“Daihachi Yoshida succeeds in turning Shiota’s interesting story and fascinating world of publishing and bookstores into an engaging and pleasant filmic narrative.”
Aug 31, 2021 • Subscribe
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Mari and Mari (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“A beautiful narrative that seems to bear no relation to our romantic life at first, but ultimately hits close to home.”
Spaghetti Code Love (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“Maruyama’s narrative speaks powerfully to the spectator’s subjectivity – his fears and hopes – and enables his evocation of a glimmer of hope that remains present in this…
The Goldfish Dreaming Of The Sea (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“Ogawa’s thoughtful lyricism that gives the emotionality of the performances their power to touch the spectator and enables her exploration of the difficulty to separate from one’s mother…
Short Movie Time: Honeymoon (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“A pleasing narrative about the arbitrariness of language and culture.”
Talking The Pictures (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“Mayayuki’s celebration of cinematic history deeply satisfies the spectator’s desire to see cinema as an experience that can touch our being and the art of the benshi triumph.R…
Hiroku The Goblin (1991) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
‘A classic that offers an unforgettable experience that is as touchingly lighthearted as is it disturbingly horrifying.’
Town Without Sea (2020) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“A visually engaging narrative about the nature of happiness and the importance of desire that is highly relevant for Japanese youth.”
The Great Yokai War – Guardians (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“A pleasant and truly satisfying ride for the whole family.”
Robinson’s Garden (1988) [Japan Cuts 2021]
“Yamamoto is not able to create a composition that engages the spectator with its highly relevant message.”
Short Movie Time: Go Seppukku Yourselves (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“An enthralling audiovisual experience and a powerful critique of the Japanese political system.”
Short Movie Time: Born Pisces (2020) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“Yamanaka does not only reaffirm that she has talent but also that she improved her compositional style and her storytelling.”
A Preview of Japan Cuts 2021 (August 20th – September 02nd)
Japan Cuts 2021 Line-up and ticketing details
Plastic (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
Miyazaki creates a moody narrative that highlights the equivocal functionality of music for the subject as well as the destructive impact of not being able to create an…
Winny (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
Matsumoto offers a serene insight in how the Other of the law curtails a subject and, indirectly, sabotages the prospects of a new industry.
Kubi (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2024]
One of best period dramas in recent years.
Amiko (2022) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
A fabulous narrative that explores the destructive effects caused by the radical misunderstanding that marks the field of speech and the refusal to speak to one’s child as…
Hand (2022) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
Matsui avoids delivering an exploitative erotic piece merely to be enjoyed by male audiences.
Single8 (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
Konaka offers the spectator a heartwarming invitation to re-find, within oneself, one’s (nearly extinguished) passion for creation.
Japan Cuts Announces Lineup for 2021 Hybrid Edition
In-person & online Aug. 20 – Sept. 2
Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction (騙し絵の牙, Daihachi Yoshida, 2020)
A maverick magazine editor attempts to ride the waves of the Japanese publishing industry while in the middle of a succession crisis in Yoshida’s literary farce
An Interview with Mayu Nakamura, Director of Among Four of Us [OAFF 2021/JAPAN CUTS 2021]
An Interview with Mayu Nakamura, Director of Among Four of Us [OAFF 2021/JAPAN CUTS 2021]
Six Singing Women (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2024]
A great narrative, yet one that stumbles over its own thematical fixation
JAPAN CUTS Announces 2023 Lineup
At Japan Society New York July 26 to Aug. 6
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At Japan Society New York from July 10 to 21
The Three Sisters of Tenmasou Inn (2022) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
Those spectators that love to release their stress by releasing tears will be very satisfied by Kitamura’s narrative.
Father of The Milky Way Railroad (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
By being able to rely on such talent, Narushima is able to deliver a narrative that gracefully moves the spectator and elegantly provokes spectator’s emotions and tears.
All The Long Nights (2024) review [Japan Cuts 2024]
A splendid drama that shows how symptoms can disturb a subject’s life and how the social field attains its cruel complexity due to the riddle of desire.
Best Wishes To All (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
A surprisingly satisfying horror-narrative
Mari and Mari 彼女来来 (2021) Director: Tatsuya Yamanishi [Japan Cuts 2021]
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Short Movie Time: Bath House of Whales (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
Introduction Mizuki Kiyama’s graduation short film Bath House of Whales is a creative reworking of her memories of accompanying her mother, a person of Korean descent living in…
Special - Japan Cuts Film Festival 2024
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Japan Cuts 2018 Film Festival at the Japan Society
This past few weeks I volunteered for the Japan Society Film Department’s annual Japan Cuts film festival, which screens a host of new Japanese blockbusters, avant-garde films, and…
Short Movie Time: Nezumikozō Jirokichi (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2024]
The mix of elements supports the film’s aim well, that is to entice spectators to seek out the three films that remain from this somewhat forgotten master
Short Movie Time: Social Circles (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2024]
A highly experimental and conceptual experience that might not be for everyone
Short Movie Time: Hail Mary (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2024]
Nakamura succeeds in making the spectator care for Maria and impact him/her emotionally with her tragedy.
A Preview of Japan Cuts 2024 (July 10th – July 21st)
Details on the line-up for Japan Cuts 2024 (July 10th – July 21st))
A Preview of Japan Cuts 2023 (July 26th – August 06th)
Details on the line-up for Japan Cuts 2023 (July 26th – August 06th)
Blind Bombing, Filmed by a Bat (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
Introduction Kota Takeuchi is man of many creative talents, but whatever he does – be it painting, filming, or sculpting – it is related to historical or contemporary…
Tora-san, Wish you were here (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
“Yamada’s latest offers not only a powerful homage to the late great Kiyoshi Atsumi but also a moving nostalgic ride along many of the iconic scenes of the…
Amiko Wins Obayashi Prize at 2023 JAPAN CUTS
Prize introduced in 2020 is awarded an independently produced narrative feature from an emerging filmmaker.
BLog: Fangs Vol. 1
BLog reviews recent boys love, yaoi and LGBTQ+ English translation manga. Fangs Vol. 1Story and art: Billy BaliballyTranslation: Christine DashiellPublisher: TOKYOPOPRelease Date: July 6, 2021 One …
The Legend and The Butterfly (2023) [Japan Cuts 2023]
The combination of historical anchor points, a phantasmatic romance to link those points together, and satisfying burst of action will surely be able to satisfy those who thirst…
Short Movie Time: Bottle George (2024) [Japan Cuts 2024]
An instant stop-motion classic
Kubi 首 (2023) Director: Takeshi Kitano [Japan Cuts 2024]
Kubi 首 (2023), directed by Takeshi Kitano, is a historical epic that amps up the violence and sex for satire’s sake as Kitano takes aim at the absurd samurai social…
The “Baccano” of Pulp Fiction
“Hey, Isaac?” “What’s that, Miria my dear?” “What do you suppose they call the Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?” “Hmm…well, Miria, I believe they’d call it a…
Facts of Fiction: Demon Slayer
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Films: Japan 2021
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Between Us (2021) review [Camera Japan Festival]
“A great narrative that celebrates the energetic art of Japanese drumming in pleasing way.”
Kubi 首 (2023) Director: Takeshi Kitano, Shuta Takahata [Japan Cuts 2024]
Kubi 首 (2023), directed by Takeshi Kitano, is a historical epic that amps up the violence and sex for satire’s sake as Kitano takes aim at the absurd samurai social…
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It was Ichiko’s time to shine.