It was the day of the big university oral examination, and the unnamed student was understandably flustered when the phone rang. When she picked up, there was a deep, sonorous voice at the other end, a woman she had never met but who still somehow sounded familiar. She introduced herself as Amy Howard Wilson, the […]
Mar 14, 2021 • Subscribe
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Amy Howard Wilson
Japanese animation, anime, cartoons, manga, 1960-1990, Tezuka, Miyazaki, Ishinomori, Matsumoto, Yamato, Gatchaman, Star Blazers, Captain Harlock
Akira Toriyama (1955-2024)
The manga creator Akira Toriyama, who died on 1st March, was cited by the editor-in-chief of Weekly Shonen Jump as being the prime catalyst in driving the magazine…
Buichi Terasawa (1955-2023)
The manga artist Buichi Terasawa, who died on 8th September, enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame in the 1980s, becoming popular just as his particular brand of lurid,…
Episode 25 - Dr. Amy Stanley (Northwestern)
In this episode, Dr. Amy Stanley (Northwestern University) outlines the impact of the Meiji Restoration on the practice of prostitution in Japan along with the social positions and…
Godzilla Raids Again (1955) review
Thsi sequal lacks the impact of Honda’s classic, but Oda’s narrative does deliver enough action and destruction to satisfy any Kaiju fan.
31: Quinn Welsh-Wilson Goes Guesto Mode
The Sickos welcome podcast-doer and major Sicko Quinn Welsh-Wilson to the show for a scintillating guesto episode. Quinn is cursed enough to share heretofore unrequited obsessions with each…
The Wolves (狼, Kaneto Shindo, 1955)
Post-war desperation drives a collection of otherwise honest men and women towards a criminal act that for all its politeness they are ill-equipped to live with in Kaneto’s…
Stranger in the Shogun’s City by Amy Stanley
History tends to represent the voices of men and those in power. Typically, governmental officials, who are most often men, know how to read and write. And those…
Episode 99 - PREVIEW: On the Record with Dr. Noell Wilson
This episode previews a new podcast series, Japan on the Record, a shorter format current events-themed series. In episode 1, Dr. Noell Wilson (University of Mississippi) details the…
On My Mind – July 14 2022: And now a word from Amy
On the eve of Anime North (and the afterglow of PRIDE), one of the regulars has a very important message for the Roundtable listeners and hopefully Anime North…
Twilight Saloon (たそがれ酒場, Tomu Uchida, 1955)
A generational divide echoes around a beer hall filled with a defeated sense of bonhomie until finally finding a point of rest in Tomu Uchida’s elliptical single set…
Today on Yuri Studio – S04 E15 – Yuri Adjacent with Amy Martin and Luce
Join us at 12PM Eastern US time for the premiere of the next Yuricon 2023 video! Amy Martin is joined by guest Luce to discuss the value and…
The Green Music Box (緑はるかに, Umetsugu Inoue, 1955)
A lonely little girl finds herself dragged into conspiracy when her father is kidnapped by spies in Umetsugu Inoue’s bizarre musical adventure.
The Beauty and the Dragon (美女と怪龍, Kozaburo Yoshimura, 1955)
A clever princess takes advantage of a courtly crisis to save the kingdom and arrange her own marriage in Kozaburo Yoshimura’s adaptation of the well-known kabuki play Narukami.
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.
The Swordsman and the Actress (大江戸千両囃子, Yasushi Sasaki, 1955)
Hibari Misora stars as an actress drawn into a complex battle for a precious fan in Yasushi Sasaki’s comic jidaigeki adventure
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Ito (Japan, 2021) [OAFF 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Satoko Yokohama's comedy-drama Ito.
![Featured image for POP! (Japan, 2021) [OAFF 2021]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210427/1619529842.11210.35622.jpg)
POP! (Japan, 2021) [OAFF 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Masashi Komura's surreal coming-of-age tale POP!
Ninja Girl (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Rowena Santos Aquino reviews Yu Irie's subversive comedy Ninja Girl.
Barbarian Invasion [NYAFF 2021] (Malaysia, 2021)
Epoy Deyto reviews Tan Chui Mui's meta-film Barbarian Invasion.
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Drifting (Hong Kong, 2021) [CVF 2021]
Wilson Kwong reviews Jun Li’s socially conscious drama Drifting.
Time (Hong Kong, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Wilson Kwong reviews Ricky Ko's comedy-drama Time.
Junk Head (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
John Atom reviews Takahide Hori's stop motion animation Junk Head.
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Goto-san (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
“Gokan expertly reveals the position of the freeter as an attempt to escape the capitalistic machinery but also as a position that most easily falls prey to the…
Spring 2021.
Wanna hear something embarrassing? This post has been sitting, complete and ready to post, in my drafts for over a month now. I just lacked the energy to…
January 2021
With returning to blogging on January 10, this month has been one where I’ve been trying to find a balance between my real world commitments and my firm…
Spring 2021!
It’s been about a year now since we’ve all been experiencing (in one way or another) the effects of the global pandemic. I hope that you and yours…
Fall 2021.
Sweater season is upon us! Not really because it’s Spring in Melbourne but somehow still feels like it’s the middle of Winter. I’ve had hail in my area…
The Vampire Dies in No Time, Musashi, Platinum End, VISUAL PRISON, Blue Period
Summer 2021!
Summer 2021 is officially here! So, y’all know the drill.
Summer 2021
Another 3 months gone and I don’t even know where it’s gone TBH. I had a Moot Court this past Monday and it left me emotionally drained and…
The Dungeon of Black Company, Battle Game in 5 Seconds, Scarlet Nexus, Sonny Boy, The aquatope on white sand
2021 Retrospective
Here's to another good one, friends. 3:02 - 2021 Recommendations 3:13 - Golden Kamuy 4:15 - Hina Change 5:21 - Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 6:57 - Curtains Up, I'm Off 8:01 - The Bones…
Winter 2021
Hello! How many of us are looking forward to the new year?? I know I am! Winter 2021 feels like a brand new start, granted all our problems…
Farewell, 2021…
Just a quick post about my next plans as 2021 is gonna end soon. Yes, we’re still under the mercy of the COVID-19 pandemic, but I’m hoping that…
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Sweet Bitter Candy (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
“An amazing exploration of the clash between a sweet youthful romantic desire and the bitter urge of a wounded subject to defend his subjective wounds.”
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Junho (South Korea/USA, 2021) [CAAMFest 2021]
John Atom reviews David Boo's topical drama Junho.
The Asian Angel (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Rowena Santos Aquino review Yuya Ishii's road movie The Asian Angel.
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Drive All Night (USA, 2021) [CAAMFest 2021]
John Berra reviews Peter Hsieh's neo-noir Drive All Night.
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Midnight (미드나이트, Kwon Oh-seung, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A deaf woman and her mother become unwitting targets for a sadistic serial killer in Kwon’s extraordinarily tense chase through the darkened streets of Soeul
Raging Fire (China/Hong Kong, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
John Berra reviews Benny Chan's action movie Raging Fire.
Escape from Mogadishu (South Korea, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
South Korean cinema is no longer the producer of small and idiosyncratic films that have to seep through the cracks of international cinema. It hasn’t been for years.…
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Seobok (서복, Lee Yong-ju, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A terminally ill former government agent reckons with mortality while bonding with a clone birthed to cure humanity’s ills in Lee Yong-ju’s high concept thriller
Winter 2021 to Fall 2021 Anime Power Rankings
It's been 2 years since the last one, let's get right into it. Winter 2021 1) Wonder Egg Priority Worth watching for the animation alone. However the ending is chotto... 2) Re:Zero…
Attack on Titan, Lycoris Recoil, ZOMBIE LAND SAGA, Super Cub, Encouragement of Climb
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Mari and Mari (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“A beautiful narrative that seems to bear no relation to our romantic life at first, but ultimately hits close to home.”
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Spaghetti Code Love (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“Maruyama’s narrative speaks powerfully to the spectator’s subjectivity – his fears and hopes – and enables his evocation of a glimmer of hope that remains present in this…
Last of the Wolves (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Kazuya Shiraishi's sequel Last of the Wolves.
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Follow The Light (2021) review [Fantasia Festival 2021]
The narrative might not offer anything new at a thematical level, but stands out due to his refusal to spell things out and, instead, imply certain subjective truths…
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A New Wind Blows (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
A great film that shows that the madness of the male subject is often function of a woman, of a woman that unknowingly puts the by a man…
Mari and Mari (Japan, 2021) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Tatsuya Yamanishi's romantic mystery Mari and Mari.