A group of high school friends is forced to confront unresolved grief while rehearing for a wedding in Daigo Matsui’s moving metaphysical drama
Aug 18, 2021 • Subscribe
More like this
Remain in Twilight (2021) review [Camera Japan Festival]
“Matsui delivers another masterpiece that will long linger in the spectator’s mind.”
Hand (手, Daigo Matsui, 2022)
A young woman meditates on emotional distance and the impossibility of intimacy while fixating on older men Daigo Matsui’s contemporary Roman Porno.
Just Remembering (ちょっと思い出しただけ, Daigo Matsui, 2021) [Fantasia 2022]
Former lovers are confronted by reminders of their failed romance amid the loneliness of the coronavirus pandemic in Daigo Matsui’s melancholy drama.
River (リバー、流れないでよ, Junta Yamaguchi, 2023) [Fantasia 2023]
The staff of a hotel along with its guests find themselves trapped in an infinite two minute loop in Junta Yamaguchi’s strangely poignant farce.
~ku naru ~くなる - Meaning in Japanese
What is ~ku naru ~くなる in Japanese. Examples, grammar and conjugation.
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.
Our Huff and Puff Journey (私たちのハァハァ, Daigo Matsui, 2015)
Four high school girls make an impulsive decision to bike to Tokyo from Kyushu to see their favourite band in Daigo Matsui’s teen drama.
Untamed (あらくれ, Mikio Naruse, 1957)
A rebellious woman strives for independence in a patriarchal society but nevertheless finds herself hamstrung by feckless men in Naruse’s Taisho-era drama
Dear Etranger / 幼な子われらに生まれ
It’s no secret that divorce is messy and complicated, particularly when children are involved. From the child’s perspective, it may be the moment that you realize your parents…
Strangers 人知れず Director: Sae Suzuki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]
Strangers 人知れず Director: Sae Suzuki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022] is an effective look at how people can explore thorny issues such as sexual harassment and discrimination in…
Bonds of Love / 愛のきずな / Ai no kizuna (1969)
Obscure Japanese Film #125 Mari Sono and Makoto Fujita Suzuki (Makoto Fujita) is a low-level manager at a travel agency who drives a mod...
When Morning Comes, I Feel Empty (朝がくるとむなしくなる, Yuho Ishibashi, 2022)
A young woman wrestles with a sense of failure and inadequacy after leaving the corporate world in Yuho Ishibashi’s zeitgeisty indie drama.
We Couldn’t Become Adults ボクたちはみんな大人になれなかった (2021) Director: Yoshihiro Mori
We Couldn’t Become Adults ボクたちはみんな大人になれなかった (2021), by director Yoshihiro Mori, is a well-acted and well-shot drama about a 40-something man in contemporary Japan looking back at his life (v…
One Cut of the Dead / カメラを止めるな!
(Warning: this review contains spoilers about the structure of One Cut of the Dead, which I don’t think detract from enjoyment of the film.) One Cut of the…
Twilight Saloon (たそがれ酒場, Tomu Uchida, 1955)
A generational divide echoes around a beer hall filled with a defeated sense of bonhomie until finally finding a point of rest in Tomu Uchida’s elliptical single set…
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
Midnight (미드나이트, Kwon Oh-seung, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A deaf woman and her mother become unwitting targets for a sadistic serial killer in Kwon’s extraordinarily tense chase through the darkened streets of Soeul
Seobok (서복, Lee Yong-ju, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A terminally ill former government agent reckons with mortality while bonding with a clone birthed to cure humanity’s ills in Lee Yong-ju’s high concept thriller
Follow The Light (2021) review [Fantasia Festival 2021]
The narrative might not offer anything new at a thematical level, but stands out due to his refusal to spell things out and, instead, imply certain subjective truths…
First Impression: Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange
Ever wonder what a day in the life of a firefighter would be like or how hard it is to become a firefighter in Japan? If so, Firefighter…
Anime Like Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange
Encouraged to become a firefighter to impress his crush Yuki Nakamura, Shun Onoda is shocked when he discovers that Yuki didn't just like firefighters, she
Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange, Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club, Library War, My Hero Academia, Police in a Pod
Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange – Episode 1
A refreshing break from stories equating heroism with violence, though hopefully the lone female character gains more prominence.
Hold Me Back 私をくいとめて Director: Akiko Ohku (2020) [New York Asian Film Festival 2021]
Director Akiko Ohku and lead actor Non make a dream team for the film Hold Me Back, a romantic-comedy which reflects the concerns of modern women. 私をくいとめて Director: Akiko…
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.
The Sadness (哭悲, Robert Jabbaz, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A young couple find themselves caught up in an epidemic of sadistic violence in Robert Jabbaz’ defiantly depraved satirical horror
Sword of Destiny (孤剣は折れず 月影一刀流, Yasushi Sasaki, 1960)
A wandering swordsman winds up in intrigue on returning to his fencing school to find his old master murdered in Yasushi Sasaki’s jidaigeki adventure.
Mentalist DaiGo and Anti-Homeless Sentiment in Japan
YouTuber Mentalist DaiGo caused a furor saying he valued the lives of cats over the homeless. Yet a lack of care for the unhoused is no rare thing…
The Hot Little Girl (しびれくらげ, Yasuzo Masumura, 1970)
A young woman uses the tools used against her to fight back against the exploitations of a patriarchal society in Yasuzo Masumura’s provocative drama.
Story of a Blind Woman /女めくら物語 / Onna mekura monogatari (1965)
Obscure Japanese Film #130 Ayako Wakao This Daiei production stars Ayako Wakao as Tsuruko, an orphan who loses her sight at the age of 16 ...
Shari (シャリ, Nao Yoshigai, 2021) [Fantasia 2022]
A red monster roams the landscape smearing its blood wherever it goes in Nao Yoshigai’s surreal documentary hybrid.
Tokyo Revengers (2021) Review [Fantasia Film Festival]
“An exciting blend of satisfying violence, tensive moments, surges of pleasing lightheartedness, and touching emotional moments.”
Seire (세이레, Park Kang, 2021) [Fantasia 2022]
A new father finds himself haunted by paternal anxiety and old transgressions in Park Kang’s eerie folk horror.
Tokyo Revengers (東京リベンジャーズ, Tsutomu Hanabusa, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A dejected 27-year-old gets a second chance to face his high school trauma in Hanabusa’s high school delinquent x time travel manga adaptation
Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette (2021) review [Fantasia Festival 2021]
“Hanabusa’s second outing proves to be as enjoyable and thrilling as the first.”
Why You Can’t Be Prime Minister (なぜ君は総理大臣になれないのか, Arata Oshima, 2020)
Arata Oshima follows idealistic politician Junya Ogawa over 17 years in order to explore why his goal of becoming prime minister remains forever elusive
Best Wishes to All (みなに幸あれ, Yuta Shimotsu, 2023)
A visit to her grandparents’ home forces a young woman to reckon with with the price of “happiness” in Yuta Shimotsu’s eerie indie horror.
Anime character designers remain unrecognized
Plus: Industry lacks central anime production database; Anime directors discuss feature films at TIFF; City sets tax donation record thanks to anime gifts; and more
Anime character designers remain unrecognized
Plus: Industry lacks central anime production database; Anime directors discuss feature films at TIFF; City sets tax donation record thanks to anime gifts; and more
Anime character designers remain unrecognized
Plus: Industry lacks central anime production database; Anime directors discuss feature films at TIFF; City sets tax donation record thanks to anime gifts; and more
The Girl in Twilight – Episode 9
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re watching some The Girl in Twilight, because it’s long past time we got some goddamn answers. After…
The Girl in Twilight – Episode 11
We’re truly in it now, folks. After already having consumed Seriousuka’s home dimension, the Emissary of Twilight has journeyed on to Asuka’s own world, and revealed itself to…
The Girl in Twilight – Episode 10
Well team, I don’t think we’re doing so great. The group’s journey to Seriousuka’s home dimension played out in the worst possible way; not only did they fail…
The Girl in Twilight – Episode 12
Heads up fuckers, Asuka and Yu are in love and there’s nothing you can do about it. Last episode’s conclusion was all I could have hoped for and…
The Girl in Twilight – Episode 5
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time! Today we’ll be returning to the rootinest tootinest reality in all of the multiverse, as we continue The Girl…
The Girl in Twilight – Episode 7
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to one of our more unusual projects, as we explore the next episode in the hilarious…
The Girl in Twilight – Episode 2
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re continuing The Girl in Twilight, an intriguing 2018 production concepted by renowned visual novelist Kotaro Uchikoshi. So…
The Girl in Twilight – Episode 8
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. When last we left off The Girl in Twilight, we’d just completed Chloe’s world, and defeated a malicious AI…
The Girl in Twilight – Episode 6
Hello everyone, and welcome back. You all feeling ready for some The Girl in Twilight? So far, this show has proven itself to be absolutely full of surprises,…
The Girl in Twilight – Episode 1
Hello all, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time! Today we’ll be embarking on a new notes project, as we explore the first episode of 2018’s The Girl…
The Girl in Twilight – Episode 3
Hello all, and welcome back to Why It Works! Today we’re exploring more of The Girl in Twilight, a show whose first episode intrigued me and second episode…