A maverick cop finds himself at the centre of a moribund gang war in Kihachi Okamoto’s anarchic western-inflected crime drama
May 13, 2021 • Subscribe
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The Big Boss (暗黒街の顔役, Kihachi Okamoto, 1959)
A veteran yakuza falls foul of changing times trying to save his teen idol younger brother from the underworld in an early crime drama from Kihachi Okamoto
Kill! (斬る, Kihachi Okamoto, 1968)
An ambitious farmer and former samurai turned wandering yakuza are swept into intrigue when seven samurai arrive to bump off a corrupt lord in Kihachi Okamoto’s absurdist jidaigeki.
The Age of Assassins (殺人狂時代, Kihachi Okamoto, 1967)
A mild-mannered professor is dragged into an international conspiracy in Kihachi Okamoto’s absurdist adventure.
Rub Out the Past (日本暗黒街, Masaharu Segawa, 1966)
A restaurateur’s attempts to shake off his violent past are frustrated by the nature of his transgressions in Masaharu Segawa’s noirish drama.
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.
Over the Town (街の上で, Rikiya Imaizumi, 2019)
An awkward young man chases love and romance on the streets of Shimokitazawa in Imaizumi’s soulful ode to the ever changing district
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The Town, and Murakami's New Novel - How to Japanese - March 2023
2002年米国最高裁「アシュクロフト対表現の自由連合」裁判判決文和訳
もうすでに20年前の判決文です。しかしながらこれからも色々参考になるところがが多いと思います。 2002年のアシュクロフト対表現の自由連合裁判は色々な影響を残しましたが、実在しない未成年に対して実在する未成年と同じ保護を与えるのは表現の自由を歪めるという判断は画期的であり、なおかつ内心の自由なる古い権利を再確認する重要な判決だったと今なお思っています。 この翻訳は弁護士の山口貴士、兼光ダニエ…
Road Warriors (あやめ笠 喧嘩街道, Tai Kato, 1960)
A penniless wander is caught up in intrigue after encountering a woman travelling alone for the purposes of revenge in Tai Kato’s Toei chanbara.
The Thief in Black (黒の盗賊, Umetsugu Inoue, 1964)
Twins separated at birth kick back against the samurai corruption and growing Tokugawa authoritarianism i Umetsugu Inoue’s politically charged jidaigeki.
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.
Lust of the White Serpent (蛇精の淫, Morihei Magatani, 1960)
A village boy falls for the headman’s daughter but unwittingly embarks on an affair with a snake spirit in Morihei Magatani’s Shintoho horror
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.
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]
Saiyuuki (1960) HD
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Tarako (1960-2024)
“Tarako” Isono, who died on 4th March, would often contend against the media’s assessment of her. Repeatedly in interviews, she would assert that she identified as a “singer-songwriter”,…
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Darkness in the Light (日本の黒い夏ー冤罪, Kei Kumai, 2001)
Idealistic teen reporters have some questions to ask of mass media and the police in Kei Kumai’s true life drama.
Street of Love and Hope (愛と希望の街, Nagisa Oshima, 1959)
A young man’s pigeon selling scam eventually ruins his cross-class friendship with a wealthy young woman in Oshima’s biting sociopolitical drama
Mutsumi Inomata (1960-2024)
We’ve got some terrible news… Mutsumi Inomata, character designer for Acrobunch (which is kinda like saying, “James Cameron, director of Pirhana 2”), passed away at the age of…
1960 in Three Places
Three countries, three films and one pivotal year.
Mutsumi Inomata (1960-2024)
The artist Mutsumi Inomata, who died on 10th March, has been a ubiquitous presence in the anime world for the last forty years, even though she distanced herself…
Last of the Wolves (孤狼の血 LEVEL2, Kazuya Shiraishi, 2021)
No longer an earnest rookie, a corrupted Hioka attempts to keep the peace in Heisei Hiroshima in Kazuya Shirashi’s Blood of Wolves followup.
The Last Kamikaze (最後の特攻隊, Junya Sato, 1970)
Junya Sato’s ambivalent drama straddles the fine line between condemning the wartime past and glorifying those who gave their lives for it.
Toren Smith, RIP (1960 - 2013)
I learned the sad news today that Toren Smith has passed away at the young age of 52. Toren…
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The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai (峠 最後のサムライ, Takashi Koizumi, 2021)
Holding fast to samurai ideals a progressive retainer realises his era is at an end in Takashi Koizumi’s homage to classic samurai cinema
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I couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia while reading the first volume of Elfen Lied. First and foremost, the artstyle feels of an era, that era…
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A thoroughly unpleasant manzai comedian undergoes a psychotic break when asked to switch from funny guy to straight man in Kenya Okubo’s darkly absurdist drama
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Content warning: The plot here is 100% manipulation, violence and sexual violence. Shirakawa Junko is beloved in her office. The younger employees look up to her with deep…
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In Volume 1 we met Shirakawa, top of her department in her office and Kuroda, a promising up-and-comer who threatens to take everything Shirakawa has built. They briefly…
白と黒~Black & White~, Volume 2
In Volume 1, we met Shirakawa Junko and Kuroda Kayo two high-spec, elites in an international sales department, who are natural enemies. They don’t just fight…in fact, they…
Execution in Autumn (秋決, Li Hsing, 1972)
A condemned man undergoes a spiritual awakening but only to understand that he must die in Li Hsing’s melancholy existential drama
The Magic Serpent (怪竜大決戦, Tetsuya Yamanouchi, 1966)
A classic tale of intrigue and revenge leads to revolution against the feudal order in Tetsuya Yamanouchi’s tokusatsu ninja movie.
Violent Streets (暴力街, Hideo Gosha, 1974)
A former yakuza’s attempts to leave the underworld behind are frustrated by gang intrigue and changing times in Hideo Gosha’s intense gangland drama.
The Last Confession
After deciding to return to blogging, but only for books for which I feel some enthusiasm, my first review goes against that decision. It's ...
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While some books take a while to get into the action, Murderer vs. Maniac wastes no time. The opening scene is all about the protagonist ...
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Jonas Mekas began writing a regular column, entitled Movie Journal, in the Village Voice of November 12, 1958. A filmmaker himself and co-founder of Anthology Film Archives in…
Black Rain (黒い雨, Shohei Imamura, 1989)
A small family finds itself contending with social stigma and a changing Japan in Shohei Imamura’s harrowing exploration of the legacy of the atomic bomb
決死の一発描きをお見せします。 My life risking drawing, without rough sketches!
漫画家・浦沢直樹の「浦沢チャンネル」。今回は、連載中の漫画「あさドラ!」より、主人公・浅田アサの一発描きをほぼノーカットでお見せします。 This is the channel of a Japanese Manga artist Naoki Urasawa. He draws a picture of Asa Asada from his recent work without rough sketches this time. The…
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.
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A naive woman asked to stand for political office in her father’s place finds herself conflicted by the depth of corruption she discovers in Yuichiro Sakashita’s political satire.
Get ’em All (「みな殺しの歌」より 拳銃よさらば, Eizo Sugawa, 1960)
A recently released young man is forced onto a nihilistic path of meaningless violence when his bank robber brother is killed in a hit and run in Eizo…
Anime Expo 2023 - Gearing-Up With the Mecha-Ude Anime Creator Okamoto
We spoke with Okamoto about her upcoming anime, the crowdfunding campaign, and the female animation team at TriF Studios.
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We spoke with Okamoto about her upcoming anime, the crowdfunding campaign, and the female animation team at TriF Studios.
The Blind Menace (不知火検校, Kazuo Mori, 1960)
A blind sociopathic monk charts an unstoppable rise to power in Kazuo Mori’s bleak period drama.