“It’s funny how quickly people you love become strangers,” a middle-aged man muses while talking about more than one thing at the same time. Those at the centre of Constance Tsang’s New York…
Apr 25, 2025 • Subscribe
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The Naked Sun / 裸の太陽 / Hadaka no taiyo (1958)
Obscure Japanese Film #254Shinjiro Ebara Kimura (Shinjiro Ebara) is a young stoker on the railway saving up to marry Yukiko (Satomi Oka), His best friend, Maeda (Tatsuya Nakadai), also works for…
Gift of Fire (太陽の子, Hiroshi Kurosaki, 2020)
A conflicted scientist struggles to reconcile himself to the implications of his work while researching an atomic bomb in Kurosaki’s contemplative wartime drama
The Sands of Kurobe (黒部の太陽, Kei Kumai, 1968)
Kei Kumai directs a three-hour epic devoted to the sometimes brutal construction of the Kurobe Dam.
The Rose on His Arm (太陽とバラ, Keisuke Kinoshita, 1956)
A frustrated young man’s exploitative relationship with the son of a wealthy factory owner provokes only violence and futility in Keisuke Kinoshita’s take on post-Sun Tribe youth drama
The Sand City in Manchuria (砂漠を渡る太陽, Kiyoshi Saeki, 1960)
An idealistic doctor stands alone against Japanese imperialist oppression in Manchuria in Kiyoshi Saeki’s wartime drama.
East Palace, West Palace (Intro)
Text of an intro given at the Barbican Cinema, 29th June, 2023
The Colors Within (きみの色, Naoko Yamada, 2024)
“If I could see my own colour, what kind of colour would it be?” the heroine of Naoko Yamada’s The Colors Within (きみの色, Kimi no Iro) asks herself.…
Palace Spade
My Hero Academia 241 - 4:12EDENS ZERO 59 - 21:59Beast Children 14 - 34:01Mission: Yozakura Family 2 - 34:22Mitama Security: Spirit Busters 1 - 43:13Samurai 8 16 -…
Black Clover, EDENS ZERO, My Hero Academia, One Piece, The Promised Neverland
Dragon Palace
Dragon Palace collects eight surreal stories by award-winning and internationally celebrated author Hiromi Kawakami. These stories are contemporary fantasies about shapeshifters, talking animals, a…
I (sun) — Blue Reflection and Life Beyond the End
This one’s about love and self-worth.
![Featured image for Blue Imagine (2024) review [OAFF 2024]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20240401/1711978570.81877.120627.jpg)
Blue Imagine (2024) review [OAFF 2024]
A powerful reminder of the sexual transgressions that structurally plague the Japanese film industry
The Yin Yang Master Zero (陰陽師ゼロ, Shimako Sato, 2024)
An aloof alchemist finds himself at the centre of conspiracy when one of his colleagues is murdered in Shimako Sato’s visually striking fantasy.
西宮硝子 (Nishimiya Shouko)
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宮園かをり (Miyazono Kaori)
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Blue Period (ブルーピリオド, Kentaro Hagiwara, 2024)
An ennui-ridden teen finds the world opening up to him after he discovers the power of art yet fears he can’t live up to his new epiphany in…
Blue Imagine (ブルーイマジン, Urara Matsubayashi, 2024)
A young woman finds the strength to fight back against her mistreatment thanks to a sense of female solidarity in Urara Matsubayashi’s timely drama.
East Palace, West Palace (东宫西宫, Zhang Yuan, 1996)
A gay travel writer finds liberation in submission while turning the tables on authoritarian power in Zhang Yuan’s beguiling drama.
ＯＺの迷宮 ～ The Labyrinth of “OZ”
Being a private detective is not a job but a way of life. Being a master detective is not a way of life but destiny. One victim is…
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.
Sora-iro Melancholic, Volume 1 (空色メランコリック )
Fumino, known to her friends as Bun-chan, is really irritated by that cool, mischievous Kiko-sempai. For on thing, she’s pretty sure that, while her best friend Mahiro really…
Raven of the Inner Palace
Raven of the Inner Palace wowed me on many levels when I gave it a watch. While the animation is stiff, especially compared to the experimental animation of…
Raven of the Inner Palace
Raven of the Inner Palace is a lush tale full of potential but it gets bogged down in repetitive stories and tepid romance
Decapitation - Kubikiri Cycle: The Blue Savant and the Nonsense User / クビキリサイクル 青色サヴァンと戯言遣い
Nisio Isin has written a lot of books. Like, a lot of books. But the first book he wrote (or at least published) was Kubikiri Cycle . I’ve…
Ace Attorney, Death Note, Kubikiri Cycle: The Blue Savant and the Nonsense User, Phoenix
Rising Sun R
The sequel to Rising Sun. The series continues to follow Ikki Kai in the Japanese Self Defense Force as he enters training for Ranger courses. Continue reading →
Yoko (658km、陽子の旅, Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, 2023)
An isolated woman begins to rediscover herself while hitchhiking to her estranged father’s funeral in Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s quietly moving road movie.
Golden Demon / 金色夜叉 / Konjiki yasha (1954)
Obscure Japanese Film #175 Jun Negami and Fujiko Yamamoto 1890. Miya (Fujiko Yamamoto) is a young woman in love with her adopted broth...
Freelance Samurai (桃太郎侍, Kenji Misumi, 1957)
An abandoned son resolves to wander Japan killing the “demons” of Edo-era society in Kenji Misumi’s adaptation of the popular novel by Kiichiro Yamate.
Character Analysis: 岡部 倫太郎 (Okabe Rintarou)
Who is Okabe Rintarou? Okabe Rintarou, also known by his self-proclaimed alias “Hououin Kyouma,” is a 19-year-old university student and the central figure of Steins;Gate. He is the…
The Mystery at the Crystal Palace
detective fiction, 推理小説、games, mystery, murder, locked room, Japanese, translations,
The Magic of the Inner Palace
Raven of the Inner Palace episodes 1-11 While I don’t specifically consider myself a fan of Chinese Imperial Court-influenced fantasy series, I must have a high tolerance for…
Labyrinth Romanesque (花園の迷宮, Shunya Ito, 1988)
Echoes of violence reverberate through a haunted hotel in Shunya Ito’s romantic ghost story.
Operencia: The Stolen Sun
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Season of the Sun
Seishun Anime Zenshuu (translated as Animated Classics of Japanese Literature for its English release) is a 1986 anthology series that retold well-known stories from modern Japanese literature. It's…
Angelique, Bubblegum Crisis, Fullmetal Alchemist, Future GPX Cyber Formula, Gakkou no Yuurei
I’ll Follow the “Sun”
There are some absolutely brutal animes out there: “Berserk”, “Elfin Lied”, “Gantz”, “Deadman Wonderland” and “Redo of Healer”, to name a few. But the artwork supported the notion…
Flowing Stories (河上變村, Jessey Tsang Tsui-shan, 2014)
Shooting in her own home village, documentarian Jessey Tsang Tsui-shan spins a meandering tale of diaspora and dislocation.
Green Jail (綠色牢籠, Huang Yin-Yu, 2021)
Huang’s elegiac documentary juxtaposes the idyllic scenery of Iriomote island with the traumas of the colonial past through the stories of an elderly woman remaining behind alone
Okinawa Blue Note (오키나와 블루노트, Cho Sung-kyu, 2024)
A blocked romance writer and a lovelorn young woman discover unexpected connection in Okinawa in Cho Sung-kyu’s charming dramedy.
Blue Giant Hits UK and Ireland Cinemas January 2024
The good folks from anime distributors Anime Limited have just announced the UK and Ireland cinema release details for Blue Giant. The jazz ...
Winter 2024 Taste Test: Blue Exorcist -Shimane Illuminati Saga-
I had to watch a recap video on YouTube to remember what had happened in the two previous seasons because, after all these years, I’d completely forgotten what…
Raven of the Inner Palace, Vol. 6
By Kouko Shirakawa and Ayuko. Released in Japan as “Kōkyū no Karasu” by Shueisha Orange Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Amelia Mason. Yeah, sorry,…
First Impression: Raven of the Inner Palace
It’s the dead of night and a palace coup is afoot. Murder and mayhem! Vengeance and usurpation! The commoner prince takes out his wrath on the elderly Dowager…
Raven of the Inner Palace, Vol. 7
By Kouko Shirakawa and Ayuko. Released in Japan as “Kōkyū no Karasu” by Shueisha Orange Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Amelia Mason. Adapted by…
Raven of the Interior Palace Novel 1
If you watched the 2022 anime adaptation of Kōko Shirakawa's Raven of the Inner Palace light novels and wondered how faithful it was to the source material,
Raven of the Inner Palace Episode Guide
Raven of the Inner Palace: The Raven Consort has a mysterious power. She is forever apart. Until the Emperor takes note of her plight.
Raven of the Inner Palace Review — D
Inner palace hocus pocus.
First Look: Raven of the Inner Palace
In a fantastical version of ancient China, Jusetsu is a palace consort who, despite her official position, does not serve the emperor or anyone else. Known as the…
Yatagarasu Series - Volume 1 - Sakura Palace Layout
.post p { margin:0 0 .75em; line-height:2em; text-indent:1em; } Yatagarasu Series Volume 1: Ravens Shouldn't Wear Kimono …
Raven of the Inner Palace Novel 1
Raven of the Inner Palace's first novel should please fans of its adaptation. It's easy to see what changes were made and understand why they happened, and it…
Raven of the Inner Palace, Vol. 3
By Kouko Shirakawa and Ayuko. Released in Japan as “Kōkyū no Karasu” by Shueisha Orange Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Amelia Mason. This volume…
Raven of the Inner Palace, Vol. 4
By Kouko Shirakawa and Ayuko. Released in Japan as “Kōkyū no Karasu” by Shueisha Orange Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Amelia Mason. Usually when…