Anime Blog Tracker

Georama Boy, Panorama Girl (ジオラマボーイ・パノラマガール, Natsuki Seta, 2020) [Fantasia 2021]

Lovelorn teens experience parallel moments of romantic disillusionment in Natsuki Seta’s charmingly retro teen comedy

Windows on Worlds

Aug 6, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Hold Me Back (2020) review [Fantasia Film Festival]

“Ohku delivers, once again, a refreshing and highly touching romance-comedy.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 13, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Tokyo Revengers (2021) Review [Fantasia Film Festival]

“An exciting blend of satisfying violence, tensive moments, surges of pleasing lightheartedness, and touching emotional moments.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 16, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia, Tokyo Revengers

Shin-Ultraman (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival]

Higuchi and Anno deliver an impressive love letter to their childhood, yet their devoted love, which is sensible in every aspect of the narrative, might not be able…

psycho-cinematography

Jul 28, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Dreams of Fire (2021) review [Fantasia Film festival]

“McKie’s film is not only the best dance-film of recent years but might very well be one of the best Japanese films to be released this year.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 25, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Convenience Story (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival 2022]

Miki delivers a great psychological mystery narrative, yet it might not be for everyone.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 6, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

House of Sayuri (2024) review [Fantasia Film Festival]

The thoughtful manipulation of this atmospheric field is integral to create an effective and engaging genre-blend.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 11, 2024 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

The Fish Tale (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival]

A very heart-warming and touching narrative that shows that a subject does not necessarily need to make use of the neurotic solution to inscribe himself within the societal…

psycho-cinematography

Jul 31, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Love, Live, and Goldfish (2021) review [Fantasia Film Festival]

“While Makabe’s narrative does not offer anything truly new or groundbreaking, what it does brings to the table is served with excellence.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 6, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Kizumonogatari – Koyomi Vamp – (2024) review [Fantasia Film Festival 2024]

An evocative experience that succeeds in giving the vampire and the well-explored themes a fresh coat of drama and sexiness.  

psycho-cinematography

Jul 29, 2024 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

The Mole Song: Final (2021) review [Fantasia Film Festival]

Miike’s narrative delivers everything a fan of the previous narratives desires and even succeeds in inviting newcomers to delve into Reiji’s past exploits.

psycho-cinematography

Jul 24, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Baby Assassins: Good Days (2024) review [Fantasia Film Festival]

Yugo Sakamoto successfully mixes up the formula that structured his previous two action narratives. Highly Recommended.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 3, 2024 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

My Broken Mariko (2022) [Fantasia Film Festival]

Tanada offers a compelling exploration of the emotional turmoil a female subject caused by the sudden death of someone important.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 12, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Fantasia Film Fest 2022: A Girl Meets a Boy and a Robot

Part of a bigger sci-fi anthology feature called TAISU, Watanabe's short brings together an international team to create a new post-apocalyptic world.

Anime News Network - Views

Jul 23, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Jigoku-no-hanazono ～Office Royale～ (2021) review [Fantasia Film Festival]

“An absurd and crazy cocktail full of violence and funny twists and unexpected turns.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 19, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Fantasia International Film Festival Confirms Complete 2021 Programme

In cinemas and streaming across Canada Aug. 5 – 25

Windows on Worlds

Aug 2, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Fantasia International Film Festival Confirms Complete 2023 Programme

In Montreal July 20 to Aug. 9.

Windows on Worlds

Jul 7, 2023 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Fantasia International Film Festival Confirms Complete 2024 Programme

In Montreal July 18 to Aug, 4.

Windows on Worlds

Jul 14, 2024 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Fantasia Film Festival: 7 Films not to miss.

This year, we, once again, explored the wide selection of films screening at the festival to select some films that we, psychocinematography, duly recommend to the audiences.

psycho-cinematography

Jul 26, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko (2021) [Fantasia Film festival]

“A great animation film that offers an emotional and moving celebration of the strength of the bond between a daughter and a mother.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 22, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko

Fantasia International Film Festival Confirms Complete 2022 Programme

Runs in Montreal July 14 to Aug. 3

Windows on Worlds

Jul 5, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Five Films Not To Miss [Fantasia Film Festival 2022]

Let us present 5 Japanese films that should already be high on your to-watch list.

psycho-cinematography

Jul 8, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

The Pass: Last Days Of The Samurai (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival]

A very engaging samurai narrative that does not only offer an intriguing glance at one of the most important crossroads of Japanese history, but also a melodramatic exploration…

psycho-cinematography

Aug 10, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia, The Samurai

The Pass: Last Days Of The Samurai (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival]

A very engaging samurai narrative that does not only offer an intriguing glance at one of the most important crossroads of Japanese history, but also a melodramatic exploration…

psycho-cinematography

Aug 9, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia, The Samurai

What To Do With Dead Kaiju (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival 2022]

“An extremely well-structured genre-blend that does not only provides the laughs and giggles with its pleasant political satire, but also allows the spectator to immerge himself into the…

psycho-cinematography

Aug 3, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

River (2023) review [Fantasia Film Fest 2023]

If you like low-key humour and some time-twisting fun, you should not miss Yamaguchi’s latest.    

psycho-cinematography

Aug 1, 2023 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

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…

psycho-cinematography

Aug 3, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Sonny Boy & Dewdrop Girl Review

Sonny Boy and Dewdrop Girl is an anime short from Studio Colorido Co. The story centers on Hinata, an artistic boy with a crush on his classmate Shigure.

Otaku Orbit

Jun 11, 2020 • Subscribe

Hinata no Aoshigure

Fly Me To The Saitama: From Biwa Lake with Love (2023) review [Fantasia Film Festival 2024]

A fun romp that works well as an introduction to the cultural diversity that enriches the Japanese archipelago.

psycho-cinematography

Jul 24, 2024 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Boy or Girl?

I made a neutral cake! Boy or girl? Cast your votes in the comments below!

Shoujo Thoughts: ☆ ～('▽^人) Otaku Ramblings

Aug 8, 2023 • Subscribe

Insomniacs After School (2023) review [Fantasia Film Fest 2023]

Ikeda’s narrative contains all the right ingredients, but the final mixture is not able to give the narrative the emotional impact it looks for.

psycho-cinematography

Jul 29, 2023 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette (2021) review [Fantasia Festival 2021]

“Hanabusa’s second outing proves to be as enjoyable and thrilling as the first.”

psycho-cinematography

Nov 23, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia, Kakegurui

Okay! Madam (2020) [Film Review]

Okay! Madam; or, National Lampoon’s Airborne Vacation      We have to go on this trip! It has been a while, but I am getting back into Korea...

Watching Asia Film Reviews

Sep 23, 2023 • Subscribe

Tezuka's Barbara (2020) [Film Review]

Tezuka’s Barbara; or, Deadly Temptation      A woman like the city's excrement from the millions of people that it consumed and digested. Th...

Watching Asia Film Reviews

Jun 19, 2021 • Subscribe

Needless

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

A Girl Missing (2020) Review

Introduction Around three years after delivering his award-winning Harmonium (2016), Koji Fukada is finally back with a new filmic product: A Girl Missing (2020). Can Fukada deliver a…

psycho-cinematography

May 15, 2021 • Subscribe

Film Review: The Boy and the Heron

The Boy and the Heron, Hayao Miyazaki’s first film in a decade, is both his most personal and the most ambitious in his venerated catalog. Delving into the…

Beneath the Tangles

Dec 8, 2023 • Subscribe

The Boy and the Heron

My Oni Girl Anime Film Review

Narrative dissonance aside, the heart of My Oni Girl still shines through its jumbled ending: that folks should speak their minds even when it hurts.

Anime News Network - Views

May 22, 2024 • Subscribe

My Oni Girl

Make a Girl Anime Film Review

Make a Girl is, simply put, a film with some interesting ideas but poor execution.

Anime News Network - Views

Nov 17, 2024 • Subscribe

Kanazawa Film Festival 2012

If the world ends this year, it won't be because of the whole "2012: End of Days" thing. It will have nothing to do with the Mayan…

Japachickyburgers

Sep 8, 2012 • Subscribe

Film Festival Week: Wasurenagumo

Wasurenagumo was Production IG’s 2011 young animator training project. I’ve looked at some of these before including Harmonie, Aki no Kanade and Ojisan no Lamp. There have also…

Anime Reviews

Aug 14, 2021 • Subscribe

Li'l Spider Girl, Aki no Kanade, Death Parade, Harmonie, Little Witch Academia

Joint ジョイント Director: Oudai Kojima (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Joint ジョイント Director: Oudai Kojima (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021] is a refreshing take on the yakuza genre thanks to the depth of its world building and…

Genkinahito

Mar 7, 2021 • Subscribe

The Panorama of Hell

A horror manga about a painter obsessed with blood and various stories about his family members and their strange obsessions. Continue reading →

Manga Machinations

Oct 3, 2020 • Subscribe

Sydney Film Festival 2019 | Reflections

As I look for ways to keep my writing brain well-oiled, I will be trying out a more ‘modular’ approach to blog posts: rather than dedicating each post…

ATMA & Funomena

Jun 17, 2019 • Subscribe

Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023

 For the second year in a row, the Heroic Purgatory podcast is covering the Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) which took place between March 10 and March 19.…

Heroic Purgatory

Mar 21, 2023 • Subscribe

Film Festival Week: Doubutsu Tonarigumi

Doubutsu Tonarigumi is a propaganda film from the early days of World War II. Personally, I’ve always found this type of thing kind of interesting whether it’s blatantly…

Anime Reviews

Nov 18, 2023 • Subscribe

Film Festival Week: Amazing Nuts

Continuing with this year’s film festival week, we have Amazing Nuts. Which I assume is going to be rare footage of me without trousers. No? That’s good, wouldn’t…

Anime Reviews

Aug 12, 2021 • Subscribe

Film Festival Week: Golden Time

Golden Time is a 2013 film from Robot Communications. Yes, the studio behind Tsumiki no Ie. Is this as excellent as that film? Let’s check. Story: We open…

Anime Reviews

Nov 16, 2023 • Subscribe

La Maison en Petits Cubes, Golden Time

Chicago International Film Festival – Cloud

When I was getting in line for this film, I was genuinely surprised at how long the line was. This particular film probably had the biggest turn out…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Nov 5, 2024 • Subscribe

Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023

 For the second year in a row, the Heroic Purgatory podcast is covering the Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) which took place between March 10 and March 19.…

Heroic Purgatory

Mar 21, 2023 • Subscribe