter on a ski slope in a goodnatured action comedy starring a young Sonny Chiba.
Carmen from Kawachi (河内カルメン, Seijun Suzuki, 1966)
Suzuki’s anarchic take on Bizet’s opera sees its heroine transcend the forces which oppress her to find true freedom and independence.
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
School of the Holy Beast (聖獣学園, Norifumi Suzuki, 1974)
A young woman heads into the lions den in search of the truth of her past in Norifumi Suzuki’s feverish take on nunsploitation.
Muddy River (泥の河, Kohei Oguri, 1981)
The innocent friendship between two boys is disrupted by the post-war reality in Kohei Oguri’s quietly devastating drama
Episode #52 – Kikujiro (菊次郎の夏)
We’ve got another Kitano film this episode, featuring new guest Dan Clarke of the SuperMakerUniverse YouTube channel. We discuss Kitano’s coming-of-age comedy film, Kikujiro.
The Insatiable (現代ポルノ伝 先天性淫婦, Norifumi Suzuki, 1971)
A young woman finds herself following in her mother’s footsteps after a series of traumatic sexual experiences in Norifumi Suzuki’s erotic drama.
傘の下、ふたり
Author & Artist: ぢゅん子 (Junko)Released March 2012 by Kaiohsha’s Gush ComicsGenre: Drama, Romance
Seven Weeks (野のなななのか, Nobuhiko Obayashi, 2014)
“A death is a history” in Obayashi’s intensely moving tale of the interconnectedness of all things, love, death, war, and memory.
となりのメタラーさん
Author & Artist: マミタ (Mamita)Released April 2020 by Tokuma Shoten Publishing’s Chara ComicsGenre: Romance, Drama
My Elder Brother (私の兄さん, Yasujiro Shimazu, 1934)
The wastrel brother of earnest man running a taxi firm gets a wakeup call after picking up a runaway woman from an upperclass family in Shimazu’s genial comedy.
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E02 – 一番搾り and 自己分析
Episode 2! 一番搾り (Ichiban Shibori) helped me cement my understanding of a translator’s role and what “fluency” means. And I was able to get this podcast up and…
Nosari: Impermanent Eternity (のさりの島, Tatsuya Yamamoto, 2020)
An ore ore scammer’s cynical worldview is challenged when he finds temporary harbour with an elderly woman in Yamamoto’s touching indie drama
自己分析
Getting ready to go to Japan - How to Japanese - June 2021
アニメの色と撮影 – 荒木哲郎ロングインタビュー
The post アニメの色と撮影 – 荒木哲郎ロングインタビュー appeared first on fullfrontal.moe.
Our 30-Minute Sessions (サヨナラまでの30分, Kentaro Hagiwara, 2020)
A ghostly intervention helps a collection of wounded adults find accommodation with grief in Kentaro Hagiwara’s bodyswapping take on the band movie
Yakuza Graveyard (やくざの墓場 くちなしの花, Kinji Fukasaku, 1976)
A maverick cop finds himself sympathising with noble yakuza when confronted by entrenched corruption in Kinji Fukasaku’s jitsuroku-esque gangster drama.
Ora, Ora Be Goin’ Alone (おらおらでひとりいぐも, Shuichi Okita, 2020)
An older woman living alone is plagued by three strange sprites forcing her to confront the reality of her life in Shuichi Okita’s surreal meditation on loneliness and…
Fire Festival (火まつり, Mitsuo Yanagimachi, 1985)
A proud mountain man goes to great lengths to hold back the tides of modernity in Mitsuo Yanagimachi’s poetic fable
Dreaming of the Meridian Arc (大河への道, Kenji Nakanishi, 2022)
Dedicated civil servants do their best to put their town on the map while celebrating a local hero in Kenji Nakanishi’s warmhearted dramedy.
The Tycoon / 傷だらけの山河 / Kizudarake no sanga (1964)
Obscure Japanese Film #144 Ayako Wakao and So Yamamura Having delivered a mega-hit for Daiei studios with Shinobi no mono (1962) and also...
Halloween Special - Carrie (1976)
Hello Everyone, For this years Halloween, we go to the prom with one of the most iconic horror movies ever made, Brian de Palma's Carrie (1976). Does the film…
Vintage Report 3: 1976
Of all the original production years, 1976 was definitely the leanest. Total “above-the-surface” activity was less than what occurs during a typical month in the remake years. As…
Insiang (Lino Brocka, 1976)
A young woman attempts to free herself from an oppressive environment by taking revenge on the mother who betrayed her in Lino Brocka’s maternal melodrama.
A Hole of My Own Making / /自分の穴の中で / Jibun no ana no nakade (1955)
Obscure Japanese Film #134 Rentaro Mikuni, Mie Kitahara and Jukichi Uno Tamiko (Mie Kitahara) is a young woman living at home with her s...
Takano Tofu (高野豆腐店の春, Mitsuhiro Mihara, 2023)
A sudden brush with mortality convinces an ageing tofu maker to marry off his middle-aged daughter in Mitsuhiro Mihara’s charming dramedy.
A Brother and His Younger Sister (兄とその妹, Yasujiro Shimazu, 1939)
A young man’s love of go ends up getting him into hot water at work in Yasujiro Shimazu’s surprisingly progressive shomingeki.
The Goldfish: Dreaming of the Sea (海辺の金魚, Sara Ogawa, 2021)
An anxious young woman begins to overcome her sense of trauma while bonding with a similarly lonely little girl in Ogawa’s lyrical coming-of-age drama
The 11 Cats (11ぴきのねこ) and Other Tales (1976, 1980)
At long last, a certain dream of mine for almost four years now has come true—namely, for Group TAC’s long-forgotten classic film The 11 Cats, which was originally…
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.
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E08 – Roomshare.jp and のり弁
Living with Japanese roommates in Tokyo was the highlight of my time in Japan. I found those roommates on the website Roomshare.jp, a great site that I introduce…
川のほとりに立つ者は
A young woman named Kiyose was recently promoted to the position of manager at an independent café. She devotes her love and attention to the business, but all…
Like a Savage (野蛮人のように, Toru Kawashima, 1985)
A blocked writer is dragged into intrigue while searching for “adventure in the night” in Toru Kawashima zeitgeisty drama.
あの作品の裏話もー。漫画家の星野泰視さんにお越しいただきました。A Talk with Urasawa’s old assistant, Yasushi Hoshino.
漫画家・浦沢直樹の「浦沢チャンネル」。今回は漫画家で元浦沢アシスタントの星野泰視さんにお越しいただき、アシスタント時代の思い出やデジタル作画、漫画制作の裏話などを語っていただきました。 [ゲスト] 星野泰視 Yasushi Hoshino 漫画家。山形県出身。『哲也～雀聖と呼ばれた男～』（原案／さい ふうめい）で第24回講談社漫画賞受賞。著作に『江川と西本』（原作／森高夕次）、『ABC殺人事件』（原作／アガサ・クリスティー）など。現在『日本を創った男～渋沢栄一 青き日々～』を「ヤングチャンピオン」にて連載中。 “Urasawa Channel”, a YouTube channel by a Japanese manga artist Naoki Urasawa. This time, he invites a manga artist and his former assistant,…
![Featured image for Okiku and the World せかいのおきく (2023) Director: Junji Sakamoto [New York Asian Film Festival 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230716/1689522521.64932.99781.jpg)
Okiku and the World せかいのおきく (2023) Director: Junji Sakamoto [New York Asian Film Festival 2023]
Okiku and the World せかいのおきく (2023), directed by Junji Sakamoto, is an absolutely heart-warming and moving story of love set during the end of the samurai period. Its beautiful…
Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works 24 – 「武器の貯蔵は充分か」
-I am the bone of my sword- 体は剣で出来ている。 -Steel is my body and fire is my blood- 血潮は鉄で心は硝子。 -I have created over a thousand blades- 幾たびの戦場を越えて不敗。 -Unaware of…
Father of the Milky Way Railroad (銀河鉄道の父, Izuru Narushima, 2023)
Izuru Narushima’s prestige drama explores the story of Kenji Miyazawa from the perspective of his devoted father, Masajiro.
Konomi Suzuki - Alkatale
Rating : 53/100 Man, it sucks when I cant enjoy something. It especially sucks when its something you were looking forward to. The subject of todays review, Stories…
The House of Hanging (病院坂の首縊りの家, Kon Ichikawa, 1979)
A legacy of familial trauma engulfs a once noble house in Kindaichi’s final and most complicated case
![Featured image for An Interview with Sae Suzuki, Director of Strangers [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20221114/1668421210.46828.77976.jpg)
An Interview with Sae Suzuki, Director of Strangers [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]
STRANGERS tackles gender discrimination and sexual harassment in a heartfelt and interesting way. Director Sae Suzuki talks about how she made it in an interview done in Japanese…
![Featured image for Strangers 人知れず Director: Sae Suzuki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20221114/1668420010.46827.77975.jpg)
Strangers 人知れず Director: Sae Suzuki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]
Strangers 人知れず Director: Sae Suzuki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022] is an effective look at how people can explore thorny issues such as sexual harassment and discrimination in…
Hana Monogatari, Volume 2 (はなものがたり)
In Volume 1, we met Hanayo, a woman whose husband has passed away, leaving her both free to do whatever she wants and confused as to what that…