Anime Blog Tracker

Along the Sea (海辺の彼女たち, Akio Fujimoto, 2020)

A migrant worker from Vietnam is faced with her lack of possibility after discovering she is pregnant while living undocumented in Fujimoto’s unflinching social drama

Windows on Worlds

Mar 9, 2021 • Subscribe

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]

Genkinahito

Apr 9, 2021 • Subscribe

Gotō-san ゴトーさん Dir: Hiroshi Gokan (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

A film for the economic uncertainty of our Covid-19 age. Gotō-san ゴトーさん Dir: Hiroshi Gokan (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Genkinahito

Mar 12, 2021 • Subscribe

Green Jail 緑の牢獄 Dir: Huang Yin-yu [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Green Jail 緑の牢獄 Dir: Huang Yin-yu [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Genkinahito

Apr 7, 2021 • Subscribe

Young Birds 雛鳥 Dir: Eriko Izumi [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Young Birds 雛鳥 Dir: Eriko Izumi [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Genkinahito

Apr 19, 2021 • Subscribe

The Slug 태어나길 잘했어 (2020) Dir: Choi Jin-young (South Korea) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Hands down, one of the best films at the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021, I cried multiple times during this heartfelt film about overcoming existential loneliness. The Slug…

Genkinahito

Mar 10, 2021 • Subscribe

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

Windows on Worlds

Aug 28, 2021 • Subscribe

Ito いとみち Director: Satoko Yokohama (2021) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

“Ito” is a heart-warming comedy drama rich in Aomori’s culture where a girl learning to express herself through time spent at a maid cafe and her shamisen skills.…

Genkinahito

Mar 17, 2021 • Subscribe

Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023

 For the second year in a row, the Heroic Purgatory podcast is covering the Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) which took place between March 10 and March 19.…

Heroic Purgatory

Mar 21, 2023 • Subscribe

Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023

 For the second year in a row, the Heroic Purgatory podcast is covering the Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) which took place between March 10 and March 19.…

Heroic Purgatory

Mar 21, 2023 • Subscribe

Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023

 For the second year in a row, the Heroic Purgatory podcast is covering the Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) which took place between March 10 and March 19.…

Heroic Purgatory

Mar 21, 2023 • Subscribe

Bagmati River バグマティ リバー Dir: Yusaku Matsumoto (2021) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

Bagmati River    バグマティ リバー  「Bagumati Riba-」 Release Date: 2022 Duration: 29 mins. Director: Yusaku Matsumoto Writer: Yusaku Matsumoto, Kentaro Kishi (Screenplay),  Starring: Junko Abe, Kenji Kohas…

Genkinahito

Mar 12, 2022 • Subscribe

Among Four of Us 4人のあいだで Dir: Mayu Nakamura (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Among Four of Us 4人のあいだで Dir: Mayu Nakamura (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Genkinahito

May 3, 2021 • Subscribe

Joint ジョイント Director: Oudai Kojima (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Joint ジョイント Director: Oudai Kojima (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021] is a refreshing take on the yakuza genre thanks to the depth of its world building and…

Genkinahito

Mar 7, 2021 • Subscribe

Perfect Nervous (2024) Dir: Masaru Sano [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024]

Perfect Nervous (Dir: Masaru Sano, 2024) is a gorgeous short film with fantastical elements as it tells a life-affirming story wherein two young women with incurable body-altering diseases…

Genkinahito

Mar 25, 2024 • Subscribe

Keep Rolling 好好拍電影 Dir: Man Lim Chung (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

The opening film of Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021 is KEEP ROLLING 好好拍電影 Dir: Man Lim Chung (2020), a documentary dedicated to Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui.

Genkinahito

Mar 5, 2021 • Subscribe

POP! Director: Masashi Komura (2021) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

POP! provides a slightly surreal, slightly sweet existential crisis. POP! Director: Masashi Komura (2021) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Genkinahito

Mar 24, 2021 • Subscribe

yes, yes, yes Director: Akihiko Yano (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

A powerful drama about reckoning with grief, “yes, yes, yes” is powered by raw performances from its brilliant cast. yes, yes, yes Director: Akihiko Yano (2020) [Osaka Asian…

Genkinahito

Mar 9, 2021 • Subscribe

The Sound of Light (2013) Dir: Junichiro Yamasaki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

The Sound of Light (2013) Dir: Junichiro Yamasaki is part of Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022’s Online Theater

Genkinahito

Mar 9, 2022 • Subscribe

Random Call ランダム・コール Dir: Riki Ohkanda [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

Random Call ランダム・コール Dir: Riki Ohkanda [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

Genkinahito

Mar 18, 2022 • Subscribe

Bagmati River バグマティ リバー Dir: Yusaku Matsumoto (2021) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022] vcinema review

My rewrite of my review for Bagmati River バグマティ リバー Dir: Yusaku Matsumoto (2021) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

Genkinahito

Apr 11, 2022 • Subscribe

Three Sisters 세자매 Director: Lee Seung-won (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Three Sisters 세자매 Director: Lee Seung-won (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Genkinahito

Mar 6, 2021 • Subscribe

Umibe no Cain (海辺のカイン)

For those of us interested in Yuri, the name Kimura Minori might not be the first one of the Magnificent 49ers who comes to mind, but like so…

Okazu

Dec 1, 2022 • Subscribe

Rainy Blue レイニー ブルー (2025) Dir: Asuna Yanagi [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2025]

Asuna Yanagi delivers Kumamoto stories as she channels her teen filmmaking experiences into her debut Rainy Blue レイニー ブルー (2025), a warm-hearted coming-of-age comedy drama [Osaka Asian Film…

Genkinahito

Mar 17, 2025 • Subscribe

A Rainbow-colored Trip にじいろトリップ Dir: Shinji Imaoka (2021) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

A Rainbow-colored Trip にじいろトリップ Dir: Shinji Imaoka (2021) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Genkinahito

Apr 15, 2021 • Subscribe

Howling 遠吠え Dir: Sheikh M Haris (2022) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

Howling is a bleak comedy of the absurd and cruel kind with good acting and direction to sell the story. 遠吠え Dir: Sheikh M Haris (2022) [Osaka Asian Film…

Genkinahito

Mar 13, 2022 • Subscribe

A Preview of Osaka Asian Film Festival 2025

A preview of the films at Osaka Asian Film Festival 2025!

Genkinahito

Mar 3, 2025 • Subscribe

Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023 Announces Complete Lineup

In Osaka 10th to 19th March.

Windows on Worlds

Mar 5, 2023 • Subscribe

Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022’s Japanese Films

Details on many of the Japanese films that will be screened at Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022

Genkinahito

Mar 7, 2022 • Subscribe

Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022 Announces Complete Lineup

At venues across Osaka March 10 to 20 plus 10-film retrospective selection streaming worldwide March 3 to 21

Windows on Worlds

Feb 26, 2022 • Subscribe

North Shinjuku 2055 北新宿2055 (2022) Dir: Daisuke Miyazaki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

North Shinjuku 2055 北新宿2055 (2022) Dir: Daisuke Miyazaki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

Genkinahito

Mar 10, 2022 • Subscribe

Boundary: Flaming Feminist Action 바운더리 Dir: Yun Ga-hyun (South Korea) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

Boundary: Flaming Feminist Action is a timely reminder 바운더리 Dir: Yun Ga-hyun (South Korea) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

Genkinahito

Mar 20, 2022 • Subscribe

An Interview with Satoko Yokohama, Director of “Ito” [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

An Interview with Satoko Yokohama, Director of “Ito” [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Genkinahito

Apr 12, 2021 • Subscribe

An Interview with Masashi Komura, Director of POP! [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

An Interview with Masashi Komura, Director of POP! [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Genkinahito

Apr 17, 2021 • Subscribe

A Glimpse at the Films at Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024

A glimpse at the feast of films programmed for Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024 (March 01st to March 10th)

Genkinahito

Feb 5, 2024 • Subscribe

The Residents 暮らしの残像 Director: Kahori Higashi [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

The Residents, by director Kahori Higashi, is a snappy ensemble comedy that follows a traditional four-act structure of intro, development, twist, and conclusion. The Residents 暮らしの残像 Director: Kah…

Genkinahito

May 27, 2022 • Subscribe

５２ヘルツのクジラたち

５２ヘルツのクジラたち is a bestselling novel by Sonoko Machida that won the 2021 Japan Booksellers’ Award Grand Prize. In March 2024, the story was adapted into a feature film…

Contemporary Japanese Literature

Dec 15, 2024 • Subscribe

Performing KAORU’s Funeral カオルの葬式 Director: Noriko Yuasa [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024]

Performing KAORU’s Funeral カオルの葬式 (Dir Noriko Yuasa) is a heady story of remembering an individual through pulling together memories. Amidst the farce and tears of the funeral lies a…

Genkinahito

Apr 8, 2024 • Subscribe

Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022’s Opening and Closing Films

Details on Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022’s Opening and Closing Films – Yanagawa, Miss Osaka

Genkinahito

Feb 9, 2022 • Subscribe

Snowdrop スノードロップ Director: Kota Yoshida [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024]

Snowdrop スノードロップ, by director Kota Yoshida, is a socially conscious domestic drama/character study that looks at the welfare system via a woman chased by the trauma of abandonment…

Genkinahito

Mar 5, 2024 • Subscribe

The Burden of the Past 過去負う者 (2022) Dir: Atsushi Funahashi [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023]

The Burden of the Past by director Atsushi Funahashi is a fierce film about the failure of Japanese society to provide rehabilitation for former criminals. The Burden of the…

Genkinahito

Mar 13, 2023 • Subscribe

The Outsiders’ Club よそ者の会 (2024) Director: Hami Nishizaki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2025]

Hami Nishizaki’s use of location and her cast brilliantly depict the feeling of alienation through two characters whose intentions are misconstrued by the people around them in The…

Genkinahito

Mar 15, 2025 • Subscribe

A Preview of the Japanese Films at Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024

A Preview of the Japanese Films at Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024 (March 01 – March 10) – trailers and synopses.

Genkinahito

Feb 19, 2024 • Subscribe

Swimming, Sumiko

It Must Be Love 愛の茶番 Director: Junko Emoto [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024]

It Must Be Love 愛の茶番, by director Junko Emoto, has actors give fun improvisational performances as egotistic characters driven crazy by love in a film-meets-theatre experiment. [Osaka Asian…

Genkinahito

Mar 8, 2024 • Subscribe

Our House Party ボクらのホームパーティー (2022) Director: Shuichi Kawanobe [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

“Our House Party” is a well-acted slice of gay life from Tokyo that gives an honest view of some of what it means to be gay in Japan.…

Genkinahito

Jul 13, 2022 • Subscribe

Howling 遠吠え Dir: Sheikh M Haris (2022) V Cinema Show Review [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

Howling is a bleak comedy of the absurd and cruel kind with good acting and direction to sell the story. 遠吠え Dir: Sheikh M Haris (2022) [Osaka Asian Film…

Genkinahito

Apr 15, 2022 • Subscribe

Hong Kong Family 過時・過節 (2022) Dir: TSANG Hing Weng Eric [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023]

Hong Kong Family by director Eric Tsang is a strong ensemble drama that shows he is a promising talent to watch. 過時・過節 (2022) Dir: TSANG Hing Weng Eric…

Genkinahito

Mar 18, 2023 • Subscribe

Good Luck グッドラック Director: Shin Adachi [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2025]

Good Luck グッドラック is a wonderful low-key comedy from Shin Adachi that is part travelogue, part-Before Sunrise walk-and-talk, all cool-couple chemistry (HANA AMANO IS A-M-A-Z-I-N-G) [Osaka Asian Film…

Genkinahito

Mar 18, 2025 • Subscribe

Out of TOKYO202x Director: Akinori Ikuse [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

A refreshing sci-fi short from Japan, Out of TOKYO202x takes the time-slip formula and uses it on the summer Olympics of 2021! Director: Akinori Ikuse [Osaka Asian Film Festival…

Genkinahito

Mar 12, 2022 • Subscribe

V. MARIA (2025) Director: Daisuke Miyazaki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2025]

In Daisuke Miyazaki’s V. MARIA, the passing down of Visual Kei culture and love from one generation to the next is genuinely moving and the stylish delivery of…

Genkinahito

Mar 17, 2025 • Subscribe