A gentle samurai who just wants to grow flowers finds himself consumed by courtly intrigue and a cruel destiny in a visual tour de force from Kenji Misumi
Jul 23, 2021 • Subscribe
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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
Destiny’s Son (斬る, Kenji Misumi, 1962)
A wandering son finds himself in the middle of intrigue on learning the sad secrets of his birth in Kenji Misumi’s elliptical, elegiac tale of death and the…
Freelance Samurai (桃太郎侍, Kenji Misumi, 1957)
An abandoned son resolves to wander Japan killing the “demons” of Edo-era society in Kenji Misumi’s adaptation of the popular novel by Kiichiro Yamate.
On the Road Forever (無宿者, Kenji Misumi, 1964)
Wandering sons on opposing sides find themselves united in their quest to avenge absent fathers in Kenji Misumi’s filiality drama
Misumi Kubo’s Trinity
トリニティ、窪美澄、新潮社、2019 (Trinity, by Misumi Kubo, published by Shinchosha in 2019) In an essay entitled「五十歳の私」 (“Myself at 50;” published in 2016), Misumi Kubo writes that she was surprised when…
Misumi Kubo imagines a sexless Japan
アカガミ、窪美澄、河出書房新社、2016 Akagami, by Misumi Kubo, Kawade Publishing, 2016 “Akagami” is Misumi Kubo’s vision of what would happen if the trends seen among Japan’s younger generation were to reach…
Furin / 不倫 (1965)
Obscure Japanese Film #126 Ayako Wakao Saburi (Keizo Kawasaki) is a writer who has just won the Newcomer of the Year Award for…
Episode 30: Kenji Miyazawa
Check out Episode 30 of the Read Literature podcast. Transcript available. There is no one quite like Kenji Miyazawa. Born into wealth, he longed to be “a real…
Ashima (Kenji Tsukamoto, 2023)
A teenage rock climber wrestles with the pressures of parental expectation and early fame in Kenji Tsukamoto’s probing documentary.
The Demon (鬼畜, Yoshitaro Nomura, 1978)
When his mistress abandons their three children on his doorstep, a resentful father and his enraged wife take drastic action to be free of them in Yoshitaro Nomura’s…
Tokyo Olympiad (1965) [Documentary Review]
Tokyo Olympiad or, Faster, Higher, Stronger The Olympics are a symbol of human aspiration When it comes to sports-oriented movies, ther...
Tsuritama is unmistakably Kenji Nakamura
Between Fate/Zero’s continuation, Tsuritama, Acchi Kocci, Sankarea and probably Hyouka (once I get around to it) I’ve been pretty pleased by the quality of the summer season. Traditionally…
Demon Slayer 鬼滅の刃 Kimetsu no Yaiba
Tanjiro, son of a humble woodcutter, returns from town to find his family slaughtered mercilessly. The work of demons, this also turns his sister into a demon. He…
Devil Ecstasy
A manga about the brothel Devil Ecstasy run by succubi who consume the life essence of men and kill them. Continue reading →
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[English translation] Kenji Nojima PASH!+ Interview
The interview came from the August issue of PASH! which is later extracted and posted at the magazine’s website weeks after its release. I already said this multiple…
Kenji Miyazawa in Anime and Manga
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Transcript of Episode 30: Kenji Miyazawa
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Murderer vs. Maniac / 殺人犯 対 殺人鬼
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 ...
Dead Talents Society (鬼才之道, John Hsu, 2024)
Faced with disintegration a teenage ghost must learn how to seize the stage in John Hsu’s zany horror comedy.
Let It Ghost (猛鬼3寶, Wong Hoi, 2022)
A collection of conflicted souls find themselves haunted by the ills of their society in Wong Hoi’s retro horror comedy
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Episode #79 (S10E8) – Kwaidan [怪談] (1965)
Podcaster Mike Lund visits the show to discuss Kwaidan, an adaptation of four of Lafcadio Hearn’s Japanese ghost stories. We discuss our favorite stories from this anthology, some…
A Story Written With Water (1965) review
An exquisitely layered psychological drama that unveils how a subject’s fixation on a phantasmatic image disrupts his ability to commit himself romantically to the female other
My Dog Becomes Human by Hamada Kenji
As someone who regularly participates in Yuletide as a pinch hitter, I was wandering, like one does, through the tag set for the upcoming year. Lo and behold,…
Manga: Time Paradox Ghostwriter by Kenji Ichima
Time Paradox Ghostwriter by Ichima Kenji is a short-lived manga series, only fourteen chapters long, that in all actuality is not really ...
A Guest Article by Kenji the Engi
What follows is a guest article written by my dear friend Kenji and edited by me, on a subject that extends far beyond anime into other forms of…
Momotaro’s Devil General
By Jonathan Clements. He shrugs and stammers, he mumbles and prevaricates. He can’t surrender because he is not in command of all the troops, you see. The first…
The Net Devil
Andy takes on all ten master rules at once, Denji gets foiled by a net, and Two on Ice provides an absolutely exquisite over-the-top antagonist! 4:52 - My Hero…
Green Green, My Hero Academia, One Piece, Undead Unluck, Chainsaw Man
Obake no Q-Taro (1965) – Episodes 01A & 12B
Based on the gag manga by the duo known as Fujiko Fujio, here’s the very first segment of the original black and white anime. The first series featured…
Daughter-in-Law (민며느리, Choi Eun-hee, 1965)
A sense of female solidarity eventually develops between a dutiful young woman and her tyrannical mother-in-law in Choi Eun-hee’s lighthearted directorial debut
The Life, Works and Themes of Kenji Miyazawa
Image Source: izumi-books This is the first out of three planned post about Kenji Miyazawa. 1) The Life, Works and Themes of Kenji Miyazawa 2) Kenji Miyazawa in…
Futari Gurashi 12 Goodbye Kenji Kingmenu Subs 2024
Yeah, we haven’t forgotten this series, fans! We just been doing other projects, We been getting many requests on our sources, on this..it from a priviate collector who…
A Trip to Kenji Miyazawa’s Beautiful Hometown Hanamaki
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Oni to Yoake Yuzikiyo (鬼と夜明け 夕月夜)
While shopping in random bookstores in Japan at the end of last year I kept seeing book,s with girls in school uniforms wielding swords. I did that thing…
Devil de Story (1983)
https://nyaa.si/view/1763447 Fansub credits can be found in the link above. Our first 2024 upload! A mysterious—and possibly lost—film fro...
The “Devil” You Say
I guess if you are going to be a demon, it really helps to be a cute one. Or have big boobs. I guess that’s nice as well.…
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Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) review [The Godzilla Project]
A great narrative that is marred by budget and time-constraints.
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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,…
“Devil On My Shoulder” – Stray Little Devil (manga) – 5/10 Peeps
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“Sword” Play
This was a second season approach that I did not see coming, but it was fully welcomed, as it is something that is rarely put out there and…
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Oppressive social codes and repressed desire provoke a tragic love triangle in Mizoguchi’s adaptation of the story by Tanizaki.
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Beast Alley (けものみち, Eizo Sugawa, 1965)
A hotel maid is dragged into conspiracy after murdering her bedridden husband in Eizo Sugawa’s incredibly dark post-war noir.
Hoodlum Soldier (兵隊やくざ, Yasuzo Masumura, 1965)
Two very different soldiers discover an unexpected bond in mutual resistance in Yasuzo Masumura’s
The Passionate Spinster (結婚相談, Ko Nakahira, 1965)
A woman still unmarried at the comparatively late age of 30 begins to go out of her mind while on a hellish descent into vice and crime in…
The History of Mushi Pro – 02 – Anime business (1965-1966)
While I’m hesitant to speak of “golden ages”, if Mushi Production had one, it was certainly the years 1965-1966. Still riding on Tetsuwan Atom’s prodigious popularity, the studio…
(REVIEW) Exorcising THE DEVIL LADY
This ain’t Gotham City.
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The Devil is Real and posting is his sword. The Sickos articulate a long-held belief, that the Devil is a real red guy who does all the problems.…
Power is One Weird Devil
Chainsaw Man Episode 3 Review I have seen a lot of oddballs in my years of watching anime. Monkey D. Luffy’s a pirate who can turn into a…
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Back to back is not just the optimal fighting technique when you have two Jean Claude van Damme. It’s also the way our reviews come along. This time…