In sad news this week we learned of the passing of Akemi Tanaka. She died of cancer on Monday 7th June 2021. Many anime fans will remember A...
Jun 12, 2021 • Subscribe
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PARALLEL (Daiki Tanaka, 2021)
A wounded young woman in search of a protector and a nihilistic serial killer fight for the meaning of existence in Daiki Tanaka’s dark romantic drama
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Sleeping Beauty (1959) Upon re-watching Sleeping Beauty recently I was fascinated to realise that the three fairies are pretty much the main characters :) Obviously they’re not the…
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The latest in the Afro Tanaka comedy series about the life of afro haired Hiroshi Tanaka that focuses on his life as a newly married man who is…
Meet Director TANAKA Daiki
Born in Tokyo in 1994, freelance film director, Tanaka, is a graduate of Nihon University College of Art's film directing course. Tanaka’s genre-defying thesis film, Filament, won awards…
Character of the Month: Homura Akemi
Greetings, fabulous people of the Internet! Hanime on Anime here, and welcome the monthly tradition on this blog that is Character of the Month! This one was a…
Snack Basue - Episode 4 - Demonic Akemi
Akemi looked demonic to the snack bar patrons when she described how cruel and picky she was for her romantic partners. Snack Basue - Episode 4
Sexy Tanaka-san: Ashihara Hinako
How can you not read at least one volume of a manga called Sexy Tanaka-san? If you are able to resist such an absurd title, I commend you…
Angel Oil by Tanaka Tatsuyuki
I apologize in advance for the up-coming flood of weird manga that I’m going to be reviewing here. I’ve started a new podcast (not, unfortunately for fans of…
Snack Basue - Episode 3 - Akemi Ahegao Face
Akemi thought a book of pickup lines would fail to work on her. But simple words and a single flower would turn her to mush. Snack Basue -…
Tetsuwan Atom (1959 live-action) – Episode 06
In this episode, Atom storms the island base of the ZZZ Gang, attempting to rescue Michelle and her father Professor Leon. Get it from Nyaa or Mega.
Snack Basue - Episode 6 - Akemi Serves Mixed Drink
Akemi knows how to shut up a problem customer by serving a well-timed drink. You try to glug and spout at the same time. Snack Basue - Episode…
Snack Basue - Episode 10 - Akemi Three and Three
In a discussion about friend groups, Akemi insists on maintaining only three. Otherwise, she can't be the prettiest. Snack Basue - Episode 10
Snack Basue - Episode 13 [END] - Akemi Mosaic Cactus
Akemi noticed that Morita's potted cactus gift resembled an indecent object. But how can she convince the others? Snack Basue - Episode 13 [END]
Anime Central 2023 Interview: Tanaka Rie
Tanaka Rie is a veteran voice actor with over two decades’ experience in anime. How would you describe the voice acting industry back when you first started versus…
Tanaka Perseveres – Haikyuu!! To The Top
Tanaka has the heart of a champion.
Kinuyo Tanaka: A Life in Film
Runs August & September at BFI Southbank
Snack Basue - Episode 1 - Akemi Mama Basue Want Better
Akemi and Mama Basue like hearing light problems, so they can respond with nonserious advice. Yamada was so close! Snack Basue - Episode 1
Rei (莉の対, Toshihiko Tanaka, 2024)
As the opening title cards of Toshihiko Tanaka’s Rei (莉の対, Rei no Tsui) somewhat paradoxically explain, Rei is a kanji character that has no real meaning on its…
Snack Basue - Episode 8 - Akemi Chugs Shouchuu from the Bottle
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Halloween Special Review: The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959) review
Nakagawa succeeds in delivering an unforgettable finale that, due to its hallucinatory feel, mesmerises the spectator with its haunting imagery.
The Makioka Sisters / 細雪 / Sasameyuki (‘Light Snowfall’, 1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #148 Junko Kano and Fujiko Yamamoto Junichiro Tanizaki’s novel Sasameyuki is widely recognised as a classic of Japa...
Good Morning (お早よう, Yasujiro Ozu, 1959)
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Seiyuu Highlights: Rie Tanaka 田中 理恵
She's more than just your typical onee-sama in the Seiyuu industry. Rie Tanaka proves that you can be a middle-ages woman, yet still young and hip enough to…
The Whale God (鯨神, Tokuzo Tanaka, 1962)
A young man wrestles with the destructive legacy of vengeance in a traditional fishing village on the verge of eclipse in Tokuzo Tanaka’s parabolic drama.
Love in the Mountains / わかれ / Wakare (‘Parting’, 1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #145 Haruko Wanibuchi and Isuzu Yamada Teenager Kimiko (Haruko Wanibuchi) helps out at a ryokan (traditional inn) i...
Paintings in Movies: PILLOW TALK (1959) and PROJECT A (1983)
I’m always intrigued when I notice background details involving artwork in various films and TV shows, especially paintings on the walls of the various interiors used in the…
The Relaxing World of Tanaka-Kun is Always Listless
It’s hard to see exactly why slice of life, a genre that is merely a series of realistic events without a significant “plot”, seems to be appealing to…
Tanaka-kun Is The MOST Relatable Character in Anime
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The Human Wall / 人間の壁/ Ningen no kabe (1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #113 Kyoko Kagawa Fumiko (Kyoko Kagawa) is a teacher at an elementary school in Saga Prefecture in the south of Japa...
Sexy Tanaka-San: A Fumbled Drama Adaptation, a Tragic Death
The sudden death of manga author Ashihara Hinako has fans demanding answers from publisher Shogakukan about the dramatization of her work.
Sexy Tanaka-San: A Fumbled Drama Adaptation, a Tragic Death
The sudden death of manga author Ashihara Hinako has fans demanding answers from publisher Shogakukan about the dramatization of her work.
Lisa Lisa’s Voice Actress, Atsuko Tanaka, Passes Away at 61
The voice actress of Lisa Lisa in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Atsuko Tanaka, passes away from illness at the age of 61.
Artbook reviews #3 (Shunya Yamashita, Kantoku, Kazuma Kaneko, Rie Tanaka)
I recently bought a large haul of books, CDs, and doujins straight from Japan. Since I didn’t get the chance to deepen my debt at an anime con…
20 Years of Fate/Stay Night: Disillusion by Sachi Tanaka
For 20 years, Fate/Stay Night has wowed and wondered readers and watchers. Like all long running franchises, it has its up and downs, its homers and clunkers. But…
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
Tanaka Atsuko, Shinohara Emi, Ohyama Nobuo: Goodbye to Voice-Acting Greats
I wanted to express my brief thoughts on three different Japanese voice actors who passed away recently. I don’t mean to diminish any of them, but I’ve been…
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[English translation] Hiroko Utsumi and Akemi Hayashi Comic Natalie Interview about BANANA FISH anime
Over two weeks later, I finally finished translating the full interview that is proofread-ed. That tacky translation thread I made on twitter is a nightmare. This interview is conducted…
The Beast Shall Die (野獣死すべし, Eizo Sugawa, 1959)
A sociopathic serial killing literature student runs rings around an ideologically divided police force in a grimy post-Sun Tribe Toho noir from Eizo Sugawa
Image of a Mother (母のおもかげ, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1959)
A little boy’s difficulties in accepting his new stepmother express an anxiety about the changing nature of the family in Hiroshi Shimizu’s familial melodrama.
The Ghosts of Kagami Pond (怪談鏡ケ淵, Masaki Mori, 1959)
The ambitious manager of a kimono store gets a gets a ghostly comeuppance in Masaki Mori’s B-movie kaidan
Haikyuu!!: To the Top ep.13 – The Ballad of Tanaka The Stupid
I already knew that Haikyuu was a split cour. This means I knew that this season finale wouldn’t really bring much closure and was really more of a…
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
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Break Down That Wall / その壁を砕け / Sono kabe o kudake (1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #108 Izumi Ashikawa and Yuji Odaka in foreground Saburo (Yuji Odaka) is a young Tokyo garage mechanic who has been w...
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Natchan’s Little Secret (ひみつのなっちゃん。, Yasujiro Tanaka, 2023)
A trio of drag queens take off on a journey of self discovery while saying goodbye to their late friend and mentor in Yasujiro Tanaka’s road trip comedy.
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“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!
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