An emotionally arrested journalist begins to reconnect with the past through wartime stories of Nagaoka in Obayashi’s compassionate plea for a kinder future
Jul 9, 2021 • Subscribe
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夏物語
夏物語、 川上 未映子、文藝春秋、 2019 Summer Story, Mieko Kawakami, Bungeishunju, 2019 [Since I first read this book, an English translation has been published by Europa Press as Breasts and…
Seven Weeks (野のなななのか, Nobuhiko Obayashi, 2014)
“A death is a history” in Obayashi’s intensely moving tale of the interconnectedness of all things, love, death, war, and memory.
News recap: RIP Nobuhiko Obayashi
Welcome back! Hopefully everyone is following good social distancing guidelines, but in case you need some help, our favorite kaiju heroes are here to help: On to…
Samurai Kids (水の旅人－侍KIDS－, Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1993)
A small boy grows closer to the natural world while guiding a tiny samurai on his journey to the sea in Nobuhiko Obayashi’s charming family adventure.
Under the Turquoise Sky (ターコイズの空の下で, KENTARO, 2021)
An aimless young man embarks on a spiritual journey after being sent to Mongolia to look for the daughter his grandfather left behind 70 years previously in the…
Nobuhiko Obayashi Coming to France on Blu-Ray [Announcement]
Hello and welcome to today’s update. No review or editorial this week due to work obligations, but I did not want to leave an empty weekly s...
The Weald (杣人物語, Naomi Kawase, 1997)
Naomi Kawase takes to the mountains hearing the stories of the ageing villagers as they meditate on loss, loneliness, and regret.
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Episode #67 (S9E5) – Castle in the Sky [天空の城ラピュタ] (1986)
This week, Perry is joined by returning guest, author Patrick Moody, to discuss the Studio Ghibli classic, Castle in the Sky. We discuss the film’s legacy, influence, and…
April Story (四月物語, Shunji Iwai, 1998)
A diffident young woman begins to step into herself while chasing love under the blossoming cherry trees of Tokyo in Shunji Iwai’s impossibly charming drama.
Legend of the Cat Monster (麗猫伝説, Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1983)
A young writer falls prey to the dream of cinema while tasked with convincing a reclusive actress to return to the silver screen in Obayashi’s gothic tale of…
The Phoenix (火の鳥, Kon Ichikawa, 1978)
The people of early Japan contemplate different visions of immortality in Kon Ichikawa’s sprawling adaptation of the first chapter in Osamu Tezuka’s manga series.
An Osaka Story (大阪物語, Kozaburo Yoshimura, 1957)
A man who tries to escape his poverty ends up imprisoning himself in Kozaburo Yoshimura’s tragicomedy
Fallen Blossoms (花ちりぬ, Tamizo Ishida, 1938)
Troubled geisha find themselves engulfed by oncoming revolution in Tamizo Ishida incendiary drama.
Uraroji Romanya Monogatari (裏路地浪漫屋物語)
Uraroji Romanya Monogatari (裏路地浪漫屋物語) is a collection of Yuri stories by creator Kumosuzume. It’s a nice collection, with a variety of tones. The title story tells of a…
Jigoku Hanazono (地獄の花園)
Jigoku Hanazono (地獄の花園) is absolute trash, hilarious and unforgivable, and probably puzzling to anyone who isn’t deeply interested in girl-gang lore. It’s a movie tailored almost …
The Island Closest to Heaven (天国にいちばん近い島, Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1984)
A young woman comes to a new understanding of herself while travelling abroad in Nobuhiko Obayashi’s laidback kadokawa idol movie.
The Dawning Sky (明け行く空, Torajiro Saito, 1929)
A female pastor is unexpectedly reunited with the child she was forced to abandon in Torajiro Saito’s tearjerking familial melodrama.
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E14 – The Katakana Fallacy and 言語の支え
The Katakana Fallacy is the mistaken belief that katakana are more difficult to learn than hiragana (and maybe even kanji?!). A closer look at what drives this believe…
A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness (悲愁物語, Seijun Suzuki, 1977)
An aspiring golfer begins to lose her sense of identity after being picked up as a brand ambassador in Seijun Suzuki’s surreal consumerist satire.
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The Sky Is Always Blue: Exploring Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Anti-War Trilogy [Editorial]
We really fear another war might break out at any time. I have lived a life full of mistakes. I regret my mistakes, but I…
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The 12 Day Tale of the Monster that Died in 8 (8日で死んだ怪獣の12日の物語, Shunji Iwai, 2020) [Fantasia 2021]
Takumi Saito plays a version of himself raising “capsule kaiju” as means of combatting Covid helplessness in Iwai’s whimsical pandemic drama
Lovely Little Ai (愛ちゃん物語♡, Ohno Candice Mana, 2021)
A lonely young woman struggling to escape her father’s obsessive control after bonding with a maternal neighbour in Ohno Candice Mana’s whimsical drama
The Floating Castle (のぼうの城, Isshin Inudo & Shinji Higuchi, 2012)
A provincial castle’s division to stand up to an invading army sends shock waves through the feudal order in Isshin Inudo & Shinji Higuchi’s lighthearted historical drama
House on Fire (火宅の人, Kinji Fukasaku, 1986)
An anxious writer fears collapse under the weight of fatherhood in Kinji Fuksaku’s adaptation of the autobiographical novel of Kazuo Dan.
Tale of Japanese Burglars (にっぽん泥棒物語, Satsuo Yamamoto, 1965)
A former burglar finds himself conflicted on realising only he can prevent a miscarriage of justice in Satsuo Yamamoto’s ironic tale of post-war moral confusion
Song of the Flower Basket (花籠の歌, Heinosuke Gosho, 1937)
The daughter of a tonkatsu shop finds herself with an overabundance of suitors in Heinosuke Gosho’s generally cheerful yet occasionally dark melodrama.
Somebody’s Flowers 誰かの花 (2022) Director: Yusuke Okada
Somebody’s Flowers 誰かの花 「Dareka no Hana」 Release Date: January 29th, 2022 Duration: 115 mins. Director: Yusuke Okada Writer: Yusuke Okada (Script), Starring: Shinsuke Kato, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Ch…
Edens Zero Chapter 221 Review – Back In the Sky Where Cherry Blossoms Dance
Universe 0. What do I even have to say about it? Truth is, this arc is certainly shaping up to be one of the weirdest directions to where…
The Thing 遊星からの物体X (1982) Dir: John Carpenter
The Thing 遊星からの物体X (1982) Dir: John Carpenter
Aristocrats (あのこは貴族, Yukiko Sode, 2021)
Two women involved with the same man eventually find interclass solidarity in Sode’s empathetic critique of a highly stratified and fiercely patriarchal society
Understanding Obayashi: House (1977)
Nobuhiko Obayashi’s House is an incredible film, and here I talk about some of its cultural context and thematic meanings.
Yakuza Graveyard (やくざの墓場 くちなしの花, Kinji Fukasaku, 1976)
A maverick cop finds himself sympathising with noble yakuza when confronted by entrenched corruption in Kinji Fukasaku’s jitsuroku-esque gangster drama.
Seiyuu Series: Nobuhiko Okamoto
seiyuu, voice actors, nobuhiko okamoto
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The Fish Tale (さかなのこ, Shuichi Okita, 2022) [Fantasia 2022]
The infinite enthusiasm of a fish obsessive gradually brightens the world around them in Shuichi Okita’s charming portrait of an eccentric.
My Atomic Aunt (波の向こう, Kyoko Miyake, 2013)
Documentarian Kyoko Miyake explores the plight of those left in limbo after the Fukushima nuclear disaster through the story of her pioneering aunt Kuniko
アニメ業界の今とそのこれから – NAFCA代表ロングインタビュー
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Manga Kodomo Bunko (まんがこども文庫) June ED (6月の歌) - Lullaby of the Rain (雨のこもりうた)
Sung by (歌): Naoko Watanabe (渡辺直子) Lyrics (作詞): Tomoko Koike (小池知子) Composition and Arrangement (作曲・編曲): Tokuhide Niimi (新実徳英) Very special thanks to PopKorn Kat for transferring and scanning this record!
So We Look to the Sky
Japanese Title: ふがいない僕は空を見た (Fugainai boku wa sora o mita)Author: Misumi Kubo (窪 美澄)Translator: Polly BartonPublication Year: 2010 (Japan); 2021 (United States)Press: Arcade PublishingPages: 267 So…
The 11 Cats (11ぴきのねこ) and Other Tales (1976, 1980)
At long last, a certain dream of mine for almost four years now has come true—namely, for Group TAC’s long-forgotten classic film The 11 Cats, which was originally…
Hana no Asuka-gumi Infinity, Volume 7 (花のあすか組 ∞インフィニティ)
Buckle in, folks, today’s review is going to be a lot of expository commentary for a payoff that may seems small to you, but is hella powerful to…
Highway Blossoms Review
A yuri visual novel by an AMERICAN studio (not Japanese!), and it’s a banger at that. Love it when yuri starts to be recognized, it shall conquer the…
Bread of Happiness (しあわせのパン, Yukiko Mishima, 2012)
A warmhearted couple offer gentle support to a series of lonely souls from their cosy Hokkaido cafe in Yukiko Mishima’s slice of comfort foodie cinema
最終考察 うみねこのなく頃に Answer to the Golden Witch – Special Discussion
This is an excerpt from a publication on the famous Mystery Visual Novel Umineko no naku koro ni. As it left many questions open, there is probably a…
Poyopoyo (2012)
I’m back again with more winter anime for human beings. Poyopoyo is about a nearly perfectly spherical cat. It ran the entirety of 2012 for 52 episodes. Each episode…
Paperman (2012)
This is a sweet short from Disney that I really liked – a perfectly simple story about trying to find someone after a chance meeting. Paper links the…
Otakuthon 2012
Again this year we will be at Otakuthon to promote Protoculture and sell lots of goodies at very good price. The convention will be hel...
