Takao Saito, who died this week of pancreatic cancer at the age of 84, was never a fan of the word manga. He preferred to call his work gekiga, subscribing to the idea, promulgated among the creators of the 1960s, that comics could be a work of “dramatic pictures”, not mere pulp entertainment. Not that […]
Sep 29, 2021 • Subscribe
More like this
534 – Manben Machinations 3 – Takao Saito, Shigeru Mizuki, Osamu Tezuka
This week we return to Naoki Urasawa's television show, Manben! We watch the episodes on Takao Saito, Shigeru Mizuki, and Osamu Tezuka! We also discuss Dragon Ball Daima,…
Ameku Takao #03 — Unmysterious
Those epilepsy warnings are there for a reason. Impressions: If it takes a super genius detective to say "Hey, maybe we should look into that video that…
Ameku Takao #01 — Blue Blood
House, this is not. Impressions: This is what I was worried about. I say this with virtually every detective show, but it's incredible that Conan is about…
Barom-1 by Saitō Takao
Otaku USA just reported that Saito Takao recently passed away at the age of 84, and so I thought I would review one of his manga. He wrote…
Ameku Takao no Suiri Karte
Plot: Nestled away on the rooftop of Tenikai General Hospital is the unconventional Department of Investigative Pathology headed by the eccentric Dr. Ameku Takao. The tiny department, consisting…
The Sound of Grass 草の響き Dir: Hisashi Saito (2021)
The Sound of Grass is a slow and solid showcase of the struggle of dealing with mental problems. Based on a story by Yasushi Sato. 草の響き Dir: Hisashi…
Handyman Saito in Another World
Saito is a handyman. Nothing wrong with that! Handymen are quite useful. And Saito is particularly useful since he’s good at everything he tries. Problem is, he’s good,…
[Announcement] Regarding Saito Soma’s marriage
…so we’ve decided to take this new step forward together.
Ameku Takao #02 — …In a Dennys
When you hear hoofbeats, think unicorns. Impressions: …Like I said, we suddenly jump instead of an especially nice Dennys. Why is there an entire tree in this…
Hakuoki Shinkai Fūkaden [Hajime Saito Route]
Saito is one of my favorite characters. In fact, he ranked first in the Otomate characters popularity poll, making him the most popular character amongst all characters from…
Anime Pilgrimage to Mount Takao (Yama no Susume)
It was the start of my second week in Tokyo when I decided I needed to do some cardio. The week before started with me traveling to Japan…
Philosophical Themes in Ameku Takao no Suiri Karte
The battle between science and death is one of the most fundamental struggles in human history. Medicine, technology, and research have all been humanity’s weapons in the fight…
Episode 821: Handyman Witch: The Journey of Saito
This week on Anime Pulse we got a hungry host, the Lockpicking Lawyer is isekai'd, and the end of the world as we know it. First off Joseph…
Shuumatsu Touring / Touring After the Apocalypse by Saito Sakae
I got turned on to Touring After the Apocalypse by a random set of reviews in Reactor (nee Tor.com.) If I have any disappointment at all in this…
Sin and Evil (罪と悪, Yuki Saito, 2024)
Old friends find themselves struggling to move on from the traumatic events of 20 years previously in Yuki Saito’s tale of small-town crime.
Drifting Home Director Hiroyasu Ishida and Producer Hibiki Saito
An apartment complex adrift at sea becomes the backdrop in this emotional story about two childhood friends. Director Hiroyasu Ishida and producer Hibiki Saito share what drew them…
Tune of the Week(ish): Oresuki: Papapa by Shuka Saito
If anything, I’m going to always credit Oresuki for attempting to take the Harem genre in new directions and trying something. I don’t know if it all works…
The Dawning Sky (明け行く空, Torajiro Saito, 1929)
A female pastor is unexpectedly reunited with the child she was forced to abandon in Torajiro Saito’s tearjerking familial melodrama.
The Homeless (無宿 やどなし, Koichi Saito, 1974)
A trio of lost souls find a beachside refuge amid the search for sunken gold in the heightened atmosphere of the 1930s in Koichi Saito’s melancholy fable.
First (and Second) Impressions – Ameku Takao no Suiri Karte (Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective)
Double premieres have become something of a fad in anime recently.
Interview with Asari Endou, Takao Yoshioka and Hiroyuki Hashimoto On The MahoIku Anime
Asari Endou, Takao Yoshioka and Hiroyuki Hashimoto discuss the writng and directing of the MahoIku anime. Magi-cool, pon!
Walking in Whitemud Ravine Park and I Want To Visit Mt. Takao Someday
It has been a challenging 2019 and 2020 for everyone due to the global pandemic. Many people have been cooped up at home for far greater am...
Playing Takao in the Stage Version of Makoto Shinkai's The Garden of Words
Stage actors Hiroki Berrecloth and Kurumu Okamiya discuss the inner workings of Takao and getting into character for a live performance.
EARLY MANGA DAYS: Takao Saito's Golgo 13 four graphic novels and 2 floppies (1988-1999)
This post is the latest installment in Same Hat's long-running "early manga days" series, documenting the specific volumes and physical releases from the first 30 years of contemporary…
Drifting Through The Memories of Yesterday – How Keiichiro Saito Explores Identity & Nostalgia In ‘Tomoshibi Serenade’
Quite a lot has changed for animator and director Keiichiro Saito since the last time I covered their work. The biggest development that occurred during this time was…
Takao Koyama and Makoto Koyama Dragon Ball Screenwriting Panel at Waku Waku NYC (Part 1 of 2)
Last week, I attended Waku Waku NYC. This brand-new convention was located in Brooklyn, New York and was held on August 29-30, 2015. The panel here featured Takao…
Tomoya Kitagawa & Keiichiro Saito & Tomohiro Suzuki – Interview on Sousou no Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End) Season 2
Original interview from MANTANWEB published on January 2nd 2026, original interviewer: 阿仁間満; genga corrections by Akiko Takase, from the official studio Madhouse Twitter account. The second season of…
Interview with Chiwa Saito at Anime Frontier 2023: On Homura’s Return, Harrison Ford, and Finding Time for Yourself
Chiwa Saito is one of anime’s most notable and skilled seiyuu, with a career spanning more than twenty years. But as she sat in front of press at…
Goto-san (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
“Gokan expertly reveals the position of the freeter as an attempt to escape the capitalistic machinery but also as a position that most easily falls prey to the…
Weekly Round-Up, 25 September – 1 October 2024: Kimagure Orange Road Film, Free Yuri Games, and Saito Chiwa Interview
AniFem Round-Up 2024 Fall Premiere Reviews All the fall premieres in one easy-to-find place. Loner Life in Another World – Episode 1 Starting the season off with an…
Wicked Priest 5: Breaking The Commandments (極悪坊主 飲む打つ買う, Buichi Saito, 1971)
The Wicked Priest returns for his final adventure and once again finds himself tackling the corruptions of the mid-Meiji society.
2021 Retrospective
Here's to another good one, friends. 3:02 - 2021 Recommendations 3:13 - Golden Kamuy 4:15 - Hina Change 5:21 - Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 6:57 - Curtains Up, I'm Off 8:01 - The Bones…
Summer 2021
Another 3 months gone and I don’t even know where it’s gone TBH. I had a Moot Court this past Monday and it left me emotionally drained and…
The Dungeon of Black Company, Battle Game in 5 Seconds, Scarlet Nexus, Sonny Boy, The aquatope on white sand
Summer 2021!
Summer 2021 is officially here! So, y’all know the drill.
Winter 2021
Hello! How many of us are looking forward to the new year?? I know I am! Winter 2021 feels like a brand new start, granted all our problems…
Spring 2021!
It’s been about a year now since we’ve all been experiencing (in one way or another) the effects of the global pandemic. I hope that you and yours…
Fall 2021.
Sweater season is upon us! Not really because it’s Spring in Melbourne but somehow still feels like it’s the middle of Winter. I’ve had hail in my area…
The Vampire Dies in No Time, Musashi, Platinum End, VISUAL PRISON, Blue Period
Spring 2021.
Wanna hear something embarrassing? This post has been sitting, complete and ready to post, in my drafts for over a month now. I just lacked the energy to…
Farewell, 2021…
Just a quick post about my next plans as 2021 is gonna end soon. Yes, we’re still under the mercy of the COVID-19 pandemic, but I’m hoping that…
Sweet Bitter Candy (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
“An amazing exploration of the clash between a sweet youthful romantic desire and the bitter urge of a wounded subject to defend his subjective wounds.”
Junho (South Korea/USA, 2021) [CAAMFest 2021]
John Atom reviews David Boo's topical drama Junho.
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…
A New Wind Blows (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
A great film that shows that the madness of the male subject is often function of a woman, of a woman that unknowingly puts the by a man…
Winter 2021 to Fall 2021 Anime Power Rankings
It's been 2 years since the last one, let's get right into it. Winter 2021 1) Wonder Egg Priority Worth watching for the animation alone. However the ending is chotto... 2) Re:Zero…
Attack on Titan, Lycoris Recoil, ZOMBIE LAND SAGA, Super Cub, Encouragement of Climb
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.”
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…
Escape from Mogadishu (South Korea, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
South Korean cinema is no longer the producer of small and idiosyncratic films that have to seep through the cracks of international cinema. It hasn’t been for years.…