Anime Blog Tracker

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…

psycho-cinematography

Sep 9, 2021 • Subscribe

Wonderful Paradise (Japan, 2020) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Epoy Deyto reviews Masashi Yamamoto's eccentric comedy Wonderful Paradise.

VCinema

Sep 23, 2021 • Subscribe

B/B (Japan, 2020) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Grant Watson reviews Kosuke Nakahama’s debut feature B/B.

VCinema

Sep 7, 2021 • Subscribe

Town Without Sea (夏、至るころ, Elaiza Ikeda, 2020)

Filled with adolescent anxiety, a lost young man begins to discover the confidence to fly far from home in Elaiza Ikeda’s beautifully drawn Kyushu coming-of-age tale

Windows on Worlds

Sep 3, 2021 • Subscribe

The Blue Danube (Japan, 2020) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Epoy Deyto reviews Akira Ikeda's anti-war satire The Blue Danube.

VCinema

Sep 16, 2021 • Subscribe

Double Layered Town / Making a Song to Replace Our Positions (Japan, 2020) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Jason Maher reviews Haruka Komori and Natsumi Seo's documentary Double Layered Town / Making a Song to Replace Our Positions.

VCinema

Sep 15, 2021 • Subscribe

Among Four of Us (Japan, 2020) [OAFF 2021/JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Jason Maher reviews Mayu Nakamura’s short Among Four of Us.

VCinema

Aug 30, 2021 • Subscribe

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.”

psycho-cinematography

Jan 14, 2022 • Subscribe

Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland

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…

psycho-cinematography

Oct 16, 2021 • Subscribe

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.”    

psycho-cinematography

Sep 12, 2021 • Subscribe

Mari and Mari (Japan, 2021) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Jason Maher reviews Tatsuya Yamanishi's romantic mystery Mari and Mari.

VCinema

Sep 5, 2021 • Subscribe

Kiba: Fangs of Fiction (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“Daihachi Yoshida succeeds in turning Shiota’s interesting story and fascinating world of publishing and bookstores into an engaging and pleasant filmic narrative.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 31, 2021 • Subscribe

Kiba

Short Movie Time: Honeymoon (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“A pleasing narrative about the arbitrariness of language and culture.”

psycho-cinematography

Nov 9, 2021 • Subscribe

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.&#82…

psycho-cinematography

Sep 6, 2021 • Subscribe

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.’

psycho-cinematography

Sep 3, 2021 • Subscribe

The Great Yokai War – Guardians (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“A pleasant and truly satisfying ride for the whole family.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 28, 2021 • Subscribe

Robinson’s Garden (1988) [Japan Cuts 2021]

“Yamamoto is not able to create a composition that engages the spectator with its highly relevant message.”

psycho-cinematography

Feb 10, 2024 • Subscribe

Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction (Japan, 2021) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Arthi Vasudevan reviews Daihachi Yoshida’s workplace comedy Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction.

VCinema

Sep 5, 2021 • Subscribe

Kiba

School Radio to Major Tom (Japan, 2021) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Jason Maher reviews Takuya Chisaka's short film School Radio to Major Tom.

VCinema

Aug 31, 2021 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Go Seppukku Yourselves (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“An enthralling audiovisual experience and a powerful critique of the Japanese political system.”

psycho-cinematography

Oct 9, 2021 • Subscribe

The Town of Headcounts (2020) review [Nippon Connection 2021]

“His dystopian ‘thriller’ does not only masterly highlight, in a chilling way, the various ills that marks contemporary society, but also shows, that within such dystopian world, a…

psycho-cinematography

Jun 26, 2021 • Subscribe

Hand (2022) review [Japan Cuts 2023]

Matsui avoids delivering an exploitative erotic piece merely to be enjoyed by male audiences.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 22, 2023 • Subscribe

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.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 16, 2023 • Subscribe

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.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 5, 2023 • Subscribe

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…

psycho-cinematography

Aug 19, 2023 • Subscribe

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…

psycho-cinematography

Jan 23, 2024 • Subscribe

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…

psycho-cinematography

May 27, 2021 • Subscribe

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…

psycho-cinematography

Jul 20, 2021 • Subscribe

Japan Cuts Announces Lineup for 2021 Hybrid Edition

In-person & online Aug. 20 – Sept. 2

Windows on Worlds

Aug 17, 2021 • Subscribe

To Sleep So as to Dream (Japan, 1986) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Jason Maher reviews Kaizo Hayashi's debut feature To Sleep So as to Dream.

VCinema

Sep 8, 2021 • Subscribe

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…

psycho-cinematography

Oct 19, 2021 • Subscribe

Review: Your World without Me (2021)

Your World without Me 你的世界如果没有我 China, 2021, colour, 2.35:1, 97 mins. Director: Liu Weiheng 刘伟恒. Rating: 4/10. Light, simplistic youth romance depends a lot on the easy chemistry…

Sino-Cinema 《神州电影》

Jan 29, 2022 • Subscribe

JOINT (Japan, 2020) [OAFF 2021]

Jason Maher reviews Oudai Kojima’s debut feature JOINT.

VCinema

Apr 5, 2021 • Subscribe

JAPAN CUTS Announces 2023 Lineup

At Japan Society New York July 26 to Aug. 6

Windows on Worlds

Jun 22, 2023 • Subscribe

A Preview of Japan Cuts 2021 (August 20th – September 02nd)

Japan Cuts 2021 Line-up and ticketing details

Genkinahito

Aug 17, 2021 • Subscribe

Kiba

The Silent Sea (2021) [Drama Review]

The Silent Sea; or, 2021: A Lunar Odyssey      Not a damn thing works smoothly in this station. I have been looking forward to The Silent Se...

Watching Asia Film Reviews

Feb 4, 2022 • Subscribe

Song of the Sea: This Time WithOUT Feeling?

I finally got to see Cartoon Saloon’s The Secret of Kells after years of buildup. I loved it, so naturally, I did the next logical step: also watch…

Weeb Revues

Oct 22, 2022 • Subscribe

Best Wishes To All (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]

A surprisingly satisfying horror-narrative

psycho-cinematography

Dec 3, 2023 • Subscribe

Gotō-san (Japan, 2020) [OAFF 2021]

Jason Maher reviews Hiroshi Gokan's capitalist critique Gotō-san.

VCinema

Apr 9, 2021 • Subscribe

Mari and Mari  彼女来来  (2021) Director: Tatsuya Yamanishi [Japan Cuts 2021]

Mari and Mari  彼女来来  (2021) Director: Tatsuya Yamanishi [Japan Cuts 2021]

Genkinahito

Sep 8, 2021 • Subscribe

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…

踊る猿life is kyōgen

Aug 3, 2018 • Subscribe

Interview with Mayu Nakamura, Director of Among Four of Us [OAFF 2021/JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Jason Maher talks to Mayu Nakamura about her short film Among Four of Us.

VCinema

Aug 30, 2021 • Subscribe

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]

Genkinahito

Sep 23, 2021 • Subscribe

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.

psycho-cinematography

Sep 3, 2023 • Subscribe

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.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 13, 2023 • Subscribe

Amiko Wins Obayashi Prize at 2023 JAPAN CUTS

Prize introduced in 2020 is awarded an independently produced narrative feature from an emerging filmmaker.

Windows on Worlds

Aug 8, 2023 • Subscribe

The countryside town which changed Japan [SEKIGAHARA]

Checking out of my hotel relatively early, I wanted to move on to the next section of my trip as soon as possible.

IGIRISUJEN (AGAIN)

May 29, 2022 • Subscribe

Why Japan is Losing Its Sea Otters

Japan's aquariums used to host a total of 122 sea otters. Here's why they're now in danger of disappearing completely.

Unseen Japan

Mar 7, 2023 • Subscribe

Closet (2020) review [Camera Japan Festival]

“A filmic piece that will not only induce a forlorn feeling in its spectators but also invite them to deeply question their own interpersonal functioning.”

psycho-cinematography

Oct 3, 2021 • Subscribe

The Real Thing (Japan, 2020) [SDAFF Spring Showcase 2021]

Jason Maher reviews Koji Fukada's television series The Real Thing.

VCinema

Apr 28, 2021 • Subscribe