Ohana, a Tokyo high school girl, who had been living alone with her single mom has no choice but to relocate to her grandmother’s inn when her mom decides to leaves with her boyfriend. There,…
Dec 21, 2019 • Subscribe
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Hanasaku Iroha
Anime often does character studies and coming-of-age stories well. Hanasaku Iroha centers on Ohana Matsumae who is sent from Tokyo to live with a grandmother she had never…
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I ran out of space over at the newsletter this month, so I thought I’d share the いろいろ section on the blog instead. Podcast link at the bottom!…
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People often like to bring up the various shows or projects that they’ve been putting off for the longest time. Last Sunday, I attended the first of what…
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Ever since I stumbled upon Hanasaku Iroha five years ago, and found the perfect opportunity this year to watch it, it remains one of the golden pieces of…
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Fest It Up! What’s the Story? When Ohana’s mother takes off with her iffy boyfriend to avoid paying his debts, Ohana is sent to live with her grandmother…
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It can be difficult to tell a story centered around a location. Hanasaku Iroha manages it so well, with an ending that left me dreaming.
An Unseen Blossoming – A Review of Hanasaku Iroha (2011)
People often go about Google with curious search terms such as ‘underrated anime’ or ‘obscure but good anime’. This results in often dubious lists in forums and other…
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Back in 2020 when I reviewed the first volume of Nakamura Asumiko’s first manga that was specifically meant to be seen as Yuri, I kept my expectations relatively…
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This year we are starting off 101 CYE and I wanted to pick something really special to begin with. It was a difficult decision, let me tell you!…
Mejirobana Saku, Volume 3 (メジロバナの咲く)
It was summer 2021 that last time we visited this manga by the insanely hard-working Nakamura Asumiko. When I initially encountered it in the pages of Rakuen Le…
“Hana no Iro” (trans. “The Color of a Flower”) — Hanasaku Iroha OP1
namida no ame ga hoo o tataku tabi ni utsukushiku VERSEkudaranai RUURU kara hamidasezu ni naite ita boyake sugita mirai chizusurihetta KOKORO o umetakute atsumeta iranai MONO bakari…
Any Crybabies Around? (泣く子はいねぇが, Takuma Sato, 2020)
An immature young man abandons his family after becoming disgrace but discovers on his return there may be some bonds you can’t repair in Takuma Sato’s paternity drama.
Amalock (あまろっく, Kazuhiro Nakamura, 2024)
A resentful middle-aged woman’s perspective begins to change when her father suddenly marries a much younger woman in Kazuhiro Nakamura’s lighthearted dramedy.
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.
Crazy Thunder Road (狂い咲きサンダーロード, Sogo Ishii, 1980)
A perpetual outsider seeks direction but discovers only nihilistic despair in Sogo Ishii’s apocalyptic biker movie
A Far Shore (遠いところ, Masaaki Kudo, 2022)
A teenage mother struggles to make a life for herself in contemporary Okinawa in Masaaki Kudo’s bleak social drama.
A Mother’s Touch (桜色の風が咲く, Junpei Matsumoto, 2022)
A young man begins to ponder the meaning of his life while losing both his sight and hearing in Junpei Matsumoto’s heartwarming biopic.
TV 『咲うアルスノトリア すんっ！』ノンクレジットOP／ハナウタ（第五寮）「はじまりへと続く場所」
■公式サイト：https://www.arsnotoria-anime.com/ ■公式Twitter：＠arsno_anime(https://twitter.com/arsno_anime) ■推奨ハッシュタグ：#アルスノ #すんすん オープニングテーマ ❀タイトル：「はじまりへと続く場所」 ❀歌唱：ハナウタ（第五寮）[アルスノトリア CV:久野美咲、メル CV:花井美春、小アルベール CV:富田美憂、ピカトリクス CV:幸村恵理、アブラメリン CV:松井恵理子] ❀7月7日各音楽サービスにて、配信開始 https://lnk.to/hajimarietotsuzukubasho 魔法（べんきょう）のあとは とっておきのティータイム ￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣ ニトロプラス原作のTVアニメ『咲う(わらう) アルスノトリア すんっ！』 2022年7月6日（水）より放送中❀ 【 あらすじ 】 ここは全寮制の魔法学園都市《アシュラム》 ペンタグラムと呼ばれる少女たちが〈真の淑女〉を目指し、教養や礼儀作法、そして魔法を仲良く学んでいます。 生徒のひとりである少女・アルスノトリアは、同じ第五寮に所属するムードメーカーのメル、無口でマイペ―スな小アルベール、委員長気質のピカトリクス、クールなアブラメリンといつも一緒。 授業を受けたり、係活動をしたり、"あの部屋"で放課後のお茶会を開いたり…… 少女たちが送る、楽しく・賑やかな日々をお届けします！ 【 放送情報 】 2022年7月6日（水）TV放送開始 TOKYO MX…毎週水曜23:00～ ＢＳ日テレ…毎週水曜24:00 ～ AT-X…毎週水曜21:30～ ※リピート放送 毎週（金）9：30 …
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Blue, Painful, Fragile (青くて痛くて脆い, Shunsuke Kariyama, 2020)
An unreliable narrator only belatedly comes to a realisation of the costs of his immature insecurity in Kariyama’s prickly romantic drama
TV 『咲うアルスノトリア すんっ！』ノンクレジットED／cluppo(くるっぽ)「With you」
■公式サイト：https://www.arsnotoria-anime.com/ ■公式Twitter：＠arsno_anime(https://twitter.com/arsno_anime) ■推奨ハッシュタグ：#アルスノ #すんすん ❀エンディングテーマ❀ cluppo「With you」 各音楽サービスにて、配信中！ https://lnk.to/withyou_ 魔法（べんきょう）のあとは とっておきのティータイム ￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣ ニトロプラス原作のTVアニメ『咲う(わらう) アルスノトリア すんっ！』 2022年7月6日（水）より放送中❀ 【 あらすじ 】 ここは全寮制の魔法学園都市《アシュラム》 ペンタグラムと呼ばれる少女たちが〈真の淑女〉を目指し、教養や礼儀作法、そして魔法を仲良く学んでいます。 生徒のひとりである少女・アルスノトリアは、同じ第五寮に所属するムードメーカーのメル、無口でマイペ―スな小アルベール、委員長気質のピカトリクス、クールなアブラメリンといつも一緒。 授業を受けたり、係活動をしたり、"あの部屋"で放課後のお茶会を開いたり…… 少女たちが送る、楽しく・賑やかな日々をお届けします！ 【 放送情報 】 2022年7月6日（水）TV放送開始 TOKYO MX…毎週水曜23:00～ ＢＳ日テレ…毎週水曜24:00 ～ AT-X…毎週水曜21:30～ ※リピート放送 毎週（金）9：30 ・毎週（火）15：30 その他配信情報はこちら：https://arsnotoria-anime.com/onair/ ※放送時期は予告なく変更になる可能性がございます。予めご了承ください 【 STAFF 】 原作 ニトロプラス 原案 一…
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Struggling Man (私はいったい、何と闘っているのか, Toshio Lee, 2021)
A dejected middle-aged man experiences a crisis of masculinity when his home and work lives come under threat in Toshio Lee’s warmhearted comedy.
てへぺろ [Tehepero](๑≧౪≦)てへぺろ
Hi everyone. Oh no, I have left my blog for too long. I even forgot to write in English! Does anyone help me with my terrible English? My…
Haru Tsuzuru, Sakura Saku Kono Heya de (春綴る、桜咲くこの部屋で)
Haru Tsuzuru, Sakura Saku Kono Heya de (春綴る、桜咲くこの部屋で) is a deeply poignant and touching manga by Tokuwotsumu, an author who does low-key Yuri that I absolutely love. Haruki…
Domains 王国 (あるいはその家について) (2019) Dir: Natsuka Kusano
Domains is a thoroughly absorbing drama thanks to excellent performances and its unique structure. Domains 王国 (あるいはその家について) (2019) Dir: Natsuka Kusano
Hold Me Back (私をくいとめて, Akiko Ohku, 2020)
A solitary young woman begins to reassess her life choices after developing a non-relationship with a perfectly pleasant colleague in Ohku’s quirky rom-com
My Sorry Life (愛のくだらない, Kozue Nomoto, 2020)
A self-absorbed TV producer gets a wake up call when her boyfriend announces he’s pregnant in Kozue Nomoto’s ironic dramedy
Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji (ふたりはだいたいこんなかんじ)
In the Yuri world Ikeda Takashi is best known for Sasamekikoto / Whispered Words in English, from One Peace Books. That series made fun of every Yuri trope,…
いい歳
How to Know You're in the Good Old Days - How to Japanese - May 2021
Haru Tsudzuru, Sakurasaku Kono Heya de, Volume 2 (春綴る、桜咲くこの部屋で)
In Volume 1, we met Haruki, a woman suffering from intense, debilitating grief from the loss of her lover, even after 5 years. She finds Sakura’s 10-year diary…
Sayonara, Girls (少女は卒業しない, Shun Nakagawa, 2022)
A collection of teens contemplate the ghosts of youth in facing graduation from a school soon to be demolished in Shun Nakagawa’s poignant drama.
Okiku and the World (せかいのおきく, Junji Sakamoto, 2023)
A samurai’s daughter falls for a lowly manure man in a city on the brink of change in Junji Sakamoto’s touching dramedy.
Cat, the Great Detective / 猫には推理がよく似合う
Cat, the Great Detective is a mystery novel that, you may have guessed from the title and cover, features a cat. Our protagonist is Kaori T...
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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]
Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji, Volume 4 (ふたりはだいたいこんなかんじ)
In Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji, Volume 4 (ふたりはだいたいこんなかんじ) Ikeda Takashi brings his specific brand of wacky slice-of-life to a fantastic conclusion. In the first three volumes of…
Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji, Volume 2 (ふたりはだいたいこんなかんじ)
Okay, so here’s a mood. You like a creator, so when they announce a new book or series, you’re cautiously optimistic at the least. You know it might…
Eternally Younger Than Those Idiots (君は永遠にそいつらより若い, Ryuhei Yoshino, 2021)
An insecure young woman struggles to assume her place in the world while preparing to leave the aimless security of college life for an uncertain adulthood in Ryuhei…
Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji, Volume 3 (ふたりはだいたいこんなかんじ)
One of the defining characteristics of an adult life is facing setbacks. You can work really hard, gambare with all you have and still not achieve the goal.…
Evil Does Not Exist (悪は存在しない, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, 2023)
A glamping invasion threatens the equilibrium of a small rural town in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s haunting drama.
New Moomin 34/52 - I Am King! (ぼくは王様だ!) (1972) (English subtitles)
Moomin has to clean the storehouse before he can go play with his friends in the sea. While rummaging through the items, he finds a strange pair of…
I Go Gaga, Welcome Home Mom (ぼけますから、よろしくお願いします。～おかえりお母さん～, Naoko Nobutomo, 2022)
In a followup to her hugely popular documentary, Naoko Nobutomo follows her parents as her mother’s health continues to decline.
Huahua’s Dazzling World and its Myriad Temptations (花花世界, Daphne Xu, 2022)
Xu’s largely observational doc follows an unlikely streaming star as she overcomes her sense of futility through boundless optimism.
Too Young to Die (死ぬにはまだ早い, Kiyoshi Nishimura, 1969)
An adulterous couple begin to reassess their relationship when caught up in a hostage situation in Nishimura’s tense interpersonal drama
A Great Detective Never Lies / 名探偵は嘘をつかない
A Great Detective Never Lies is slightly convoluted, so bear with me for a moment.
Onna x a Onna Umakuikanai Renai Essay parlor, Volume 1 (女×女のうまくいかない恋愛エッセイ parlor)
Onna x Onna Umakuikanai Renai Essay parlor, Volume 1 (女×女のうまくいかない恋愛エッセイ parlor) by Fujio, has had a long journey from there to here. This manga began more than a…
Angry Son 世界は僕らに気づかない Dir: Kasho Iizuka
A rewrite of my review for the very worthwhile topical film Angry Son, a meaty drama about the mixed-race experience (Filipino-Japanese) in Japan! 世界は僕らに気づかない Dir: Kasho Iizuka [Osaka…
Angry Son (世界は僕らに気づかない, Kasho Iizuka, 2022)
A resentful young man comes to a better understanding of his place in the world while searching for his estranged father in Kasho Iizuka’s sensitive coming-of-age drama
~ku ～く Adverbial Copula
What is ~ku ～く in Japanese? The ending of i-adjectives that makes them into adverbs. Examples and grammar.
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 …
い Particle
The i い particle in Japanese, found in phrases like nandai なんだい, sou kai そうかい, ganbaru zoi がんばるぞい, and akireta wai 呆れたわい.
Baka and Test - Summon the Beasts, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
The Desperate (どろ犬, Takaharu Saeki, 1964)
A bruiser cop railing against the system is pulled towards the dark side in Takaharu Saeki’s icy noir.