A pure-hearted former policeman embarks on a noirish journey of retribution after discovering his partner may have betrayed him in Masuda’s stylish crime drama
Jul 16, 2021 • Subscribe
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Zero (零戦燃ゆ, Toshio Masuda, 1984)
The Zero Fighter has taken on a kind of mythic existence in a romanticised vision of warfare, yet as Toshio Masuda’s Zero (零戦燃ゆ零戦燃ゆ, Zerosen moyu) implies its time…
Velvet Hustler (紅の流れ星, Toshio Masuda, 1967)
A gangster laying low realises there is no escape from his sense of ennui in Toshio Masuda’s post-modern re-imagining of his earlier Red Pier
New Moomin 38/52 - The Curse of the Red Moon (赤い月の呪い) (1972) (English subtitles)
Every lunar eclipse, swarms of bats arrive in Moominvalley, and these bats are said to be vampiric. When it turns out that Snufkin has been taking care of…
Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs (０課の女 赤い手錠, Yukio Noda, 1974)
A former police woman is charged with rescuing a
Red Post on Escher Street (エッシャー通りの赤いポスト, Sion Sono, 2020)
The extras reclaim the frame in Sion Sono’s anarchic advocation for the jishu life.
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Episode #78 (S10E7) – Red Beard [赤ひげ] (1965)
In this episode, Ian Buckley joins the show to discuss Red Beard, one of Kurosawa’s most renowned films. With a lot of similar themes to Kurosawa’s earlier film,…
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.
Here Because of You (君たちがいて僕がいた, Ryuichi Takamori, 1964)
Post-war teens take on injustice in the form of a problematic parent at their school in Ryuichi Takamori’s cheerful youth movie.
Revenge (1964) review
A classic – a jidai-geki that every cinephile should see.
Mad About Madhouse: Toshio Hirata
Toshio Hirata briefly talks about the origin of Japanimation, the revolution of limited animation, Masao Maruyama’s unusual and pivotal role in Madhouse, and his prior work, such as…
Keiko Nobumoto (1964-2021)
The writer Keiko Nobumoto, who died on 1st December from oesophageal cancer, was one of the stand-out figures of the anime world, quite possibly because her path to…
Takahiro Kimura (1964-2023)
Takahiro Kimura, who died on 5th March, first got the idea that animation might be the career for him when he saw episodes of Armoured Trooper VOTOMS and…
Pale Flower (1964) review
“A ‘seductive’ nihilistic masterpiece that explores the unescapable subjective problems created by the rhythmic capitalistic machinery.”
いい歳
How to Know You're in the Good Old Days - How to Japanese - May 2021
A Story from Echigo / 越後つついし親不知 / Echigo Tsutsuishi Oyashirazu (1964)
Obscure Japanese Film #107 Rentaro Mikuni and Yoshiko Sakuma In 1930s Japan, Gonsuke (Rentaro Mikuni) is working at a sake brewery in Fushim...
Ken (剣, Kenji Misumi, 1964)
A rigid young man dreaming of a “pure life” is forced to confront the contradictions of the modern society in Misumi’s melancholy masculinity drama
Brief Thoughts On: Ningyo (1964)
Serving as one of Osamu Tezuka's very first films, Ningyo is an interesting part of anime history to look back on.
The Shape of Night (1964) review
This filmic narrative needs to be counted among the classics of Japanese cinema
TokyoScope INTERVIEW: Sebastian Masuda, SUSHIDELIC, and the Power of KAWAII!
A talk with the founder of a new psychedelic Japanese restaurant in Soho, NYC
いろいろ December 2023
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!…
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.
Translation: Toshio Suzuki Reminisces About Isao Takahata (Part 1)
Last August, the severe working conditions under Isao Takahata made headlines on many websites after Ghibli producer and long-time colleague Toshio Suzuki openly talked about Takahata’s incredibly demanding…
Translation: Toshio Suzuki Reminisces About Isao Takahata (Part 3)
I kind of forgot that I was already 65 % done with this translation when I went on my bikepacking trip from Okinawa to Nagasaki. But I’m back…
Translation: Toshio Suzuki Reminisces About Isao Takahata (Part 2)
I am sorry for the long, long wait, but here’s part 2. A lot of fascinating details about the production of Princess Kaguya. I’ve also started adding tooltips…
Red Angel
by Jeremy Clarke. An army nurse is sent to China in director Yasuzo Masumura’s Red Angel (1966). Or as a slogan in one of the film’s trailers puts…
Turning Red
By Andrew Osmond. Over the years, I’ve cast an “anime eye” over new Pixar and Disney films, judging them against anime. Pixar’s latest film Turning Red dropped on…
Mars Red
I like this anime for a small handful of reasons. Otherwise it’s just confusing and therefore impossible to like or really even dislike overall.
Red Mudan
Tonight’s show and tell looks back to the hardships of a young woman who eventually went down in history as the first and only female emperor of China,…
Red Geist
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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.
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Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) review [The Godzilla Project]
A splendid Godzilla narrative that does not only delivers Kaiju action in a satisfying and engaging way but also continues the questioning of the blossoming of the capitalistic…
~i ～い Copula
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A Movie Capital (映画の都, Toshio Iizuka, 1991)
As the opening of Toshio Iizuka’s A Movie Capital (映画の都, Tokyo no Miyako) makes plain, 1989 was a year of turbulence all over the world but also perhaps…
Red Hearts & Red Threads in Tears of Themis
One of the most hype events of Tears of Themis is finally making its way to the English server!
One Piece Film: Red: The Thin Red Line
Once again I step into the world of Anime Franchise films! This is a well I’ve gone to now and again, and only when I feel I have…
An Outlaw (ならず者, Teruo Ishii, 1964)
Ken Takakura stars as a China-based hitman dragged into local intrigue when a job goes awry in an early crime thriller from Teruo Ishii.
歩いても 歩いても OST - GONTITI
Still Walking [Aruitemo Aruitemo] Directed by: Hirokazu Koreeda 2008 Download
Itoshii Koishi, Volume 3 (いとしこいし)
Hina is a high school senior with a secret -she’s dating an older woman. She wants very much to share that secret with her friends, she just needs…
Mars Red – 02
「死が二人を分かつまで」 (Shi ga Futari o Wakatsu Made) "Till Death Do Us Part" Tragic love ran throughout this episode like the red thread of fate.
Mars Red – 11
「黒翼」 (kokuyoku) "Dark Wings" Glenn certainly got his "happily ever after" today.
Mars Red – 11
Vampires have always been the tragic heroes of Mars Red, but never has their sad plight been more eloquently elucidated than here. Read more
Red “Letter” Day
I don’t think my life is that big of a mess, but I constantly check what I have seen and what I have reviewed and when I find…
Mars Red – 12
「道化の王」 (Dōke no Ō)"King of Fools" A rapid descent follows the pinnacle of power.
Mars Red – 10
「通り過ぎし、夏の夜の夢」 (Tōrisugishi, Natsu no Yo no Yume) "A Midsummer Night's Dream Gone By" Do vampires dream?
Mars Red – 05
There are a lot of different interests tangled up here. And the moral landscape of Mars Red is just as tangled. Read more
Mars Red – 06
「さいごの青空」 (Saigo no Aozora)"The Last Blue Sky" No longer human?
Review – Mars Red
Mars Red is a historical anime, based in the year 1923. It follows the story of how Japan has been disrupted by a mysterious blood source that created…
Mars Red – 03
「夢枕」 (Yume Makura) "His Dream" It is difficult to start a new life while encountering remnants of one's old life.
Mars Red – 09
I can't shake the feeling that - as with most good vampire stories - this series is at heart a tragedy. Read more