by Marc Saint-Cyr March 23rd is a particularly noteworthy date for admirers of Japanese cinema, as it marks the birth of one of its most b...
Mar 27, 2012 • Subscribe
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BFI to Host Complete Akira Kurosawa Retrospective
At BFI Southbank January and February 2023.
The Idiot (白痴, Akira Kurosawa, 1951)
A pure soul is destroyed by the selfishness and duplicity of the post-war society in Kurosawa’s snowbound adaptation of the Dostoyevsky novel.
Akira Kurosawa Retrospective at the BFI 2023
The good folks at the BFI have sent us details for an up coming Akira Kurosawa Retrospective. Set to run from Sunday 1st January 2023 until ...
Scandal (醜聞, Akira Kurosawa, 1950)
The battle for the soul of the post-war society is fought in the body of a conflicted lawyer in Akira Kurosawa’s seasonal morality tale.
Kagemusha (影武者, Akira Kurosawa, 1980)
A thief reborn as a lord finds himself caught between the contradictions of the feudal order and the borders of identity in Akira Kurosawa’s Sengoku-era tragedy.
Yojimbo (用心棒, Akira Kurosawa, 1961)
A cynical ronin plays warring factions off against each other to save a moribund silk town in Akira Kurosawa’s samurai western.
Ikiru (生きる, Akira Kurosawa, 1952)
A lifelong bureaucrat is confronted by the emptiness of the salaryman dream when diagnosed with a terminal illness in Akira Kurosawa’s intensely moving melodrama.
Rashomon (羅生門, Akira Kurosawa, 1950)
A series of witnesses give conflicting accounts of a death in the forest in Akira Kurosawa’s exploration of the limits of objective truth.
The Lower Depths (どん底, Akira Kurosawa, 1957)
In the absence of salvation a comforting falsehood is the only means of survival in Akira Kurosawa’s adaptation of the Gorky play.
Throne of Blood (蜘蛛巣城, Akira Kurosawa, 1957)
An ambitious retainer falls victim to the false promises of a forest spirit in Akira Kurosawa’s haunting adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Sanjuro (椿三十郎, Akira Kurosawa, 1962)
The cynical drifter finds himself offering fatherly advice to idealistic but hot-headed samurai youth in Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo followup.
Stray Dog (野良犬, Akira Kurosawa, 1949)
A rookie policeman chases an echo of himself through the backstreets of post-war Japan while looking for his missing gun in Akira Kurosawa’s sweltering noir.
Seven Samurai (七人の侍, Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
Desperate peasants recruit samurai protectors in Akira Kurosawa’s classic historical epic back in UK cinemas Oct. 29
The Most Beautiful (一番美しく, Akira Kurosawa, 1944)
Kurosawa’s second feature explores the intense dedication of a collection of factory girls crafting precision lenses in a late National Policy Film.
Bearing Witness to the Birth of a Universe
A “Children of the Sea” Film Review Starting with the Challenger Expedition in the 1870s, the open sea has been studied by oceanographers (in the modern sense) going…
The Silent Duel (静かなる決闘, Akira Kurosawa, 1949)
A doctor who contracted syphilis from a patient wrestles with desire and responsibility in Kurosawa’s post-war drama.
The Birth of Kamen Rider
A look into the history of the creation of Japan's most iconic superhero (not Ultraman). My original Zimmerit article on the subject: https://www.zimmerit.moe/kamen-rider-behind-the-mask/ Zimmerit Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ZimmeritEX Translations by @WindiiGitlord Sources: The…
Akira Toriyama’s Last Message Before His Death?
Discover the heartfelt words from Akira Toriyama, the legendary creator of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump, written just before his death. Read the details and my analysis. On…
Akira Toriyama’s Last Message Before His Death?
Discover the heartfelt words from Akira Toriyama, the legendary creator of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump, written just before his death. Read the details and my analysis. On…
No Regrets for Our Youth (わが青春に悔なし, Akira Kurosawa, 1946)
A young woman is torn between a future with a passionate rebel or spineless conformist in Kurosawa’s meditation on the militarist folly.
The Hidden Fortress (隠し砦の三悪人, Akira Kurosawa, 1958)
A fugitive princess offers a new hope for a peaceful and prosperous socitey in Akira Kurosawa’s Sengoku-era epic.
High and Low (天国と地獄, Akira Kurosawa, 1963)
A self-made millionaire faces a moral dilemma when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped in place of his own in Kurosawa’s post-war crime film.
Dodes’ka-den (どですかでん, Akira Kurosawa, 1970)
The denizens of a small slum on the outskirts of the modern city live largely on wilful self-delusion in Kurosawa’s first experimentation with colour.
Drunken Angel (酔いどれ天使, Akira Kurosawa, 1948)
A gruff yet well intentioned doctor does his best to cure the ills of post-war Japan in a rundown slum on the edge of a fetid swamp in…
50 Years in Times Square: Kurosawa and his Western Remakes
On April 8, 1971, 50 years ago today, I made my first trip to see a Japanese movie on the big screen. It was Akira Kurosawa’s SEVEN SAMURAI…
1998: The Birth of the Cool
Evan Minto, also known as Vampt Vo, went from wide-eyed newbie anime fan to hardened cynic in just over ten years in the game. Nowadays he...
Revolutionary Girl Utena, Trigun, Hellsing, Armitage III, Cardcaptor Sakura
Exploring sakuga – Part 1 : Birth of otaku, birth of sakuga
If you ask different people what “sakuga” is or means, chances are you’ll get different answers ; but all these answers will probably revolve around a few similar…
Yuri 101 | Birth of a Genre, Birth of a Nation
In 1853, Commodore Perry’s fleet of “black ships” reached Japan, demanding the end of the country’s Sakoku policy and the opening of ports. 15 years later, recognizing the…
Akira Toriyama Commented on His Health Before Death
Akira Toriyama stated in a written award ceremony message that he was not confident about his health prior to his death. Read the details and my analysis. On…
Rhapsody in August (八月の狂詩曲, Akira Kurosawa, 1991)
Three generations reckon with the wartime past after receiving news from estranged relatives in Hawaii in Kurosawa’s humanist drama.
Episode 428, "The Birth of Zoro"
On this week's episode of The One Piece Podcast we go through One Piece Chapter 832, "The Germa Kingdom" with Shonen Jump Stephen Paul, Alex "The Dude" and…
Episode 428, "The Birth of Zoro"
On this week's episode of The One Piece Podcast we go through One Piece Chapter 832, "The Germa Kingdom" with Shonen Jump Stephen Paul, Alex "The Dude" and…
12 Days of Christmas Anime, Day 3: Sword Art Online, Death and Birth
Yo ho ho, piratical Christmas?! I’ve kind of made it a personal challenge as to how many posts I can write out of “Red Nosed Reindeer,” the third…
The Birth of the 'Peanuts' Cartoon Series
On 'Charlie Brown's All Stars' (1966).
The History of TMS – 1 : The Birth of Anime
While today we speak of “the anime industry” like it’s something obvious, that wasn’t always the case. When animation started in Japan around the 1910’s, it was still…
Books: The Impact of Akira
By Andrew Osmond. If you were asked which singer comes to mind in connection with Akira, most readers would think of Kanye West cosplaying Tetsuo in his pants…
One Wonderful Sunday (素晴らしき日曜日, Akira Kurosawa, 1947)
A young couple attempt to have a nice day out in Tokyo for only 35 yen but eventually discover something much more valuable in Akira Kurosawa’s surprisingly upbeat…
I Live in Fear (生きものの記録, Akira Kurosawa, 1955)
An elderly man’s nuclear paranoia threatens to tear his family apart in Kurosawa’s post-war social drama.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – Birth of a Saga (Countdown to Halloween)
Few families have had such a sordid and eventful history as the Joestars. An established line of the British aristocracy, you would think that they would be able…
The Universal Joy of Akira Toriyama
Remembering the late Akira Toriyama, and how his work ties us together all around the world.
Ragna Crimson (Volume 1) – Birth of the Reaper
Ranga’s life had been cursed by dragons. His parents were killed yet he survived. Then, the relatives he went to live with were killed and he survived. Everyone…
In/Spectre – The Birth of a Modern Ghost
I’m a bit of a repeating record lately but there’s a lot to say about myth and magic. And sure, it’s fun to think about the classics but…
Homegrown Terror: The Birth of the Japanese Red Army
Bombings, battles with the police, hijackings...and that was just the beginning. Read about the revolutionary group that would shock Japan to its core.
The Ultimate Guide To Online Dating
The app Hornet, which caters to the gay male community, has seen a 30-percent increase in social feed engagement since social distancing measures began in …
5 Reasons To Watch: Akira
35 years later, Akira is still a cyberpunk classic without equal. I had a great time returning to this legendary anime.
Akira Remembers to Appreciate Family
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead Ep 9 ReviewZom 100 is unlike most zombie apocalypse stories that came before, and that has to do with its main themes.…
Learn Japanese Online For Free
Helpful Free Resources to Learn Japanese Online From Home.
Higurashi, subversion of moe, and the birth of the modern yandere
Rena and Shion originally appeared in direct counterpoint to the then-oversaturated moe tropes of the time; however, what began as subversion would become an archetype all of its…
The Nature of Online Piracy
You’ve most likely broken the law by downloading something illegally. In fact, more than an estimated 75% of computers have at least one illegally downloaded file, and 22%…
30th Anniversary for UK Anime Fans
Please join me in celebrating the 30th. Anniversary of the first organised meeting of the UK's Anime Fans. Held at the UK's Easter…
